Hats Off to Google's Dan Russell!

I am a big fan of Google's Senior Research Scientist Daniel M. Russell. As per his own job description, "I write. I analyze. I experiment. I do field studies and I try to understand what makes Google users tick.  Why do they sometimes query Google for [ first ], and then not click on anything?  Why do some Google users only ask one query, while  others can go on and on?  What's different about their search experiences? Why? " Dr. Russell's blog, SearchReSearch offers readers searching challenges which go way beyond the typical Google search. You are thrown into advanced searches and learn so much beyond what you thought you could do. What a great way to expand your knowledge so you can teach your students about REAL searching on the web!

Sites involving Dr. Russell's instruction include Google Search Education, Power Searching and Advanced Power Searching online classes, and Live Training videos. Dan Russell is an engaging and interesting teacher. He is soft-spoken and obviously passionate about his work. Upon completion of each of his courses, you can download a certificate for PD credit. A Google a Day challenges students to practice their searching skills by answering a posed question, i.e. GEOGRAPHY: "What two northernmost territories of India lie 1,100 km southeast of Calcutta? (in alphabetical order) The longer it takes to answer a question, the fewer points are awarded. Kids love competition, so this could be a cool game to play every day.

I love being challenged, don't you? I highly recommend that all teacher-librarians take a look at SearchReSearch and Power Searching and Advanced Power Searching. Knowledge is after all, power.