Session 7: Alternatives to Search Engines

Focusing Questions When looking for information on the Internet, what are some alternatives to search engines? How do these other search tools differ from search engines? When and why would you use one of these tools instead of a search engine?

Taking a closer look at other search tools Alternatives to Search Engines:

Instruction

Framing Our Work Our previous sessions have focused on using search engines to find information on the Internet. However, search engines are not the only way to find information on the ‘net, and often, they are not the best way..

Framing Our Work In this session, we’ll take a look at some alternatives to search engines. We’ll see how using these alternatives can often help you and your students find better information for your needs.

Teaching Let’s first review what we already know about search engines.

Search Engines: A Review

Search Engines collect information using programs called robots or spiders Information collected: text, titles of pages, and meta-tags (words a web author uses to describe his or her page)

Collected information goes into that search engine’s database

When you conduct a search, your keywords are matched against the search engine’s database. Breast Cancer Rap Music Ancient Egypt

When you conduct a search… Search engines do not search the entire web … They only search within their own databases Breast Cancer

Teaching In a previous session, we also got a glimpse at a Meta-Search engine. Let’s take a look at the one we saw, Dogpile.

Search several major search engines at once Collect and correlate the top results and present it in one list. Meta-search Engines

Another Example is WebCrawler

are best used for simple searches (On complex searches, conflicting algorithms get in the way!) Meta-search Engines

Teaching Today, we’re going to take a look at directories. Directories are different in a number of ways from search engines, and are often a better alternative when seeking information.

Are like Yellow Pages for the Internet searchable collections of websites organized into categories compiled and organized by people, instead of web robots Directories

Wiseman, Ken. The Invisible Web for Educators

Y ahooY ahoo is an example of a directory Directories

Another Commercial Directory About.com

Librarians’ Internet Index Librarians’ Internet Index is a non-commercial directory

Here’s one for kids Kids Click

are sometimes found within a search engine Google Directory is an example: Directories

Subject guides Type of directory Resources are selected and organized by people They are good for large and focused topics, but provide fewer resources than search engines

Ben’s Guide to the US Government for Kids

For AP level classes, college students and subject specialists Internet history Sourcebooks

From the Medieval Sourcebook

Specialized Directories Internet sites, tools, lessons, tutorials and projects for teachers Blue Web’N

Awesome Library

Multnomah County (OR) Homework Center

From the New York City library systems!New York City library

Is one search tool better than another?

Not necessarily, BUT they provide different results from the same search terms!

Know which search tool will produce the best results for any particular query Use more than one search tool if necessary The key to good results

How do you find out about directories? Subscribe to LII and Blue Web’N newsletters Use directories to find out about other directories Check out resources on homework help sites Find out more about searching the Deep Web, materials not found through regular search engines Look at Debbie Abilock’s Noodle ToolsNoodle Tools

Guided Practice Students and teachers often go directly to search engines to try and find information on the Internet. We’re going to play out a scenario – one for students and one for teachers – where, instead of using a search engine, we’ll be using a directory. We’ll see how we fare.

Guided Practice I’ll take you through a sample using the topic of Ancient Egypt. Scenario: I’m a teacher looking for some good fun activities, perhaps a WebQuest, for my students to complete as part of our unit on Ancient Egypt.

Guided Practice I’m going to try Blue Web’n, since they have some great stuff, and it’s organized in a way that makes it easy to navigate.Blue Web’n

Work Time

In small groups, we will use directories to find information on biomes. We’ll be working in groups of two or four.

Work Time To do this activity, we’ll divide the group in half. Now, each half should get into pairs or quads.

Work Time The teacher groups will be teachers looking for educational activities (Webquest, interactive site, teaching unit) on biomes for their students

Work Time The student groups will be students looking for information on biomes for an assignment

Sites for teachers to use

Sites for students to use

Work Time These sites are listed and hyperlinked on your worksheet. Open up the worksheet entitled handout practice assignment worksheet

Work Time Decide whether you are students or teachers. Choose one of the directories to explore. Take notes on the path you take to find your materials. You will use these notes later when we share our information.

Share

Today we learned how to use search directories as an alternative to search engines. Let’s take a look at the information we found using the directories. First someone from one of the teacher groups… then someone from one of the student groups. Share

Things to think about: When would you use a directory instead of a search engine? What are the advantages/disadvantages? How can we get students to use these directories? Share

Comments and Feedback Share

New York City Curriculum Resources Information Fluency Continuum Phase: Investigate p. 18 Indicator: uses a variety of search engines to do advanced searching New York City Performance Standards Applied Learning Standard 3a: Gather information to assist in completing project work Applied Learning Standard 3b: Use information technology to assist in gathering, organizing, and presenting informationh Standards

Technology Standards ISTE National Educational Technology Standard (NETS) Standard 5: Technology Research tools: -- Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources -- Students use evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. Standards