1	Constructive Surfing How to find what you need on the Internet, when you need it.
2	Before you ever think of searching the Internet for anything… Make sure your web browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc…) has the most recent updates. Make sure your computer is virus protected. Strongly recommended: Spyware and Adware protection. http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html Microsoft® Windows AntiSpyware (Beta)
3	Google this: Google provides an internet search engine that utilizes special algorithms that outperform other engines. PageRank Technology: PageRank performs an objective measurement of the importance of web pages by solving an equation of more than 500 million variables and 2 billion terms. Instead of counting direct links, PageRank interprets a link from Page A to Page B as a vote for Page B by Page A. PageRank then assesses a page's importance by the number of votes it receives. Hypertext-Matching Analysis: Google's search engine also analyzes page content. However, instead of simply scanning for page-based text (which can be manipulated by site publishers through meta-tags), Google's technology analyzes the full content of a page and factors in fonts, subdivisions and the precise location of each word. Google also analyzes the content of neighboring web pages to ensure the results returned are the most relevant to a user's query.
4	Simple Searches http://www.google.com/help/basics.html Choosing Search Terms Capitalization doesn’t matter Google only returns pages that contain all search terms. No need to use “and.” Common words excluded (i.e. where, the, how, and other digits that slow down searches) Stemming Technology (i.e. root words or variations).
5	Phrase Searches For results that match an exact phrase, use quotation marks. Teaching and Learning vs. “Teaching and Learning” Use the “Search within results” feature to expand searches. “best practices”, Ohio, “content standards”, “special education”.
6	Negative Terms If terms in your query have multiple meanings, you can use a minus sign (“-”) in front of words related to the meaning you want to avoid. Google this: bass –fish
7	“+” Searches If common words, ordinarily excluded by the search engine, are necessary, use the “+” sign. Google this: World War I Google this: World War +I
8	Synonym Search If you want to search for a specific term and its synonyms use the tilde sign (“~”) in front of the search term. Google this: ~classroom ~content The resulting search will include terms like: education, learning, teaching, etc…
9	“OR” Search To find pages that include either of two search terms, add an uppercase “OR” between the terms. Google this: technology content standards ohio OR michigan
10	Domain Search You can look in one specific website for search terms by typing the terms and following them with the word “site” and a colon, followed by the domain name. Google this: curriculum model site:www.ode.state.oh.us
11	Numrange Search You can search for results containing numbers in a given range. Numbers can represent everything from dates to dollars. Use two periods between numbers and specify any units of measurement. Try these searches: American History 1900..1920 Electronic Whiteboard $500..1000
12	Google Local You can search for products or services in a specific town or zip code. Use the local link near the search bar.
13	MapQuest Stinks Check out maps.google.com!
14	Advanced Search Once you know the basics, give the advanced search a try. Click the “Advanced Search” link on the Google home page.