Audience

This module is intended to be used by WIT participants (in both the basic and advanced strand) who possess a basic knowledge of the Internet. Participants should have a fairly common knowledge of what the World Wide Web entails and have an internal motivation to develop effective searching techniques.

Subject-matter

Learning to develop effective searching techniques involves the exploration of various search tools that will produce the most efficient results.

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this module, participants should be able to:

• Identify the most commonly used web browsers
• Perform keyword searches
• Identify and use search engines
• Identify and use subject directories
• Perform searches using a combination of keywords and subjects

Materials

• A computer with access to the Internet
• A web browser (Internet Explorer of Netscape)
• Some handouts

Instructional plan

This module can be used as an online tutorial or with the assistance of a mentor in a teacher-led instruction. Practice activities can be completed at the end of each lesson and can be achieved either individually or in a group.

The small group activity is optional but recommended. Mentors should think about how to modify it to fit the needs of their homeroom.

Plan for assessment and evaluation

At the end of eah lesson, students will be asked to perform a brief search using the search tools that they have just acquired. A final activity at the end of the entire module will measure the participant's skill in judging and implementing the best searching technique to complete a scavenger hunt.

Participants can use the Feedback form.