Case Studies on Internet Searching

Now that you have learned a little bit about searching, try your hand at the cases below. Use any search engine or methods that you feel are appropriate.

Case I

You are an avid fan of art, and you wish to learn more about the artist Salvador Dali. Find five different resources about this artist and his work.

Case II

You are tired of re-using your old lesson plans and are in search of new, innovative lesson plans in the subject area that you teach.

• Find three lesson plans related to the subject area that you teach.
• Refine your search and see if you can find one lesson plan on a specific topic within your subject area.

Case III

You are teaching high school seniors, and many of them are interested in applying to schools in California. How can you find a complete list of colleges/universities in California and their web sites?

Case IV

You are planning a vacation to Barcelona, Spain. Find three different web sites on places to stay in Barcelona.

Case V

You wish to find more information on nocturnal owls by using http://www.altavista.com.

• How many pages are returned when searching nocturnal owls (without quotation marks around the words)? _____________
• How many pages are returned when searching "nocturnal owls"? _____________
• Why is it more effective to search "nocturnal owls" rather than nocturnal owls without the quotations?

Case VI

You are planning a field trip to the American Museum of Natural History (in New York City.) Find the directions by subway and car.

Case VII

You forgot to pick up a copy of the New York Times this morning, and you wish to read the newspaper online. However, you have forgotten the address for their web site. Search the Internet for the web site address of the New York Times.