This section is designed to help teachers work through hands-on Internet activities
while learning to develop browsing and searching (surfing) strategies. Surfing the
web is more of a sport than a science. Like any sport, practice makes perfect.
The more you practice, the better you will get at finding what you want. 
PREPARING TO SURF (SEARCH) THE WEB
The Internet (or Net as it is often called) is a global network of computers linked together for the purpose of obtaining information. There are all kinds of computers connected to the Internet. Your PC, your neighbor's MAC, your bank's network system, and NASA's super computer could all be connected to the Net at the same time. These different types of computers can connect to the Internet and communicate with each other because they use the same kind of "networking language." The "language" is known as TCP/IP, which stands for Transmission Protocol/Internet Protocol. The Net is a world-wide network that never sleeps.
Who Owns the Net?
The Net is not "owned" by anyone. It is a cooperative, global network of computers
that have access to one another on a voluntary basis. Though no one "owns" the net,
the InterNIC(Network Information Center) controls the registration of documents and
IP(Internet Protocol) addresses in the U.S. (Similar organizations exist in Europe and
Japan.) How Big Is the Net?
The Net is already enormous, and it is still growing every day. Because of the size and continued growth, it is impossible to determine exactly how large the Internet is.
What are Web Pages?
Web pages are what you see when you explore the Internet using a web browser (like Netscape). A web page is an electronic document devoted to a particular topic. A powerful feature of web pages is the capability of establishing pointers to other pages called hyperlinks. You can recognize a hyperlink (or just link) by watching your mouse pointer. When the arrow turns into a pointing finger (called the browse tool), you can connect to other pages or other places on the current page by clicking one time on the link. Text links are usually colored and underlined.
Navigation
| Level 1 - Main Menu Bar | Level 2 - Toolbar |
| Level 3 - The URL location | Level 4 - Directory Buttons |
Now that all of the menu bars are showing, you are ready to learn how to move directly into cyberspace. The greatest thing about the Internet is the wealth of information. The most difficult thing about the Internet is trying to find the information you need.
Accessing a URL........
Every house has an address so it can be located. Every World Wide Web site has a URL (Uniform Resource Locater) so it can be accessed.
If you know the URL, there are three ways to "goto" a specific site on the Internet.
1. Click in the Location box and highlight the address shown. Type over the displayed address with the URL (site address) of the new location and press return.
Let's Browse .......
Browsing the Internet is analogous to window shopping. It is easy to do using hyperlinks (links embedded in web pages that connect to other documents). The first page that comes up when you launch Netscape is a beginning page. You can start your browsing from here.
Look for colored underlined words. Move your pointer over one of these words. If the pointer turns into the Browse Tool, click one time. The hyperlink will take you to another web page or another location on the same page. Continue to explore links in this manner. Before you know it, you're surfing!
If you ever get far away from your beginning page and wish you could go back to familiar territory, simply click on the Home button on the Toolbar. If you want to retrace your steps, use the Back button.
Bookmarks .......
Bookmarks
are markers created to find locations (URL's) on the Internet that you want to revisit.
With bookmarks defined, you can easily return to any web page. To define a Bookmark,
you must first locate the web page you want to mark. Navigate to the desired page by typing in the URL or simply using hyperlinks. From the Bookmarks Menu
, choose Add Bookmark
. Now click and hold on the Bookmarks Menu
. Your new Bookmark
should appear at the end of the list. Now you can easily return to the site by selecting
it from the Bookmarks Menu
. Your librarian has copies of excellent bookmarks - ConnecTEN's Bookmarks, SCS
Bookmarks, and Search Engines - with instructions for installing them. Use the bookmarks installed on your computer to explore the Internet.
Searching.......
Searching on the Internet is like using the card catalog in your local library. You can locate information (or hits) by keyword, topic, or author. On the Internet, there are certain sites designed specifically for locating information. These sites are called search engines .
Different search engines use different syntax for search requests. No single search engine indexes the entire Internet. Information is located in many different ways. Some search engines search titles or headers of documents, and others search the documents themselves. Still others search other search engines. For more detail on search engines, refer to the SCS manual "Searching on the Internet."
Search Strategies . Different search engines require different syntax to force the database to look for an entire phrase. Most engines simply surround the phrase with quotes: for example, "Ancient Numeric Systems."
There are several ways to refine a search:
- Pick a keyword or an additional word that better defines your topic.
- Tell the database to look for the entire phrase. For example, with Ancient Numeric
Systems, you want the documents that have those exact words together. You don't
want the documents that just have the word "Ancient", "Numeric", or "Systems."
- Use Boolean searching to define your topic more clearly. Boolean searching uses the words "and", "or", and "not" to refine the search.
| Search Engine | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Alta Vista | use quotation marks |
| Yahoo | use quotation marks |
| Lycos | isn't automatic (use advanced search features) |
| Infoseek | use quotation marks |
| Excite | use quotation marks in key word mode |
Using a Boolean search is a more advanced technique than using a phrase search because it tells the database to look for documents that include all of several words (and), a choice of words (or), or include some words and exclude other words (not). Using 'and' in a Boolean search does not indicate the "nearness" of one word to another, it simply requires both (all) of the words to appear in that document.
Search engines have different methods for doing Boolean searches, and some are very advanced. On the information or help page of most search engines, you can find the exact details.
Below is a table that gives the syntax for a Boolean search for some of the most popular search engines.
| Search Engine | Method |
|---|---|
| Alta Vista | use + for AND and - for NOT (example +Ancient+Numeric +System). Advanced search allows you to use AND, OR, NOT, and NEAR |
| Yahoo | use + in front of words that must appear and - in front of words that you don't want to appear in the document or click on the OPTIONS button right next to the search button |
| Lycos | uses AND, OR, and NOT; using the custom search option allows you to use ANY as well |
| Infoseek | can use AND, OR, and NOT, but cannot nest them |
The more you search, the better you will get at finding what you want.
All search engines have a few basic features in common. All of them have an entry
box where you type in your keywords. Let's practice a search using Infoseek
. Access the Infoseek
search engine by using the Bookmarks Menu or typing the URL in the Open Location
box. The URL for Infoseek
is: http://guide.infoseek.comClick in the keyword entry box.
Type in the phrase memphis in may . Do not use quotation marks or capital letters.
Press return or click on the "seek"
button. After a short wait, you will see the number of "hits" (locations that match
your search request) displayed. There are probably several million sites that match
your request. This is because the search engine was looking for all pages containing
the descriptors memphis or may. To narrow the search and obtain more pertinent sites,
use quotation marks around the phrase and capitalize the words Memphis and May.
Click in the keyword entry box and type, "Memphis in May." This time your "hit list" is much smaller. (Probably under 100.) To view any of the "hits" listed, simply click on the appropriate link. To return to the "hit list" to view another site, use the Back button or select the appropriate entry in the Go Menu .
Practice this same search or the search of your choice with other search engines. URL's for some of the common search engines are listed below.
| Alta Vista | http://altavista.digital.com |
| Yahoo | http://www.yahoo.com |
| Lycos | http://lycos.com |
| Excite | http://www.excite.com |
- An Internet Tutorial
- http://www.msn.com/tutorial/default.html
- Effective Search Strategies
- http://www.capecod.net/schrockguide/searching
- A Websearch Worksheet
- http://hakatai.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/webhound/wksheet1.html
- Help! I Can't Find Anything (Searching The Web)
- http://bvsd.k12.co.us/~blackl/search/search.html
Teacher Magazines (Subscriptions) Resources:
Classroom Connect
1866 Colonial Village Lane, PO Box 10488, Lancaster, PA 17605-9981
http://www.classroom.net
Internet Adventures Newsletter
3104 East Camelback Road, Suite 424
Phoenix, AZ 85016-4595
Using the concept that Susan Hixson has stated on her electronic magazine,Travel the Internet , "Save a tree; read digitally." We recommend that you bookmark the following URL's and print one copy as needed.
Copyright and the World Wide Web
The Copyright and Fair Use Web site
URL: http://fairuse.stanford.edu/
Keeping it Legal: Questions Arising out of Web Site Management
URL: http://www.pacificrim.net/~mckenzie/jun96/legal.html
Internet Tips
Tips for Using the Internet
URL: http://wms.luminet.net/training/maryalice/guidelines.html
Citing Internet Addresses
How to Cite Internet Resources
URL: http//www.classroom.net/classroom/CitingNetResources.html
Special Note:
Libraries are wonderful sources of information. Explore the possibilities in your own school library! During the summer several curriculum groups developed handbooks for your use. You will find them located in your library.