In this lesson you will review material from Comp 030 about web browsers and searching the web. If you are comfortable with this material, you can complete Assignment 5.1.1 on the Module 5 Assignments page and go on to Lesson 5.2.
Using a Web Browser
The following video from Comp 030 gives you a brief overview of browsers and the links below go into more detail.
- Browsing the Web – Lessons 5 to 9 are excellent for getting started. You can also click on the extra lessons provided on this page.
- Google Chrome – This tutorial from GCFLearnfree.org is a good starting point if you have never used the Chrome browser before.
Searching The Web
Searching for information could not be any easier. We can search millions of resources on a topic with just a click of a button. Some of the information that is returned is accurate and useful and some is not. In Module 5.3, you will learn some ways to assess online information. This section reviews the basics of how to search (from Comp 030). If you are comfortable with the topic, complete Assignment 5.1.1 from the Module 5 Assignments page and go on to Lesson 5.2.
The main way to search the web is by using a search engine. Search engines are programs that “crawl” the web, collecting information and creating listings based on that information. In 2018, the most popular search engines were Google, Bing (Microsoft’s search engine) and Yahoo. The algorithms used by these applications have been refined over time and are now the definitive methods for web search.
Two alternative methods, useful mainly in searching within a particular subject area, are:
- Using a directory: Unlike search engines, directories are human-driven databases in which the information is organized using particular criteria. These databases are usually smaller than the database of a search engine. The results though are more relevant to the keyword used while searching. An example of such a directory is BOTW.
- Using a meta-search engine: Meta-search engines do not create or manage their own databases. They search the databases of other search engines allowing you to see results from different search engines simultaneously. Two examples are dogpile and metacrawler.
For the purpose of this course we will concentrate on Google but you can choose to use any method that you prefer.
The following links provide you an excellent overview on how to search online:
- Search Better – This link will take you to GCFLearnfree.org. Make sure to click through all the lessons under this topic. (Be patient as the content might take a while to load)
- BBC_First_Click_Beginners_Guide.pdf – Unit 2, lesson 2.2 is also a good source of information.
Practice searching various topics of interest to you. Then you can complete Assignment 5.1.1 on the Module 5 Assignments page.
Make sure to ask your instructor for help if you have any questions.