Searching for information on the Internet can be difficult. As teachers, we must learn to use the Web as an effective reference tool ourselves, and we should then share that ability with students.

Searching on the Web is an excellent time for metacognition – thinking about our though processes, especially in the problem-solving stage. All throughout the Web search process, we constantly think about how to find information, where to find information, what information is useful, what information is trustworthy, and a myriad of other questions.

One of the greatest challenges in searching for information on the Web is focusing your search. A search on new planets may return thousands or millions of hits, the words new inhabitable planets might find only a few hundred, but the phrase (in quotes) "new inhabitable planets" could turn up just a focused handful of pages.

Try this search for example:

What body in our solar system has just recently been recognized as being the third most likely candidate for containing life (after Earth and Mars) after scientists' discovery of magnetic fields that suggest a salty liquid ocean beneath a frozen surface?

Think about your search before you begin – where would the best information be found, what keywords would return the most accurate results, what sites could contain pages to lead you to the information you seek, etc.

While search engines, directories, and metasearch engines are the most commonly used search tools on the Internet, remember such valuable resources as online encyclopedias and other reference works. Also, make use of online databases, especially those that contain information on periodicals and books that can be used to find information on your subject. The "paper world" still contains the majority of relevant, trustworthy, and useful information for most areas of inquiry, even though the Web is catching up.

The resources below are only a few of the thousands of possible starting points for researching on the Web. Please e-mail me at bpayne@ngcsu.edu with your suggestions for adding to these lists.

Web Search Project:

Procedures: For the 8 questions below, provide both the answer (or as close to an answer as you can find) and the final source URL(s) for the information you cite. Type (or paste) the question, answer, and URL(s) into a Word document.

1. From what culture does the symbol below originate, what is its name, how old is it, and what does it signify?

   

2. What language calls itself "Suomea", how old is this language, where is it spoken officially, and how would one write "Good afternoon" in this language?
3. What is the Chinese form of currency? What is its current US dollar exchange rate?
4. Pick any four states and give the state bird, state song, and state motto for each state.
5. What is the lowest price for a round trip air-fare between Atlanta, GA and Las Vegas, NV leaving on March 6th, 2005 and returning on March 11th, 2005? Which airline is offering this fare?
6. What is the predicted weather for Milledgeville today?
7. What is the driving distance between Milledgeville, GA and Miami International Airport in Miami, FL? What is the exit number for MIA off I-95?
8. Find a laptop (can be new, used, or refurbished) with the following specs for the lowest price you can (under $1000 is great):
   1.2GHz or higher CPU, 256 MB RAM (or >), 40 GB hard drive, >14" screen. 

Type your answers in MSWord and email your responses as an attachment to Professor Payne at bryson.payne@gcsu.edu with the subject "CBIS 2215 Project 5".

Due: Thursday, Sept. 30, by the beginning of class.