Search Engines: These are systems that can search the web using software robots/programmes for sites,

read entire texts of the sites on the web, index them based on occurrence of the key words for each site, and enter them in database. Search engines results are not organized by subject categories and are usually large, and in most cases, unevaluated (Monereo, et al., 2000, UCB, Library, 2004c). Examples are Google

(http://www.google.com), (http://www.alltheweb.com), (http://www.lycos.com), (http://www.infoseek.com),

Teoma AltaVista Mamma Excite

(http://www.teoma.com), (http://www.altavista.com), (http://www.mamma.com), (http://www.ask.com), Northern

AlltheWeb Lycos Infoseek Light

(http://www.northernlight.com), Ask Jeeves (http://www.ask.com), and so forth. A search term/phrase in their search boxes will return several results. Meta Search Engines: - These are search engines that submit queries to several search engines and directories and then compile the results in sometimes convenient display. Since they search through multiple search engines, they are usually slower. Examples of meta search engines are Vivisimo Copernic HotBot (http://www.vivisimo.com), Agent Surf Wax Ixquick Pile

(http://www.surfwax.com), (http://www.ixquick.com),

(http://www.copernic.com), Dog

(http://www.hotbot.com),

(http://www.dogpile.com), and so forth. They are used like the search engines (Monereo, et al., 2000, UCB Library, 2004c). Subject Directories: They are links to Internet addresses similar to a gigantic phone book, which provides a listing of sites on the Internet organized by subject matter or geographical areas. They are built by human selection, at times specialized, small or large but usually smaller than search engines. They are good for educational purposes because they are often carefully evaluated (Monereo, et al, 2000, UCB Library, 2004c). Examples are Librarian Index (http://lii.org), Infomine (http://infomine.edu), AcademicInfo

(http://www.academicinfo.net), (http://dir.yahoo.com), and so forth.

About

Com

(http://www.about.com),

Yahoo

In optimising the potentials of the aforementioned search tools, appropriate search syntax must be used to get the best. From the onset of a search, it is important to know exactly what kind of information we are looking for. This foreknowledge would determine where to search and how to search. Do not attempt to use all search tools, but use as many as possible to find relevant materials. Use the tools along with the following search syntax (Bright Planet, 2001, Scholastic, 2003, UCB Library, 2004c, University Libraries, 2003,). i. Phrase Searching: This is placement together in search box words that go together in quotes. This presupposes that all terms must appear together in exactly the way they are entered. Such phrases should be enclosed in double quotation. ii. Use of lower case letter: In general, lower case letters are used for search except proper name. Using the lower case allows for search returns of title in either lower or upper case letters, since most search engines are case sensitive. Using upper case letters forecloses titles written in lower cases. iii. Use Boolean Logic: These are the use of AND, NOT, AND NOT, OR and NEAR. They are used to include or exclude terms in a search, For example, in Google or AltaVista search as in: (a) nomadic education NEAR Nigeria. (b) information technology policy AND Nigeria (c) American universities AND NOT Colleges (d) gender influence OR impact (e) educational technology courses NOT programmes. These Boolean search syntaxes can be combined with quotes.

(iv) Truncation: This is the ability to enter a first part of a keyword after while wildcard (*) symbol is inserted to bring out variants of spellings or word ending from the occurrence of symbol forward. For instance, wildcard after the word bio may result in the following bio*

(v) Use addition (+) and minus (-) signs: The two symbols when used indicate that, + must include, while must exclude. When used before the term to be included or excluded, there must not be any space. For example: Women empowerment +Nigeria Attitude to information technology -competence (vi) Combine two to three concepts in a query: This is called triangulating which involves multiple query concepts. It narrows and target results by more than 100 to 1. Example, (vii) solar system new planet discover

Use of parentheses: Concepts can be distinguished using parentheses. This is

to ensure that search engine evaluates research query from left to right. For example, (solar system) (new planet) ((discover or find). (viii) To find image, type in image and then the name of the object. For example,

image: dog The use of search tools and appropriate search system can ensure quick, reliable and easy access to the enormous information on the internet. In searching, the following step outlined by University Libraries (2003) may be relevant. These steps are: (i) (ii) Go directly to a site, if the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is known. If you do not have a URL address, browse the Internet

(iii) Explore the topic first by searching a subject directory (iv) Next, search query should be conducted using a web search engine or meta search engine

(v)

Explore other tools

Simple Searching Rules Simple Searching Rules 1. Use the word AND when you want information about two or more key words together.

For example: colleges and SAT, dolphins and whales, Dodgers and Giants and Expos

2. Use the word NOT when you want information about one key word but no information about the other.

For example: art NOT painting, football NOT playoffs, national parks NOT California

3. Use quotation marks around the names of people, places, or a phrase. This makes sure that the words appear right next to each other in the Web site.

For example: "multiple intelligence theory," "President Washington," "California beaches"

4. To find a picture of something, type in image: (what you are looking for).

For example: image: dog, image: Saturn, image: Michael Jordan http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/welcoming-internet-your-classroom

What is web browser?

A web browser is the software used to download and display web pages on your computer. A web browser can communicate with a web server using the http protocol to download the pages you request, usually by clicking on a hyperlink. A browser can translate HTML, the language used to create web pages, into the content you see displayed in the browser window.

http://etc.usf.edu/techease/win/internet/what-is-a-web-browser/ What is google earth

Google Earth is a free program that combines maps and geographic information with satellite and aerial photography. With Google Earth, you can fly over and explore major cities and landmarks around the world. While Google Earth is a standalone program you download and install on your computer, it requires an internet connection because it exchanges informat ion with Googles search services. Once you zoom in on an area of the globe to display a location in more detail, you can turn on layers that display additional information provided by Google, such as nearby restaurants and other businesses. This information is searchable, and you can use markers to save your searches for later use. You can also use Google Earth to get driving directions between any two points. Google Earth is an example of a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) application. To be more specific, Google Earth is a GIS viewer. GIS applications use maps to display data according to location.

http://etc.usf.edu/techease/win/internet/what-is-google-earth/