A
Note to Absolute Beginners: If everything on the Web is brand new to you,
check out ICYouSee
Guide to the World Wide Web: Three Basic Lessons.
Before
You Ask For Help From About.com: A few basics you'll need to know before someone
else can answer your questions. Everyone needs to ask for help from time to time.
You may be confused about something you saw on a web page. Maybe you're having
a problem with your computer you just can't solve. Lots
of people are ready and willing to help -- the folks on the Internet for Beginners
forum, the people who answer technical support phone lines, even your neighbor
or your kids. But before they can help you, you will usually need to know some
basic facts about your computer and
its setup.
Beginner's Central "Created by Northern Webs, a Web design studio in Idaho, this online tutorial is aimed at the Internet newbie. Divided into several chapters, the tutorial guides users through the basic concepts and practical details of using the Internet. Topics include file downloading, email and news reader configuration and operation (on the two major browsers), FTP and Telnet basics, and Internet myths. A summary and brief quiz conclude each chapter." The Scout Report
Browser Tutorial What is a browser? Where do you get one? Learn basic navigational techniques of a Web Browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer) and become familiar with the Internet as a global information network. From the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library and the Utah Academic Library Consortium (UALC).
What is the Internet, the WWW, and Netscape? An excellent introduction from Joe Barker, the Teaching Library Internet Instruction Program Coordinator, UC Berkeley - Teaching Library Internet Workshops.
ICYouSee Guide to the World Wide Web "One of the best introductions to using the Internet I've seen yet. Among the seven basic sections are: What Do They Mean By That? (a glossary); Is the WWW a Good Research Tool (a guide to critical thinking); How Can You Find Anything? (Subject Indexes, Search Engines, Multiple Access, and Evaluative Tools); and What Went Wrong? (a problem-solving guide). What makes it so great is the well-written and humorous discussion of all the above. Designed by staff of the Ithaca College Library to serve as a self-guided tutorial." Librarians' Index to the Internet
Internet Explorer Tutorial from Eastern Illinois University.
Walt Howe's Internet Learning Tree This is a set of Frequently Asked Questions and answers that makes it easy for beginners to learn to use the Internet and the WWW. Each basic question branches to another set of questions and answer. It also includes an Internet Glossary and a brief Internet History. It is one of the first places to look when you need help.
The
Invisible Web or Deep Web
According to Web search guru Gary Price, of
Gary Price Library & Internet Research Consulting, creator of direct
search (below in Subject Directories): "The Invisible Web is a vast
part of the Internet that the search engines can't—or simply don't—include in
their indexes of the Web. The Invisible Web is gaining more and more attention
these days, and rightly so. A study
by BrightPlanet puts the size of the Invisible Web at 400 to 550 times larger
than the visible Web."
CompletePlanet
BrightPlanet Corporation's site contains "103,000 searchable databases &
specialty search engines."
Choosing Invisible Web Databases from Debbie Abilock of NoodleTools.
DisInformation "With the slogan: 'Information is Power' this is the search service of choice for individuals looking for information on current affairs, politics, new science and the 'hidden information,' that seldom appears in the corporate owned media conglomerates. A selected database, some accompanied with short reviews, from quality news sources and Web sites found interesting, provocative and essential." Librarians' Index to the Internet
Fossick.com,
the WebSearch Alliance Directory. "How do searchers access the 'Invisible
Web,' that 75-80 percent of Web sites not found using traditional search engines?
Fossick (an Australian/New Zealand word roughly meaning 'to search, rummage or
ferret out') supplies links to over 3,000 subject-specific search engines.
A particular strength is the Everywhere category, which provides international
search engines for Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, China, Europe, Middle
East, North America, and South America." Librarians' Index to the
Internet
Gateway to
the Invisible Web From Chris Sherman, Associate Editor, Search Engine Watch
and former About.com Web Search guide. SearchDay. December 4, 2001 -
Number 152. "The Invisible Web is an enchanted realm for searchers, but
only if you know how to access its abundant treasures. The Resource
Discovery Network (RDN) is an outstanding gateway to thousands of Invisible
Web sites that's as close to a search engine for the hidden web as you're likely
to find."
Invisible Web - Hidden Sites and Content From About.com Web Search Guide Jennifer Laycock: "The Invisible Web or the deep Web is the vast hidden store of searchable databases that are publicly accessible but not indexed by major search engines for technical reasons."
The Invisible Web: Uncovering Information Sources Search Engines Can't See, written by Gary Price and Chris Sherman, is a 439 page volume covering everything they know about the web's hidden treasures. The book takes a detailed look at the nature and extent of the Invisible Web, and offers pathfinders for accessing the valuable information it contains. They include a history of Web search engines, a detailed examination of what the Invisible web is (and is not), show you how to find your own way around the Invisible web, and include links and descriptions of more than 1,000 Invisible Web resources that they consider to be among the very best on the Net. Coming from these experts, I recommend their popular book and its accompanying site for locating some of the Web's hidden content.
Invisible-web.net
The companion site for the book, including the directory of Invisible web resources. An overview, the book's introduction and table of contents, and all of chapter 12 are also available.
Invisible Web: What it is, Why it exists, How to find it, and Its inherent ambiguity From Joe Barker, the Teaching Library Internet Instruction Program Coordinator, UC Berkeley - Teaching Library Internet Workshops. "The 'visible web' is what you see in the results pages from general web search engines. It's also what you see in almost all subject directories. The 'invisible web' is what you cannot retrieve ("see") in the search results and other links contained in these types of tools."
Navigating the Invisible Web From Chris Sherman, Associate Editor, Search Engine Watch and former About.com Web Search guide. SearchDay. October 23, 2001 - Number 122. "You've likely heard the phrase 'Invisible Web' over the past year. In a nutshell, the Invisible Web consists of material that general-purpose search engines either can not, or perhaps more importantly, will not include in their collections of Web pages. It's not that the search engines and Web directories are 'stupid' or even badly engineered. Rather, they simply can't 'see' millions of high-quality resources that are available exclusively on the Invisible Web."
Profusion From Intelliseek, who first gave us The InvisibleWeb.com directory, ProFusion is their updated meta-search engine that lets you select your own subject category of collected search engines and subject directories, allowing you to "target your search by drilling into one of [their] vertical search groups."
Resource Discovery Network (RDN) "The RDN is a collaboration of over seventy educational and research organisations, including the Natural History Museum and the British Library.
In contrast to search engines,
the RDN gathers resources which are carefully selected, indexed and described
by specialists in our partner institutions. You can be confident that your search
results and browsing will connect you to Web sites relevant to learning, teaching
and research."
Those
Dark Hiding Places: The Invisible Web Revealed From Robert J. Lackie, Assistant
Professor-Librarian, Rider University. "If only I had known! was the bitter
cry of the searcher who relied just on search engines to search the Web. Although
many popular search engines boast about their ability to index information on
the Web, more of it (dynamically-generated pages, certain file formats, and
numerous databases) is becoming invisible to their searching spiders. Much of
the Web is hiding information from us, but we can access this hidden content!
Learn how you can reveal the secrets of these dark, hiding places."
Don't use the Search button on Internet Explorer or Netscape; choose the best engine for your purpose from Debbie Abilock of NoodleTools.
From Joe Barker, the Teaching
Library Internet Instruction Program Coordinator, UC Berkeley - Teaching Library
Internet Workshops.:
A Modular Approach to Teaching/Learning the World Wide Web This pyramid consists of eight self-contained modules which can be used for Web instruction:
The above cartoon by Peter Steiner
has been reproduced from page 61 of July 5, 1993 issue of The New Yorker,
(Vol.69 (LXIX) no. 20) only for academic discussion, evaluation, and research
and complies with the copyright law of the United States as defined and stipulated
under Title 17 U. S. Code.
Computers in our Future (CIOF): Curriculum & Instruction Resources Particularly useful: provides proposed learning objectives for workshops including Introduction to Computers and Intro to the Internet. See also links with interesting sites for new computer users to visit.
RTPnet's Lesson Plans and Resources
RTPnet is a community network in North Carolina's
research triangle. This
site offers excellent lesson plans that boil things down to the basics. Great
resource for anyone teaching Computers for Beginners or Internet Intros. Also
offers handouts that can be used to refresh workshop learning or as self-guided
exercises with some coaching. See: Getting around on a Computer and Exploring
the Internet as good starting points.
University at Albany Libraries
Internet Tutorials See A Basic Guide to the Internet and
Understanding
the World Wide Web sections for ideas on how to present materials. Depending
on the level of your students, some information may be more in depth than is needed.
The link on How to Copy and Paste from a Web Page to Windows WordPad offers
clear instructions and could be used to lead a fun exercise like copying recipes
or poems from the web and reformatting in word.
webTeacher: TECH CORPS Source for web curriculum. Though designed for K-12 use, the web basics section has some useful explanations of urls and web navigation for newbies.
TechSoup: Articles: A Brief History of the Internet TechSoup offers technology resources to non-profits including some interesting articles and links for anyone teaching Intro to the Web. See links to related articles.
The HelpWeb This site may not be as up-to-date as some, but its friendly language and graphics may give some ideas about how to present certain Internet topics to newbies.
Matisse Enzner’s Glossary of Internet Terms
Learners Online's Weekly Online Lesson & Archive I often used the Learners Online site for some guided exploration time during a web intro class. Students can select a topic of interest from the archives and explore a range of resources from around the world on selected topics.
Internet Vocabulary Games on Quia
Mousercise A fun site to help students master basic mouse skills before exploring the Internet.
YouthLearn Techniques for integrating technology into youth programs.
The Alliance for Technology Access ATA's page on designing and understanding accessible web pages.
Page
created by Susan Herzog
Last update: July 8, 2004