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Internet Research Tips
Internet Basics:
- Browser: This is the program used to access the Internet. Netscape,
Internet Explorer, AOL, MSN Explorer, Mozilla, and Firefox are some of the more common Internet
browsers.
- Search Engine: This is an Internet tool that
allows the user to find web sites or topics based on a word or group of words.
Google and Yahoo are two very common and popular search engines. There are numerous search engines to use when collecting information. The
specific information being searched for may determine which search engine should
be used to obtain the best results.
- URL: URL stands for Universal Resource Locator. It is the address of a
website, such as http://www.homesciencetools.com, which is the address for
the Home Science Tools home page.
Internet Research Help Sites
-
Noodle Tools
This site helps direct the researcher to sites
based on the type of information being sought. It
includes sites that help the researcher find a topic, ask for help from an
expert, do research in a specific discipline, find information based on when
it happened, find facts, opinions and perspectives, as well as find media
such as maps and videos.
- Find Spot
This is a site that gives helpful advice on how to make Internet
searching more successful.
Search Engines - Just to name a few
- All The Web
This search engine finds unique items often not found on
other search engines. It also has an filter to remove offensive
sites,
making this a good search engine for students.
- Google
One of the largest
search engines on the web, Google also provides handy tools such as images,
videos, maps, and news.
- Encyclopedia Britannica Online
This site contains numerous
magazines and a small web directory. A yearly fee is required for the main
encyclopedia, but a scaled down version is available for free. The free
version gives links to web pages on the topic being searched for.
- Ask
Ask allows the user to enter actual questions rather than just groups of
words to perform a search. It also includes several tools to help refine the
search.
- Yahoo
Yahoo is another good tool for finding information, with more paid
ads than most of the other engines.
Metasearch Engines - These engines all conduct searches by searching and
compiling the results of multiple search engines.
Student Search Engines
While the above search engines are great for obtaining a wealth of
information, these engines (with the exception of
All The Web) can also
produce results that are inappropriate and/or dangerous for students. To help
make the Internet safer, there are numerous search engines and
websites dedicated to providing only safe sites for student use.
Student Search Engines
- Kids Click
This is a web search for kids by librarians.
- Ask For Kids
This engine works like its parent engine, ask.com,
by allowing kids to ask questions in sentence form. This site also contains homework
help and news resources for kids.
- Yahooligans
Geared towards students ages 7-12, can be used to search by topic or
search word.
- Fact Monster
This site is for grades K-12, but teachers and parents will also find
it helpful in finding top-notch reference materials, fun facts,
and features. It also contains an almanac, atlas, dictionary, encyclopedia,
and timeline, and features a homework center.
- Awesome Library
This site is for all ages and search is
done by topic areas.
- Family Friendly Search
This search engine is like a metasearch engine, but it only searches
through Yahooligans, AOL Kids, Kids Click, and Saluki Search.
- One Key
This site is partnered with Google and contains a plethora of kid-safe
sites.
Search Engine Tips
Looking at the end of a site name (the domain name) can help the user
determine what type of site it is. Here are a few of the more common domain names:
- .com = commercial
- .xx.us = schools (usually K-12 public schools - xx is the state's abbreviation)
- .gov = U.S. Federal Government
- .edu = 4 year universities only
- .org = not-for-profit organizations
- .mil = U.S. Military
- .net = Internet companies
- .biz = businesses
Be careful, however, because even though the domain name is supposed to
help serve as a guide as to what the type of the site is suppose to be, it is not
fool proof. For instance, just because a site is listed as an organization (nameofsite.org)
does not necessarily mean that they will give factual information. To help avoid
false information or inappropriate/dangerous sites, find out who really owns the site,
whether or not they are biased in their opinions, what their agenda is, and if the information
is accurate by comparing it with other reputable sites and sources. The best
sites for factual information with unbiased opinions are those that end in .edu
and .gov.
More Information:
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