Conduct subject-oriented searches of World Wide Web directories.

Search by keyword to find what you are looking for.

Perform full-text searches of the Web's full-text indexes.

Use the advanced search syntax to find what you're looking for efficiently.

Perform concept searches based on ideas instead of specific key words.

Use metasearching to search several search engines at once.

Know how to get online help from human beings who will conduct searches on your behalf.

Conduct scholarly searches across a broad range of academic disciplines.

Use multimedia search engines to find pictures, audio, and video, in addition to text.

Search Usenet newsgroups to find information in discussions of current research topics.

Learn how to search the Web for people and find the person you are looking for.

Get maps and driving instructions.

Find out about new search engines and improved search strategies.

Choose something to search for such as, biking or biology. Use the directory structure of these tools to find information. What path did you follow to find information? Did you find this a useful way to search for information?

Use these keyword search tools to look for something specific like the Tour de France 2000 or the Human Genome Project. Did your search take you directly to useful information? Were there many sites that led you astray?

Now try some of the searches you used for subject-oriented searching and keyword searching with these concept searching tools. Did you get better or worse results with the concept searching tools?

Try the same searches again with these metasearch tools. How did your results differ from your previous attempts? Did you see many of the sites repeat? Did you think the results were better?

After visiting these human searching sites, formulate a sample question that you would find reasonable to pose using each one?

These sites purport to give scholarly results. Try your searches again with these tools. Did you see a difference in the kind of information that was returned compared to your earlier search attempts?

Use these sites to find a picture or audio to illustrate something you are currently interested in. Were the results things you could use? Did you find pictures or audio you hadn't seen previously?

The content of newsgroups has changed greatly over the past few years. What did you find useful to search for in newsgroups? Were the tools provided helpful?

This site is great for searching for utilities or small programs. What kind of files did you find in your searches?

Use these tools to try to find someone you've lost contact with. Were you able to find him or her? Was one of the tools more capable or friendly than the others?

Now that you've found your long lost friend, use one of these tools to determine how to drive to him or her. Which site provided the easiest interface and the clearest directions?

These three sites claim to provide free legal advice online. How could one make the best use of these links? What services might be most usefully provided this way?

No matter how many search tools you've tried, there are always more! Take some time to browse through these sites to learn about how search engines are constantly changing.