1. *Internet Basics *Searching the Internet *Modifying Plans to Needs
Internet for Teaching
*Internet Basics
*Searching the Internet
*Modifying Plans to Needs

2. What is the Internet?
When many things are connected—by roads, cables or anything they share in common—this forms a network.
Networks allow a computer to share information between the other computers that are part of the same Network.
The Internet is formed of many group of networks connected together.

3. Internet or World Wide Web is a series of computers connected together to share information.
A “URL” or “Web Address” is where a page is located.
A browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape) is a software program that allows easy use of the web.
“Home Page” is a start page or 1st page.

4. Browser Basics Title bar
Very top of the webpage – title the webpage, buttons to minimize, maxims and close the webpage
Menu bars
Each one of these titles have information behind it. Watch as the arrow scrolls over the words. The icons are short cuts to some of the command on the menu bar. We will come back to the icons
Address bar
This is where a web address is typed Status bar This shows what is loaded onto the computer or what is loading on the computer.

5. Browser Basics Menu Bar Back
Click on this to take you back one webpage
Forward
Click on this take you forward one webpage
Stop
If you wish to stop the loading of webpage click on this key
Refresh
Updates information on the current webpage – this is a great button to use when checking a live event on a website.

6. Browser Basics
Home
Clicking on this icon will take you to the first webpage you see when you get on the Internet.
Search
Click on this icon to go to a search engine. Not all search engines are the same – you may use the same term on one search engine and find information you want and on another not.
Favorites
Click on this icon to pull up lists of websites. On your own computer you may create your own lists of favorites. History Lists of website you have visited.

7. How to Identify A Website
URL
stands for Uniform Resource Locator or unique address (
stand for hypertext transfer protocol or a method of writing content for the Internet.
www
indicates site is on the World Wide Web.
.google
is the host or domain name.
Last three letters shows the type of websites available
.com commercial
.edu education
.gov government
.org organization
Be careful when you enter web addresses manually; Web addresses never contain spaces and are sensitive to punctuation and case.

8. Who do you trust on the Internet?
The WWW includes information on hundreds of thousands of computers around the world.
Examples of what the web is used for: , geneology, commerce etc.
Searching can be like finding a needle in a haystack. (Some good mixed in with lots of garbage.)
The internet is not easy to search.
There are no standards whatsoever concerning what is found on the Internet. Any & Everything!
The Internet’s growth is outpacing the ability of humans or technology to keep up with it.
Sometimes finding information on the Internet or the World Wide Web is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Discussion of Quality – anyone can write anything – how do you know what’s accurate? how do you know who to trust?

9. First Mistake to Avoid
Mistakes when typing a web address is like dialing a wrong number so when you get an error screen you must figure out where your mistake is.
Beginners often make two very common mistakes.
When you have a long web address it is easy to make a mistake. One little mistake everything stop working (like dialing the wrong number of digits on the phone). Following a link is often better than typing the URL.

10. What an Error Message Looks Like…
It’s okay. Look closely at what you typed for possible problems. Should be no spaces. All punctuation must match. Capitalization doesn’t always matter but if it’s not working check for that as well.

11. Second Mistake to Avoid
Typing the information in the wrong box…
The Address box is not the same as the Search box
Beginners often make two very common mistakes.
When you have a long web address it is easy to make a mistake. One little mistake everything stop working (like dialing the wrong number of digits on the phone). Following a link is often better than typing the URL.

12. Address Box Http://en.wikipedia.org www.google.com http://yahoo.com
Anything that begins with http: or www or looks similar to any of these examples is an ADDRESS. Thus it goes in the ADDRESS box not in a SEARCH box.

13. Search Box High blood pressure bulldogs football
Vegetarian Restaurants in Fresno
These are examples of subjects you might research. They go in the Search Box. Sample search box.

14. Hyperlinks
When a picture or set of words links to another site it is called a hyperlink. The mouse arrow will look like this:
When the mouse looks like this, that means you can select this specific item to go to another webpage, or another website.

15. Choosing a Search Method
Internet Directories
Well organized indexes that allow you to browse through lists of sites by topic.
Created by people (not always updated)
Fewer websites in their databases
Example: Librarians Internet Index (
Avoid using the wrong tool by knowing the differences between a directory and a search engine. Deciding which to use is the first thing a searcher does. Choosing is not like flipping a coin. Knowing the differences help you make the decision.
The subject directory arrived first on the scene, about Subject directories are very popular. But its search commands don’t support some important options: Nested searching, Boolean terms such as AND, OR, NOT or case sensitivity. Subject directories are put together by humans and do not return as many pages.

16. Librarians’ Internet Index
do a sample search at LII.

17. Choosing a Search Method
Search Engines
Developed after Internet Directories
Allow you to use keywords to search millions of pages.
Allow both simple and advanced (“Boolean”) search techniques
Are indexed electronically by spiders or web crawlers.
Example: Google (
Google
Yahoo
Netscape
MSN
Alta Vista
The search engine came 2nd. Has many more pages in its database for searching. Allows for very specific searches. We will address advanced searching in another workshop. Indexes in search engines are built by other computers and not by humans.

18. Meta Search Engines
Submit your queries to multiple search engines simultaneously:
Dogpile
Metacrawler
Search.com

19. Important Reminders
Become familiar with a couple of web directories and search engines.
Be careful what information you trust -- consider who created a specific website.
Learn search strategies.
Make your searches specific.
DON’T GIVE UP
Remember the differences between a directory and a search engine.
Always read the FAQ page for suggestions.
Most basic search strategies will work in all search engines.
If one search does not work then revise it and try again.

20. Search Tips Use Quotes for Phrases
This works in almost every search engine and directory.
“high blood pressure”
“hibbing public library”
“Minnesota Historical Society”

21. Search Tips Use the + Sign To Require Google uses the + sign
+dogs +cats
+twins +baseball
Other Search Engines use AND
dogs AND cats
twins AND baseball

22. Search Tips Use the – Sign to Exclude Google uses the - sign
dolphins –football
twins –baseball
dogs -cats
Other Search Engines use NOT
dolphins NOT football
twins NOT baseball
dogs NOT cats

23. Search Tips Use OR to Broaden men OR boys OR males
children OR adolescents
“high blood pressure” OR hypertension
dogs OR cats

24. Searching Tips Summary
Don’t let frustration stall your search.
Use phrases
“twins baseball”.
Use AND (+)
+twins +baseball.
twins AND baseball
Use OR
children OR adolescents.
Use NOT (-)
twins –baseball
twins NOT baseball

25. Tips for Finding Lesson Plans on the Internet

26. Search Queries
Enter the name of the topic you are teaching followed by the words “lesson plans”
Example: Electricity lesson plans
Narrow the search by adding the grade level to the search string
Example: Electricity lesson plans high school

28. There are also many resources on the Internet for lesson plans and curriculum ideas and activities. Some of these include:

36. Lesson Plan Websites
The Educator's Reference Desk: Lesson Plans
You can browse the collection by subject, or search using keywords. The search also lets you limit by grade level.
Lesson Plans Library  
The Lesson Plans Library site contains lessons for grades K-12 in common and not so common subjects. In addition to providing a plethora of lesson plans, this site is also linked to several other "teaching tools" from The Discovery Channel.
Lesson Plans Page  
This page allows for easy searching for specific lesson plans by subject, grade level, and area within the subject searched. LessonPlansPage.com has an extensive selection of lesson plans for math, science, language arts, and art.
Sites for Teachers 
This site has links to educational resources for teachers, students and parents. It contains information for all grade levels including lesson plans, activities, reproducibles and much more!
Teacher.Net Lesson Bank  
This lesson bank is interactive and allows for both retrieval and submission of lesson plans by teachers. The site allows several searching strategies for locating lessons on various subjects and in various grade levels. One can search by subject area or education level, or one can search or browse the lesson bank by keyword.
GEM - The Gateway to Educational Materials
Sponsored by the National Library of Education of the U.S. Department of Education, this is a one-stop educational resource which provides information, lesson plans, and activities pertaining to all K-12 subjects. Users can browse sites by subject or keyword, or they can search by subject, keyword, title, or full-text of the site description.
Education World Teacher Lesson Plans

37. Know the Following Terms
Bulletin Boards
On web pages where people write messages on specific topics. For example: finance.yahoo.com posts messages about stocks.
Chat room
Real time typed conversations. Also called IRC or Internet relay chat.
Commercial web sites:
Enables people to buy goods and services from a wide variety of vendors from name-brands, such as Marshal Fields, to local retailers, such as Sunrise Bakery.
Correspond with your friends and relatives over the Internet.
Encryption
Codes used to conceal credit card numbers from thieves.
FAQS
Frequently asked questions. Always read first when using a new web site.