CIT-11 Home http://www.c-jump.com/CIT11/CIT11syllabus.htm
Chapters 5 and 6 cover related topics.
We will combine our study of these two chapters into one unit.
Therefore, the course material for chapters 5 and 6 should be done during weeks 5 and 6.
The overall objectives of the chapters and the additional required course readings are to:
Learn about the different types of search engines
Learn how to evaluate a website's authenticity
Learn to effectively structure your search query
Read chapter 5 and skim through chapter 6 in Fluency with Information Technology.
In addition to the book's chapters, read through the below list of lessons from the on-line tutorial available from the University of South Carolina below.
At the end of each lesson you'll find an assignment that enforces or demonstrates the topic learned in that lesson.
You should complete each assignment to help reinforce the topic.
Note: I am not collecting those assignments but some of the homework will be based on the topics in these lessons.
Lesson 1: Search Engines
Lesson 2: Metasearchers
Lesson 5: Evaluating Web Pages
Lesson 6: Creating a Search Strategy
Lesson 7: Basic Search Tips
Lesson 8: Searching with Boolean Logic and Proximity Operators
Lesson 9: Field Searching
Lesson 10: Troubleshooting
Lessons 11 through 17 each take a closer look at a specific Search Engine or Metasearch. Read about at least one of the metasearchers and at least one of the search engines.
The below group of links provide good information and examples on assessing the quality of a website. Read through these articles to learn more about how to assess the authenticity of a website:
Read this article on
There are lots of great on-line resources for using search engines, metasearches, evaluating sites, etc.
If you find other websites that you find useful, please share them with the class by posting them on the discussion board.
Read this article on
Do the searches for problems 1 thru 6 below and answer questions a thru d for each of the problems.
Be sure to label your answers with the appropriate problem number (i.e, 1a, 1b, 1c, etc.).
When creating your query be sure to think about your search before you begin and be sure to use the search strategies referred to in this week's readings.
Find information about:
pets with the elderly as therapy.
Reagan's speech at the Berlin wall.
President Lincoln's assassination.
alopecia areata what is it and what causes it?
Long Q-T Syndrome who does it usually affect and how does one get it?
how self-esteem relates to young girls' likelihood of developing eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia.
For each search problem, organize your answer by the following categories of information:
(a) What search engine did you use? (include the search engine's url as your answer)
(b) What was your query? Your answer must include 'exactly' what you typed to do the query.
(c) Provide the URL for a site that contained the information you were looking for.
(d) Evaluate the site. Assess its quality and authenticity. Would you consider it a reliable source? Refer to this week's readings on evaluating sites to help with this process. Explain how you evaluated the site and what helped you decide if it was or wasn't reliable.
Pick 1 query from Part 1. Find two sites that contain the information you're looking for; one site must be from a reliable source and the other must be from a source that you wouldn't consider reliable.
a. Which query did you choose
b. Provide the urlfor the reliable site
c. Provide the url for the 'unreliable' site.
d. For each site, explain how you evaluated the site and what helped you decide that it was or wasn't reliable.
Do a search for Richard Nixon and his dog Checkers. Then limit the search until there are less than 1000 hits. Take a picture of the screen to show that you have less than 1000 hits. Be sure the print-screen image includes your query and the number of hits.
Do a search for Alaska and coffee plantation. Then limit the search until there are less than 1000 hits. Take a picture of the screen to show that you have less than 1000 hits. Be sure the print-screen image includes your query and the number of hits.
Find a picture of the first computer bug. Read the story behind it and send me the address where you found the picture. Who is Grace Murray Hopper?
In this part of the assignment I'm asking you to write the query for each problem just type the query as your answer to the question. You do not have to search the web for this information (but you if want to that's fine too).
When writing the queries, be sure to remember your basic logic and mathematical concepts: ANDs are resolved before ORs and if you want to change this order of resolution you need to use parenthesis. For example, if I want to find references to vaccine and either polio or lyme I would code it as vaccine AND(polio OR lyme). This way the polio OR lyme are resolved first and the result is vaccine combined with either polio or lyme. If I coded it as vaccine AND polio OR lyme it would be interpreted as vaccine and polio or just lymeby itself - there would be no connection between vaccine and lyme. The vaccine and polio would be resolved first and the lyme would stand-alone.
Write the query that could be used to find sites that include methods, procedures and events.
Write the query that could be used to find sites that include turkey and stuffing and either cranberry or squash or pie.
Write the query that could be used to find sites that include yorkshirepudding and roast beef.
Write the query that could be used to find sites that include HTML and either CSS or JavaScript
Write the query that could be used to find sites that include information on the Dallas Cowboys football team not Wild West Cowboys.
Write the query that could be used to find sites that include information about the planet Saturn not the car.