Helping Students Improve Their Google Searches

“When we let students rely on Google, we’re turning them loose into information chaos,” says former librarian Mahnaz Dar in this Knowledge Quest article. “Though, in theory, search engines offer us a wealth of information, in actuality, there’s little organization or structure to the search results.” Dar describes how librarians’ careful preparation of reference materials and special databases is often bypassed as students go straight to Google.

So should librarians forbid students from using Google and Wikipedia? This is not the solution, says Dar, “because helping students learn to use commercial search engines is part of our duty to students. As school librarians, one of our primary goals is to teach students how to think critically and evaluate information… In an age when anyone can create a website in minutes, learning how to question sources should be a significant part of every student’s education.” 

Dar recommends that librarians teach students to regard a page of Google search results as only the first stage of inquiry. One way to do this is to have students search a topic (for example, Do raisins cause tooth decay?) using two different search engines, write down the top five hits, note how recently each site was updated, and assess how helpful it is in answering the question. Another approach is to have students create their own website, complete with text (is it accurate?) and photographs (copyright permission?). Students might be relieved to hear that they can correct a mistake on their website when they discover it – but has someone already downloaded and used their erroneous information? 

“The Google Solution” by Mahnaz Dar in Knowledge Quest, November/December 2012 (Vol. 41, #2, p. 74-75), http://bit.ly/RdBJFov; Dar is at mahnazdar@gmail.com. 

From the Marshall Memo #462