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Week One - Introduction to Searching

Complete all of these items by next Monday.

• Reading: Chapter 1 of the textbook. Pay close attention to the explanation of how a URL works on page 13.
• Hands On: Visit Visual Thesaurus and Kartoo. Explore the sites, read the Help sections to understand how they work, try out a couple of searches. You will need to Flash plugin for your web browser to view these sites. Visit http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi if you need to download and install Flash.
• Discussion Board: Post your answers to the homework on the Week One discussion board. Think about the question "What makes a good Internet researcher?" I will post this question later in the week.
• Current Events: If you haven't already subscribed, follow the links in the Resources area to Research Buzz and Librarian's Index to the Internet. These are considered a required resource for the class. Starting next week I will expect you to contribute comments on resources you find from these newsletters.
• AIM: Read and start the Instant Messenger (AIM) homework assignment (Welcome Week Check Sheet). You need to contact me for online office hours through AIM sometime this week. I will usually be online between 9-11pm, and throughout the day. If that time does not work for you, contact me through email and we can arrange a time.
• Reflection: The weekly reflection will be available in the Reflection folder on Sunday. Please take the time to thoughtfully complete the questions. This lets me touch base with you and learn about your experiences in class.

Tip: Print off important information and organize into a binder. I have a binder for each online class I take, just like I would for an on-campus class. I use dividers to section off weeks, units, or chapters, depending on how the class is organized.

Tip 2: Sometimes there can be a lot of messages on the discussion board. Make sure to sxplore the features on the Show Options button to help you manage the discussions. Read all of the messages from the instructor (that's me!) in case I say something profound, interesting, or important. You never know, it might happen!