Asia EdNet Tutorial - Module 1
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What's out there and how do you find it? |
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Finding the Internet sites you want 
Note: In order to perform the searches suggested in the remainder of this module you will require a live Internet connection.
How do I find more sites?
So far in this module you have explored a number of Internet sites and you have probably decided that at least a few of them have something to offer for your classroom. The next obvious question is 'How do I find more sites I can use?'
This section of the module will assist you to do just that, without spending hours and hours online. Surfing the Internet may be fun, but it can also be frustrating and consume a great deal of time.
More often, you will want to find the resources you need as quickly and efficiently as possible. Note, however, that like other forms of research, using the Internet does take time. You are unlikely to find something useful if you only have ten minutes to spare.
The problem is that the Internet is not 'run' by anyone in particular and neither is there an 'official catalogue'. It is essentially disorganised, meaning that information must be uncovered by the user. It also means that whatever information is found must be evaluated by the user, a matter we will look at in more detail in Module 2.
It's not true, of course, that everything you could possibly be looking for is out there somewhere on the Internet. The Internet is big, but it's not that big! Internet resources are often additional to the print resources you already use, such as the Access Asia series (http://www.curriculumpress.edu.au).
That's why it is a good idea to keep an eye on the time when you are searching and set limits both for yourself and your students.
Sources of information
There are two major services which can help you to find information on the Internet: subject directories and search engines.
Subject directories contain links which have been collected together by human beings and categorised in some way.
Search engines contain links which have been collected by a computer 'robot' which 'crawls' endlessly around the Internet. These links are accessible by searching with keywords.
In practice, the line between subject directories and search engines is becoming blurred as many subject directories provide keyword searching facilities and many search engines attempt to categorise some or all of their links.
The remainder of this module will explore the following:
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