WHAT YOU CAN COUNT ON FINDING ON THE NET
- Web sites.
- A delivery system for conventional learning tools: books, both physical (your online catalogs and WorldCat) and digital (see the Online Books Page below), full-text journal articles in electronic databases, reserve readings scanned in in pdf format, maps, reference books, textbook support pages, and documents. Remember, much of the web is not visible -- you need to go to a database first, such as a phone directory, and then search inside it
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A means of communication: you can use e-mail, chat, usenet, or IRC for online discussion, and maintain your own research interests through memberships in listserves and discussion groups.
THE NET IS ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR:
- Pictures, Animations, Simulations. The net is great at helping people pin abstract topics like math and social sciences down through visualization and gaming [for instance, to grasp large numbers, the MegaPenny Project http://kokogiak.com/megapenny/one.asp shows how much space a million pennies, a billion, a trillion, would occupy]. Find the images by using an image search engine like Ditto http://ditto.com/, or click on the image finder on Google, AltaVista, or FastSearch, or add a term like "animation" or "video" or "demonstration" to your search statement, e.g., "strength training" + demonstration. Also, visual display can assist or interfere with the understanding of text. See http://modelingtheweb.com/ for an interesting example.
- FAQ files -- frequently asked questions files created by experts in the field. When you want to know the basics about any topic, add the term FAQ to your topic, e.g., immigration + FAQ.
- Primary sources. See http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Majors/History/hisdoc.htm for a guide to some important collections of historical documents, maps, laws, court cases, public records. Also, add terms like "map" or "law" or "document" or "case" or "primary sources" to your search statement, e.g., "civil war" + documents. Take a look at the Digital Library Federation http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/b/bib/bib-idx?c=dlfcoll to see the amazing amounts of historical materials and images that have been digitized by libraries and museums.
- Government information. Search for it using SearchGov http://searchgov.com/, or use the University of Michigan Documents Center http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/, or its Documents in the News page http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/docnews.html
- Searchable files and databases -- you can do key word searching for poetry, plays, laws, court cases, news files, and more. Among the many free databases available are ERIC http://askeric.org/Eric/, Find Articles http://www.findarticles.com/PI/index.jhtml, Medline http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/medline.html, and Medline Plus http://medlineplus.gov/. Also, check Invisible Web http://invisibleweb.com/ or Gary Price's Direct Search http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/direct.htm to identify databases, or add to your search term the word "database", e.g., patents + database
- Interactive files -- virtual patients, "ask an expert" sites, interactive travel mapping, etc.
- Sound files: music, broadcasts, interviews, speeches, sound effects. Use the audiovisual search component of your search engines or add words like "sound" or "radio" or "MP3" to your search term, e.g. "Martin Luther King" + sound
- Reference sources. The Reference Desk on Librarians' Index to the Internet (http://lii.org/), or Best Information on the Net http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Online/onlindex.htm or X-Refer (http://w1.xrefer.com/) can answer many reference questions.
- Online courses. Faculty and students can see how someone else is teaching the same concept. World Lecture Hall http://www.utexas.edu/world/lecture/index.html is a guide to course outlines and syllabi for college level courses. Also, try adding words like "home study" or "online course" or "tutorial" to your search term, as in "child psychology" + "home study"
- News. You can use a news search engine like Total News http://www.totalnews.com/, or turn on the NEWS tab on search engines like Google.
- Statistics. For the kinds of statistics that governments gather, use Statistical Resources on the Web http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html, FedStats http://www.fedstats.gov/, or SearchGov http://searchgov.com/. For data on public opinion, start with Polling Report http://www.pollingreport.com/. And of course you can always add words like "statistics" or "poll" or "public opinion" to your search statement.
- Lesson Plans. Your basic starting points are Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/ and the AskERIC Lesson Plans http://askeric.org/Virtual/Lessons/, but you can always add words like "lesson plan" or "simulation" or "activity" or "tutorial" to your search term.
- Expert Subject Portals and Search Engines. Find them by checking what LII http://lii.org/ or Academic Info http://academicinfo.net/ list, or add the words "search engine" or "portal" or "gateway" or "directory" to your search statement, as in science + "search engine"
- Pathfinders. Pathfinders tell people how to search an entire body of literature; they guide people to things like key books, journals, organizations, web portals, and indexes, and even tell you how to search inside them, key words to use when searching, call number areas to browse in, etc. Check out the Internet Public Library Pathfinders http://www.ipl.org/ref/QUE/PF/, and the University of Maryland Libraries' Web Resources by Fields of Study, http://www.lib.umd.edu/ETC/SUBR/resources.html
- Discussion groups, professional associations, support groups. Use the groups function in Google to run your search, or add terms like "support Group" or "discussion" or "forum" or "listserv" or "association" to your search statement.
- Chronologies. Timelines are awfully helpful for making sense of random bits of knowledge. Eduseek http://eduseek.com/ includes timelines in its subject categories. Otherwise, add words like "chronology" or "timeline" to your search statements.
- the extremely obscure. The net is where people share their private passions, so the more unlikely a topic seems, the more you want to head to the web.
WHAT YOU CAN'T COUNT ON FINDING ON THE NET
My mental map of total amount of available information, by form. Moral: when you assemble subject pages, include on them key non-internet sources -- really fine books, the appropriate full-text databases, discussion forums, etc. Also, include subject portals, subject-specific search engines, discussion groups and listservs, associations, news sources, etc.
DIRECTORIES TO QUALITY RESOURCES:
- Best Information on the Net: Resources by Major
http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Majors/majindex.htm - Eduseek.com http://www.eduseek.com/
- Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/
- Librarians' Index to the Internet http://lii.org/
- Scout Report Archive
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/archives/ -- search through reviews of 12,000 high-quality educational sites -
World Lecture Hall
http://www.utexas.edu/world/lecture/index.html
And for an all-purpose directory, for fun as well as research, try the human expert guides at http://about.com/
GREAT TEACHING AND LEARNING ON THE NET
- Colorado Virtual Library for Kids http://kids.aclin.org/
Sites are chosen for the state curriculum benchmarks for each grade level. - Debbie Abilock, of Nueva School, who's had her students do some challenging projects like Turn of the Century Child and the Global Warming project http://nuevaschool.org/~debbie/library/parent/pids.html
- Gallery of Interactive Geometry http://www.geom.umn.edu/apps/gallery.html
- Global Schoolhouse http://www.gsn.org/ -- a guide to collaborative educational projects on the web
- Medieval SourceBook http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html -- or any other of this history professor's sourcebooks.
- OLogy http://www.ology.amnh.org/sitemap/index.html
From the American Museum of Natural History - TERC http://www.terc.edu/index.cfm
- ThinkQuest http://thinkquest.org/
Student-initiated, student-designed web pages to teach others what they learned on a class project of their choosing. -
the WebQuest Page at San Diego State University http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html
SEARCH TIPS
- Searching is a multi-stage process. Sometimes you want to start with a specialized directory and search inside that. As you pick up information in the course of your search, use it to alter or refine your search.
- GO WHERE IT IS -- if you need sites for children, use a good children's directory or search engine; if you know federal and state governments would have the info you want, use searchgov.com, etc.
- Play with words. Move up and down the continuum from general to specific. Remember, AN answer is not the only possible answer.
- USE WEDGE WORDS:
"financial ratios" + FAQ
laser printers + features + comparison
"Word 6.0" + tutorial
Hispanics + demographics
"rock music" + encyclopedia
"used cars" + "book value"
catholicism + expert or priest + ask
geophysics + conference
maps + "lesson plans"
cataloging + listserv
audio + "search engine"
GUIDES TO USING SEARCH ENGINES WELL
- Choosing the Best Search Engine for Your Information Needs
http://NuevaSchool.org/~debbie/library/research/adviceengine.html - Research Buzz http://researchbuzz.com/, from Tara Calishain, available by e-mail.
- Search Day http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/ -- Chris Sherman's daily web page and e-mail newsletter
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Search Engine Watch http://searchenginewatch.com/ -- Danny Sullivan keeps you up on changes in search engines, side-by-side comparisons, etc.
SPECIALIZED SEARCH TOOLS
- Ask Jeeves for Kids http://www.ajkids.com/ -- a kid-friendly database of answers
- Ditto.com http://ditto.com/ -- a very good picture search engine
- Kids Click http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/ -- searchable directory of good sites for kids
- SciSeek Science Search Engine http://www.sciseek.com/
- SearchEdu.com http://www.searchedu.com/ -- restricts itself to searching university web sites, along with links to related topics in the Open Directory
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X-Refer http://w1.xrefer.com/ -- searches through online dictionaries, encyclopedias and quote books
RELIABLE SUPPORTING RESOURCES:
FACTS, DOCUMENTS, STATISTICS, TEXTS - Bartleby http://bartleby.com/ -- full texts of quote books, almanacs, encyclopedias, classic poetry and literature.
- Documents in the News http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/docnews.html
- Fact Monster http://www.factmonster.com/ -- From Information Please. FAQ files on a wide variety of subjects; links to dictionary and encyclopedia entries
- FindArticles.com http://www.findarticles.com/PI/index.jhtml
- Historical Documents http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Majors/History/hisdoc.htm
- Internet Modern History Sourcebook http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html -- or any of the other sourcebooks Prof. Halsall has provided, women's history, history of science, history of Islam, etc. Rich source of primary documents.
- MagPortal http://www.MagPortal.com/
- On-Line Books Page http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/ -- Indexes over 13,000 digitized books, by author, title, subject also searchable by key word.
- Perry Castaneda Map Collection http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/index.html -- current and historical maps.
- Polling Report http://www.pollingreport.com/ -- consolidates and archives polls on all kinds of questions, lifestyle as well as political
- Statistical Resources on the Web http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html
- WhyFiles: the Science Behind the News http://whyfiles.org/
- World Almanac for Kids
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/
Includes a historical timeline, facts on animals, historical birthdays, religion, the states, etc., and a fun and games section. -
XRefer http://w1.xrefer.com/ -- searches through online dictionaries, encyclopedias and quote books
HOMEWORK HELP
- A+ Research and Writing http://www.ipl.org/teen/aplus/stepfirst.htm -- a step by step guide from the IPL
- Gullible's Travels: Guarding against Misinformation on the Net http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA210719&publication=libraryjournal -- an article I wrote for NetConnect. The net is a splendid place to start teaching critical thinking.
- Homework Center -- Social Issues http://www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/homework/sochc.html -- for each issue, resources neatly divided into "support," "oppose," and "legislation."
- Hot Paper Topics http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Hot/hotindex.htm -- the page I designed for Best Information on the Net
- InfoZone Research Skills Area http://www.assd.winnipeg.mb.ca/infozone/index.htm -- from Assiniboine South School Division. Note the step by step research approach, with web tools for each stage.
- Nueva School http://nuevaschool.org/~debbie/library/research/research.html -- so many good resources from Debbie Abilock, including the "Noodle Tools" bibliography generator and the "Choose the best search for your purpose" section.
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Stetson Middle School Library http://www.sldirectory.com/stetson.html -- note especially the Class Assignments page.
FINDING OUT ABOUT NEW STUFF
- Classroom Connect's Net Happenings Page http://listserv.classroom.com/archives/net-happenings.html -- daily updates on k-12 sites, which you can receive by e-mail
- Kathy Schrock's New Sites http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/newlist.html
- Librarian's Index to the Internet (click on New This Week)
http://lii.org/ - Neat New Stuff I Found This Week http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html
- Scout Report http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/current/index.html
- Weblogs. LibDex has a guide to librarians' blogs, http://www.libdex.com/weblogs.html
CITING SOURCES AND AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
- Internet Essay Exposer
http://essay.freehomepage.com/ - Nueva Library Research
http://NuevaSchool.org/~debbie/library/research/research.html -- Includes Interactive Forms for Citing Books, Articles, etc., as well as suggestions to improve research methods -
Online Writing Lab Handouts -- citing sources http://www.ipl.org/teen/aplus/linkciting.htm -- includes links to all standard style guides and advice on when to cite and what constitutes plagiarism
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You can send comments and queries to me at: marylaine at netexpress.net