Topic 3- Effective search straegies

As the TL at the school we are expected/ regarded as the expert when it comes to searching using search engines and compared to others we are. We need to try and use advanced google and boolean logic when searching. We also need to teach the students who are not good at searching, how to use the search engines and not just take google as gospel. The 7 habits of search engines is a good one, as is noodle tools and Kathy Schrock's guide and search engine showdown.
By doing the Volcanoes school teaching search it was interesting that the best sites werent at no 1 and 2 position on the web page. ask.com came up with no good info, Yahoo.com had a good powerpoint which was bright and written in kids language at no 4 on the web page. No 5 was very good also. Surfwax was a waste of time and had nothing of value to a highschool teacher.
The seven habits of Highly effective web searching is quite a good teaching tool as it explains in straight forward language some handy hints for successful web searching such as "Why is the sky blue?" is a better search strategy than a"sky blue question". Using your time wisely is the best idea yet, as time wasting on the net is such a frustrating annoyance for all of us.
Learning more about how stuff works on the web is important as its crucial to develop effective web search habits and you need to know how to do this effectively. The more effective you are the more you will cultivate a love of discovery and the more time wise you will become. Trying other search engines and search tools including meta search engines is a great idea also. 7 good habits is a gr8 website.