Assessing Google as a Teaching & Research Tool

Dennis G. JerzSeton Hill University

Teaching & Learning Forum

31 Jan 2005http://jerz.setonhill.edu/resources/google

Quick Links

Basic use of Google Keywords Quotations Marks

Advanced Search TipsObscure but NiftyExtended Features

Much More on Googlehttp://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Google.html

Google: more underused than understood.

At an information literacy conference, I asked a group of librarians how they thought Google worked.

…counting links?…counting clicks on links?

Overview

Background and BasicsAdvanced Search TipsSpecial Extended Features

Background and Basics

Using Google: Keywords and Quotation Marks

How Google Works: Brute Strength, Caches, and PageRank

Using Google

Google’s home page is uncluttered and ad-free (compare to Yahoo! or MSN).

Keywords: by default, uses Boolean “AND”

seton hill = seton AND hill

this + way up = forces inclusion of “this”

Quotation Marks

Enclose a term in quotation marks for an exact match

seton hill = matches terms anywhere

“seton hill” = matches this exact phrase

How Google Works

Brute StrengthCaching the InternetPageRank Algorithm

Brute Strength

Banks of ordinary PCs (not supercomputers)

Multiple, geographically separate networksInexpensive to maintain or replace Does not run Windows – saves $$

Caches

Google does not search the live internet.Google stores a copy of the pages – faster

than going live.Google also caches the results of its

searches.Spidering – a “web crawler” follows links,

searching for updated content.

Cache Issues

Cache can be out of dateMaterial removed from the internet may be

available via Google’s cache for days or months This can be good (if a site is briefly down) …or bad (if you want to remove potentially

libelous content)

PageRank

Google uses incoming links to rank its search results

But Google also evaluates each of those incoming links

Google Explains Itself

In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important." -- Google Technology

Google is not Foolproof

Historical example:

Searching for “seton hill university” used to return the message,

Did you mean ‘seton hall university’?”

Manipulating PageRank

miserable failureJew

Google’s explanation “google bombing”

Inherent Geek Bias

Search Google for appleContext: googling for groceries?Geek bias is real

expected manageable

Teaching Implications: Sufficing

Sufficing: Natural Human BehaviorEven experts not good at rejecting “good

enough” for “better”Compare:

Google: Internet AddictionGoogle: Internet Addiction Disorder

Advanced Search Tips

Wildcards: “to * or not to *”Synonyms “seton hill” ~sports

see: ~violence; ~mohammed, ~jesusDomain search

dean site:blogs.setonhill.eduNumber ranges: robots 1900..1950Definitions: define holocaust

Obscure, But Still Nifty

Just type into the Google search box

calculator: "134 + 353" airplane tracker: "united 103" measurement converter: "three teaspoons

"

Special Extended Features

news.google.com

images.google.com

scholar.google.com

Google News (Historical Context)

“People who are savvy about how the Internet works don't even try to find breaking news on the Net.”

– Richard W. Wiggins “The Effects of September 11 on the Leading Search Engine.” First Monday 6:10 (2001).

Published 1 Oct, 2001. Much has changed: Google News

Google News (Demo)

“seton hill” construction“seton hill university”

Our student paper, The Setonian is one of several thousand of sites indexed

Google Images (Demo)

images.google.comReturns saled-down “thumbnails”Images classified by adjacent keywords

seton hill

hippocampus

pygmalion and galatea

Google Scholar Explanation

Scientific Bias: Derrida: Physicist Bernard beats out philosopher Jacques. (Credit: Mike Arnzen)

Uneven results. “Jerz, DG” and “Jerz, Dennis G.” are considered different authors.)

Automated: If it looks like a citation, Google Scholar treats it like one.

Teaching Implications: Google ScholarGoogle Scholar is likely to frustrate and

confuse the average student. Many sources are offline. Searches not filtered by subject. Student papers get into the system.

More exclusive than ordinary Google.

Google Scholar Case Study

Google: Internet Addiction Disorder

Google Scholar: Internet Addiction Disorder

Google: Internet AddictionGoogle Scholar: Internet Addiction