Internet Searching
1.
Search Tools
·
Search tools provide access to searchable
indexes to some of the Web’s over 70 million pages. Some search tools use software that searches the Web for new
pages. Others accept registrations. For some search tools, indexing is fully
automated, some are indexed by humans.
·
A simple Internet search
engine uses keywords you supply to seek out specific references to the
information you’re looking for within the web pages it has in its database.
·
A subject directory organizes indexed
sites into hierarchical categories
·
A portal offers “value added” features
such as bookmarks, news, or email.
·
Most search tools now offer some combination of the
above 3 types.
·
Remember that each search engine has its own database
so you may not get the same search results from any two search engines.
|
Search Tool |
URL |
|
Alta Vista |
|
|
HotBot |
|
|
Northern Light |
|
|
|
|
|
AskJeeves |
2.
Search Tools for
Kids
· Search engines geared for children are often excellent sources for teachers. They provide some level of filtering (either automated or human).
Search Tools for Kids |
URL |
|
Education World |
|
|
Ed-View Smart Zone |
|
|
Awesome Library |
|
|
KidsClick! |
|
|
StudyWEB |
|
|
AskJeeves for Kids |
3.
Meta Search Engines
(or Metacrawlers)
· Meta search engines search other search engines and show you a list that draws from a combination of sources.
|
Meta Search Engine |
URL |
|
Go2Net (MetaCrawler) |
|
|
Dogpile (also runs MetaFind) |
|
|
Savvysearch |
|
|
ProFusion |
|
|
Mamma |
4.
Searching Tips
·
Use a directory search for general topics. Use keyword search when looking for specific
information.
·
Make sure your spelling is correct. Use synonyms if necessary.
·
Be as specific and as descriptive as possible with your
keywords.
·
Use lower case unless you specifically want to match an
upper case letter.
·
Commonly used search language and syntax:
(NOTE: not all of these options
are supported by all search sites; always check the search instructions at a
new site. Visit http://searchenginewatch.com and select
“Web Searching Tips,” then “Search Features Chart”)
·
Use quotation marks to enclose a phrase. Pages must contain the phrase exactly as
typed.
·
Use Boolean operators:
·
for a broader search use the word OR. (For example: “Native Americans” or
“American Indians”)
·
for a narrower search that combines topics use the
word AND or the + sign. (For example: “Billy Mills” and Olympic,
“Billy Mills” +Olympic)
·
for a narrower search that excludes topics use the
word NOT or the - sign. (For example: England not London, England
–London)
·
Use parentheses to nest terms and control the order of
operations
·
Use a truncation or wild card character (often “*”) to
encompass alternate forms of search terms or to find any file with a given
extension (For example: child* would retrieve child, children, childhood,
childless, etc.; *.jpg would search for graphics in .jpg format)
·
To find graphics in any format, type “image:[search
term]” or use http://www.hotbot.com and click the “Pages must include image”
box.
· Visit the following web site for help:
http://thewebtools.com/tutorial/tutorial.htm
5.
Activity A
6. Activity B
7. Printing
· Clicking on the Print button prints both the text and images on the page currently displayed, according to current print setup.
· Benefits – easy, both text and images are printed. (However, some images will not print).
· Drawback – the entire page must be printed. Use the vertical scroll bar to determine the length of the page before printing.
· Know your browser’s options
8. Activity C
9. Activity D
10. Activity E
11. Activity F
Activity A: Comparing Search Engines
1. Go to http://searchenginewatch.com. Follow the links to Search Engine Listings, Major Search Engines, Major Search Engines. Read about the search engines listed on page 1 and select 2 that sound good to you.
2. Choose a topic of use to you in your daily work:
_______________________________________________
3. Use the search engines you selected to search for information on the chosen topic, exploring the search help features for the site, and any directory structure it offers.
4. Compare the results using the chart below:
|
Feature |
Site: |
Site: |
|
Is there a subject directory feature and if so, how useful was it for your search? |
|
|
|
How many sites did your keyword search return? |
|
|
|
How many relevant sites were returned within the first 10 hits? |
|
|
|
General comments |
|
|
Activity B: Comparing Search Engines and Meta Search Engines
1. Go to http://searchenginewatch.com. Follow the links to Search Engine Listings, Metacrawlers, Major Metacrawlers. Read about the meta search engines listed on page 2 and select 1 that sounds good to you.
2. Perform the same search you did in Activity A and compare the results. Which search tool did you like best? Why?
Activity C:
Printing an Internet Page (text and images)
1. Open a web page of your choice to be printed.
2. On the file menu, drag to Page Setup. Header and Footer will look like this (Internet Explorer):
· Header &w&bPage&pof&p
· Footer &u&b&d
These setting will print the window title and the page number in the header and the page address and the date in the footer. To change these, see the help menu “Change how a page looks when it prints.”
Click OK
3. Click on the Print Button.
Activity D:
Saving an Internet Page (text only)
1. Open a web page of your choice to be saved.
2. On the File menu, drag to Save As.
3. Navigate to the Download folder in the [T:] drive (Network) or on the desktop (stand alone).
4. In the File name box, type a name for the page.
5. In the “Save as type” box, select Text only. Click on Save.
6. Launch Microsoft Word. Open the file just saved. In the file type dialog box select Text or All Files. You can manipulate the text as you would any word processing document.
Activity E: Copying and Pasting
Internet Text into Word
1. Make sure Internet Explorer (Netscape Navigator) and Microsoft Word are running.
2. Open any Internet site.
3. Position the I-beam cursor at the beginning of the text to be copied. Press on the mouse button and drag the cursor to select the desired text.
4. Click on the Edit menu and drag to Copy.
5. Switch to Microsoft Word by clicking on in the Task Bar. Position the cursor where you want the text to go into the document.
6. Click on the Paste Button or Click Edit and Drag to Paste.
Activity
F: Internet Hunt
After each hunt question write the answer and the key word(s)
and search engine used to find it:
1.
Are
there any lesson plans on the greenhouse effect suitable for middle school?
2.
What
is the weather like in Madrid, Spain today?
3.
From
what state was the winner of last year’s National Geographic Geography Bee?
4.
According
to the Food Pyramid we should eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a
day. Where is a site which tells you
what constitutes “a serving” of various fruits and vegetables?
5.
Where
would you find an image of the wild ponies on Assateague Island?
6.
Your
class is studying the Middle Ages.
Where is a site with pictures of cathedrals?
7.
Where
is there a site with today’s news?
8. Where would an elementary or middle school teacher find a reliable site that would facilitate pairing his/her class with keypals in another country?
Also available online
http://training.fcps.org/tt1/intsea.htm