Web+Research+2



=**Web Research 2 : Introduction to the Internet and the World Wide Web : Part 2**=


 * Aim:**

What are error messages? What sources of information are available on the Web?


 * Common Core State Standards:**


 * CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7** Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.


 * CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.8** Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.


 * Objectives:**

Students will learn some Internet terminology.


 * Vocabulary:**


 * Directories of Subject Catalogs
 * Search Engines
 * Meta-search Tools
 * Specialized Databases
 * Online Group Discussions
 * Blogs
 * RSS and News Aggregators
 * Tagged Collections
 * Wikis
 * Images & Videos
 * 403 Forbidden
 * Error messages


 * Introduction:**

Some terminology:

client/server

When you start a Web browser or follow a hyperlink, the browser sends a request to a site on the Internet. That site returns a file that the browser then has to display. This sort of interaction in which one system requests information and another provides it is called a client/server relationship. The browser is the client, and a computer at the site that provides the information is the server.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol

The documents or files are passed from a server to a client according to specific rules for exchanging information. These rules are called protocols. The protocol used on the Web is named HTTP because the documents, pages, or other items passed from one computer to another are in hypertext or hypermedia form.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

Many of the rules for creating or writing a Web page are specified as HTML. This language provides formal rules for marking text. The rules govern how text is displayed as part of a Web page. In order for text or an icon to represent a hyperlink, it has to be marked as a link in HTML, and the URL has to be included. Web pages are often storied in files with names that end in .html or .htm.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

The hyperlinks are represented in a specific format called a URL. Each Web page has a URL as its address. For example the URL for the Library of Congress is http://www.loc.gov.

The URLs that point to Web pages typically start with http: because they are all transmitted according to HTTP. You may see something differentt for URLs that access information through other Internet protocols, e.g. FTP:.

You'll find it helpful to think of a URL as having the form:

how-to-get-there:where-to-go/what-to-get

When you cite a resource on the WWW, you include the URL for it.

Error Messages:

As amazing as some computer systems are, they generally need very precise instructions, so you have to be careful about spacing (generally there aren't blank spaces in a URL), the symbols used (a slash and a period are not interchangeable), and the case of the letters (lower or upper case).

When you type in a URL incorrectly, you get an error message, called a 404 Error, which tells you that part of the URL was incorrect. Also, if you click on a hyperlink and get a 404 message, you may have come upon what is sometimes called a dead link.

Here's another error message:

403 Forbidden which means that the URL was correct but the file isn't available to you.

Taking advantage of the resources on the WWW aren't difficult but it does require a lot of knowledge.


 * Discussion:**


 * Information Sources Available on the Web**

Because there's so much information available on the Web, it has to be organized so that you can find what you need. There must also be tools or programs to help you locate information.


 * Directories of Subject Catalogs**

These are directories, arranged by subject, of selected Internet and Web resources. Several of the directories contain reviews of descriptions of the entries. The Open Directory Project, @http://dmoz.org, for example, is a directory that is built by volunteers who serve as editors to select and verify resources. Here is a list of Internet Directories at the Digital Librarian:

@http://www.digital-librarian.com/subject.html


 * Search Engines**

Search engines provide keyword searching capability of most of the available Web resources. Google is the most popular and one of the best general-purpose search engines. Here is a list of niche search engines:

@http://www.collegeathome.com/blog/2008/06/19/100-useful-niche-search-engines-youve-never-heard-of/


 * Meta-search Tools**

A meta-search tool usually allows you to search several search engines or directories simultaneously. For a list of meta-search engines, take a look here:

@http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/MetaSearch.html


 * Specialized Databases**

Specialized databases are self-contained indexes that are searchable and available on the Web. Two examples are Medline Plus, @http://medlineplus.gov, a special database focusing on medical and health information, and EDGAR Online, @http://www.edgar-online.com, a specialized database of information about businesses.


 * Online Group Discussions**

Email discussion groups are sometimes called interest groups, listservs, or mailing lists. Internet users join, contribute to, and read messages to the entire group through email.


 * Blogs**

The term blog is derived from the words Web log. The information in a blog is written by one or more people and is arranged in chronological order with the most recent information first.


 * RSS and News Aggregators**

RSS is a collection of formats implemented in software to allow for sharing information from blogs, Web sites, news sources, and almost any digital collection of information. The information is called an RSS feed. Whenever you check the feed, you'll see a link to new information that has been added. A news aggregator is software that allows you to display the results of RSS feeds in some orderly way. News aggregators such as Google Readers, and Bloglines are Web based. Using these makes it convenient to keep up with several blogs or other sources.


 * Tagged Collections**

A number of sites have been very successful in providing easy ways to store information and then classifying it by assigning tags, such as words or phrases, to the items stored. One example of this type of service is the way Flickr allows you to store, classify, and share photographs. If you are looking for a picture of a pine snake, you can search for images that have those words in the tags, titles, or description. The site or service gets more valuable as more people participate. Making it easy for someone to add information, tag it, and search for their own information added by others is a hallmark of **Web 2.0**, an affirmation of the participatory nature of the Internet and the Web. Delicious is an online bookmarking service. You can search for bookmarks others have saved with assigned tags.


 * Wikis**

A wiki is software that one or more people use to write and edit documents on the Web. The software is designed to be easy to use, and easy for people to cooperate in preparing materials. A public wiki is likely to be indexed by one of the major search engines, so results from wikis often come up in searches using a general-purpose search engine. The collection of information put together with this type of software is also called a wiki. One of the most famous wikis is Wikipedia, a collaborative encyclopedia with millions of entries on a wide variety of topics. Thousands of people throughout the world create and edit its content. Wikipedia is easy to search, and the information in articles with references or citations can be checked for accuracy.


 * Images & Videos**

There are several collections of images on the Web. Some are specialized collections, such as the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog at the Library of Congress. On the other hand, the images accessible through Google and Yahoo! are searchable collections gathered from public locations on the Web. A third type is collections of images that individuals have posted to save and share them. Flickr is one such service. Likewise, there are similar specialized and general collections of videos, such as Youtube. Anyone can place a video in the collection, providing a title, a description, and a location. They then put it into one or more categories and supply tags in the same way that information is tagged in Flickr. This allows anyone to browse the collection and also to search by location or by terms in the title or description.


 * In-Class Activity:**

1) Create a new page on your wiki and name it Web Research 2. You will write all your answers on this page.

2) I want you to continue to either think about a topic you'd like to research, or to visit Web sites related to something you are learning in school.

3) I want you to visit the meta-search engine, Clusty. Type in NASCAR ballet and hit search.

a. How many results does Clusty return? Click on the first result. Does it tell you what dance company created this ballet? What is the name of the company? If that result doesn't give you the information, click your back button to go back to your results list. Click on some of the links until you find the answer.

b. Notice that Clusty clusters its results into **Categories**. What are the first five categories you find on the left hand side? Click on the first category. Does this help you narrow down your search? How?

4) Now I want you to search a directory. Go to the Open Directory Project. Notice that besides the search box there is also a directory of information that you can browse. Click on **Reference**. How many dictionaries does this directory include? Click on **Dictionaries**. From that page of results, click on **English Language**.

a. Scroll down the page. Click on **Merriam-Webster OnLine**. Look up the word //mendacious//. Type the word in the search box, then click the Go button or press enter. What is the meaning of the word?

b. Notice that you can type in a new search from this screen. Try a search for the word //singultus//. Do you find a definition?

c. Go back to the list of dictionaries by clicking the **Back** button until you return to the Open Directory Dictionaries page. Click on **OneLook Dictionaries**. Can you find the word //singultus// in one of the links listed here? What is the meaning of the word?

5) Now I want you to search the Internet Public Library. Answer these questions:

a) What collections are available here?

b. Click on **Resources by Subject** and then click on **Reference**. Scroll down to **Genealogy**. Find the **Beginner's Guide to Family History Research**. What are the first two chapters listed? How many other resources are listed on the **Genealogy** page?

c. Go back to the main page of the Internet Public Library. Look through the site by clicking on some other links. Do you find it easy to use? Why or why not?

6) The World Wide Web is just the latest invention in a long history of communication breakthroughs. Let's go back to Google and look back in time at the beginnings of communication. Goo to Google and type **cuneiform writing** in the search box.

a. Look at the first three sites in the results list. What are they? Give the titles and URLs of the first three sites.

b. What is cuneiform writing? When and where was it invented? Do you get this information from one of the first three sites listed?

c. Just for fun, there's a site that's called Write Like a Babylonian. Type your name in the box and see what your name looks like in cuneiform.


 * Summary:**

Millions of people around the world use the Internet for communication, research, business, information, and recreation.

One of the most popular and effective ways to tap into its resources is through the Web, a vast collection of information connected like a web.

There is no beginning and no end; the information is accessible in a nonlinear fashion through connections called hyperlinks.

You view the resources on the Web by using a program called a Web browser. You navigate through the Web by pointing to hyperlinks (underlined or bodfaced words or phrases, icons, or images) and clicking.

To use the Web and the Internet effectively, you need to know how to find and use the services, tools, and programs that give you access to their resources.

It's possible to link information in almost any digital form on the Web.

Text files, programs, charts, images, graphics files, digitized video, and sound files are all available.

Not only can you find things from a variety of media, but you also get a great deal of information in many categories or topics.

When using the Web, you work in a hypertext or hypermedia environment.

A URL specifies items, services, and resources.

Web browsers use these URLs to specify the type of Internet service or protocol needed and the location of the item.

For example, the URL for the Web page General Collections Library of Congress is http://www.loc.gov/rr/coll-general.html.

The protocol or service in this case is HTTP, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol, and a Web browser using that URL would contact the Internet site www.loc.gov and access the file **coll-general.html** in the directory or folder named **rr**.

The documents on the Web are called Web pages.

A number of different types of information sources are available on the Web.

They include:


 * Directories of selected collections of Internet and Web resources, arranged by subject
 * Search engines, which are tools that provide keyword searching capability
 * Meta-search tools, which allow you to access databases from one place
 * Specialized databases, which contain comprehensive collections of hyperlinks in a particular subject area, or which are self-contained, searchable indexes made available on the Web
 * Discussion groups, of which several thousand groups exist to share opinions and experiences, ask and answer questions, or post information about a specific topic
 * Blogs, wikis, and tagged collections, enabling individuals to easily classify and put information on the Web


 * Summary Activity:**

3-2-1

Name 3 new things you learned from the lesson.

Name 2 areas in which you are still confused.

Name 1 way you might apply what you've learned to another area.


 * Source:**

Hartman, K. and Ackerman, E. (2010). //Searching and researching on the Internet and the World Wide Web//. Sherwood, OR: Franklin, Beedle & Associates.