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Getting the Most out of Internet Resources


Where would you look for resources on building classroom community?

  • What strategies & techniques were used in the past?
  • How might info to meet this need be located effectively and efficiently?
  • What new sources are available now?
  • Will these new resources require new strategies and techniques?

Hopefully, one would come to the realization that many of these answers can be found via the Internet. Not only are there thousands, if not millions, of sources of information at one’s fingertips. However, with that great quantity of of information, comes the need to make one’s searches effective and efficient. Here are some areas to consider when conducting Internet searches.

Search Engines, Directories, and Meta-Searches
There are three types of tools that can provide the results you’re looking for in an Internet search. The first is the search engine. A search engine searches for webpages and documents based on keywords. Some commmon search engines are listed below.

Directories and indexes organize information on the Internet around categories and topics. One topic leads to several subtopics that eventually lead to the information for which you’re searching. A few directories are listed here.
A meta-search engine uses a keyword search to search the results of several search engines, compiling the most popular results. Three meta-search engines are as follows.
It’s important to remember that none of these search options are always better than the others. You may find different results with various searches. It’s important to exhaust your options and try searches with several different engines.
Search Techniques
Here are some search techniques that might help to make your keyword searches more effective.
  • Identify key words and synonyms so as to narrow your search results or identify the most accurate results.
  • Be specific with your searches. Identify what you’re looking for and what you want to avoid. List the most important word first and list 3-6 words to insure the most specific results.
  • Advanced searching (phrases, Boolean operators,filters) can help really narrow your searches. Using advanced settings and Boolean operators can filter the results to fit your needs.
  • Plurals can sometimes mislead search results. If you’re not getting the results you’re after, try the singular or plural spellings of your keyword.
  • Parentheses can assist in linking specific phrases together in your searches.
  • Capitalization is not often read by search engines. However, when it is, a search engine may provide results with or without capital letters if all lowercase is used. Sometimes words with capital letters dominate results if the keywords are capitalized.
  • Similar pages are often offered with search results. These options may provide better or more accurate results.
  • Proximity operators such as “NEAR BY”, “ADJ” (adjacent), and “NEAR” can offer results with words that should be in the same document of webpage.
  • Browser find features can help one find a keyword that may not be obvious to the naked eye.
Evaluating Websites
The first set of sites below demonstrate just how important it is to study and evaluate a site’s authenticity. Follow the links and see whether you can detect the truthfulness in each website.
The next three resources provide some evaluation tools one can use in evaluating a site’s accuracy.
Bookmarks
Maybe the best way to improve one’s efficiency in conducting Internet searches is accomplished through bookmarking. Why search for the same site over and over when you have it bookmarked in a convenient location. Many Internet users have depended on browser-based bookmarks. The bookmarks are easy to access and can be (or at least should be) organized similarly to files and folders on one’s hard drive.
Another option is to use online bookmarks. These bookmarks use various types organizational systems, some similar to hard drive filing and others with tags or tag clouds. Additionally, these bookmarks use tactics like those in social networks for sharing resources. Some online bookmarking sites are listed below.

Hopefully these tools and tips will help make your next Internet search more productive.