SAVVY Cyber Teacher Presentation

The Stevens Institute of Technology SAVVY Cyber Teacher Polaris' SAVVY Cyber Teacher Page

Polaris Address

Search Engines

Definition:

A type of search tool which uses a keyword and searches millions of web sites which have been creaated by the company which owns the search engine for information related to that keyword

Advantages:

Can find specific information which is up-to-date

Disadvantages:

Can be very time consuming

Must have keywords to be efffective

More like a vast information garbage dump

Sites are unedited

Examples:

Lycos;

Web Crawler;

AltaVista (used by Yahoo, a Search Directory, when it cannot find the information so often that Yahoo seems to be a Search Engine)

Suggestions:

Use Subject Guides which are web sites that break resources down by subject and allow you to "surf" through the resources to help you find what you need.

Access information (specific search engine or search directory) later by bookmarking it to a disk.

Learn all of the ins and outs of one engine rather than constantly switching between them

Seek out alternative search methods to avoid frustration (e.g., emailing experts, posting to Listservs, magaines including Netguide, Internet World and Classroom Connect.