trekking through the world of information

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Effective Search

Strategies for

Teachers

Definition of the Net The Internet is the publicly accessible

worldwide system of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using a standardized Internet Protocol (IP).

It is made up of thousands of smaller commercial, academic, domestic and government networks. It carries various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, and the interlinked web pages and other

documents of the World Wide Web.

How big is the web?

• 56 billion static web pages are publicly available on the World Wide Web.

• Another estimated 6 billion static pages are available within private intranet sites

• 200+ billion database-driven pages are available as dynamic database reports ("invisible web" pages)

• Google.com indexes 9.75 billion web pages.

Image: 'Released to Public: Sinai Penninsula and Dead+Sea+from+Space+Shuttle+Columbia,+March+2002+(NASA)'www.flickr.com/photos/39735679@N00/491430005

Today

• 200 billion pages

• Only 50 Billion is static web

• Google has only indexed 20%

• Daily Web Space increases by 100,000 websites

Image: 'LOGO2.0 part I'http://www.flickr.com/photos/16851909@N00/93136022

Search Strategy

• Choose appropriate key words

• Select right tools

• Evaluate Information

Image: 'http://www'www.flickr.com/photos/65919269@N00/557840620

Searching the Free Web

Image: 'PSP Browser vs Landscape Dell X50v’www.flickr.com/photos/44124452748@N01/29502230

•Use Advanced Searching

A few search engines

Metacrawler

Boolean Searching

Add +ABC

Minus -ABC

Default DEF OR ABC

Exact phrase “ABC”

Wild card ABC*

Synonym ABC~

Samples

OR NOT

AND

http://www.internettutorials.net/boolean.html

Deep Web• The invisible web is a vast repository of information

that search engines don't have access to, such as databases

• Private networks, called intranets, that are not actually hooked up to the Web

• Forms, like ColdFusion or CGI

• Password-protected sites, like a university library

• Sites that intentionally, for various reasons, keep their information from being indexed by search engine spiders

Image: 'Andromeda, again.'www.flickr.com/photos/13447091@N00/251478651

Effective habits:

•What do others like?

•Use The "Three Strikes" Rule

•Don't Play Favorites

•Use Specialized Search Sites

Image: 'no denial'www.flickr.com/photos/60648084@N00/2462966749

Web Evaluation Techniques

Before you click to view the page...

• Look at the URL - personal page or site ? ~ or % or users or members

• Domain name appropriate for the content ? edu, com, org, net, gov, ca.us, uk, etc.

• Published by an entity that makes sense ? • News from its source?

www.nytimes.com

• Advice from valid agency? www.nih.gov/www.nlm.nih.gov/www.nimh.nih.gov/

Web Evaluation Techniques Scan the perimeter of the page• Can you tell who wrote it ?

• name of page author• organization, institution, agency you recognize• e-mail contact by itself not enough

• Credentials for the subject matter ?– Look for links to:

“About us” “Philosophy” “Background” “Biography”

• Is it recent or current enough ?• Look for “last updated” date - usually at bottom

Web Evaluation Techniques

Indicators of quality

• Sources documented• links, footnotes, etc.

– As detailed as you expect in print publications ?

• do the links work ?

• Information retyped or forged• why not a link to published version instead ?

• Links to other resources• biased, slanted ?

Web Evaluation Techniques

What Do Others Say ?

• Search the URL in alexa.com

– Who links to the site? Who owns the domain?

– Type or paste the URL into the basic search box

– Traffic for top 100,000 sites

• See what links are in Google’s Similar pages

• Look up the page author in Google

Web Evaluation Techniques

STEP BACK & ASK: Does it all add up ?• Why was the page put on the Web ?

• inform with facts and data? • explain, persuade? • sell, entice?

• share, disclose?• as a parody or satire?

• Is it appropriate for your purpose?

Try evaluating some sites...

1. Search a controversial topic in Google:– "nuclear armageddon"– prisons danger– “stem cells” abortion

2. Scan the first two pages of results

3. Visit one or two sites – try to evaluate their quality and reliability

Other Internet Politics

Copyright, Fair Use & Plagiarism

• Where did the info come from?– public domain? creative commons? – Giving credit

Citation Generator

http://theconnectedclassroom.wikispaces.com/Digital_Images

Why Use NetTrekker?

Searches are Academically relevantImage: 'Questions'http://www.flickr.com/photos/42788859@N00/318947873

Why Use NetTrekker?Educator reviewed & evaluated• Aligned to state standards

• Read Aloud

• Rated by readability level

Image: 'question mark ?'www.flickr.com/photos/49968232@N00/12364944

Image: 'question mark ?'www.flickr.com/photos/49968232@N00/12364944

http://middle.nettrekker.com/userinfo/pa.eplhttp://middle.nettrekker.com/userinfo/pa.epl

CreateCreate

User NameUser Name

PasscodePasscode

& enter & enter YOUR IU’SYOUR IU’S

KeywordKeyword

school.nettrekker.comschool.nettrekker.com

• Keyword– Web– Persons– Images– Standards

• Drill down through headings

• Timeline

• Elementary – Theme Search

Let’s Start Searching!