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RESEARCHING THE WEB

There are four ways to research the Web that are available for students. These four are Surfing, WebQuest, Directed Web Search, and Web Whacking. The most common is term is Surfing. The most novice internet user knows the term "Surfing the Net".

Surfing :

This is the wide open let them go any where and everywhere. This can be very interesting and does have problems such as having sites pop up that are not acceptable for children. Many sites do not explain that the material is of a mature nature. Plus people are just plain curious and want to look. Many districts are now having children sign contracts that have the children promise to leave this site as so as possible and not to return to this site.

WebQuest:

This is a strategies for focusing or structuring their web search for the creation of a web page. There are directions that are even listed on the net. One such location is by Bernie Dodge. The citing is

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/webquestwebquest.html

Try this location Called A WebQuest about WebQuests

Web Whacking:

There is a program that comes on 3 1/2 inch floppy disk (one for each platform) called Web Whacker. This program allows one to take the image of the internet page and save it to a disk. This becomes very helpful and necessary to use if the person is wanting to present this material to some one that has a computer but not Internet access. The web page that have been Whacked are saved in order to view as if one is looking at the screen that is connected to the net. It is save because the only citings that one can view are the whacked screens. This is a cheap way to look at the net without having the net connected.

Directed Web Searching:

This is the fourth way to view the net and search with some degree of safety. The instructor has a word processing file open and a list of Internet address that they wish the students to view. With the addresses that the student are look at they are able to double click on the address and the Netscape or Explorer program will send them to the sight. This is on the new versions of Microsoft Office 98. The topic and the addresses will allow the students to go back and forth. The instructor can have questions available for the students to answer or questions for thought and discussion. The student is able to respond on the word processor, spell check, grammar check, and save to a disk or print out. This method allows for all grade levels and is save until the instructor asks for additional sites that are on this topic. Tonight, I would like for you to pick a topic, find to or three sites that follow your topic and place them in a word processor file. You can send this to me via e-Mail.

RES 1998

Example

The Word Processor on the Left and the Netscape page on the Right. The student could and should either double click on the address or copy and paste. This still allows working on the Internet but they are under some control and guidance by the instructor. Another way to give it to students would be by e-Mail. The student could bring up there mail in Netscape and the URLs (the addresses) would be hot and the studnet would just have to double click on the URL and the sites would come up.

Dr. Randall E. Smith
Associate Professor of Curriculum & Instruction
Box 1122
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL 62026-1122
resmith@siue.edu

RES 1998

Dr. Steve Crooks
Assistant Professor of IT
Box 1125
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL 62026-1125
scrooks@siue.edu

http://www.siue.edu/~resmith/dws.htm
Created by: resmith
Last update: May 22, 2004