Google Search Engine:
A Brief Overview
Google indexes pages on the Web by using what are commonly known as "spiders",
"crawlers", or "robots".
Google's famous search engine spider, GoogleBot, uses links on web pages as a sort of
freeway. It travels from site to site by following links. When Google finds a new web page,
Google will "crawl" the code on the page and transport it back to its datacenter. Google's
"FreshBot" may visit "indexed websites" everyday in order to keep the index fresh. How
often this is done varies wildly, is often speculated, and varies from site to site.
Google's database maintain billions of pages. They use a proprietary formula (or
algorithm) to "score" the relevancy of websites for each search query. The highest
ranking, or "most relevant" websites for a specific query are listed first in the search results.
Take for example the search query "Tiger Woods". Imagine Google maintains two pages
in it's index containing the name "Tiger Woods" (in reality it would have hundreds of
thousands).
Now imagine the first page displays the following headline, "Tiger Woods Wins Green
Jacket". The second page it titled "Greg Norman wins US Open", but mentions Tiger's
name (in passing) in the text of the article. Google will most likely rank the first page as
"more relevant". The first page would appear above the second in the search results.
Some other factors that seem to be major contributing factors in the algorithm of Google
and other major search engines include:
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•
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•
•
•
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Keyword-rich, visible, on-page content in the form of paragraphs or complete sentences.
Keywords in the title tag
Keywords in the description tag
The number of web pages out on the Web that are linking to your site
The quality of the web pages out on the Web that are linking to your site
The number of links on a page
The keyword density of any particular section of text
What’s a Google?
S EO: How does Google work?
By Erin Eschen| May, 2005
http://www.monstersmallbusiness.com/grow/grow-how-google-works.asp
Educational Technology
The name "Google" is a play on the word
"googol," which was coined by Milton Sirotta,
nephew of American mathematician Edward
Kasner. A googol refers to the number
represented by a 1 followed by 100 zeros. A
googol is a very large number. There isn't a
googol of anything in the universe -- not stars,
not dust particles, not atoms. Google's use of
the term reflects its mission to organize the
world's immense (and seemingly infinite)
amount of information and make it universally
accessible and useful.
Fall 2009
Property of Mesa Public Schools
Google Search Engine:
Anatomy of Results Page
A. Google navigation bar
Click the link for the Google service you want to use. You can search the web, browse for images,
news, maps and videos, and navigate to Gmail and other Google products.
B. Search field
To do a search on Google, just type in a few descriptive search terms and then hit “Enter” on your keyboard or click the “Search” button.
C. Search button
Click this button to submit a search query. You can also submit your query by hitting the “Enter” key.
D. Advanced search
This links to a page on which you can do more precise searches.
E. Preferences
This links to a page that lets you set your personal search preferences, including your language, the
number of results you'd like to see per page, and whether you want your search results screened by our
SafeSearch filter to avoid seeing adult material.
F. Search statistics
This line describes your search and indicates the total number of results, as well as how long the search
took to complete.
G. Top contextual navigation links
These dynamic links suggest content types that are most relevant to your search term. You can click
any of these links in order to see more results of a particular content type.
H. Integrated results
Google's search technology looks across all types of content and ranks the results that are most relevant to your search. Your results may be from multiple content types, including images, news, books,
maps and videos.
I.
Page title
The first line of any search result item is the title of the webpage that we found. If you see a URL instead
of a title, then either the page has no title or we haven't yet indexed that page's full content, but its place
in our index still tells us that it's a good match for your query.
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Google Search Engine:
Anatomy of Results Page
(cont.)
J. Text below the title
This is an excerpt from the results page with your query terms bolded. If we expanded the range of your
search using stemming technology, the variations of your search terms that we searched for will also be
bolded.
K. URL of result
This is the web address of the returned result.
L. Size
This number is the size of the text portion of the web page, and gives you some idea of how quickly it might
display. Size figure don't appear for sites that are not yet indexed.
M. Cached
Clicking this link will show you the contents of the web page when we last indexed it. If for some reason the
site link doesn't connect you to the current page, you might still find the information you need in the cached
version.
N. Similar pages
When you select the “Similar Pages” link for a particular result, Google automatically scouts the Web for
pages that are related to this result.
O. Indented result
When Google finds multiple results from the same website, the most relevant result is listed first, with other
relevant pages from that site indented below it.
P. More results
If we find more than two results from the same site, the remaining results can be accessed by clicking the
“More results from” link.
Q. Plus Box results
Clicking the "plus box" icon reveals additional info about your search result. You'll see this feature for pages
related to publicly traded U.S. stocks, local businesses, and Google and YouTube videos.
R. Related search terms
Sometimes the best search terms for what you're looking for are related to the ones you actually entered.
Click these related search terms to see alternate search results.
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Google Search Engine:
Anatomy of Results Page
(cont.)
How Do They Do That?
3. The search results
are returned to the user
in a fraction of a second.
1. The web server sends the query to the
index servers. The content inside the index
servers is similar to the index in the back of a
book--it tells which pages contain the words
that match any particular query term.
2. The query travels to the doc servers, which actually retrieve the stored
documents. Snippets are generated
to describe each search result.
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Google Search Engine:
Crafting a Search
As the world’s largest search engine, containing well over 10 billion indexed pages, sifting
through Google to find what you are looking for can be more than overwhelming.
Understanding how Google “thinks” about your search terms in order to deliver your
PageRankäUnique
Comments
Three factors are used in combination to cause Google's PageRank; there may be additional
factors:
Popularity: Uses "votes" by pages that
link to a page, and the ranking of each
voting page as well.
Cannot alter importance (not for sale).
Importance: Each page is assigned an
"importance" value from 10 (high) to 0
(low).
Cannot alter importance (not for sale).
Term placement: Words next to each
other are ranked high because of
"automatic phrase detection." The occurrence of search terms in the title,
headings, and first paragraphs of a page
also rank high in a ranking algorithm
that Google never discloses and frequently modifies.
Word Order. Changes ranking because Google gives
priority to pages with the words together in a phrase:
Can be seen in green PageRank score in Google Toolbar.
public libraries puts different pages first compared with:
libraries public
Word Repetition. Changes results somehow. There
seems to be more weight given to repeated words:
internet search
internet internet search
◊ AND automatically implied between terms
Try it!
all your terms somewhere
In the page title
in text of pages
in pages that link to a result page
in other pages on the same site
in the page address (URL)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Search Google for the keywords: google page rank
Click the “Cached” link at the bottom listing for the page
titled “Google Technology” then for “Google’s Pagerank
Explained” and finally for “Google PageRank Calculator
Value Report without Toolbar”
3. What is causing these pages to come up in that order in
response to your search terms?
1.
2.
◊ OR searching requires a capitalized OR
•
Used between words, telling Google to
find one or the other.
“global warming” OR “greenhouse effect”
vacation london OR paris
Try it!
1.
2.
3.
Search for: pet turtle dietary needs
Note all of the variants Google has used in
order to generate the results page
To circumvent this automatic feature, simply
place a + before each word in your query.
5 Educational Technology
◊ Stemming Technology
•
•
•
finds word with various endings
search kite flying and get matches on
kite, kites, kiting and flying, fly, flies
turn off with + or " " as in +kite +flying or "kite flying"
will be highlighted in the snippet of text accompanying each
result.
Fall 2009
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Google Search Engine:
◊ Ranking Order
•
Crafting a Search
(cont.)
Try it!
Google Ranking favors pages with your words in: Perform each of the following searches. Make a note
1. PHRASES
of the number of results retrieved and what the top 102. CLOSE TOGETHER
20 results are about.
3. IN THE ORDER TYPED
grass snake
No. of hits ________
Top results seem to be about:
◊ Capitalization
•
Google searches are NOT case sensitive. All letters, regardless of how
you type them, will be understood as
lower case. For example, searches
for:
george washington,
George Washington, and
gEoRgE wAsHiNgToN
will all return the same results.
snake grass
No. of hits ________
Top results seem to be about:
snake in the grass
No. of hits ________
Top results seem to be about:
◊ Ignores Common or “Stop” Words
(where, how, to, or, and, as, etc.)
When this happens a gray message
appears below the search box in the
results telling you which terms were
ignored
• Done to speed up results.
• To circumvent this automatic exclusion precede each common word with
a +.
to be or not to be
to +be +or +not +to +be
•
snake +in +the +grass
No. of hits ________
Top results seem to be about:
“snake in the grass”
No. of hits ________
Top results seem to be about:
◊ Negative Terms
•
•
If your search term has more than
one meaning (bass, for example,
could refer to fishing or music) you
can focus your search by putting a
minus sign ("-") in front of words related to the meaning you want to
avoid.
For example, here's how you'd find
pages about bass-heavy lakes, but
not bass-heavy music:
bass –music
Note: when you include a negative term in your
search, be sure to include a space before the
minus sign.
6 Educational Technology
Why does the Google logo
sometimes change?
From time to time Google modifies their logo in honor of holidays
celebrated by their users around the world. These special logos called doodles -- usually run for 24 hours. You can find an archive
of Google’s more popular logo variations at:
http://www.google.com/holidaylogos.html.
If this piques your interest, check out the “Oodles of Doodles” entry
on the Google Blog at
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2004/06/oodles-of-doodles.html
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Google Search Engine:
Crafting a Search
(cont.)
◊ Most Punctuation is Ignored (. , ? !)
•
Punctuation That IS NOT Ignored:
⇒ Apostrophe(’): peoples, people’s, and peoples’ are searched as different words
⇒ Hyphen (-): low-budget retrieves low-budget , low budget, and lowbudget
Always apply the - to a word that might be hyphenated
⇒ Asterisk (*): Whole word wild card, allows one or more unspecified words.
how now * cow
how * * cow
⇒ Tilde (~): Synonym Searching; Google will “think” of words with similar meaning:
~food matches recipes, nutrition, cooking
~facts matches information, statistics
~help matches guide, tutorial, FAQ, manual
⇒ Closed Quotations (“”): Phrase Searching: forces Google to find an exact phrase:
Phrase searches are particularly effective if you're searching for:
proper names
"George Washington"
lyrics
"the long and winding road"
famous phrases
"This was their finest hour"
⇒ Double Period (..): Number Ranges: Numrange searches for results containing numbers in a
given range. Just add two numbers, separated by two periods, with no
spaces, into the search box along with your search terms. You can use
Numrange to set ranges for everything from dates
“Willie Mays” 1950..1960
5000..10000 kg truck
digital camera ..$300 (Searchers for values less than $330)
Be sure to specify a unit of measurement or some other indicator of
Try it!
1.
Find five names for the # symbol used on keyboards, phones, and many other places. Which seems to be the
most correct?
2. How do praying mantises hear?
3. Baby pigeons: do they exist? If so, why don’t we see them?
4. When you boil a pot of water, where do the bubbles come from?
5. What does BSOD stand for?
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Google Search Engine:
Crafting a Search
(cont.)
Refining Your Search Results
◊ Searching by Page Title
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•
intitle: Words must occur within the official page title, located in the blue bar at the top of the browser window
applies only to the term that immediately follows the intitle: operator.
allintitle: Same functionality as intitle:, however all search terms must be in the title
Try it!
1.
Search Google for tips, hints, and secrets for using Office XP: xp office ~tips
No. of hits ________
How useful and applicable are the listings from your search?
2. Modify your search as follows: intitle: xp office ~tips
No. of hits ________
How useful and applicable are the listing from your search? (better/worse?)
3. Modify your search even farther: allintitle: (xp office ~tips) -site:microsoft.com -site:amazon.com
No. of hits ________
How useful and applicable are the listing from your search? (better/worse?)
◊ Searching within a Particular Site
•
site: allows for searches to be conducted within a specified website. Searches may even be restricted to a directory within a site.
site:www.mpsaz.org “accelerated reader”
site:www.mpsaz.org/edison “accelerated reader”
•
•
inurl: Words must occur within a webpage’s address (URL). Applies only to the term that immediately follows
the inurl: operator.
allinurl: Same functionality as inurl:, however all search terms must be in the webpage’s address (URL).
Searching THE URL Vs. Finding a Needle in a Haystack?
“What could possibly be the advantage of searching the web address for helpful information? I’ve seen web addresses before
and it just looks like a long, confusing string of letters!”
A web page’s address may look intimidating at first as many seem to be a mile long, however a web address reveals how the
webmaster, or creator of the site, has organized the contents of the site. Once you get beyond the “www.sitename.com” part of
the address, the rest is simply telling you the name of the folders that the information can be found in, just like how you organize
the folders on your own computer. So the URL, www.kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/pyramid.html is simply telling you
that in order to see that cool explanation of the food pyramid, you first go to www.kidshealth.org. Once there we enter a folder
called kid. Inside the kid folder is a folder called stay_healthy and inside that is another folder entitled food. Once inside the
food folder we can view the page called pyramid.html.
Since web pages are made by people who typically like to name things that make sense and allow them to locate files easily,
valuable search terms naturally start to appear just in the way folders and files are set up. So in this one address the relevant
search terms are found to be : kid, healthy, food, pyramid.
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Google Search Engine:
Crafting a Search
(cont.)
Refining Your Search Results
Try it!
1. Identify the differences between the results obtained by following two searches:
inurl: plural nouns
vs.
allinurl: plural nouns
(Hint: Look at the URL for each listing in your results page [defined on pg 3 of this manual, letter K] )
2. Search for the term accelerated reader, but confine your results to a particular the Mesa Public School
website: www.mpsaz.org
3. Now, search for the term accelerated reader, but confine your results to a particular the Edison
Elementary School website within Mesa Public Schools: www.mpsaz.org/edison
◊ Searching by Filetype
There are 13 main file types searched by Google in addition to standard web formatted documents in HTML.
The most common formats are PDF, PostScript, Microsoft Office formats:
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Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf)
Adobe PostScript (ps)
Lotus 1-2-3 (wk1, wk2, wk3, wk4, wk5, wki, wks, wku)
Lotus WordPro (lwp)
MacWrite (mw)
Microsoft Excel (xls)
Microsoft PowerPoint (ppt)
Microsoft Word (doc)
Microsoft Works (wks, wps, wdb)
Microsoft Write (wri)
Rich Text Format (rtf)
Shockwave Flash (swf)
Text (ans, txt)
Example Search:
filetype:ppt “periodic table”
The above search would return PowerPoint Presentations containing the term “periodic table”
Just Because I’m Paranoid doesn't mean they’re not out to get me!
When you choose to search by filetype, first view the document by clicking the “View as HTML” link provided in
the first line of the result description. This allows you to see the textual content of the file without actually
downloading anything to your computer. Paranoia dictates that whenever you download from the internet you run
the risk of placing a nefarious file on your hard drive.
If you decide that the file you are viewing is something you wish to download, clicking the title of that document in
the results page will provide you with a pop-up window asking you to either “Open” the file with a specific program
or to “Save to Disk”. Always choose to save it to your desktop first. This will allow your anti-virus software to check
it out. Then you can open the file from your desktop.
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Google Search Engine:
Handy Tools & Shortcuts
◊ Calculator & Conversions
To use Google's built-in calculator function, simply enter the calculation you'd like done into the search box
and hit the Enter key or click on the Google Search button. The calculator can solve math problems involving basic
arithmetic, more complicated math, units of measure and conversions, and physical constants.
Most operators come between the two numbers they combine, such as the plus sign in the expression 1+1.
Operator
Function
Example
+
addition
3+44
-
subtraction
13-5
*
multiplication
7*8
/
division
12/3
^
exponentiation (raise to a power of)
8^2
%
modulo (finds the remainder after division)
8%7
choose
X choose Y determines the number of ways of choosing a set of Y elements from a set of X
elements
18 choose 4
th root of
calculates the nth root of a number
5th root of 32
% of
X % of Y computes X percent of Y
20% of 150
Some operators work on only one number and should come before that number. In these cases, it often helps to put the number in
parentheses.
Operator
Function
Example
sqrt
square root
sqrt(9)
sin, cos, etc.
trigonometric functions (numbers are assumed to be radians)
sin(pi/3)
tan(45 degrees)
ln
logarithm base e
ln(17)
log
logarithm base 10
log(1,000)
A few operators come after the number.
Operator
Function
Example
!
factorial
5!
Google Calculator can also deal with many mathematical constants (pi, imaginary numbers, etc.)
Try it!
Although it won’t solve an algebraic equation and find an unknown, Google calculator is a very powerful
tool. Plus it’s free. The calculator respects order of operation, so think back to your high school math days
and give it a whirl!
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Google Search Engine:
Handy Tools & Shortcuts
(cont.)
◊ Calculator & Conversions (cont.)
Google also offers a very powerful measurement converter. All sampling of supported conversion are as
follows:
•
MASS: kilograms or kg, grams or g, grains, pounds or lbs, carats, stones, tons, tonnes, etc.
•
LENGTH: meters or m, miles, feet, inches, Angstroms, cubits, furlongs, etc.
•
VOLUME: gallons, liters or l, bushels, teaspoons, pints, drops, etc.
•
AREA: square miles, square kilometers, acres, hectares, etc.
•
TIME: day, seconds or s, years, centuries, sidereal years, fortnights, etc.
•
ELECTRICITY: volts, amps, ohms, henrys, etc.
•
ENERGY: Calories, British thermal units or BTU, joules, ergs, foot-pounds, etc.
•
POWER: watt, kilowatts, horsepower or hp, etc.
•
INFORMATION: bits, bytes, kbytes, etc.
•
QUANTITY: dozen, baker's dozen, percent, gross, great gross, score, etc.
•
NUMBERING SYSTEMS: decimal, hexadecimal or hex, binary, roman numerals, etc.
•
QUICK FACTS: currency in countries, population, biographies
Examples:
2 kilograms in lbs
35 degrees F in C
2 dozen in baker’s dozen
Physical constants (atomic mass units or amu, Avogadro's number, Botzmann constant, Faraday constant,
gravitational constant, mass of a proton, mass of each planet and of the sun, permeability of free space, etc.)
Example:
mass of Earth
mass of Earth in lbs
atomic mass of beryllium
currency in Uganda
golden ratio
pi
Try it!
Now that your curiosity is piqued, try it on your own. Convert something just to see if it works! Try something that is not on the list above and see if Google can do it. Be ready to go around the room and tell
everyone the answer to something you have converted.
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Google Search Engine:
Handy Tools & Shortcuts
(cont.)
◊ Shortcuts to Public Information
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Area codes (U.S.), defined by maps - type 3 digit code
Airport conditions - type airport code or city and the word airport
Flight tracking - type the word airline and the flight number
Maps - type an address
Stock info - type one or more NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ, or mutual fund codes
White pages - type rphonebook: name address
Yellow pages - type bphonebook: name address
Zip codes - type a zip code
Movies - type movies: city, st or movies: zip code
◊ Standard Number Look-ups
•
•
•
•
Parcel tracking for UPS, FedEx, USPS - type the number
US patent lookup - type the word patent and the number
UPC product identification - type the code
VIN vehicle info, history - type the number
Try it!
1. To what does the following number refer:
07530100311 (It was on my desk when I wrote this)
2. Are there currently any delays at O’Hare airport in Chicago?
chicago airport or ord airport
3. What’s playing in theatres in Scottsdale?
movies:scottsdale, az
4. What part of the U.S. is in the 10001 zip code?
Notes:
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Google Search Engine:
Practice Exercises
How do you get to Carnegie hall?
Use everything we’ve learned in class so far to help you craft the following searches:
1. Why does dropping a Mentos candy in a bottle of Coke cause such a violent reaction?
Can you find a video to demonstrate this reaction to your students?
2. While grading research papers your students were assigned to write on the cold war era, you come
across a report that just doesn't fit the writing style of the student who wrote it. The paragraph below
caught your attention:
During the war, private investment fell to much lower levels, and the federal government itself became the chief
investor, directing investment into building up the nation's capacity to produce munitions.
Using Google, check to see whether or not this is original writing.
3. Find pages whose titles include surfing, but are not about surfing the World Wide Web.
4. Find out where the upcoming National Educators Association conference will be held.
5. You have a tune stuck in your head. You can hum, you can whistle it, but you can’t remember the
name of the song or who performed it. In fact the only words you can recall are “near as faded as my
jeans”.
Find:
A) The song’s title:
B) The song’s writer:
C) At least two artists who have recorded the song:
6. Last week you saw a very cool Honda commercial on TV that you would like to share it with your
class as an introduction to cause and effect relationships. The commercial consisted of a series of car
parts striking one another like dominoes until at last the car is revealed and the commercial is over. See
if you can find a copy of that commercial on the internet to play for your kids in class tomorrow.
7. Find some printable maps of ancient Babylonia, but make sure they are from sites that end in the edu
domain extension for added credibility.
8. Conduct a search for actual German sites dealing with the Nazi regime. (see page 20 for country codes)
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Google Search Engine:
.aero - for the air transport industry
.biz - for business use
.cat - for Catalan language/culture
.com - for commercial organizations, but unrestricted
.coop - for cooperatives
.edu - for educational establishments
.gov - for governments and their agencies in the United States
.info - for informational sites, but unrestricted
.int - for international organizations established by treaty
.ac
.ad
.ae
.af
.ag
.ai
.al
.am
.an
.ao
.aq
.ar
.as
.at
.au
.aw
.az
.ax
ba
.bb
.bd
.be
.bf
.bg
.bh
.bi
.bj
.bm
.bn
.bo
.br
.bs
.bt
.bv
.bw
.by
.bz
ca
.cc
.cd
.cf
.cg
.ch
.ci
.ck
.cl
.cm
.cn
.co
.cr
.cs
Ascension Island
Andorra
United Arab Emirates
Afghanistan
Antigua & Barbuda
Anguilla
Albania
Armenia
Netherlands Antilles
Angola
Antarctica
Argentina
American Samoa
Austria
Australia
Aruba
Azerbaijan
Aland Islands
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Barbados
Bangladesh
Belgium
Burkina Faso
Bulgaria
Bahrain
Burundi
Benin
Bermuda
Brunei Darussalam
Bolivia
Brazil
Bahamas
Bhutan
Bouvet Island
Botswana
Belarus
Belize
Canada
Cocos (Keeling)
Islands
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Central African
Republic
Congo, Republic of
Switzerland
Cote d'Ivoire
Cook Islands
Chile
Cameroon
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Serbia & Montenegro
14 Educational Technology
.cu Cuba
.cv Cape Verde
.cx Christmas Island
.cy Cyprus
.cz Czech Republic
de Germany
.dj Djibouti
.dk Denmark
.dm Dominica
.do Dominican Republic
.dz Algeria
ec Ecuador
.ee Estonia
.eg Egypt
.eh Western Sahara
.er Eritrea
.es Spain
.et Ethiopia
.eu European Union
fi Finland
.fj Fiji
.fk Falkland Islands
.fm Micronesia,
Federal State of
.fo Faroe Islands
.fr France
ga Gabon
.gb United Kingdom
.gd Grenada
.ge Georgia
.gf French Guiana
.gg Guernsey
.gh Ghana
.gi Gibraltar
.gl Greenland
.gm Gambia
.gn Guinea
.gp Guadeloupe
.gq Equatorial Guinea
.gr Greece
.gs South Georgia &
South Sandwich Islands
.gt Guatemala
.gu Guam
.gw Guinea-Bissau
.gy Guyana
hk Hong Kong
.hm Heard &
McDonald Islands
.hn Honduras
.hr Croatia/Hrvatska
.ht Haiti
.hu Hungary
id Indonesia
Top Level Domains & Country Codes
.jobs - for employment-related sites
.mil - for the US military
.mobi - for sites catering to mobile devices
.museum - for museums
.name - for families and individuals
.net - originally for network infrastructures, now unrestricted
.org - originally for organizations , now unrestricted
.pro - for certain professions
.travel - for travel agents, airlines, hoteliers, tourism bureaus, etc.
.ie Ireland
.il Israel
.im Isle of Man
.in India
.io British Indian Ocean
Territory
.iq Iraq
.ir Iran, Islamic Republic
.is Iceland
.it Italy
je Jersey
.jm Jamaica
.jo Jordan
.jp Japan
ke Kenya
.kg Kyrgyzstan
.kh Cambodia
.ki Kiribati
.km Comoros
.kn Saint Kitts & Nevis
.kp Korea,
Democratic
People's Republic
.kr Korea, Republic of
.kw Kuwait
.ky Cayman Islands
.kz Kazakhstan
.la Lao People's
Democratic Republic
.lb Lebanon
.lc Saint Lucia
.li Liechtenstein
.lk Sri Lanka
.lr Liberia
.ls Lesotho
.lt Lithuania
.lu Luxembourg
.lv Latvia
.ly Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya
ma Morocco
.mc Monaco
.md Moldova,
Republic of
.mg Madagascar
.mh Marshall Islands
.mk Macedonia,
former Yugoslav
Republic of
.ml Mali
.mm Myanmar
.mn Mongolia
.mo Macau
.mp Northern Mariana
Fall 2009
Islands
.mq Martinique
.mr Mauritania
.ms Montserrat
.mt Malta
.mu Mauritius
.mv Maldives
.mw Malawi
.mx Mexico
.my Malaysia
.mz Mozambique
na Namibia
.nc New Caledonia
.ne Niger
.nf Norfolk Island
.ng Nigeria
.ni Nicaragua
.nl Netherlands
.no Norway
.np Nepal
.nr Nauru
.nu Niue
.nz New Zealand
om Oman
pa Panama
.pe Peru
.pf French Polynesia
.pg Papua New Guinea
.ph Philippines
.pk Pakistan
.pl Poland
.pm Saint Pierre &
Miquelon
.pn Pitcairn Island
.pr Puerto Rico
.ps Palestinian Territories
.pt Portugal
.pw Palau
.py Paraguay
qa Qatar
re Reunion Island
.ro Romania
.ru Russian Federation
.rw Rwanda
sa Saudi Arabia
.sb Solomon Islands
.sc Seychelles
.sd Sudan
.se Sweden
.sg Singapore
.sh Saint Helena
.si Slovenia
.sj Svalbard &
Jan Mayen Islands
.sk Slovak Republic
.sl Sierra Leone
.sm San Marino
.sn Senegal
.so Somalia
.sr Suriname
.st Sao Tome & Principe
.sv El Salvador
.sy Syrian Arab Republic
.sz Swaziland
tc Turks & Caicos Islands
.td Chad
.tf French Southern
Territories
.tg Togo
.th Thailand
.tj Tajikistan
.tk Tokelau
.tl Timor-Leste
.tm Turkmenistan
.tn Tunisia
.to Tonga
.tp East Timor
.tr Turkey
.tt Trinidad & Tobago
.tv Tuvalu
.tw Taiwan
.tz Tanzania
ua Ukraine
.ug Uganda
.uk United Kingdom
.um USA Minor
Outlying Islands
.us United States
.uy Uruguay
.uz Uzbekistan
.va Holy See
(Vatican City State)
.vc Saint Vincent &
the Grenadines
.ve Venezuela
.vg Virgin Islands, British
.vi Virgin Islands,
U.S.
.vn Vietnam
.vu Vanuatu
wf Wallis & Futuna
Islands
.ws Western Samoa
ye Yemen
.yt Mayotte
.yu Yugoslavia
za South Africa
.zm Zambia
Property of Mesa Public Schools
Google Search Engine:
TIMELINE VIEW
Google Timeline View
Google is always experimenting with new features. One of the current experiments is
Google Timeline View. When using Timeline View, your search results will be seen on
a timeline. You can also choose to see a list view (1) Info view (2) or Map view (3).
When using Timeline View, Google's technology extracts key dates, locations, measurements, and more from
select search results so you can view the information in a different dimension. You can select a date on the timeline and Google will open a new search
showing results within that particular
time period (4). Below the timeline
view are links that will take you to the
different web sites. (5)
Timeline and map views work best for
searches related to people, companies,
events and places. Info view shows all
the data found for each result, to help
you select the best choice.
When you click on Map view, you will
be taken to a map with markers on it.
When you select a marker, a new
window will open with information
regarding that location.
To do a search in Timeline View, go to
your Google search bar. Type in what
you want to search for, a space and then
view:timeline
For example, if I wanted to do a Timeline view search for George Washington,
I would type in the following:
George Washington view:timeline
Try it!
Try a Timeline view on the history of Pez. Select each of
the views (List view, Info view and Map view). Click on a
date on the timeline and see what new searches come up.
Hint:
History of pez view:timeline
15 Educational Technology
Fall 2009
Property of Mesa Public Schools
MPSc0nnect: gmail Customizing your Google email
In this class, we would not only like to acquaint you with
the multitude of features found in Google, but we would
also like to introduce you customizing your MPSconnect
email.
To find your MPSconnect email, open any browser and type in the following URL: http://
connect.mpsaz.org/
Click on the word Login and then enter your username and
password.
On the left side of your email screen are the following commands:
Compose Mail (a)– Click this link to begin composing an email.
Inbox (b)– Click here to view all email messages received. The number in
parentheses indicates new emails that have not been read. The unread messages also
appear in bold to indicate unread.
Starred (c) – this icon appears to the left of every email. It’s purpose is to mark
important emails for reference at a later time.
Sent Mail (d) – Clicking on this link shows all emails you have sent to others.
Drafts (e)– The number in parentheses indicates how many drafts are currently
being saved for future use. Users can save drafts to be sent out as emails at a later
date. This email program starts autosaving any email draft after 30-60 seconds, so
if you think you lost your compose email, check Drafts (e).
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Property of Mesa Public Schools
MPSconnect: gmailCustomizing your Google email
How do I handle all my email when I’m done reading them?
Should I archive or delete?
When you’re positive you won’t need a message, use the Delete button(h) to send it to the
Trash. Deleted messages and conversations are permanently removed from Gmail 30 days
after you send them to the trash. Deleting unimportant mail is a great way to free up some of
your storage. If it’s possible that you’ll need a message or conversation in the future, we
recommend using the Archive(f) feature.
Archived mail moves out of your inbox and in to All Mail -- you won't be bothered with extra messages cluttering your inbox, but you'll still be able to find a message if you need it six
years from now!
Help keep spam out of your inbox!
We know it's fun to delete spam, but we hope you'll use the Report Spam(g) button to flag
unwanted mail. When you report spam, the Gmail Team can use your report to help improve
our spam filters, and keep annoying messages out of your inbox.
Move to v (i) allows you to move selected emails to Labels that appear down the left side of
your screen. Think of them as folders. You can create as many as you want and move old
emails into them so your inbox remains neat and tidy!
Labels v (j) allows selected emails to obtain a label name matching any of your Labels
(folders) that appear down the left side of your screen. Become a human label maker!
More Actions v (k) contains some generic commands to keep you going. Some are
repetative. Peek in and see what they will do.
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Property of Mesa Public Schools
MPSconnect: gmail
customizing your google
Settings (l)- Allows you to personalize your email experience even more. Check out all the
options inside each tab running across the top of the screen. Many user like to set a particular Theme (m) for their background and color.
Signature (n) is important to fill out. This puts a professional stamp of who you are and contact information that accompanies every email you send out. No signature is the default.
18 Educational Technology
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Property of Mesa Public Schools
MPSconnect: Gmail
customizing your google
Creating Contacts:
Click Contacts (o) along the left side of the screen.
Click the New Contact button
in the top-left corner of the Contact Manager.
Enter your contact's information in the appropriate fields.
Click Save to add your contact.
You can enter additional contact info by clicking More Information or by clicking the add
link next to the appropriate field. Enter your contact's information in the appropriate fields
and click Save.
Email addresses are automatically added to your Contacts list each time you use the Reply,
Reply to all, or Forward functions to send messages to addresses not previously stored in
your Contacts list. If these addresses don't appear immediately, try waiting a few minutes or
signing out of your account and signing back in. Also, each time you mark a message as
'Not Spam,' your Contacts list is automatically updated so that future messages from that
sender are received in your inbox.
Creating Contact Groups:
Click Contacts (o) along the side of any page.
Click the New Group (p) button located in top portion
of the Contact Manager.
Enter the name of the group.
Click OK.
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Property of Mesa Public Schools
MPSconnect: Gmail
customizing your google
Adding Contacts or Removing Contacts from a Contact Group:
Select the contacts in the Contacts(q)list.
Open the Groups(r) drop-down menu.
Under Add to...,(s) select the group you'd like to add the contact to, or select New group (s)
to create a new group.
Under Remove from...,(t) select the group you'd like to remove the contact from.
Notes:
20 Educational Technology
Fall 2009
Property of Mesa Public Schools
Google Documents:
Create, Store, and Share Docs
What is Google Docs?
Google Docs is a free, Web-based word processing, presentations and spreadsheets program.
Unlike desktop software, Google Docs lets people create web-based documents,
presentations and spreadsheets that anyone in the group can update from his/her own
computer, even at the same time.
Instead of
emailing around
files and having to
deal with the
confusion and
extra work
involved in
managing different
file versions and manually aggregating input from others, anyone in the group can edit the
document online from anywhere -- all you need is a Web browser.
And, since your docs are all stored safely in Google's servers, you don't have to worry about
losing data from a hard drive crash or nasty virus.
How can I use it in the classroom?
Here are a few ways that teachers have used
Google Docs in the classroom:
•
Promote group collaboration and creativity by having your students record their group projects
together in a single doc.
•
Keep track of other data using an easily accessible, always available spreadsheet.
•
Facilitate writing as a process by encouraging students to write in a document shared with you. You
can check up on their work at any time, provide insight and help using the comments feature, and
understand better each students strengths.
•
Encourage collaborative presentation skills by asking your students to work together on a shared
presentation, then present it to the class.
•
Collaborate on a document with fellow teachers to help you all track the status and success of
students you share.
•
Maintain, update and share lesson plans over time in a single document.
•
Track and organize cumulative project data in a single spreadsheet, accessible to any collaborator at
any time.
**Please note: Students must be 13 or over to use Google Docs, in compliance with Google's Terms of
Service
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Property of Mesa Public Schools
Google Documents:
Create, Store, and Share Docs
(cont.)
Access Google Docs:
As usual, there are several ways to access Google Docs.
1. Enter the address, https://docs.google.com/ in the address bar.
2. Login to Gmail and select the Documents link at the top of the page.
3. Login to your Google account. From the link bar at the top of the screen, select more,
Documents.
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Property of Mesa Public Schools
Google Documents:
Create, Store, and Share Docs
(cont.)
How to create and share docs
To create a doc:
1. From your Docs list, select "New" from the upper-left corner.
2. Select which kind of doc you'd like to create: document, spreadsheet or presentation.
3. A brand new version of the doc type selected will open for you, ready to be edited and shared.
To share a doc:
1. From within the document you'd like to share, click the
"Share" tab, in the upper-right corner*.
2. Enter the email addresses of whomever you'd like to add
and select the button next to "As collaborators:" or "As viewers", depending on what kind of access
you'd like them to have.
3. Click "Invite collaborators."
4. If you'd like, in the window that appears send an email to your collaborators explaining a little about the
doc. Whether or not you send this email, your doc is now shared.
*A note about Advanced permissions:
•
•
In the "Share" tab you'll notice a couple of options below the invite screen that bear further explanation.
"Collaborators may invite others" is exactly what it says -- an option that allows or prevents those you
invite from inviting others to the doc.
"Invitations may be used by anyone" is a feature that allows invitations to be forwarded, and allow access to, anyone who receives them. In effect, this option works similarly to "Collaborators may invite
others." Note that when inviting a mailing list to collaborate on a doc, you'll need to have this option
checked.
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Property of Mesa Public Schools
Google Calendars:
Create and Share
Add Events:
Create an event by clicking on its time
slot in the calendar (drag your mouse
to alter the length of the event).
Create Event: (a) clicking this link allows the user to enter information for an upcoming
event. Same actions as clicking on the calendar itself, as shown above.
Quick Add: (a)Short way to enter new event.
Tasks: (a) Pops out a panel on the right side of the calendar to create a “to-do” list.
Toggle Arrows (b), allow the user to move forward or backward in the calendar by; Day,
Week, Month, 4 Days, or Agenda.
Calendar Views (c), Five different view of events.
My Calendars (d), Drop down arrow for several calendars. Create as many as you like.
Add (e), add a friend’s calendar or your department’s calendar to your daily calendar!
24 Educational Technology
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Property of Mesa Public Schools
Google in the Classroom:
Beyond This Class
Each time this class is taught it changes due to the rapid rate at which Google is
growing on a monthly, if not weekly basis. This class is designed to give you a glimpse into
the inner-workings of Google and how you, as a classroom teacher, can tap into its multitude
of resources in order to educate your children. However, there is no way we could possibly
cover everything Google has to offer.
Often, the best way to learn is simply to explore. A good place to start exploring is to
simply go to your Google Accounts homepage and follow links. To do this go to:
www.google.com/accounts
Next, login and begin exploring all of the services Google has to offer.
This class has been brought to you by:
Educational Technology
Mesa Public Schools
549 N. Stapley Drive • Mesa, Arizona, 85203
480.472.0012 office • 480.472.7209 fax
Nathan Myers– Department Specialist
Rene Paschal, Director
25 Educational Technology
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Property of Mesa Public Schools
Appendix 1
Better searches.
Better results.
Here are some nifty modifiers to type in your Google search
Box to refine your searches and get the best results.
26 Educational Technology
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Property of Mesa Public Schools