Search+Techniques

Basic Internet Search Techniques The internet has an unfathomable quantity of information available to us. With that in mind, it is quite possible you may not find the exact website or resource you are looking for on your first try. The results you get depend on the information you provide in your search. With a few simple tips and some patience, you will likely find what you need, though. Did I mention patience?


 * Course Objectives: **


 * Identify current internet search habits and needs
 * Look at a few tools to help you get started
 * Look at a few more tools to help you drill deeper
 * Discuss issues to consider - possible pitfalls, etc.
 * Do an internet search of your own
 * Compare notes


 * Current Habits and Needs? **


 * 1) What are you usually looking for when you search the web? You will need to think beyond the obvious response, which is "information."
 * 2) How do you usually start a search? Do you have a thought process? Do you have a favorite search engine? Do you have a sure-fire site you go to?
 * 3) How much time do you spend looking?
 * 4) Do you have an online network?
 * 5) Do you have a way of organizing the information you find?
 * 6) How do you know if the information you have found is "good"?
 * 7) How many questions did you ask before you started searching?


 * Web Search Strategies in Plain English **

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 * Research Habitudes? **
 * Any website exists for its own purpose.
 * How old is this information and does its age matter?
 * Model methodology - not results (answers).
 * Have a plan - random approaches to searching don't work best.
 * Ask as many questions as you can think of - spend more time asking questions than searching. Extract words from your questions.
 * Ask questions in the presence of others.
 * Pull together information from multiple resources . . . and verify.
 * Search "tricks" are not the answer.
 * Searching is a process.
 * Searching requires persistence.
 * Learn how to ask GREAT questions!

** In Perfect Search of the Perfect Website ** // Why learn about search skills at all? // media type="youtube" key="v9yZco8bwI8" width="560" height="315"

Google Search Education: Live Trainings* How a Search Works Power Searching With Google (Sample Exercise) Google Web Search Education * Google Scholar Top 10 Obscure Google Search Tricks Google Search Tips for Students Google Search Help Center Google Search Guide Google Search Ranking Factors W ord Order Matters Google Advanced Search
 * Google **

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Finding Dulcinea - presents only credible, high-quality and trustworthy Web sites, saving time for the novice and the experienced user alike. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) by Common Craft Google and Yahoo and Bing are not the only search engines out there. There are search engines that specialize in topics or types of information - really! 30 Specialized (and super smart) search engines Choose the Best Search for Your Inforamtion Needs Specialized Search Engines - Open Directory Project Recommended Subject Directories from UC Berkley* SweetSearch - a search engine for students* WolfRamAlpha Twitter - sure, searching can be fun, too. YouTube (or TeacherTube, etc.) YouTube Infographic Quixey.com- The search engine for APPS* 100 Search Engines for Academic Research
 * Search Engines: **


 * What's out there beyond the "search engine" ? **

Cool Tools for Schools Wiki - Research Tools Don't write off the your school library or librarian just because you are looking or information online. You might be surprised what they can help you find. Delicious.com Who Owns the Web Address? LaGuardia Invisible Web The Invisible Web (UC Berkley) Information within a Website.
 * Do you know how to find something on a web page?
 * Hint: Use the Find command…
 * Edit>Find (or Control-F)
 * Note that works differently on Firefox vs. Internet Explorer
 * [ Demo ]
 * Cmd-F on Macs

** Building a Better Search ** Internet Search Tips and Strategies - Virtual Salt Recommended Search Strategies from UC Berkley Topic Worksheet LO2. Internet Search Ten Steps to Better Web Searchs (Sweet Search) - a multi-step guide ** Web Searches for Kids? ** Using the Web Evaluating Web Pages


 * Organizing the Information You Find **

>> [|**http://delicious.com/lamorris/SearchTechniques**]

My favorite tool for organizing the resources I find on the Internet is Delicious. **Delicious is a socia bookmarking tool.** It is easy to use and one of the most valuable tools I have found in many, many years. Not only can you save and organize your internet resources on Delcicous, you can use it as a search engine. You can search a single user's site or your can search your personal network or you can search all of Declicious.

** Google Custom Search Engine ** >> || || >>> [] media type="custom" key="4670917"media type="custom" key="4670783" >>
 * With Google Custom Search, you can harness the power of Google to create a customized search experience for your own website. ||
 * Include one or more websites, or specific webpages
 * Host the search box and results on your own website
 * Customize the look and feel of the results to match your site