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EFFECTIVE INTERNET SEARCH
- 1. Research on the Internet American Intercontinental University Greg Fowler
- 2. Effective Information Searches • Effective searching is important because of the vast amount of information available. HOW DO WE SEARCH THE INTERNET EFFECTIVELY?
- 3. BOOLEAN searches Boolean searches save time…
- 4. BOOLEAN searches Utilize operators to SAVE TIME! OR AND NOT - + “quotation marks”
- 5. Finding and Using Primary Sources Primary sources include: • Physical artifacts • Recordings • Original documents • Peer-reviewed original findings However… “As critical thinkers, they [students] must learn that it can be problematic to rely on a single source for information.” – Morgan and Rasinski
- 6. The Influence of Web 2.0 Web 2.0 has opened a gateway to utilizing primary sources… Individuals can view (in real-time): • Source photos • Maps • Documents • Movie • Audio files
- 7. Verifying Resources We look for the most reliable resources in order to get the most accurate information, so… WHY DO WE NEED TO VERIFY THE SOURCE? In accurate information = problems
- 8. Deciding on Validity: Areas to Consider 1. Authority – who is dishing out the info? 2.Independent corroboration – what do others say about the information source?
- 9. Deciding on Validity: Areas to Consider 3. Plausibility and support – does the information mentioned seem factual? • Unrealistic expectations or findings 4. Presentation – is the source professional looking/sounding? • Spelling/grammar
- 10. Keeping Track of Fluid Info Sources Once a credible information source is found, it must be bookmarked and monitored…
- 11. RSS (real simple syndication) Feeds RSS allows users to continually receive the information they desire whenever it is published. RSS feeds allow users to organize and filter their information.
- 12. The Bottom Line… Information can be heavily filtered to suit a user’s needs. Time can be saved if these filtering techniques are learned and utilized. The information found needs to be credible, and there are methods to use to ensure this. Current technologies allow for the immediate retrieval of desired information.
- 13. References Anderson, M. (2010). Expanding the Power of Primary Sources With Web 2.0. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 17(4), 36-38. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/login.a spx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=52707160&site=ehost- live Clinton, D. (2005). The Art of Effective Web Searching. T H E Journal, 33(2), 32. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/login.a spx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=18404154&site=ehost- live
- 14. References (continued) Fallis, D. (2004). On Verifying the Accuracy of Information: Philosophical Perspectives. Library Trends, 52(3), 463-487. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/login.aspx?direct=t rue&db=ehh&AN=12885268&site=ehost-live Morgan, D. N., & Rasinski, T. V. (2012). The Power and Potential of Primary Sources. Reading Teacher, 65(8), 584-594. doi:10.1002/TRTR.01086 Stephens, W. (2012). AMPLIFY YOUR PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE THROUGH RSS. Knowledge Quest, 41(2), 26-28. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/login.aspx?direct=t rue&db=ehh&AN=83341511&site=ehost-live
Editor's Notes
- Effective searching is important because the quantity of information is greater than it has ever been and time is usually of the essence. Information search techniques are not limited to the internet (good information can still be found in books, magazines, and other materials that are not found online), but internet searches will be the focus in this presentation since the world of information and technology is growing at an exponential rate.Clinton (2005) states, “That simple little box at the top of every search engine has opened up a boundless new world for millions of people” (p. 1). The key word here being boundless. With boundless information that floods the screen after a user types a keyword into the little box at the top of the screen comes the need for more efficient ways of sorting the information.
- Boolean searches, and other effective information-specific searches, will save a user a vast amount of time. They will not have to scour through so much garbage that can be pulled up during searches. With advertising and money being a driving force behind the internet at times, the ability to get rid of the junk mail quicker and find the check in the mail is needed.
- Boolean searches utilize operators such as: OR, NOT, AND, +, -, and quotation marks. OR allows users to search for two different terms. The sites brought up will display either of the terms. NOT allows users to exclude certain terms from the search. AND allows users to bring up sites that display all terms connected by the AND operator. For example, cats AND dogs would bring up sites that include both terms whereas using the OR operator would bring up sites that have information on either cats OR dogs. The + and – operators simply allow users to add or subtract certain terms from the sites the query generates. For example, while searching “information literacy,” a user may add children to the search by entering +children. If they are looking for information literacy in adults, the user may want to enter +adults and –children. This would look for pages with the term adults and exclude pages with the term children.
- Using primary sources allows students the benefit of experiencing, or reading about, first-hand accounts or information. Primary sources include: physical artifacts, recordings, original documents, peer-reviewed research papers reporting experimental findings, etc. Secondary sources typically cite or comment on primary sources. However, in today’s technological world, primary sources can be found easily on the internet. “When exposed to multiple sources, students must learn through observation and analysis how to integrate this information…” (Morgan & Rasinski, 2012, p. 587). It is also crucial for individuals to understand that “As critical thinkers, they [students] must learn that it can be problematic to rely on a single source for information” (Morgan & Rasinski, 2012, p. 587).
- Primary sources are more reliable than most. Therefore, students should continually be pushed to use them. Web 2.0 has opened up a huge gateway to viewing and sharing primary sources. Anderson (2010) mentions a Web 2.0 tool called VoiceThread. This tool, along with countless other Web 2.0 tools, “…have the potential to foster engaged discussion about a primary source photo, map, broadside, document, movie, or audio file” (Anderson, 2010, p. 36).
- Why do we try and find information sources? And why is it important that we verify them? Fallis (2004) offers that following about finding quality information, “The main reason that we are interested in finding information sources that are authoritative, objective, and current is that we think that they are more likely to be accurate” (p. 1). So after the quality information is found, we must then verify it. Inaccurate information can cause too many problems. For example, a consumer of health information found on the internet may inadvertently harm themselves by taking a certain medication they read was supposed to help their condition.
- Based on the work of David Hume (1977) and Alvin Goldman (1999 and 2001), Fallis (2004) suggests four areas to consider when deciding on the validity of a source:Authority. Who is providing the original piece of information? Is a lawyer giving medical advice? Also, has this source of information been a credible one in the past?Independent corroboration. Do other people believe the origination of the information to be a credible one? What do others say about the source? Have other professional research investigations used this source?
- Plausibility and support. How plausible is the information given? If a diet pill claims to make you lose 8 pounds a day, is this plausible? If an overweight person is trying to sell you the diet pill and claiming that it has done wonders for them, is this genuine support?Presentation. If wondering if a source found on the web is accurate, then take a look at the presentation. Are there spelling or grammatical errors? Is it .com, .gov, .edu, or .net? Also, are the references for the information displayed credible? If the author is citing erroneous sources, then why believe the author/source?
- Once a credible information source has been determined, then bookmarking and monitoring the source is crucial. With today’s technology, fluid internet sources can be easily monitored. Most computer operating systems offer bookmarking systems which allow the user to copy the URL of a website so they may reference it at a later time. However, RSS feeds offer users a much more advanced version of bookmarking.
- RSS (real simple syndication) feeds offer users the ability of keeping track of changing news without having to search for it. Once a user finds a credible site with the information they need, they simply prescribe to that sites RSS feed (if it has one). Whenever new information is uploaded to the site, the user is notified and can access it. The user can narrow the information the RSS feed takes from the site by using tags. “For people overwhelmed by the multiple sites you must monitor for both personal and professional news, a couple of hours spent subscribing to and organizing RSS feeds might end up being an investment in 21st-century sanity” (Stephens, 2012, p. 28).
- ReferencesAnderson, M. (2010). Expanding the Power of Primary Sources With Web 2.0. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 17(4), 36-38. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=52707160&site=ehost-liveClinton, D. (2005). The Art of Effective Web Searching. T H E Journal, 33(2), 32. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=18404154&site=ehost-live
- ReferencesFallis, D. (2004). On Verifying the Accuracy of Information: Philosophical Perspectives. Library Trends, 52(3), 463-487. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=12885268&site=ehost-liveMorgan, D. N., & Rasinski, T. V. (2012). The Power and Potential of Primary Sources. Reading Teacher, 65(8), 584-594. doi:10.1002/TRTR.01086Stephens, W. (2012). AMPLIFY YOUR PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE THROUGH RSS. Knowledge Quest, 41(2), 26-28. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=83341511&site=ehost-live