Learn to Teach With the E-Edition. It's Easy!
The Palm Beach Post e-edition is educational, efficient, and easy to use. It makes learning fun for students by reaching them where they live - in an increasingly digital world. And, it can be easy and fun for you, too. Check out our online teacher tutorial. It gives you step-by-step directions for using the e-edition tools. We'll even give you suggestions for learning activities that meet state standards. Easy! Educational! Efficient! A triple winner!
|
Top online search engine gets more convenient
The most popular Internet search service is dramatically broadening the way it helps pinpoint information. In addition to showing relevant Web sites, Google’s master search engine now steers users to digital books, movies, images, news articles and maps that probably have answers or background they seek. The upgrade, introduced last week in the U.S. and being rolled out gradually in other English-speaking countries, unites half a dozen Google services that required separate searches and weren’t widely known by most casual users. The company says the change, which results from a six-year project, is a step toward "universal search" -- the ability to sift through digital content of all kinds in response to queries typed into the search box at Google.com.
The redesign offers small windows for video clips that play on the page when clicked, rather than just links to pages where the videos can be seen. Google also incorporates local maps and listings related to searches, keyed to clues about a user’s location from past searches at the same terminal.
Front Page Talking Points is written by
Felix Grabowski and Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2013
We welcome comments or suggestions for future topics: Click here to Comment Front Page Talking Points Archive►Northeast braces for noisy invasion: Flying cicada bugs return after hiding for 17 years ►U.S. military prison at Guantanamo, Cuba, remains a tricky problem for President Obama ►Doctors warn about serious health risks from 'The Cinnamon Challenge' video craze ►Earth Day on April 22 focuses attention on how we can protect the natural environment ►Thousands of past players take on the National Football League over brain injuries ►North Korean missile threats create concern and U.S. show of military force ►South Africa reflects on the huge legacy of Nelson Mandela, hospitalized at 94 ►They come from space: NASA seeks money to spot and deflect risks from large asteroids ►This 'March Madness' basketball tournament season is special – the 75th in history ►Coming soon to your screen: Facebook changes its news feed to give users more content choices |
Search engines are handy research tools for reports and other homework, though not all results lead to reliable sites with accurate facts. Invite the class to discuss the trustworthiness of newspaper archives compared to blogs, sports or entertainment fan sites and user-generated content at Wikipedia.
Google and similar services allow quick checks of dates, names, definitions and other specific details, but have limits for exploring broad subjects, unfamiliar topics or hometown events. Challenge students to list drawbacks of search engines versus newspapers or magazines for keeping up with developing stories, finding local diversions or satisfying general curiosity about a new area.
Many frequent Internet users still rely on traditional information and entertainment sources –- publications, books, television and radio broadcasts. Solicit reasons from the class by asking what advantages those delivery formats have. When are “original media” more convenient or useful than new media? 
Example of benefits: A request for the "I have a dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. previously returned links to Web sites about King. The new search engine provides the speech text and a video of the civil rights leader delivering it as the top results. Lower links include books about King and photo galleries.