Web Search Engines

Searching the web wasn’t my “friend” at first, but now we’re at least acquaintances. I’ve never thought about the process one must take in order to adequately find information on the internet. If the search became too lengthy I would ultimately use which ever resources showed up first. Being enrolled in my Educational Technology course has opened up a whole new world for me that I am definitely willing to explore.

There are several web search engines I recently learned about that I never knew exist (hierarchical, page indexers, natural language, Meta search engines, and visual search engines). Each type has its advantages and disadvantages depending on what type of search you are conducting. It can also be exceedingly time consuming to locate information if you’re not familiar with the different types of search techniques. These techniques include: reading the webs help screens, evaluating websites for purpose, credentials, and effectiveness is imperative, developing a comprehensive key word list prior to searching, and reading page descriptors. My experience with using web search engines has decreased my stress and frustration level significantly. I think that by evaluating context and credentials, brainstorming key words, using Boolean Logic (And and Or) between simple words, as well as setting a purpose lends a hand in discovering information on the web. I am not an expert searcher yet, but I do believe that practice, patience, and training make a difference.

There are many concerns about using web search engines in the classroom; however, these tools are exceptional. They provide learners with a wide range of knowledge that can be used without having to subscribe to sites and paying fees. There are many kid friendly search engines that prevent inappropriate sites from showing up on search results so monitoring for teachers becomes more manageable. If a facilitator, instructor, or teacher is familiar with the different web search engines and making sure to evaluate their content many students will benefit from what’s being taught and become expert searchers as well.

Below you will find information about evaluating web search engines. It is important to read this information before exploring the internet.

http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/

Different types of Web Search Engines and Databases

http://www.online-college-blog.com/index.php/features/100-useful-tips-and-tools-to-research-the-deep-web/

Web Search for Kids by Librarians

www.kidsclick.org