Online Searching
Reviewed and Updated: January 2008
This page has been kept for reference.
It will no longer be updated by ICVET.
Some say searching the Internet is a bit like trying to find something in a library that has no catalogue. Maybe it used to be like that, but search engines, like any other software application, are constantly being updated and improved. With a little know-how though, its easy to find what you’re looking for on the web.
A search engine lets you type in the term that you want to search on. It then brings back a list of sites it thinks are a good match. The challenge is to structure your search so that you find what is relevant to your needs (rather than hundreds of thousands of sites which might be useful, but probably aren’t).
The internet is full of tutorials, advice and ‘how to’ sites on every subject under the sun! Here are a few good ones on how to search the internet:
Websites
The Essentials of Google Search
How to use the world’s favourite search engine. Explains how to choose the right words and when to use quotes, + and -. Very Handy!!
Bare Bones 101: A basic tutorial on searching the Web
20 lessons from the University of South Carolina, Beaufort Library. Includes topics such as Creating a Search Strategy, Basic Tips and Troubleshooting.
Finding Information on the Internet: a Tutorial
Very thorough tutorial based on the Internet Workshops offered by the Teaching Library at the University of California, Berkeley.
Googling to the Max
Useful handouts from the course Googling to the Max: Getting the Most out of Google. From the University of California, Berkeley.
Edna
Education Network Australia (edna) supports and promotes the benefits of technology for education and training in Australia. edna is a joint initiative of the state and territory governments and the Australian Government, through their education departments, to provide free news, resources, networks and online tools for educators. Edna enables educators to
- Find quality assured education and training resources
- Join networks online
- Connect via events and tools
edna offers standard, advanced, distributed and sector search options.
Grokker
Grokker is an alternative to the regular Google-type search engine. Instead of listing search results it converts them into a contextually visual map. Costs US$49.You can try it for free.
News That Comes to You
There are other ways to collect information from the interent. This article discusses RSS feeds – technology that makes the information come to you! Worth looking into if you want to be up-to-date with the latest information in your area of expertise.
Librarians’ Index to the Internet
Provides links to approximately 50 subjects such as Business, Food, Recreation and Literature. The links take you to further lists and/or individual resources. From the Library of California
Australian Education Portal – VET page
Links and sites relevant to the Australian VET sector.