ASSIGNMENTS: WEEK TWO-SEARCH ENGINES In order to develop activities using the internet, you have to be able to surf around comfortably. One of the most important aspects of surfing is knowing which search engine to use for each purpose and how to use it efficiently. Some of you probably have a lot of experience with Search Engines, others might not. Hopefully this week we can fine tune our abilities and share hints with each other so that everyone can surf comfortably. (1) This webpage The Major Search Engines ( http://searchenginewatch.com/links/major.html ) from SearchEngineWatch.com has a fairly exhaustive list of popular search engines with a brief description of each. Choose two or more and search for the same topic on each engine. Choose a subject you’re interested in like: Lizzie Borden, clock, Olympics, Mexico, etc. Compare the results. Some are better than others. Some people like one, other people like others. **Which one(s) do you like best? Why? **Do you think one engine might be better for a specific kind of search than another one? Why? **Do you have a favorite Search Engine that isn't mentioned here? **Have you ever had positive or negative experiences with any of the engines mentioned?                                           Post your answers under MESSAGES. (2) There are a number of articles that can help you learn to use Search Engines more efficiently. Most people don't have the time to spend looking through 12,000,000 hits to find specific information. These webpages can help you. Look through them and find the one that helps you the most: **Seven Steps toward Better Searching by B. Dodge. (http://edweb.sdsu.edu/WebQuest/searching/sevensteps.html) **A Search Logic Primer, by R. D. Ralph (http://www.netstrider.com/search/logic.html) **Search Engine Glossary from SearchEngineWatch.com (http://searchenginewatch.com/facts/glossary.html) or **Search Engine Math from SearchEngineWatch.com. (http://searchenginewatch.com/facts/math.html) When you finish, do this worksheet (http://edweb.sdsu.edu/WebQuest/searching/sevensteps-worksheet.html) from Seven Steps toward Better Searching by B. Dodge. (I found it very useful).  It’s a good way to learn how to phrase your inquiries so that you get the best results. Check your own answers.  Feel free to comment on your results with a MESSAGE. (3) Supplementary: Here are some links to more sources you might want to look into and add to your favorites / bookmarks: Links for teachers-The Internet TESL Journal's TESL/TEFL/TESOL/ESL/EFL/ESOL Links     (http://iteslj.org/links/TESL ) Dave's ESL Cafe Web Guide ( http://www.eslcafe.com/search/index.html ) The Linguistic Funland (http://www.linguistic-funland.com ) Tower of English  ( http://members.tripod.com/~towerofenglish/index.htm )--I've found lots of fun things here recently. What are your favorite links?? Post them to Bookmarks and send us a Message letting us know why you like them.