Research Tool: ManagedQ

PD Lesson Plan: Experience ManagedQ

1.) I chose a research tool for the Web, like a search engine but
waaaaay better. It’s a newer visual search application called Man-
agedQ.

2.) I chose this tool because using Google is the most common
form of searching on the Internet for both students and teachers.
While I don’t deny the pros of this tool, I believe that a visual
search application like ManagedQ will provide the same informa-
tion needed yet in a more user friendly and thus efficient manner.
I am constantly looking for ways to simplify basic searches and
share this information with my students and colleagues. I was so
excited to learn about this relatively new visual search application
and can’t stop modeling how to use it with my students. I like the
idea that it’s NOT a virtual library or similar database, which is my
typical avenue for demonstrating/modeling for my students on
how to gather information; Since ManagedQ is Google at its best,
it’s what everyone already uses and thus is comfortable with, but
so much more. I’m all for search engines, but visual searching can
narrow down your results and really allow you to pinpoint what
you need or can use faster than Google can. I keep playing with it
and am blown away by each experience. Each time I am finding
exactly what I’m looking for and in record time. It’s exciting con-
sidering time is of the essence!

3.) ManagedQ will provide one with a Google search results page,
but displayed in a visual and more user friendly format. The work-
flow in this application is key. Usually one conducts a search, then
clicks through the results, reading the line descriptions under
each one for the information needed. If the results aren't good
enough, one goes back and refines the initial query, doing a com-
plete new search. With ManagedQ, there’s an interactive refine-
ment stage that allows one to literally poke around the results set
and easily gather more information to help refine and pinpoint the
search topic. One can instantly narrow a search by ignoring bad
results that don't contain terms wanted, without throwing away all
the others that could be interesting. One can get a quick feel for
whether the results are worth exploring by throwing in good indic-
ator terms that are likely to be in the ones you want. Additionally,
Research Tool: ManagedQ
PD Lesson Plan: Experience ManagedQ
one can create custom summaries to find out more about a whole
set of results at once. And the in-page query stays active as one
moves through the results, so one can power-search by rapidly
browsing through all the pages.

I read through the blog, forum, and about links to gather informa-
tion about this tool since I’m a new user.

This is what the founders have to say about themselves:

ManagedQ is driven by a group of dedicated entrepreneurs work-
ing in a basement in Palo Alto to develop the next step in Search.
The field of Search is years behind where it should be, as it hasn't
fundamentally changed in more than a decade. Results may have
improved a bit, but people are still Searching the same way they
did in 1995. With this lack of innovation, Results have essentially
become a commodity.

Here are some tidbits/explanations I found useful from articles

about this new visual Search tool:
ManagedQ has transformed Search as we know it from a com-
mand-line driven database query to an elegantly-designed Applic-
ation that can be continuously improved and optimized. The end
result is an entirely novel and compelling Search Experience. Fi-
nally, visual search that isn't dumb.
ManagedQ displays Web search results in visual snapshots. The
images are bigger and more readable than the thumbnails you
get on a search engine like Exalead, and arrayed in front of you so
you can process them all at once, unlike Redzee. But what's really
useful is that you can select common keywords from your search
results and visually find the sites that do and don't relate. Hover-
ing over common search terms makes the visual display more
helpful. On the ManagedQ search results there's a left-hand bar
with words that relate to your search. Hovering over any one of
them will grey out the results that don't have the word; selecting
a word will rerun the search with the new filter. The words are cat-
egorized by people, place, and thing. ManagedQ is not, technic-
ally, a search engine. It's what founder David Stat calls a "search
Research Tool: ManagedQ
PD Lesson Plan: Experience ManagedQ
application," since it repurposes another engine's results (in this
case, Google, at least for now).

Professional Development Lesson:

Topic: Using ManagedQ for future Search experiences in and out

of the classroom.

Purpose: To use a research tool that will save time and, as a bo-
nus, is much more fun!

Time: approximately 30 minutes

Place: computer lab

Process:
First, I will begin by explaining briefly what exactly ManagedQ is
using much of the information I included above to explain the
what and why.
2 minutes

Second, I will provide the URL http://managedq.com, so teachers

can access this site on their computers, and then I will demon-
strate how ManagedQ works using a Smartboard. There is a “Read
the Tutorial” on the home page which I will employ to walk teach-
ers through for the demo. 3 minutes

Third, I will show teachers how to conduct a visual search by walk-

ing them through an actual search step by step using “Banned
Books” as a topic in order to demonstrate how to gather useful
links and other information. Teachers will be doing the same
search on computers along with me through each step to deepen
understanding about the features contained in ManagedQ. 5
minutes

Fourth, teachers will conduct their own search using a topic they
would like to learn more information about for the purpose of
planning a teaching. They will bookmark any links they deem use-
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PD Lesson Plan: Experience ManagedQ
ful. I will be circulating at this time to answer individual questions.
5 minutes

Finally, there will be time for teachers to come back together

when volunteers can share what they experienced during their tri-
al run visual search experience. At this time teachers will also
share feedback on the usefulness of this tool. 5-10 minutes