Researching and Networking in A Connected World
By Ricardo Ortiz
Three Possible Search Tools for Googling/ Online Searching
1: Searching for an Exact Phrase or Quote
Searching for specific quotes has always been a challenge for me. Every time I searched for a quote, I would always get 1,000,000 different answers that had nothing to do with what I was researching. This was always really frustrating for me, as I like to do things fast and easy. Now that I know there is a much easier way to search for quotes, it has changed my life. Now when I search for specific quotes with the quotation marks, I will get 7 results rather than 1,000,000 results. This tip is very helpful to people (such as me) who like to get things done fast.
2: Excluding a Word from Search Result
I hate it when I’m searching for Elephant Ears (the food) and all I get is “how to plant elephant ears” or “The size of a male elephant ear”. But now by using the minus symbol, I can omit certain subjects that I don’t want to waste my time looking at. This is probably my favorite tip that I have learned, as I have already tried it and it works like a charm.
3: Searching for phrases or quotes with missing words
As someone who always forgets certain pieces of dialogues, I can really appreciate learning about this tip. Sometimes you hear Books, movies, book titles, etc. but you forget some of the words in that title, But now using the asterisk, Google can identify the words of the title you have forgotten and it can fill in the blanks with many different titles that fit what you are looking for. For example, if I’m in the mood to read the 2nd Harry Potter book but I only remember some of the words in the title, I can use this tip to find specifically what I was looking for. This also works well in Social Studies or English class when you forget moments in history.
Searching for Phrases with missing words in an incorrect manner:
I decided to test this tip in the incorrect way by searching “Something Something Strikes Back” clearly trying to search for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, but Google didn’t recognize that I forgot the name of the movie and decided to show me completely different options that I searched for, such as an episode of Family Guy or the definition of Strikes Back on the dictionary.
Searching for Phrases with Missing Words in A Correct Manner:
When I searched for “Something Something Strikes Back” I got completely the opposite of what I wanted to see, but when I searched for it with the asterisk, I got exactly what I was looking for. Not only did it direct me to websites such as IMDB and YouTube, but I also got the IMDB rating of the film, I got the percentage of Rotten Tomato’s and when it was released.
Citation: Brad Jackson is a writer and radio personality whose work has appeared at ABC, CBS, Fox News, and multiple radio programs. He was the long-time host and producer of Coffee & Markets, an award-winning podcast, and radio show with more than 1,500 episodes. Brad covers all things edible and cultural for The Federalist. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram at @bradwjackson.
Clues to Look If A Website Is Providing Real Information
1: Currency
Probably the easiest clue to look for is when was the last time this site was edited. It’s very important to find out the date any website was last edited, especially when learning about Science or Socials Studies as information can be irrelevant as time changes. It’s very important to find out the date any website was last edited, especially
2: Relevance
It’s very important to figure out right away if the information you are reading has anything to do with what you are searching for. If the title says one thing but the writing says another, then maybe it’s not what you should be reading and just move on.
3: Authority
Figuring out who the author is to what you just read is a very important clue to finding out if what you read is even true. You should be able to find out if this author is a professional at what he is talking about. You should also figure out if the information is biased.
4: Accuracy
It’s probably not a good sign if the website you are reading is trying to convince you to believe their side of the situation. It’s also good to find out if the information you read on this website matches to the information you read on another website.
5: Purpose
Nothing in life is created without purpose. You should be able to figure out why this author made this article. If it was made for fun or to be silly, it’s probably not a good idea to use it for your research.
Personal Learning Network
1: What is a Personal Learning Network?
A Personal Learning Network is pretty much a way to communicate with other people. The reason it’s Personal is that you are the one deciding what network you are using and what people you are interacting with. The Reason it is a network is because everyone is linked to something else or other organizations. The reason its learning is because you are always learning something new when using these networks. The PLN’s I mostly use as a platform are YouTube, Instagram, and Google.
2A: My Personal Learning Network
My personal learning network began way back in 2008. Back in 2008, my cousin showed me a new website called YouTube, a place where you can watch or post whatever you want, whenever you want and whoever you want. This website was mind-blowing to me and we would watch hours and hours of different videos. This idea of a place where you could make funny videos and learn from other people making their funny videos was just amazing for me. As I grew up, YouTube did too, and I went from a website to a ground-breaking platform, which kickstarted people’s career. I have learned a lot from YouTube and if it wasn’t for this amazing website, I don’t think I would have become an actor. You see, back then I would watch funny skits that people would make and every video I watched the more I learned about Acting, Filming, Editing, and Lighting. Nowadays I’m back to watching the channel that made those skits and I’m learning a lot more than I never expected. With YouTube I can learn about making movies, I can communicate with the people making those videos. YouTube has changed my life, and I love it for that.