Search Engines Class 

 

 

 

Class Description /  Class Outline / Class Handout/ Practice Questions/ Internet Links / Library Resources /Glossary of Computer Terms /For Additional Help

                                                         

 

I. Class Description

This class is an introduction to several major search engines that can be found on the Internet. 

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II. Class Outline 

Searching Review

Yahoo!

Google

Ask Jeeves

Practice Questions

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III. Class Handout

 

1. Searching Review

1.  Searching for Information online:

  •   Three ways of searching

  •       Web Address

  •        Hyperlinks

  •    Search Engines

  •  Yahoo

  •   Google

2.  Search Engines/Directories

  • If you don’t know the web address, a search engine allows you to search the web by typing in a subject.

  •       Examples:  

  • www.yahoo.com 

  • www.google.com

3.  What search engines do we suggest?

  

2. Yahoo!

  •    Basic Searching:

  •       Go to the search directory: www.yahoo.com

  •       Scroll down to the Web Site Directory

  •       Click on the News and Media Category to find the  newspaper of your choice.

  • Practice:  Use the Search box to search for a particular subject.  We would like to find information about Yellowsone National Park. (hint: in the search box type Yellowstone National park and then click “enter”)

  •    Yahoo! Advanced Searching

  • Helps to narrow search results down to a more manageable number.

  •  Search part of the page, title, or URL

  •  Search by date

  •  Search by domain

  •  Filter

  •  Country and Language

  • Yahoo Images

  •        Click on the images tab

  •   Type in “shetland sheepdogs”

  •    Yahoo! Searches the web and displays images of Shetland sheepdogs

  • Other Yahoo! features

  •    Yellow Pages

  •    Search by city, state, and zip code to find a business or person

  •       News

  •       Search news by subject or category

  •   Products

  •  Search online for a variety of products

 
3.  Google
  • Basic Searching
    • Go to the search engine www.google.com
    • We would like to find a recipe for chocolate cake
    • Type “chocolate cake recipe” in the search box
  • Google Advanced Searching
    • Limit Results
    • Language
    • Date
    • Domain
    • Safe Search
  • More Searching
    • Images
    • Groups
    • News
4.  Ask Jeeves
  • Basic searching using web, pictures, news, products, and more
  • The "more" search allows a search in twenty special categories of information
  • My Jeeves and the My Jeeves Tour
  • Top Searches
  • Ask Jeeves Kids

 

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IV. Practice Questions

 

Practice 1     Find a picture of a red rose.  Hint:  Google images
Practice 2     What is the MSRP of a 2004 Ford Mustang Convertible?
Practice 3      Use yahoo.com to find a recipe for chocolate chip cookies with oatmeal as an ingedient.
Practice 4  Find the phone number for a florist shop in Knoxville, Tennessee

 

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V. Internet Links

 

Yahoo

http://www.yahoo.com  

Google

http://www.google.com 

Ask Jeeves

http://www.askjeeves.com  

WRL's List of Other Recommended Search Engines

http://www.wrl.org/depts/ref/links/engines.html 

Search Engine Tutorials

http://searchenginewatch.com/resources/article.php/2156611 

An Overview of Search Engines

 http://www.tilburguniversity.nl/services/library/instruction/www/

onlinecourse/searchportal.html 

Search Engine Comparisons

 http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/SearchEngines.html 

 

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VI. Library Resources

 

Google & Other Search Engines by Diane Poremsky  025.04 POR  2004 
Google For Dummies by Brad Hill 025.04 HIL  2003 
Google Pocket Guide by Tara Calishain 025.04 CAL  2003 
Search Engines For the World Wide Web by Alfred Glossbrenner 025.04 GLO  2001 
The Extreme Searcher's Guide to Web Search Engines by Randolph Hock 025.04 HOC  2001 

  

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VII. Glossary of Computer Terms

 

Database: An organized collection of information that can be accessed through a computer network.  
Directory: A catalog of sites by subject.  
Dragging: The process of moving an object by clicking on it with the left mouse button,  &, while holding the button down, move the object to its desired location & release.  
E-mail: Electronic messages sent between computers that are connected on a network. 
HTML:  (HyperText Markup Language) A set of commands & rules for encoding files on the Internet. 
Home Page: Usually the first page you see at a Web site, it is the site's main page.  
Hyperlinks: Text or images on a Web page that link you to another web page or a different part of the same page.  Hyperlinks are usually underlined & a different color than other text on the same page, & the mouse cursor will change into a pointed finger when you place the mouse over them. 
Internet: A diverse set of interlinked world-wide computer networks.   
Mouse: A hand held input device that allows users to point & click to make selections on the screen 
Search Engine: A software program that searches for information on the Internet based on your search criteria. Two examples are Yahoo ( www.yahoo.com ) & Google ( www.google.com ).  
URL: ( Universal Resource Locator) An address on the Internet. You type a URL into your browser to visit a website. An example is www.wrl.org. 
Web Browser: A software program for viewing & accessing information on the World Wide Web. Netscape Navigator & Internet Explorer are the most widely used & popular Web Browsers today. 
World Wide Web: The largest collection of information available online through the Internet 

 

 

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VIII.  For Additional Help

 

Ask a Reference Librarian

WRL computer volunteers: call 259-4050 for the latest volunteer schedule 

 

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