Misericordia University TED 121 -- Educational Technology

Module 2: Communication Technology

POWER SEARCHING THE WEB

Introduction to Power 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.)

  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).

 

Surveying the Landscape: Search Engines Galore!

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

  1. general search engines: These search engines provide tools for searching the Web in general (as compared to more specialized types listed below). They may also provide additional tools and resources. Examples include: Google and Bing.

  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.
    Search Google, Yahoo, Ask and others at metacrawler.com.

  3. human-powered search engines: The links in these engines are hand-picked and organized by people, not computers. The links tend to be well organized and the links of higher quality.
    Perform a search in a human-powered search engine at OpenDirectoryProject.org.

  4. specialty 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.
    Search for sounds and music at findsounds.com
    Search ERIC, a primary source for educational articles.

  5. experimental search engines: These engines are experimenting with new ways to search, organize, and display information.
    Search for sounds and music at Carrot 2 (Clustering search engine that organizes search results into thematic folders)

    The latest advancement is search engines powered by AI (Artificial Intelligence). Try the following;

Even More!

An important part of an information-driven society, new search engines are constantly being created and new ways of searching are being explored. Look at the categorized lists of search engines at the following links. Did you realize there were so many?

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? Search engines become popular and sometimes fade away into obscurity, depending on their functionality and marketing. 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.

 

Search Engines for Children

When searching with children in school, a teacher should ensure that students:

In small groups, explore one of the following search engines for kids. Describe the search engine and its capabilities. What are the strengths/weaknesses of this search engine?
  1. List A
    1. KidzSearch.com/
    2. KidInfo.com
    3. International Children's Digital Library
    4. dibdabdoo.com
    5. AwesomeLibrary.org
  2. List B
    1. KidRex.org (Check out this interface.)
    2. Carrot (How does this search engine help organize results?
    3. Kiddle (Check out the KPedia feature.)
    4. Sweet Search (What makes this search engine a good choice for children?)
    5. 2Lingual (What is special about this search engine?)

 

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. Google Specialty Search Tools

    1. Drag and drop an image to search:
      • Locate an image on your computer. Drag and drop the desired image to the omnibar (search field).
      • To search an image on a Web page, within Google Chrome right-click the image and select search image with Google Lens.

    2. Image search:
      • Click images in Google and search for an image.
      • Click on color to find images of a certain color.
      • Click tools and select usage rights:
        • All. (All images, even images that are copyright.)
        • Creative Commons licenses.
        • Commercial and other licenses.

    3. Book search:
      • Click books in Google and search for a book topic or title.
      • Click on tools and set options such as type of publication and how recently it was published.

  2. 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. Four score and seven years ago (Returns mega-hits for individual words: unfocused search!)
      2. "Four score and seven years ago" (Returns a focused search for this line on a Web page: focused!.)

      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
      agility -horse
      remove commercial sites:-Visa   -price

  3. Searching "Off" the Page

    1. intitle: 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:intitle:lesson plan
      intitle:"lesson plan" science

    2. site: Search only a particular domain or Web site. Use this tool to confine the search to one Web site. This is ideal for locating information at Web sites that are not well organized, very large, or where information is just too hard to find. Before the site: tool, list what you are looking for.
      confine search to one Web site:"teacher education" site:misericordia.edu
      certification site:pde.state.pa.us

  4. Other Search Tools

    1. quick answer searches: You can use specified reserved words or type in the name of a person, organization, or city to have Google pull up information to meet your search needs.
      extract definitions from Web pages:define technology
      find weather for a particular city:weather Wilkes-Barre
      find information on a sports team:Railriders
      calculate numerical conversions:3 dollars in euros
      3.5 feet in meters

    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

      Translator programs

      Another powerful tool to assist you in searching is a language translator utility . 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 translate a Web page into another language, click on the translate link provided with each hit at a search engine like Google, or go directly to a translator tool. Try one of the following:

 

 

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. Find a sound effect you can use in preparing a PowerPoint presentation for your classes.
    2. Obtain results that compare the hits from several engines on your topic.
    3. Direct your students (early childhood, middle level, or secondary education) to a search engine appropriate for themas they research a topic.
    4. Direct your students to a search engine that will provide menu choices vs. forcing students to enter search terms.

  2. Using Google helper applications:
    1. Determine the meaning of the word Constructivism.
    2. Locate a 10-minute timer to support a class activity.
    3. Convert 5 dollars American to rupees (Indian currency).
    4. Convert 8 inches to centimeters.
    5. Open a 10-minute timer to display to your students as they work.

  3. Using Google specialty search tools:
    1. Images of the Eiffel Tower:
      • Creative Commons licenses.
      • With the color dark blue in the image? Pink?
    2. Use a photo found on a Webpage to search for other similar photos or related information.

  4. Searching "off" the Web page using Google's site: and intitle: tools:
    1. Locate the names of coaches at athletics.misericordia.edu
    2. Locate information about PSSA at PDE (www.education.pa.gov).
    3. Locate a Web page whose title indicates it is solely focused on the following topic: Shakespeare.
    4. Locate a Web page at a PDE's Website (www.education.pa.gov) where you can find the Standards Aligned System.
    5. Locate a Web page at Misericordia's Website where you can find the Misericordia lesson plan.

  5. Using search tools for power users:
    1. Information about Bill Gates.
    2. A biography of Thomas Jefferson.
    3. Lyrics of a popular song.
    4. A list of signers of the Declaration of Independence.
    5. Search for information on the Civil War bullets.
    6. How far is it from the earth to moon in miles? In inches?
    7. What is the weather forecast for Paris today?

  6. "BONUS ROUND":
    1. Locate the full text of the Gettysburg Address.
    2. Who is the author of Catcher in the Rye?
    3. Name an Elvis movie that takes place in Hawaii.
    4. Locate a site that contains a review of educational apps for the iPad.
    5. Types of bullets used in the Civil War.
    6. The name of at least one kind of rock that makes up the Grand Canyon.
    7. Noah's ark:
      1. According to legend, what type of gemstone did Noah use to light his ship piloting at night?
      2. According to legend, how did Noah use stones on his ship? Where can you see those stones today?
    8. What is the name of an underwater hotel?
    9. You've heard that a famous duel took place in the early years of our country (either late 1700's or very early 1800's). One person might have been the president or something. Can you name the two individuals and their titles?
    10. Because you are great scholars and are technologically talented, at graduation from MU you can earn certain academic honors. Name one of these honors and the GPA it takes to earn it.

 

JUMP TO ANOTHER TOPIC IN MODULE 2:
  Using e-mail.
  Downloading files using FTP.
  Searching the Web.
  Web 2.0 interactive online communication.


Module 1.
Topics.
TED 121
Dr. Steve