An important aspect of the Internet as a research tool is the ability to search countless servers in the virtual e-world with little difficulty. In this week's Technology Tip of the Week, we will give you an important Internet search tool guide, designed for teachers and students alike.

Tip #21: Internet Resources - A Search Tool Guide

Definitions: Boolean Operators: Named after English mathematician George Boole, this branch of mathematics is used in the Internet world to logically filter and determine what is searched and how using three simple operators: AND, OR, and NOT.

AND: Both sides of this statement must exist. Example: You wish to search for all types of cats that are pets. Search statement: cats AND pets.

OR: Either side of this statement must exist. Example: You wish to search for all types of cats. Search statement: cats OR kittens OR felines. By placing the ORs where shown, the possibilities of kittens and felines are included.

NOT: This is used to exclude something. Example: You wish to search for all types of cats that are not wild. Search statement: cats NOT wild.

Search Engines: The search mechanisms used to perform your virtual searches on the Internet. Some of these engines include: AltaVista (www.altavista.com), Google (www.google.com), GO (www.go.com), Excite (www.excite.com), Lycos (www.lycos.com), Yahoo (www.yahoo.com), and Profusion (www.profusion.com).

1. The Problem: Searching the World Wide Web (WWW) can be a daunting experience in that the resources are vast and interconnected in ways we cannot always perceive. As previously stated (Tip #20), not all of that information is accurate nor is it completely useful. But, finding and narrowing our search for the information we seek are the first steps!
   
   Understanding the Language: Not all search engines use the same Boolean Operator symbolism. The following chart is a reference to the Internet's Boolean Symbol possibilities:  

   Operator	Symbol #1	Symbol #2	Symbol #3
   AND	AND	+	&
   OR	OR	<space>	|
   NOT	NOT	-	!

   
   

2. Using the Search Tools: Summing up the information is a chart with the aforementioned search engine sites and their respective boolean operators.

NOTE: This chart was developed by the Florida Instructional Technology Resource Center (ITRC) and is a subset of their larger guide available on-line for downloading through: http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/iqr/.  

Special thanks to Mrs. Barbara Capralos for this week's tip suggestion.