Blog Notification Test

what about today

MEC Google Class September 30

I'm posting part of Class 2's blog tonight because I expect some of you will get notification in your email and take a look prior to class.

Thanks for keeping in touch with me during the week. It helps me understand where each of you is and how I can help you.

When you get into class today (class 2), please check into my office at Tapped In. I ask you to do this in preparation for next week (class 3 on Wednesday, October 7th) where we'll be conducting class there in real time. We need to iron out any wrinkles in the process in advance in order to insure that our time there is productive. Please look for a brief assignment ( under featured notes entitled "Assignment Class 3" I've left for you there. We'll set aside some class time to discuss it in class today.

Google has become to searching on the Web as Kleenex has become to facial tissue; interchangable. Today we'll talk about Google's mainstay, even though it has many other facits. We'll quickly cover other types of search tools and engines first.

Search Engines: Mining for Pay dirt
Search Engine Flavors

This exercise is to acquaint you with a few of the numerous search engines and directories out on the Web. Today we’re going to do a demo of a couple of them. We’ll be pointing out some of the advantageous differences between them and why they’re important. Later on, we’ll discuss the seldom covered almanac.

Fortunately, the World Wide Web is filled with a large assortment of directories and search engines designed to help people locate your web site.

-Directories-

A directory is a comprehensive, categorical list of World Wide Web documents. Unlike search engines, directories are created and maintained by humans. In order to be listed, you must submit the address of your web site to the directory's caretakers. If the people in charge of the directory consider your site worthy of listing, it will be assigned to an appropriate category within the directory.

Examples of directories:

Merlot http://www.merlot.org/Home.po
Yahoo: http://www.yahoo.com/
Nerdworld: http://www.nerdworld.com/
Brittanica: http://www.britannica.com/ (see Browse > subjects)

Because you are subject to the whims of a human, getting any site listed in some
directories (such as 'Yahoo' and 'Best of the Web') can be difficult

-Search Engines-

A search engine, also known as a "spider" or "crawler," is a computer that continuously and rapidly explores the World Wide Web, voraciously reading all the documents it can find as quickly as possible. The search engine then stores information about each of these documents in a large database. This database is then made available to the public so that people can locate web pages containing words or phrases that they supply.

Examples of search engines:

Alta Vista http://www.altavista.com/
Excite http://www.excite.com/
Infoseek http://www.infoseek.com/
Web Crawler http://www.webcrawler.com/
Lycos http://www.lycos.com/
HotBot http://www.hotbot.com/
Ask Jeeves http://www.aj.com/

Unlike directories, search engines are fully automated. They go about their work dispassionately, listing all sites that they find. Human intervention is largely unneeded. It is fairly easy to get a site listed in a search engine-too easy, in fact.

While a directory might only have perhaps a few thousand, or at most, a few hundred thousand listings, most search engines have between 30 and 50 million listings! Unfortunately, this results in a large amount of clutter.

Important: To see an array of engines beside their speciality, go to: http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html
You could spend hours there.

LEARN HOW OTHER PEOPLE ENTER THEIR SEARCH TERMS - One of the best ways to understand search engines is to study how people use them, and what sorts of things they typically search for. To do this, pay visit to the WebCrawler SearchTicker. According to the folks at WebCrawler, the SearchTicker "continuously displays actual searches that people are doing on WebCrawler."

Dogpile SearchSpy http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/searchspy/
This is very cool as it shows in real time exactly what search terms are being used in Dogpile.


GOOGLE TRENDS

Take a look at Google Trends for the most popular search terms by going to:

http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends

Those similar sites listed below go in and out of service on a regular basis. If they do not produce results for you move on.
WebCrawler Search Ticker
http://www.differnet.com/SearchTicker/
The SearchTicker (sometimes, depending on your system) displays actual searches that people are doing via WebCrawler. (see below for substitute Web address under Webcrawler’s search spy.) Notice that the 'S' and the 'T' are capitalized in the address above. Some browsers are
case-sensitive, so get it right!

When you reach the SearchTicker, you'll see a list of search terms that have just been entered into WebCrawler. Hit your browser's 'Reload' or 'Refresh' button frequently to get a more updated list.

You will make a very fascinating discovery with this tool. You would not believe the number of people who will type a web URL into a search engine instead of just going to you’re the site directly. It's unbelievable!

Search Voyeur also is also detail clickable.
Metacrawler MetaSpy
http://www.metaspy.com/info.metac.spy/metaspy/
What Do People Search For ? Webcrawler’s search spy
http://www.webcrawler.com/info.wbcrwl/searchspy

When you give a person a URL, you would expect them to type that URL in the space at the top of their browser and go right to that site, bypassing the search engine altogether. But that isn't what happens in a significant number of cases. Apparently, there are a large number of people out there who do not realize that a search engine should only be used when you do NOT know the URL for a website. Because you have given them an exact address, there is absolutely no need whatsoever to involve a search engine. But it still happens.

Sit and watch the SearchTicker for a few minutes (be sure to reload or refresh every so often). You’ll be amazed at the number of people who search for URLs. Most of the time, those searches will come up blank. This is because most web designers don't think to include their URL in their key word list. I would suggest that you not make that mistake if you ever create a Web page.

Study the SearchTicker for a while. You'll undoubtedly make many more fascinating discoveries about your audience and the nature of their search techniques.

Possible Activity: (Please skip this since the focus of this class is Google and not other engines. We'll save this one for the time that we find ourselves with way too much time.)

In today’s class I’d like you to use three search engines. Use two of the ones we’ve discussed(brought up by either me or other members of the class) and then choose one of your own. Can you guess how you would find or “search” for a new one?

I’d like you to use them to locate the highest quality resources that you can and that pertain to your audience of choice. Those resources could be lesson plans or student projects. They could also be information rich sites, which students or teachers could use to complete a project or assignment. Make note of what you find and make note of the differences in the engines you employ and the features you like best. Remember to be selective and bookmark the best sites for later. Try to find one very good thing using each one.

Please email me the URL of a cool new engine you’ve found today (I’m always on the lookout for new ones) and one of the URLs of a mother lode you found. I’ll try to look at all of them.


This is one experiment I'd like you to try. I'm going to relate a story to you. one that could happen to one of your students. Let's just say that Elise has to come up with a term paper topic for a biology class that she is taking. It occurs to her that last summer she and her family took a trip to Yellowstone and that thing that made the biggest impression on her was seeing buffaloes up close and in person-a lot of them. She was sad to learn that because buffalo are thought to carry a disease that causes cattle to bear stillborn calves, they can be shot if they wander off of park lands and even shot on park land once they have wandered off and returned to the park.

Elise would like to do her paper around that subject even though she cannot remember the name of the disease she was told by a park guide what it was. What is she to do?

I know that you would point her a to a search engine. Once there (Google) a search foe "buffalo" renders 83,900,000 hits (Bing finds 57,200,000) -way too many. Maybe if she uses terms like "buffalo AND disease" she get closer. Google gives 10,000,000 and Bing 7,000,000. Still no good!

If she tries "buffalo AND cattle" she gets about 2,000,000 and 5,000,000 respectively. But if she replaces the word "buffalo" with "bison" she gets both numbers to drop well below one million and "Yellowstone Bison-Cattle Conflict Fact Sheet" shows up first on Google.

If she adds the term "Yellowstone" to the string so that she's looking for "bison AND cattle AND Yellowstone" Google's number drops to under 75,000 and in many of the description she will be able to quickly spot the word "Brucellosis"-the disease she was looking for.

Please remember to ask me about a quick little search trick when faced with a large number of long text filled Web pages.

In my office at TappedIn, you'll find three versions of Search Engine Activities for students (aka scavanger hunts) for your use.

Next I'd like you to take a look at the two on-line readings that I listed on the course syllabus for the second class: Using Google Apps for Education is really for anyone with decision making capability overseeing technology for a whole site; the other, Google for Educators, is more usefull to the classroom teacher. Make sure to locate the signup page for the Google Teacher Newsletter while you're there and take advantage of the free offer.

Some of this will run over into our first online class next Wednesday. I'm going to hold out Google Docs till then and we'll go over some Google related student activities.

Saturday Pond


Eric

Checkin' in Sunday, September 27th

I'm writing you at the Casco Public Library in Casco, Maine. I checked my email and replied to all. For those of you that had trouble at your schools, please try from home if you haven't created a blog as yet.

Check out this one http://googlelegoop.blogspot.com/ Good job Lynne!

....very cool picture Jessica!

BTW It's pouring buckets here in Western Maine and has been all day. I hope your weather is better. I talk to you on Tuesday.

Eric

MEC Google Class September 23rd

Welcome to our first class. I hope that you'll find it low stress, enjoyable, and that you'll take much useful information away with you during and after the class.

IMPORTANT: Carefully record all usernames and passwords that you create today (and every day actually) so that you don't find yourself wasting time looking for files that you need!

This blog is going to be one way that we stay in touch, given the fact that some of the classes will take place on line in real time (synchronous) and some of the course will be asynchronous. An overriding concern of mine has always been the comfort level of my students, since I believe that it has a direct correlation to how readily and enthusiastically the technology will be transferred to the classroom. To that end I will reiterate what we do in the course here and in my office at a virtual professional development center called Tapped In (http://tappedin.org).

Please make sure to check both sites during the week. After we have spoken this afternoon, and before our next class, we'll set aside a regular time to perform that checking each week. In asynchronous classes, assignments get viewed by classes over the course of the week-and sometimes in an untimely way that does not allow enough time for thought and responses.

I'm acutely aware of the incredible demands on every classroom teacher. I think that you'll see that in the flexibility of the way in which I conduct my courses. We do need, however, to touch base a couple of times each week, no matter how briefly. In addition, please let me know as soon as necessary if anything I can control is causing you undue stress.

This afternoon, we'll do brief introductions, discuss our schedule of classes, trade email addresses, (mine is egroves@comcast.net), visit my office at TappedIn and set up accounts for you there, discuss blogs and set up one for each of you at eBlogger.

Please be patient with our pace whether it be, in your view, too slow or too quick. I'll try individualize it and tailor the material covered to each of you as best I am able.

Ok, let's get started.

First I need you to email me in the next few minutes so that I can have all your addresses and set up a mailing list (group) for this class.

While I'm doing that please go to http://www.vasudevaservice.com/blog/archive/2008/01/28/how-to-set-up-a-blogger-blog and read some basic directions for setting up your own blog at Google's Blogger site. Then go to blogger.com and set it up. Also take a look at the topic of following a blog automatically at http://www.mamablogga.com/what-are-followers-and-how-do-i-get-them/

Second Caution. IMPORTANT: Carefully record all usernames and passwords that you create today (and every day actually) so that you don't find yourself wasting time looking for files that you need!

Then I'd like you to access my blog again at http://mecgoogleclass.blogspot.com/ and sign on as a public follower by clicking on the "Follow" button at the top of my blog page. In that way each time our class blog is updated you'll see the link when you access your own blog.

Next I'd like you (we'll all go there together) tappedin.org. Login as a guest. You'll be asked to give a username for yourself and then to check their user policy. You'll then find yourself in the reception lobby. Look up to your left under the "Reception" link and click on "In this building." At the next screen, locate "4 Tapped In Offices Floor" and click the link to the right. At the next screen, click on the link (upper left) "On This Floor."

Next click on the link "Tapped In: Places" then "Search Rooms" at the next screen. In the next search box type in "ericg" and then look for the blue link to my office. That will take you there. Later when you've set up your own account and reenter my office, you can pull down the "Favorite Places" menu and add my room. That way you'll have quick access each time you go to Tapped In.

Your next assignment is to back out as a "Guest" and go back in and set up a permanent account for yourself. When asked, please list me as a sponsor.

When you get back in as your new self please navigate to my office and set it as a "Favorite Place", sign in on the whiteboard and date your visit. We must discuss two small windows (time) each week that we can at least briefly check both places (our class blog and Tapped In). Please be sure to remind me to iron this out before you leave class today!

Next on the agenda-accessing the syllabus for this course. I've posted it in my office. It will remain there so don't feel the need to print it out. In the spirit of conservation, we'll try to leave as many documents as we can in digital format.

If we have time today please take a look at the following site related to finding educational blogs:

Blog by Carol; 38 Ways to find Edublogs

http://cooper-taylor.com/blog/2009/02/38-ways-to-find-great-edublogs/

Assignment: See if you can locate, what you would consider, two high quality blogs (paydirt) that you would find useful either as a teacher or ones that contain information that you could share with your students. Save them for your blog posting during the week. Remember we're going to set aside two windows of time; one for posting and another for viewing (I'll explain the relevance of two periods in class).

Finally, we need to consider some cautionary guidelines for blogging with our students.

Take a look at the entry entitled Concerns over teen blogging continue, by going to http://www.bloggersblog.com/cgi-bin/bloggersblog.pl?bblog=112505

Blogging with pseudonymous and protecting student identity: http://blogsforlearning.msu.edu/blog/archives/2

Also see the entry, Blogs and Kids-Staying Sake and Having Fun, http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/articles/031606.htm