Putting their search term in bracke

Putting their search term in brackets will
ensure that results contain the complete and
exact phrase they are looking for. Using the
word define, followed by a colon and a search
term (eg define: critical thinking) will return
definitions of a particular word. Students can
also be taught to use Boolean terms such as
AND, OR or AND NOT. For example, using AND
in a search term (eg “critical thinking” AND
“digital literacy”) will ensure that search
results include both phrases included in the
search term.
Beyond this, teachers can also help students
negotiate the large amount of information
available on the internet and start to think
about the purpose of their research in order to
select the information they need. This involves
engaging with the content of the material they
are finding and being aware of what information
is relevant, suitable and helpful for their task.
Students should also consider whether the
information they find is reliable. Many teachers
suggest that students check the information
they are citing on at least three independent
sites. This is one way to support students to
think about the reliability of internet sources
but as we saw above there may also be room
for class discussion around more complex
issues about the cultural, social and historical
forces that determine who gets to make
‘valuable’ and ‘reliable’ knowledge claims.
Finally students will need to think carefully
about how they are going to use the information
they find on the internet. How can it be
repurposed and re-contextualised so that it fits
their particular purpose? How does it relate
to their pre-existing knowledge? How can it
support their argument? How will they cite this
new material? What format will they present
the information in? (visually, textually, in bullet
points, and so on).