Lab 2
Part 1

Lab 2: Information Retrieval and the WWW

By the end of this lab, you will be able to:

• Comfortably use the Web as a resource
• Use Search Engines to find specific pages
• Download images, sounds and other files
• Understand which page styles are good and bad

This lab will introduce to you the World Wide Web, not as a toy or an exercise, but as a resource. Even if you're already comfortable browsing the web, you will probably want to skim the introductory text for tips and tricks you aren't aware of. Of course, if you know a few tricks we've missed, send them along in your email.

First we'll give you some background information, and then you'll get to explore the web, searching for pages on all sorts of things and downloading pictures and sounds. Undoubtedly, you'll come across more neat things than you can explore all at once, so keep Notepad open, and copy down the URLs (locations) of all the interesting sites you find. Not only will you want them later in this lab, but next week you will be creating your own web page and that list will be a great resource.

Once you're comfortable navigating the web, you'll be challenged to complete a treasure hunt for buried information on the Web. For each question on the list, you will need to provide a link to the answer. At the end of the lab, you will submit the results of a search using an advanced Boolean query and the results of your treasure hunt. Good luck, and happy browsing!

Part 1: Introduction (this page)
Part 2: WWW Basics
Part 3: Searching (Windows and the WWW)
Part 4: Online Resources
Part 5: Downloading files
Part 6: The Treasure Hunt
Part 7: Submitting your work and logging off