LESSON 3 CONTEXTUAL ONLINE SEARCH AND RESEARCH SKILLS (1)

• Contextual online search and research skills


  Skills to improve online searches and evaluate website credibility
• Devices for accessing information

  • Personal computers
  • Smart phones
  • Other digital devices
• Context


  The circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed
• Information overload affects quality of information
• Online search and research is more than just "googling"
• Online search and research is a skill that internet users should know to do smart searching
• Improving search and research skills

  1. Narrow your topic

  2. Put "AND" between keywords

  3. Identify synonyms of key words

  4. Review the first pages returned

  5. Use (+) sign for specific search

  6. Use (-) sign for specific search

  7. Use wildcards for broader search

  8. Use quotation marks for phrases

  9. Use several search engines
• Narrow your topic

  1. Identify keywords

  2. Identify key concepts or important ideas
• Create a search string


  Put "AND" between each keyword
• Identify synonyms

  1. Precautionary measures – preventive measures

  2. Observe – pay attention to

  3. Logged-in – signed in
• Review search results


  Change keywords if not helpful
• Use the (+) sign


  For a more specific search
• Use the (-) sign


  For a more specific search
• Use wildcards


  For a broader search
• Use quotation marks


  To find phrases and names
• Major search engines


  • Google
  • Yahoo
  • Altavista
  • Bing
  • Lycos
• Search engines are programs that look for documents based on specific keywords
• Evaluating websites

  1. Check domain type

  2. Check author’s credentials

  3. Check document’s purpose

  4. Check publication date and updates
• Domain types


  • .com
  • .org
  • .edu
  • .gov
  • .net
  • .mil
• Always check the document’s purpose and why it was produced
• The author should claim accountability and responsibility for the information contained in the web page
• The documents should be regularly updated
• There should be no dead links
• Search engines are tools used to find specific information on the web by using keywords or phrases as search queries.
• The Internet is the largest collection of information available to us today.
• It contains billions of pages, documents, images, videos, audio files, and other digital content that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.