Information Fluency

Operators

Contents

How to Use this Kit | Features | Curriculum | Action Zone | Assessment | Kit Directory

Taking Advantage of Operators
Carl Heine reports on common mistakes students make using Boolean operators and how it may be better not to use operators at all.

Podcast with Chris Sherman
Search engine analyst Chris Sherman shares tips on using operators and discusses new developments in search engines.

Three Operators to Know
In this brief audio segment, search analyst Chris Sherman describes three powerful operators that can be used to increase the effectiveness of a search query.

Saving Pinky's Pups
The hampsters are coming! Will the right search operator retrieve the necessary instructions in time?

Operators Tutorial
This interactive tutorial introduces and explains how AND, OR, NOT and Quotes work.

Best and Worst Query
This lesson utilizes good and bad examples to engage students in thinking queries that are potentially the best (and worst) for retrieving the desired information.

Pirates and Piranhas Users Guide
This Guide explains how to use the Pirates and Piranhas tutorial games with students.

QuickPick: Operator Smarts
A quick guide to AND, OR, NOT and Quotes: what they do, when to use them and common mistakes. Several exercises check for understanding.

TV Search Challenge
Find the name of a TV episode that opens on a green planet with a red sky. (timed)

Slinky Challenge
Find the mission number of the Space Shuttle that first took a Slinky into space. (timed)

Pirates and Piranhas
Two interactive tutorial games that involve decisions about effective operators.

MicroModule Companion: Operators
Three different tutorials that include basic activities and beyond using Boolean and special operators.

Operator Assessment

Check your ability to use operators effectively in these performance-based challenges. (timed)

Assessment User Guide

A Guide to interpret the results of the Operator Assessment.

Assessment User Guide (pdf version)