Searching the World Wide Web: Directories and Search
Engines
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Paying the Rent!
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There are billions of web pages on the internet. How do you find
the information you need? A Directory is compiled (and filtered)
by human hand and organized by topics, so you can browse by subject. A
Search Engine hunts through billions of catalogued web pages looking
for specific keywords. Since not every search engine catalogs every web
page, a Meta Search Engine simultaneously searches multiple search
engines.
At the bottom of this page you'll also find resources to help you evaluate what you find.
Examples of Directories (Compiled by humans)
KidsClick Web Search
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/
Created by a group of librarians at the Ramapo Catskill Library System.
They don't accept advertising.
Quick Reference Page http://www.apl.org/quick/
- Need driving directions to Omaha? Want to know what US dollar is worth
in Canada? Or what time it is right now in Lima? A fast source for some
of the best reference links. Maintained by the Appleton Public Library.
The Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org/
The first public library of the Internet. Based at the University of
Michigan School of Information, staffed by professional librarians with
assistance from students and volunteer librarians from around the world,
the library maintains a collection of online ready reference works; responds
to reference questions; creates web resources; and evalutes and categorizes
resources on the Internet.
Librarians' Index to the Internet http://www.lii.org/
The Librarians' Index to the Internet is a searchable, annotated subject
directory of more than 10,000 Internet resources selected and evaluated
by librarians for their usefulness to users of public libraries. Their
motto is "Information You Can Trust."
Awesome Library: for Teachers,
Students and Parents http://www.awesomelibrary.org/
The Awesome Library organizes your exploration of the World Wide Web
with 10,000 carefully reviewed resources. It includes a directory, an index,
and a search engine, covering all subject areas at all grade levels, support
areas and resources
Pacific Bell Knowledge
Network Explorer http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/ - Recommended
by Sue Wink, Special Education Teacher
"Blue Web'n is an online library of 1700+
outstanding Internet sites categorized by subject, grade level, and format
(lessons, activities, projects, resources, references, & tools). You
can search by grade level, broad subject area or specific sub-categories.
Each week 5 new sites are added."
Yahooligans! http://www.yahooligans.com/
The Yahoo! directory of sites geared for kids, parents and teachers.
NB this is a commercial site so there's lots of ads.
Search Engines and Meta Search Engines
The best search engine depends on the information you're seeking, but
it helps to become familiar with one or two and use them consistently (without
forgetting there are more out there, and that they're constantly changing.)
Read the search engine's Help section or guide so you understand
how to refine your searches. For example, suppose you're searching for
web sites about the Voyager space mission. If you simply enter the word
"Voyager" you will receive back a zillion Star Trek fan pages.
But each search engine will have a way for you to eliminate that: for example,
by entering +Voyager -"Star Trek". Or, sometimes if you put a
phrase in quotes like "Black History Month" preference will be
given to sites with that specific phrase...otherwise, you receive everything
that simply has those three words somewhere in the text.
Google http://www.google.com
Sites receive a higher page rank determined partly by how many other
important sites link to it. Also, their page is simple to read: though
they do list a "sponsored link" at the top, they are relatively
advertisement free.
Ask for Kids http://www.askforkids.com/
Ask for Kids (formerly known as Ask Jeeves for Kids) is a fast, easy
and kid-friendly way for kids to search online. It uses natural-language
technology that allows kids to ask questions and perform web searches,
such as "When did Hawaii become a state?" or "What's it
like to live in space?"
- The resources below will help you find and use other search engines:
Finding
Information on the Internet: A Tutorial http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
This excellent guide will help you learn how to search the web, but
also how to teach others. Includes:
Search the Internet
A Graduated Approach in 5 Steps http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Strategies.html
Best Search Tools
http://www.infopeople.org/search/tools.html
Try a variety of tools from one page: Subject Directories, MetaSearch
Engines, Search Engines,
Best Search Tools
Chart http://www.infopeople.org/search/chart.html
Compares the various search engines with regard to size, special features,
operators, and strengths. Available as Adobe Acrobat PDF you can download
and print.(Most systems come with Adobe Acrobat Reader already installed,
or you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader here.)
The mere existance of a web site carries an air of authority. But a
domain name costs less than $10 a year, and web sites can be free. With
the web page building software now available (Netscape's Composer comes
bundled free with the browser) anyone who can type a document (including
you!) can build a web site. "Awards" are often nothing more than
advertising exchanges. And as for web censoring software: This site is
rated by Internet Content Rating Association. I simply went to the ICRA website, answered
"No" to a bunch of questions about whether there was nudity,
violence, profanity, etc at my site, and the instant I clicked "Submit"
I received an email from the ICRA with a code to place on my website.
Critical
Evaluation of a Web Site http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html
Articles which explain the basics of evaluation, plus surveys you can
print out and use with your students.
WhoIs
Database Search http://www.networksolutions.com/en_US/whois/index.jhtml
Determine the owner of a domain name.
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