Misericordia University TED 121 -- Educational Technology

Module 2: Communication Technologies

SEARCHING THE WEB

Introduction to Searching

As we move forward in this information age, the ability to acquire information and turn it into usable knowledge is becomingly increasingly important. Information abounds! Thanks to technology we have access to tremendous amounts of information on every conceivable topic. And the time it takes to disseminate new information and make it publicly available is shorter than ever. Via technology, not only can we read new information almost as it is generated, but we can also see it and hear it as well. The emphasis on efficiently accessing information is therefore an increasingly important and essential skill for all members of society.

Preface to Searching the Web

  1. Remember that you are searching for words that might appear on a Web page.
    Remember that the search terms you enter into a search engine are words that you are hoping to find within the actual text of a Web page. Think like a Web page author: what words or phrases would an author use in creating a Web page on a particular subject? Make sure you are seeking words to be found on a Web page, and not concepts.

  2. Remember to start a search broadly, then refine (add specifics), but not too specific to start.
    Don't be too specific when starting to search. Start by typing one or two search terms that will be found on a Web page. Then add more search terms to narrow the results as you go. (If you type too many terms to start, you may limit your results.) Example:

    1. "Mickey Mouse"
      (Good to start broadly, but this is too broad.)
    2. "Mickey Mouse" history
      (Good first search. Broad enough not to eliminate good hits, but specific enough to be effective.)
    3. "Mickey Mouse" history "Walt Disney"
      (Too specific for a first search. Will eliminate good hits.)

  3. Remember to put the most important/unique terms first.
    1. football
      (This search is too broad. It will net millions of hits with no focus.)
    2. football fantasy
      (If you put the common/broad word(s) first, it will net many hits not on target.)
    3. fantasy football
      (If you put the unique/focused word(s) first, the results you achieve will be more focused and more of what you are actually searching for.)

      Try this search at Google.

  4. Don't waste time using a, the, and, and other small words: they are disregarded anyway.
    Most search engines "throw away" these small words (words with 3 or fewer letters). Don't use them in a search (unless they are contained in quotes, which we will learn later in this lesson).

 

Categories of Search Engines

Not all search engines are created equal! Search engines are created to serve different purposes. The following are the main categories of search engines:

  1. general search engines: These search engines provide tools for searching the Web in general (as compared to the next 2 types listed below). They may also provide additional tools and resources. Examples include: Google, Altavista, Ask.

  2. meta-search engines: These engines search several search engines simultaneously. Examples include: DogPile, HotBot, ProFusion.
    Perform a search in several search engines at the same time at DogPile.

  3. specialty (or specialty sections of) search engines: These engines allow you to search specialized information (information of a specific type or on a particular topic vs. searching all of the Web in general). Examples include: ERIC and Download.com.
    Perform a specialty search for software at Download.com.
    Search ERIC, a primary source for educational articles.

  4. visual searches (the future of search engines?): These engines provide a visual interface for searching the Web. While this type of search engine is still under development, it provides us a window to view possibly the future of searching. Example: SearchMe.
    Perform a visual search at SearchMe.com.

 

Don't Be Shy: Meet a New Search Engine

There are many, many search engines available. Don't limit yourself to just one. How do you know if the engine you are using yields the best results if you don't shop around? Some of the engines listed below were once really popular, and some are up and coming. Follow Dr. Steve's two guidelines to get the most out of searching at a particular engine:

  1. Shop around: Don't be too loyal to one search engine. If it does not seem to be giving you the results you need, try another one.
  2. Seek help: Always read the help file to learn how to get the most out of that particular search engine.

All the Web alltheweb.com Ask.com ask.com
Altavista altavista.com HotBot hotbot.com
Lycos lycos.com Proteus thrall.org/proteus.html
Search.com search.com WebCrawler webcrawler.com
Yahoo yahoo.com New Engine?  

 

How Do Search Engines Work?

Did you ever wonder: When you enter search terms in a search engine, the engine returns hits (sometimes hundreds of thousands) almost immediately. Does a search engine search the entire Web that quickly? Knowing how a search engine works can make you a better searcher.

"How Do Search Engines Work" Quiz

 How many of the following questions can you answer?

  1. Do search engines actually search the entire Web when you enter search terms?
    Yes No

  2. If you believe that search engines do not search the entire Web, what do they search? How do they work?

  3. Do all search engines produce the same quality results? (Are they all the same in terms of comprehensiveness and responsiveness to user input?)
    Yes No

  4. How do Web pages make it into in a search engine so that they can be returned as hits?

  5. Why can I sometimes not find the words I searched for on a page that was returned as a hit?

  6. What is the "hidden Web?"

Download Dr. Steve's PowerPoint presentation on the above topic.

 

The "Hidden" Web

The hidden Web (also known as the deep Web) refers to information that cannot be indexed by spiders, and therefore is not found when using search engines. A large majority of useful information on the Web is estimated to be hidden from search engines.

Types of Information Hidden from Search Engines:

Try searching the hidden Web using the following search engines:
  1. WebLens.org (Contains a list of many resources to search the hidden/deep web.)
  2. CompletePlanet.com
  3. InfoMine.ucr.edu (Scholarly Internet Resource Collections)
  4. OAIster.org

 

Search Tools for Power Users

Navigate to Google to learn about power user search tools.

Hint: Press control-F to help you locate the words you searched on the text of a Web page.

  1. Searching for Words on the Page

    1. "words that go together (phrases)": Some topics for which you will search involve words that go together (also known as a phrase). Phrases are proper names, titles, lines from a poem or other literary work. If you were to search for these terms as separate words, you might find all kinds of results, because the search engine would search these terms as separate, unrelated words. To search for a phrase (words that go together), simply place quotation marks around the phrase. Examples:

      Compare the following searches:

      1. Who invented the telephone? (Returns mega-hits that are unfocused.)
      2. "Who invented the telephone?" (Returns a focused search for this question listed on a Web page.)

      proper name:"George Washington"
      place with more than word:"Niagara Falls"
      title:"Green Eggs and Ham"
      lyric/line from a speech, musical, or literary work:"Four score and seven years ago"
      part of a sentence you want to find on a Web page:"learn how to ski"

    2. must exclude (-): Using a minus sign before a search term forces that term to be excluded from search results. Thus, you remove irrelevant Web pages from your search. Remember that you are dealing with words that are found in the text of a Web page and not concepts. (Some search engines allow you to use a plus sign before a search term. The plus sign forces Web page hits containing this word to be ranked higher in relevance when results are displayed.

      popular concepts that get mixed in:dolphins   -NFL
      cowboys   -Dallas
      remove commercial sites:-Visa   -price

    3. ~ [tilde character] Search for synonyms or examples of the search term.
      synonyms/examples of a search term:~sports
      Pennsylvania ~animals

  2. Searching "Off" the Page

    1. inurl: OR site: Search for terms contained in the URL (Web address) of the Web page, or search only a particular domain or Web site. Use inurl: to find Web pages that are focused on a particular person, place, or concept. Use site: to confine the search to one Web site.
      sites dedicated to people:inurl:georgewashington
      inurl:billyjoel
      sites dedicated to places:inurl:oceancity
      inurl:thousandislands
      sites dedicated to concepts:inurl:lessonplans
      confine search to one Web site:site:misericordia.edu
      site:pde.state.pa.us

    2. allintitle: Search for terms contained in the title of the Web page (the text that is located in the title bar of Web page's window when you navigate there). This tool allows you to find Web pages limited/dedicated to a specific topic.
      Web pages with same title:allintitle:lesson plan
      allintitle:"lesson plan" science

  3. Other Search Tools

    1. define: Search for the definition of a term. This tool extracts a definition from various Web pages.
      extract definitions from Web pages:define:technology

    2. Boolean expressions (AND, OR, NOT): Many search engines will provide the capability for performing Boolean searches. Boolean search tools might be the only search tools provided in some search engines. (For more information, see Searching MU's Library and Online Databases.) Example:

      cookies OR cakes AND chocolate NOT vanilla

      Babel Fish translator at Altavista

      Another powerful tool to assist you in searching is the Babel Fish translator utility at Altavista. This utility allows you to:

      • Type in text and translate it into another language.
      • Send a URL and specify which languages to translate from and to.
      To use, click on the translate link provided with each hit at Altavista, or go directly to the tool at babelfish.altavista.com.

 

 

Putting It All Together
To put it all together, let's try to locate the following information together:
  1. Where is the most efficient place to search?
    1. A game you can use in your classes to help reinforce math concepts.
    2. Find a picture of Edgar Allen Poe.

  2. Search words on the Web page:
    1. A list of signers of the Declaration of Independence.
    2. How to dance a particular dance step.
    3. Search for information on the Civil War bullets. Add a search tool to remove any Web pages from the search that might be trying to sell things to you.
    4. Web pages at misericordia.edu that deal with various sports.

  3. Other search tools:
    1. The meaning of the term Constructivism.

  4. Searching "off" the Web page:
    1. A Web page that contains the following word in the URL of the Web page: Elvis
    2. A Web page whose title indicates it is solely focused on the following topic: Shakespeare
    3. A Web page at a specific Web site (www.pde.state.pa.us) where you can find the Pennsylvania Code of Professional Practice and Conduct for Teachers.

  5. EXTRA CREDIT:
    1. Locate the full text of the Gettysburg Address.
    2. The name of two Elvis movies that take place in Hawaii.
    3. An example of the use of PDA's in high elementary (or high) school.
    4. Types of bullets used in the Civil War.
    5. The name of at least one kind of rock that makes up the Grand Canyon.
    6. secret ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken
    7. Items you know nothing about:
      • What is the significance of the stones located in the village of Kazan?
      • Locate an underwater hotel.

 

JUMP TO ANOTHER TOPIC IN MODULE 2:
  Using e-mail.
  Internet prerequisite skills.
  Searching the Web.
  Searching MU's library and online databases.
  Evaluating online resources.
  Downloading files using FTP.
  Web 2.0: Interactive online communication.


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Go to Topics.
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