So I asked my class
to search on Google for some information about Vikings and I started thinking
about how I could improve the results that they got. We all go straight to
Google when we want to find something out; after all to “Google” is a verb in
the Oxford English Dictionary. However, few people do much more than type in
what they want and wait. Before we cover the theory of how Google works it
would be a good idea to teach how to improve the results of our Google
searches.
https://www.google.co.uk/advanced_search
is a really good place to start. By filling in the boxes you can include words
or phrases in the search or exclude certain words. This should make it easier
to improve a search.
When searching for
images in Google make sure you click on search tools as this then gives more
options. For instance if a large file is required so that it doesn’t pixelate
go to size and choose large. If you need a clipart image then the google hits
can be narrowed down by choosing clipart on the Type drop down menu. If you
require a transparent background so that the image can be inserted onto a
patterned or coloured background then choose transparent from the colour drop
down menu.
You will notice that there is a drop down menu called usage
rights. The work done by children is non-commercial so selecting the
non-commercial use with modification would be appropriate.
If you are using Bing
to find images you have access to MS Office clipart. There is an extensive set
of menus to narrow the search including a license menu. Children may have tried
to insert an image in a MS application (eg word) by clicking on the Online
Pictures icon. They will have seen a message saying that the search results are
licensed under creative commons and that they should check that the license of
the image they choose complies with their needs.
Children need to know that they are responsible for
respecting the rights of others’ property, including copyright. They will
probably have some knowledge of this in connection with films and music but may
not realise that it extends to text and images. At this point it is worth
mentioning “Creative Commons”. It is widely held that it is necessary to use
Creative Commons images to comply with the law. CC is an organisation with a
highly respected licensing system; they seek to make it clear when images may
be used and modified freely. Websites like behold and photosforclass will only
return images that CC have labelled as available for reuse and modification so
are really easy to use to ensure that the results can be used. However, by
making an appropriate selection in either Bing or Google it is also possible to
comply with copyright responsibilities.
Happy searching.
