Few months ago, Google entered the massive open online course (MOOC) space by introducing the free Power Searching with Google course. The course consists of six 50-minutes classes. Each class consists of overview video lessons and exercises. Then students are invited to access supplementary resources and participate on discussion forums facilitated by teacher assistants.
Follow the course: http://www.powersearchingwithgoogle.com/course
It also contains a quick reference of all search tips from the course, download Google's printable Power Searching Quick Guide.
Some tips on google search:
Find text on a page:
Windows computers: Press the Control and F keys at the same time.
minus (-): Eliminate irrelevant results.
There must be a space before the minus sign. There must not be a space between the minus sign and the word you want to eliminate.
Example: [tesla -coil]
plus (+): Does not mean “and,” nor does it force inclusion of a word. Google can search for certain plus signs after a word (e.x., C++ and Google+). A plus sign before a search term, used as an operator, looks for a Google+ Page by that name.
define: Identify the meaning of words. Example:
[define yarnbombing]
Also: Click on Search Tools in the left panel, then Dictionary to define words that do not appear in traditional dictionaries.
Tip: Combine operators for stronger searches.
You can combine site: and filetype: for very targeted results when necessary.
[site:census.gov filetype:pdf household spending]
This course is based on Google's Open Course Builder software. You can use this software to create your own online courses.
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