SEARCH ENGINES

Currently the Web contains over 3 billion documents. Finding what you are looking for may seem impossible, but search tools can help. Search engines are divided into categories and can search the Internet in a variety of ways. Individual search engines assemble their own searchable databases on the web. MetaSearchEngines search the databases of many individual search engines simultaneously and then blend the results together onto one page. To learn about Internet Search Tools and for links to teacher resources, click on the magnifying glass.
 Link to search engine

TUTORIALS

Your ability to find the information you search for on the Internet is a function of effectively using search tools and learning strategies to pose precise queries. The search results you receive are only as good as the query you pose. Start by looking at the Google search engine at Four NETS for Better Searching. The sites below also provide tutorials to get you started as you learn to search the web.
 
Link to USC Beaufort Library   Link to Inspector Find's tutorials
link to UCBerkeley Library

 

 

Link to Internet Detective Tutorial

An Interactive Tutorial

POPULAR SEARCH TOOLS

The search engines and directories listed below are some of the most popular on the web today. Google seems to be the most comprehensive engine out there at the moment, so you might want to start there. Try using the Advanced Searches and Image Searches on some of the sites. Most of the search engines have HELP areas which can assist you in your search.

Now that you've found some sites how do you determine what's good and what's not? Use the quality criteria suggested in Internet Detective (above). Other recommendations for learning how to evaluate websites include:

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources - Susan Beck

Evaluating Web Sites - Lesley University

Another site to visit Surfing for the Best Search Engine Teaching Techniques!