What Internet tools can engage students and teachers in searching for information and researching? What research skills could be encouraged and assessed by teachers? What are the benefits of both types of tools, as argued in this scenario?

A tool can be defined as “an element of a computer program (as a graphics application) that activates and controls a particular function <a drawing tool>.” Merriam-Webster (2007) . http://jaguar.eb.com/dictionary/tool

Consistent with constructivism, there are many ways in which Internet search tools can support the teaching and learning process. They can be beneficial to the teacher as well as the learner. Through using selected tools, the Internet can facilitate research and therefore be useful for knowledge production. It is important that the information used in generating new understandings be authentic. It would therefore be useful to be able to evaluate these tools as well as the information they provide.

What Internet tools have you used in your teaching and learning experience? Would you classify Google for example, as a tool?

In workshop #7 you will explore a range of Internet search tools and demonstrate the usefulness of some in subject-area lessons.

What Are "Meta-Search" Engines? How Do They Work?

In a meta-search engine, you submit keywords in its search box, and it transmits your search simultaneously to several individual search engines and their databases of web pages. Within a few seconds, you get back results from all the search engines queried. Meta-search engines do not own a database of Web pages; they send your search terms to the databases maintained by search engine companies.

Are "Smarter" Meta-Searchers Still Smarter?

"Smarter" meta-searcher technology includes clustering and linguistic analysis that attempts to show you themes within results, and some fancy textual analysis and display that can help you dig deeply into a set of results. However, neither of these technologies is any better than the quality of the search engine databases they obtain results from. This is the topic of an insightful article titled, "Some Cautionary Notes on Vivisimo," by librarian and professional researcher, Rita Vine of Working Faster. But here is another viewpoint favoring meta-searching by saying "More heads better than one."

Few meta-searchers allow you to delve into the largest, most useful search engine databases. They tend to return results from smaller and/or free search engines and miscellaneous free directories, often small and highly commercial.

Although we respect the potential of textual analysis and clustering technologies, we recommend directly searching individual search engines to get the most precise results, and using meta-searchers if you want to explore more broadly.

The meta-search tools listed here are "use at your own risk." We are not endorsing or recommending them.

Better Meta-Searchers

Meta-Search Tool

What's Searched(As of date at bottom of

page. They change often.)

Complex Search Ability Results Display

Clustyclusty.com

Currently searches a number of free, search engines and directories, not Google or Yahoo.

Accepts and "translates" complex searches with Boolean operators and field limiting.

Results accompanied with subject subdivisions based on words in search results, intended to give the major themes. Click on these to search within results on each theme.

Dogpilewww.dogpile.com

Searches Google, Yahoo, LookSmart, Ask.com, MSN search, and more. Sites that have purchased ranking and inclusion are blended in. Watch for Sponsored by... links below search results.

Accepts Boolean logic, especially in advanced search modes.

Meta-Search Engines for SERIOUS Deep Digging

Meta-Search Tool

What's Searched(As of date at

bottom of page. They change often.)

Complex Search Ability Results Display

SurfWaxwww.surfwax.com

A better than average set of search engines.Can mix with educational, US Govt tools, and news sources, or many other categories.

Accepts " ", +/-. Default is AND between words. I recommend fairly simple searches, allowing SurfWax's SiteSnaps and other features to help you dig deeply into results.

Click on source link to view complete search results there.Click on to view helpful "SiteSnap™" extracted from most sites in frame on right.Many additional features for probing

within a site.Copernic Agent www.copernic.com

Select from list of search engines by clicking the Properties button following Advanced Search search box.

ALL, ANY, Phrase, and more. Also Boolean searching within results under Refine (powerful!).

Must be downloaded and installed, but Basic version is free of charge. Table comparing versions.

CSEs: Make Your Own Meta-Search Engine

Google Custom Search Engines (CSEs) focus on selected websites within the Google database. They are easy to make at Google Custom Search. You will need a Google account or Gmail account. Make specialized search engines instead of using giant meta-searchers or huge search engine databases. Use them to focus on pages on a subject. For more details, see our Getting Started Creating a Custom Search Engine (PDF).

How Do You Find Custom Search Engines

Search Google using the following limiter commands, followed by keywords focusing on your topic:

inurl:cse inurl:cx site:google.com   anthropologyinurl:cse inurl:cx site:google.com   physics

Try searching or browsing in one of these CSE Directories:

Guide To Custom Search Engines (CSEs)

www.customsearchguide.com Large number of CSEs, good content. Reviews & ratings. No search box. Navigation inconsistent: some have search boxes, some require click on "CSE location."

CustomSearchEngine.com

www.customsearchengine.com Large number and variety of CSEs. Easy to use. Searchable. Lacks reviews; few ratings. Most have brief descriptions.

CSE Links Directory - Custom Search Engines

www.cselinks.com Sparsely populated directory. Has search (top), ratings, comments, pop-up previews.

Recommended General Subject Directories: Table of Features

Web Directori

ipl2 www.ipl.or

Infomineinfomine.ucr.e

About.comwww.about.co

Google Directory

Yahoo!dir.yahoo.co

es g du m directory.google.com m

Size, type

Over 40,000.Highest quality sites only. Useful, reliable annotations. Formed by a merger of the Librarians' Internet Index and the Internet Public Library.

Over 125,000.Useful, reliable annotations. Compiled by academic librarians from the University of California and elsewhere.

Over 2 million.Generally good annotations done by "Guides" with various levels of expertise.

About 5 million. Selected by the Open Directory Project and enhanced by Google searching and ranking.Often useful to find "better" results, especially on broad or widely covered topics.

About 4 million.Very short descriptions. Often useful, especially for popular and commercial topics.

Phrase searching

(what's this?)

No. Yes. Use " " |term term| requires exact match

Yes. Use " " Yes. Use " " Yes. Use " "

Boolean logic

(what's this?)

OR implied between words. Also accepts AND and NOT. Nesting with (  ) does not work.

AND implied between words. Also accepts OR, NOT, and (  ).

No. OR, capitalized, as in Google's web search engine.

Yes, as in Yahoo! Search web search engine.

Truncation

(what's this?)

No. Use *. Also stems. Can turn stemming off. Use "  " or | | to search exact terms.

Use *.Not accepted consistently.

No. No.

Field searching

No. Select options under search box to limit to Author, Title, Subject, Keyword, Description, various subject categories, and more.

No. Same as in Google's web search engine.

As in Yahoo! Search web search engine.

How to Find Subject-Focused Directories for a Specific Topic, Discipline, or Field

There are thousands of specialized directories on practically every subject. If you want an overview, or if you feel you've searched long enough, try to find one. Often they are done by experts -- self-proclaimed or heavily credentialed. Here are some ways to find them:

Use any of the Subject Directories above to find more specific directories. Here are some tips:

In ipl2 or Infomine, look for your subject as you would for any other purpose, and keep your eyes open for sites that look like directories. Read through the descriptions. Sometimes these resources are identified as "Directories, "Virtual Libraries," or "Gateway Pages."

In Yahoo! and Google directories, try adding the terms web directories to your subject keyword term:  

EXAMPLES: civil war  web directories weddings  web directories

In About.com, search by topic and look for pages that are described as "101" or "guides" or a "directory." About.com is written by "Guides" who, themselves, often are experts in the sections they manage. Sometimes they write excellent overviews of a topic.