Searching on the Net 

The following activities are designed to help you sort through the mess. 

(If you are prompted for a password at any time during this tutorial,  just click cancel)

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2. Search Tools Scavenger Hunt The Web is full of search engines.  You're visit to the Beaucoup site above should have revealed that to you.  Not all search engines are alike.  In fact what you may think of as a search engine, may not be a search engine at all.  The following scavenger hunt will help dispel any misconceptions surrounding searching and search tools. A scavenger hunt usually involves some kind of a search.  In this case you will be searching for information.  You will be given fairly specific questions to answer and a Web address where you can find the answers.  These questions will assist you in sifting out the most important information about searching from these documents.  (Remember to sift, don't spend large amounts of time "reading".) To help you, the question that you need to answer is listed first, followed by Web page where the answer can be found.  Each link will open in a new window so that you can have the questions and answer page open at the same time.  Search Tools Scavenger Hunt Word Document  You will be using a variety of online guides for searching to help you identify and define the multitude of searching tools available to you. FAQ's A FAQ is a list of FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS. We read FAQ's before we post questions just in case our question has already been answered.   Read the FAQ's at Spider's Apprentice: Why do you need to use search engines?  How do search engines index web sites?  What search engine is the biggest?  What is the difference between Yahoo and Alta Vista?  http://www.monash.com/spidap2.html Directories What is a (subject) directory? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a directory? What are some sample directories? When is it best to use a directory? http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/lesson3.html http://www.pandia.com/goalgetter/2.html Search Engines What exactly is a search engine? How does a search engine work? What are the advantages and disadvantages of search engines? When should you use a search engine? What are some sample search engines? http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/lesson1.html http://www.pandia.com/goalgetter/2.html Meta-searchers What are Meta-searchers? What are the advantages and disadvantages of meta-search engines? When should you use a meta-search engine? What are some sample meta-search engines? http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/lesson2.html http://www.pandia.com/goalgetter/2.html Which search tool is rated the best? Which search site does Pandia choose for the top 3 search engines, directories, and meta-searchers? http://www.pandia.com/goalgetter/2.html How does the Spider's Apprentice rate the search site that you use the most?  http://www.monash.com/spidap3.html Other types of search tools What other types of search tools are available? http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/lesson4.html

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3. Research Tools Search engines are not the only way to locate information on the Internet.  Centrally located archives contain millions of reports and documents that are accessible to you. Finding Information Examples of archives include:  The Educational Research Information Center (ERIC) Library of Congress US Department of Education Albertson's Library at BSU (contains many archives) Information is attainable from archives through searches using keywords and descriptors.  Visit the Albertson's Library site to see all of the different archives available to you.  Go to "expanded academic (ASAP)" funded by LILI-D.  Try a keyword search using "educational technology".

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4. Advanced Search Engine Strategies Understanding the difference types of search tools addresses only one piece of the searching puzzle.  In this next scavenger hunt you will discover ways to refine and narrow your searching so that your efforts don't result in the often encountered "1,000,000 results found" or the dreaded "your search resulted in 0 matches".  Again, the questions you need to answer will be presented first, followed by the links to sites where answers can be found.  Feel free to try out some of your newly learned searching skills by looking for answers in other places. Choosing the best search tool for your purpose How do you choose a search engine? http://nuevaschool.org/~debbie/library/research/adviceengine.html What is the best type of search tool to use? http://www.pandia.com/goalgetter/2.html http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/lesson6.html Keyword vs. Concept-Based Searching Describe "Keyword Searching." Describe "Concept-based Searching." What do you have to do to "guarantee" the best results when concept-based searching? http://www.monash.com/spidap4.html Narrowing Your Search There are a variety of techniques available for refining and narrowing your searches.   Explore the tutorial sites listed below and investigate the following list of options: Boolean operators Phrases Proximity Case sensitivity Nesting Truncation Quotation marks Wildcards http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/bones.html http://www.pandia.com/goalgetter/index.html Recommendations Read Pandia's 17 recommendations for searching http://www.pandia.com/goalgetter/recommendations.html   Optimizing Your Search Engine of Choice (Optional) Optimizing AltaVista's Advanced Query Optimizing Google

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5. Additional  Resources This site provides information on a variety of search tools http://www.lookoff.com/ http://www.ask.com/ http://www.searchenginewatch.com/

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