Nice question, Steve.

It depends on what I'm searching for.  Usually I'll look at Blackle first (google's website that uses less energy due to the black screen www.blackle.com) Then, if it's education related, I might put the question to my personal learning network (PLN) on twitter.  Once I get further into my research and have an idea of the questions I'm asking, I'll dive into databases and library catalogues.  

If just regular information I'll start with Google or Wikipedia. If it's education related I usually use Google Scholar.