ICT

1. Which search site are you using: Google
Let’s say your teacher tells you to find out whether the element mercury is toxic. 2. Start by typing in mercury and hitting the enter key.

4. Look over the description of the first few sites. What are they about: mercury the planet and joining mercury energy
By now you may realize that the word mercury has more than one meaning. 5. Try adding another word to tell what about mercury really interests you. 6. Type in __mercury__ __element__.

8. Look over the description of the first few sites. What are they about: plant mercury elements & mercury energy gas power elements
Although these sites might have the answer to your question, they might not. 9. Now try adding a third word. Type in mercury element toxic.

11. Look over the description of the first few sites. What are they about: mercury toxic poisonous body waste & mercury poisoning
Now you are getting somewhere! By now all the sites retrieved should help answer the question.

Looking at the Numbers

12. Compare the number of Web pages found for the three searches. What do they tell you about how the search engine does its work: yes it does work but you have to describe what you want more clearly
Use Synonyms (a word that means the same as another word)

Let's say you want to find out about living on the planet Mars. You think your keywords should be __planet__ __Mars__ __living__. 13. Put those three words to the search site.

14. How many Web pages were found: 63,500,000
15. Look over the description of the first few sites. What are they about: Now think of synonyms for each keyword. Well, a planet is a planet. Mars is Mars. But other words might work just as well as living, such as coloninzing. 16. Put in planet Mars colonizing to the search site. 17.How many Web pages were found: 18. Look over the description of the first few sites. What are they about: