Module 4 - Web Tools & Techniques

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• recognize that some Web pages are published through a formally reviewed publication process and others are created by Web users.
• use evaluation criteria from previous modules to select the best information sources.
• experiment with new Web communication and search technologies.
• consider possible uses of new Web technologies in the research process.

Introduction to Web Tools & Techniques:

Recent years have seen tremendous growth in collaborative Web publishing, instant communication and sophisticated search tools and techniques. The World Wide Web has become an important means of distributing information, as well as a venue for sharing ideas and initiating collective action. Anyone with an Internet connection can access the wealth of information and connectivity provided by the Web, and those without home computers can use Web resources through schools, colleges, universities, or public libraries.

Web publishing and communication allows everyone to instantly publish research, thoughts, opinion or a call to action. We can view unique historical documents from around the world. We can communicate with our friends and colleagues any time of day or night. We can communicate with others who share our interests. We can write to our elected officials. We can contribute to our favorite causes. Society is becoming profoundly interconnected by the Internet and its various tools for communication.

The Web offers convenient and efficient access to people who may have difficulty with traditional publications. For example, some computer software can translate a document into sound by "reading" it out loud. Other programs can translate a document into many different languages. Computers also allow resizing of documents to enlarge text for easier reading.

In this Module, we will examine some of the tools and techniques for communication, publishing, and searching the Internet. We will look at ways these tools are impacting the way we interact and ways in which these tools might enable us to be more informed. Many of these tools may be useful in the research process.

New Communication & Search Tools on the Web

The Web has significantly changed the way that people communicate with each other as well as the way they search for information.

In the past, most publications went through a formal process of evaluation by an editor before they appeared in print. On the Web, self publishing is now common. Another major change is that information has become interactive. Now readers have more opportunity to respond to what they read and to communicate with others who have similar interests.

In Module 3 we saw how to use keywords and Boolean logic to create search statements. This is still the core technique for finding information. However, innovations in search engines offer different ways to search for information on the Web. In Module 4 we will take a closer look at some of these technologies and consider how they could be used for information research.

TIP: Knowing how to evaluate information will be an especially useful skill as you use these new communication and search tools. When you know that anybody is allowed to edit or post comments you should be cautious about what information to believe.