Essential Questions:
What are some good strategies for searching the web effectively?
What are the advantages of using certain technologies?
How do you use technology to communicate information and/or ideas?
Vocabulary
Web Browser - Software that gives a user access to the World Wide Web. Web browsers often provide a graphical interface that lets users click buttons, icons, and menu options to view and navigate Web pages. Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer are popular Web browsers.
domain - A domain is the main subdivision of internet addresses, the last three letters after the final dot, and it tells you what kind of organization you are dealing with. There are six top-level domains widely used:
UNRESTRICTED
(Anybody can purchase these domains)
1. .com (commercial)
2. . org (organization)
3. .net (network operations)
RESTRICTED
(Only these agencies can purchase these domains)
4. .edu (educational)
5. .gov (US government)
6. .mil (US military)
- there are many other domains out there (ex. .uk (United Kindgom), .info (information), .biz (Buisness). ALL other domains are UNRESTRICTED.
URL -(Uniform Resource Locator) is a string of characters used to represent and identify a page of information on the World Wide Web.
Tips on Searching the Web:
1. Be specific = use full text (ex. type war of 1812 economic causes NOT history)
2. Try to use academic and professional terms (ex. type architecture NOT houses)
3. Evaluate if the websites are valid (use evaluation worksheet)
How to Make Your Search Easier and More Effective
Basics
“ quatation marks “ – using quotations search the exact phrase on the websites. (Ex. “George Washington” - will search only websites where George and Washington appear next to each other.
Salsa –Dance – MINUS sign excludes the word from search. For example Salsa –Dance will include only sites where Salsa appears without the word Dance.
Obama +Hussein – PLUS sign requires a word. It is very good to use when you are comparing two things.
define:imbroglio – searches for definitions of the word imbroglio on the Web. Much easier than actually using a dictionary.
Restrict Search Options
site:.edu - search all websites that have .edu domain. (Ex. Halloween site:.gov - will search for the word Halloween on all websites that are .gov).
-Also you could use site: to search only one specific website. (Ex. Spartans site:espn.com - will search only ESPN website for the word Spartans. (Note: there is no space after colon)
define
what is
what are - shows a definition for a word or phrase. Also what is can be used to find out more about something (Ex. What is podcast will help you find out what is podcast.)
movie - finds reviews and showtimes of movies. (Ex. movie: traffic – will search for information about the movie, including reviews, showtimes, etc.
weather - give a location (ZIP Code or City) it will show the weather (Note: there is no colon after weather)
Find Information about websites
info: - Finds information about a page. (Ex. find:www.theonion.com - will find
id: information about The Onion Website.
related: - List web pages that are similar or related to the URL. (Ex. related:www.healthfinder.gov – will search for websites related to Healthfinder website.)
link: - Find linked pages, or pages that link to a specific website. (Ex.link:warriorlibrarian.com – will find pages that link to Warrior Librarian’s Website)