Philippine Christian University
Senior High School
K-12 Basic Education
EMPOWERMENT
TECHNOLOGIES
(Applied Subject)
Module 7
“Online Searching”
I. GENERAL OVERVIEW
ICT or Information Communication Technology refers to technologies that
provide users an access to information through telecommunications. It may also refer to
the use of these technologies such as Internet, wireless networks, communication
devices, computer hardware and software, satellite systems, as well as the various
services and applications associated with them.
II. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Explain how search engines work and give examples
2. Use search engines for online searching
3. Demonstrate how to do an effective research online.
III. STUDY TIME
TRIVIA/GLOSSARY OF TERMS
1. Deep Web- any information in the web that are hidden, invisible or unreachable
to search engine crawlers
2. Piracy- the act of illegally copying or selling a computer program, music, film and
other types of media.
3. Plagiarism- the act of taking credit for someone else’s word of ideas
1.7 Online Searching
A search engine is a service in the Interne that allows users to search for
content through the Google world wide web. For instance, the user enters an
information using the search box through keywords or key phrases into a search
engine. The search engine, then, provides a list of web content results like websites,
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images, videos or other online data. The list of content returned to the user is known
as a search engine results page (SERP).
How do search engines work?
Search engines do not run searches right after you type a query. They
continuously scan the web daily. A program called Spider gathers information from
websites for search results. When you search, the engine checks each word in a
database called the search index and shows the best matches. It may also guess
what you want.
Search engines use a Ranking Algorithm to organize pages based on what
they think you need, with the Page Ranking Algorithm being the most famous.
Websites earn money through visits, so spammers try to trick algorithms to appear on
the first page of results, leading to more clicks and revenue.
An industry has emerged around optimizing content to improve a website's
ranking, known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). To prevent fake sites from
ranking high, search engines regularly update their algorithms and use external
information. Machine learning, a type of Artificial Intelligence, helps computers learn
and better understand words.
Common Search Engines
The internet offers a various search engines for users looking for information on
the web. The following are some of the latest and most useful search engines as of
today.
1. Bing Search
Bing is a decision engine designed by Microsoft to help users make decisions
faster by providing different search options like Wiki suggestions, visual search and
related searches. It was formerly known as MSN Search and Live Search. In June
2009, Microsoft updated and renamed it into Bing. It uses an exclusive search
algorithm to provide relevant search results. Bing also allows users to have one-click
access to weather, maps, videos, stock quotes, and other information.
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2. Dogpile Search
Dogpile is a meta-search engine that provides and compares results from leading
search engines while eliminating duplicates. The developers of this search engine
even created its own mascot which is a dog named Arfie that acts as a retriever. In
the late 1990s, Dogpile slowly faded and Google appeared. After a few years, it came
back to the market with a growing index and a clean and quick presentation. It is also
family-friendly due to its variety of filtering options to limit explicit content for young
users or anyone who wants to avoid such materials.
3. Duck Duck Go Search
Duck Duck Go is an open-source search engine that tries to protect the
privacy of users without filtering those search results and personalizing them
based on the history of the user. It is quite similar to Google but has many
refinements making it different. It has smooth features like zero-click information
wherein users can scroll down continuously without the need of clicking the next
page to see more. It also allows to turn off ads. It is a helpful search engine but not
intrusive.
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4. Google Scholar Search
Google Scholar is another web search engine owned by Google that
provides users numerous scholarly literature and academic resources. It lets the
users explore related works, authors, citations, and publications; and keep up with
the recent developments in any area of research. Users can find graduate theses,
legal and court opinions, academic publications, medical research reports, physics
research papers, economics and world politics explanations here. This is the
perfect engine for loaded information and high-powered sources. It presents
scholarly research that is ranked by the weight of the full text each document,
where it was published, who it was written by, as well as how often and how
recently it has been cited in other scholarly literature.
5. Google Search
Google is the most used search engine in the world. It is fast, relevant,
and has the largest single collection of web pages. It also tracks an enormous
amount of information that people can easily access. Its algorithm, called
PageRank, ranks web pages not just by content and keywords, but by the
number of web pages linked to page. It filters search results based on sites the
user has been visiting. Google offers other services such as Gmail, Google
Images, Google Maps, and Google News. These are useful tools for sending
mails, locating photos, geographic directions, and news headlines. If a user is
looking for a particular website or needs to locate a few facts quickly, searching
with Google Is a good choice. Google has become widely known that the term
"Google" is now often used as a verb, synonymous with "search".
[Link] Archive Search
The Internet Archive, also known as Way Back Machine, is a digital library
of Internet sites and other cultural items in digital form that provides free access
to people, especially Researchers, Historians, and Scholars. It has an amazing
collection of books, television programs, movies, music, and more that are saved
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over time. It contains snapshots of the entire web for the past years and
continuously captures web pages as they appear now for future references.
[Link] Search
Webopedia is an online encyclopedia and search engine about IT
terminologies and definitions. It explains abbreviations, words, and phrases related
to computing and information technology. It is one of the most useful websites on
the web, especially for IT professionals, educators, and students.
Webopedia is also a perfect resource for non-technical people to understand
computers more. Aside from providing clear definitions, it also suggests articles
and links for additional explanations. It also accepts suggestions for new terms.
8. Yahoo! Search
Yahoo! is a large web portal that offers a wide range of features aside from
being a search engine. It is also known as a news aggregator, a shopping center,
an e-mail box, a travel directory, a horoscope, games center, and more.
It offers several services including Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Shopping, Yahoo!
Games, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Travel, Yahoo! Maps, and Yahoo! Mail. This
search engine allows user to discover and explore while searching the web. It is
also one of the leading search engines. It was originally developed as a web
directory and was the first web search site to gain worldwide attention until it has
expanded into a full-featured web portal.
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Pros and Cons of Online Search
Generally, just like the internet, online research has a lot of benefits to
people. It is undeniable that it made life easier and more convenient. Below are
the best benefits of online research:
1. It is faster and saves more time. For instance, when a
student goes to a library to make a research, it may take him
several minutes or even hours in finding what he is looking for.
Alternatively, it will only take him a few minutes to search for a
topic using the Internet.
2. It is a convenient way to gather information.
Since the internet can be easily accessed through
computers or gadgets there is no need for people to
go out of their house, school or workplace and walk
to a library to look for several books to collect
information. It truly reduces travel time and costs.
3. It is easier to share information. Some
websites allow sharing content to other sites such
as Facebook and Gmail. This lets anyone to easily
share the information to other people. Online
sharing allows people to copy-paste information and
save them for future references.
4. It provides up-to-date information. Internet
resources are updated more frequently than print
resources, which is why online sources can provide
the most updated information. Also, a lot of people
can contribute ideas and knowledge easily and
immediately through this platform.
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5. It offers information in different forms.
People are able to access information in various
forms like audio and video-which are not found in
books and other printed materials. Theses allow
people to learn in a way that is more effective to
them.
6. It enhances computer skills. Online
searching allows students to develop their
knowledge of the internet and computer skills that
will help them throughout their lives and careers.
This is especially true nowadays where almost
every job in the corporate involves the use of
technologies.
Issues in Online Research
Using the internet is really useful today for data collection. However, just
like other technology, it should be use with caution.
1. It is not always reliable. Computer user can now
easily create web pages and post them online. This is
why in spite of several sources online, it is important to
verify if a source is reliable. Scholarly resources are
found online, but they typically require payment to use.
2. Some sites require payments. When it comes to
resources, the internet has a vast amount to offer.
However, some credible resources typically require
users to pay a fee before accessing the information.
Some user then are forced to input their bank account’s
information.
3. There is no human interaction. Online searching
cannot offer human interaction; unlike in library or other
places where students learn how to make friends, be
patient, and study among other students.
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4. Online resources are easily changed or removed.
The content on a site may be totally different or even
completely gone the next day. For instance, in
Wikipedia, anyone can modify the content of any topic
and repeat it again some other time.
Research Skills
When applying for a job, providing in-depth information and opinion on a specific
topic is an excellent skill. There are several jobs that require an employee to perform a
research like in development, publication, and sales. Employers like applicants who are
good with information. Finding good sources and writing documents while managing time
are skills that can be very useful in the someone's career in the future.
Good researchers are vital to employers. Graduates who can research more deeply into
their industry are often able to come up with new ideas and better ways of doing their
jobs. Someone who can conduct good research into a sector will appear as someone
dedicated to his employer and has the desire to improve. Here are the common skills
needed to gather accurate information online:
1. Be patient. Today when almost everything can be acquired instantly, some people
tend to get annoyed when they cannot find the answers to their queries online after
spending a few minutes. In doing a research, try to use a wide variety of sources in order
to find and confirm any information.
2. Be specific with the query. By asking or entering relevant and specific question and
search queries, students can get better search results.
3. Collect several resources. Most users tend to be contented at the first search result.
They used to think that when a website or article is on top of the search result, it is the
most trustworthy source. However, it is not true all the time. A good researcher is
persistent enough gaining a broader perspective.
4. Respect intellectual properties. In the modern era, a lot of people, especially the
younger ones, see piracy as a normal thing and is not anything to be alarmed for.
5. Use networks appropriately. There is a thin line between sharing information and
plagiarizing it. Not everyone is aware of plagiarism.
6. Verify the sources. Checking the sources is vital in research to ensure that the content
of a website is accurate, valid, and appropriate.
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IV. MODULE SUMMARY
A search engine is a service in the Internet that allows users to search for content through
the web. Some of the most useful and well-known search engines as of today are Bing, Dogpile,
Duck Duck go, Google, Google Scholar, Internet Archive, Webopedia, and Yahoo. Online
searching is the process of interactively searching for and retrieving requested information
through a computer from online databases. Online searching has its advantages and
disadvantages. Developing the skills in online searching can be a big help in a student's career.
V. REFERENCES
WEBSITES / FILES:
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TemplateLab.com_-[Link]
IMAGES
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BOOKS: Empowerment Technologies (iBook IT Courseware Series) – 2nd Edition
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