Digital Smarts - Do Your Kids Really Know How to Do a Google Search?
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Do your kids really know how to get the most out of a Google search? Most kids search by simple terms and do not realize that the results they get are local results. For example, searching for information on the recent climate change meetings in France by just typing in “climate meetings in France” would only bring back articles that appeared in North American news reports, giving only a developed world perspective on the meeting and their results. Instead, when researching a topic involving places outside the U.S., make use of “country codes” to find out what other nations are reading about on the issue. A list of country codes can be found here . To find out, for example, what Kenyans (KE) read about the climate meetings, all that needs to be added to “climate meetings in France” is “Site:KE.” Site is the Google operator (shortcut) for country. Interested in other ways to increase your children’s global view when doing Google searches? See The advanced Google searches every student should know and other ideas from futurist Alan November.