Effective search techniques

1
Effective search techniques

• Powerpoints can be found at
• arts.kmutt.ac.th/call/Workshop_Doc.htm
• Richard Watson Todd

2
General Internet searches

• Search engines
• Using Google (www.google.com)
• Directories for general information
• Using Wikipedia

3
Click here if you want everything in English
4
(No Transcript)
5
Choosing keywords for searches

• Situation
• You are writing an article about teaching, where
  you want to find information about what sorts of
  principles should govern how teachers give
  feedback in the classroom.
• What keywords will you use?

6
Keywords or key phrases?

• Whats the difference between typing
• giving feedback
• AND
• giving feedback ?

7
23,900,000 hits
Giving feedback
8
183,000 hits
giving feedback
9
Adding more keywords

• giving feedback
• giving feedback
• giving feedback classroom
• giving feedback classroom English language
  teaching
• giving feedback classroom guidelines English
• giving feedback teacher guidelines English
• how to give feedback teacher guidelines English
• how to give feedback teacher English

• 24 million hits only first relevant
• 183,000 hits same
• 33,100 hits few relevant
• 250 hits most about teacher training courses
• 7,720 hits few relevant pages
• 9,950 hits some relevant pages
• 145 hits 2 relevant pages
• 393 hits several relevant

10
Principles for choosing keywords

• Where set phrases are generally accepted, use
  them
• If you get too many returns, add more keywords
• Play with different ways of expressing the same
  concept

11
Advanced searching

• If you get too many hits, restrict your search
  using Advanced Search
• If you get too many hits focusing on one
  irrelevant topic, restrict your search by
  deleting that irrelevant topic

12
(No Transcript)
13
Advanced search situation 1

• You want to know what the biggest dog in the
  world is.
• You enter the key phrase
• biggest dog in the world

14
(No Transcript)
15
Without Digby
16
(No Transcript)
17
Advanced search situation 2

• You want to go to England to study a course at a
  university in digital marketing
• You enter the keywords
• digital marketing university England

18
(No Transcript)
19
Domain ac.uk
20
(No Transcript)
21
Alternative to Google

• If you cant find the information you want from
  Google (even using different keywords), try
  another search engine
• Use www.alltheweb.com
• Use the Advanced search

22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
Dealing with results 1

• Dont automatically click on the first result
• Read through the summaries
• Look at the URLs (especially domains)
• You may need to look through the first 3 or 4
  pages of results

25
Dealing with results 2

• When you have lots of possible relevant websites,
  use the right mouse button to Open in new
  window
• Keep an eye on the taskbar at the bottom of the
  screen (or the tabs at the top of the screen)
• Work through the pages you have selected after
  finishing with Google

26
An example of dealing with results

• You want to find 10 examples of funny headlines
  to put in the lifts (or to give to Ajarn Harvey
  to put in the lifts)
• You search for
• amusing headlines

27
(No Transcript)
28
Searching for pictures

• Using Google, choose Images
• Use the same searching strategies as when
  searching for information
• With results, left-clicking allows you to see the
  picture more clearly (you can then right-click to
  save)
• Right-clicking allows you to save a thumbnail

29
Click here to search for pictures
30
Notice that Images is now in bold
31
Some differences here
32
Searching for King Mongkut
33
(No Transcript)
34
Right-click and look for Save Picture as Note
this saves a thumbnail only
35
(No Transcript)
36
Click here to see the original page
What you see if you left-click on a picture
Right-click on the picture to save the
full picture
37
Finding background information

• For a topic where you would like to gain a
  general overview, searching can produce results
  that are too specific
• Use an alternative, such as Wikipedia
  http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

38
Enter your search term here
39
(No Transcript)
40
(No Transcript)
41
Task

• Think of some piece of information you would like
  to know (dont make it too straightforward)
• Will you use a search engine or a directory?
• What keywords/phrases will you use?
• Will you use advanced searching?
• How will you deal with the results?
• TRY IT!