This article presents KnowledgePuzzle, a browsing tool for knowledge construction from the web. It aims to adapt the structure of web content to the learner's information needs regardless of how the web content is originally delivered. Learners are provided with a meta-cognitive space (e.g., a concept mapping tool) that enables them to plan…

The authors describe how content-based multimedia search technologies can be used to help learners find new materials and learning pathways by identifying semantic relationships between educational resources in a social learning network. This helps users--both learners and educators--to explore and find material to support their learning aims.…

This special report is the latest installment in an ongoing series about how online education is changing teaching and learning and the development of curricula. It was produced with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. This paper contains the following articles: (1) Changing the Role of K-12…

Searching for relevant information on the web is an important aspect of distance learning. This activity is a challenge for visually impaired distance learners. While sighted people have the ability to filter information in a fast and non sequential way, blind persons rely on tools that process the information in a sequential way. Learning is…

Given the massive amount of science and mathematics content available online, libraries working with science teachers can become lost when attempting to select material that is both compelling for the learner and effective in addressing learning goals. Tools that help educators identify the most appropriate resources can be a great time saver.…

Discusses World Wide Web searching techniques for information professionals, and describes and evaluates four search systems that provide advanced search features and that search a comprehensive and authoritative database of Internet sites. Sample searches are explained and professional searching on the Web is discussed. (LRW)

Describes the corporate origins, development, and unique features of three World Wide Web search tools. Open Text released LiveLink Search 64 in April 1996. Harvest indexes fewer sites than many competitors but offers powerful searching options. 2ASK is a service that provides links to over 100 Internet indexing tools and rates Web sites and…

Analyzes whether push technology is a threat or opportunity for online searchers. Outlines key functions of push technology products and defines key technology terms. Illustrates how the role of the online searcher changes with push technology. (AEF)

This article features the netTrekker d.i. The World Wide Web offers students the ability to do extensive searches for information. Properly used, it allows them to conduct the type of in-depth research that past generations could only dream of. Along with the opportunities are challenges. Danger lurks in the form of sites with misleading,…

Presents guidelines for selecting World Wide Web search engines. Real-life questions were used to test six search engines. Queries sought company information, product reviews, medical information, foreign information, technical reports, and current events. Compares performance and features of AltaVista, Excite, HotBot, Infoseek, Lycos, and Open…

Current search engines--even the constantly surprising Google--seem unable to leap the next big barrier in search: the trillions of bytes of dynamically generated data created by individual web sites around the world, or what some researchers call the "deep web." The challenge now is not information overload, but information overlook.…

Four English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) dictionaries available in electronic form are compared and evaluated, focusing on content and organization, utility for students unused to the computer, inclusion of supplementary language corpora and other reference materials, multimedia capacities, and search options. (MSE)

An article and four sidebars examine tools that help information professionals perform efficient Internet searches. Topics include search engine features, integrated software applications, document management and creation utilities, the speed of online communications, intelligent agents for filtering information, cross-platform networking…

Describes a HyperCard-based simulation/tutorial for the Macintosh that is designed to teach users to search the Medline CD-ROM database on an IBM microcomputer. Results of a user survey are reported, and the potential of HyperCard for bibliographic instruction, including the use of the tutorial to develop transparencies, is discussed. (MES)

Libraries subscribe to thousands of electronic journals and they are difficult for end-users to find. Journal and publisher interfaces and functionalities differ considerably. The recent development in e-media calls for central management of the resources. Lund University Libraries' Head Office has developed a service for presentation and…