Search Tools
Internet Resources
What's New:
Our New Library Webpage
July 21, 2011
This is a culmination of a lot of work! As the webmaster, it is my hope that you enjoy it. As with every new endeavor, I'm sure there are some mistakes. Please let me know of any that you find (pat.gann@sccboe.org)!
This webpage doesn't have the photos entered yet.
I didn't realize how remiss I had gotten in not having photos taken of the
library or computer lab in the last few years. I've been so busy with the
students, I haven't gotten pictures of all the work they've accomplished.
Hopefully, this will improve and photos of their work can be added over the next
few
years.
One of the projects I would like to add someday soon is a virtual tour of our library. Now that we are working on videos, maybe that can be a project that will be finished someday soon.
Ms. Gann, Media Specialist
Donations:
Check It Out!
July
21, 2011
The library depends on you, the parents and community of Moody! You have been, and always will be the inspiration for our students. Therefore, when we have our two sales of the year we ask you to participate if possible.
Donating old print cartridges help us a lot. They bring in extra money for us to purchase ink cartridges for our laser printers. We have never charged students to print their papers or to use the printers for research purposes and we are hoping not to have to start that practice. Most schools have had to resort to that in this tough economy as printer cartridges increase in price. Our cartridge costs are $250.00 ea. for one printer and up to $400.00 for the other printer in the library. One library sale last year barely made enough to pay for the cartridges for half the year. As you can see, this is a big expense for the library and this does not even include the printer cost for the computer lab which is supported by the library as well.
Thanks for any help you can give with your time again this year. The students and faculty of MJHS appreciate all you do!
Alabama Virtual Library:
August 21, 2011
In today’s world, the Internet is used as an information highway that helps students, teachers, and administration to get up-to-the-minute news, information sources outside the boundaries of the school walls, and a method of communicating with other students and schools world wide.
The AVL allows access to various encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases and other reference materials as well as the actual books that are located in the library. Together, the books, the Internet, and the Virtual Library allow students to expand their horizons and opportunities to learn about the world in which they live.
Links to Research for Internet
Top 10 Search Engines!
| Search Engines |
| Duck Duck Go |
| Ask (aka 'Ask Jeeves') |
| The Internet Archive |
| Yippy (formerly 'Clusty') |
| Yahoo! |
| Bing |
| Mahalo |
| Dogpile |
| Webopedia |
Most people don't want 290 search engines, especially people who are internet beginners. Most users want a single search engine that delivers three key features:
1.Relevant results (results you are actually interested in)
2.Uncluttered, easy to read interface
3.Helpful options to broaden or tighten a search
The Top 10!
What's different between these "Top 10"?
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At first, DuckDuckGo.com looks like Google. But there are many subtleties that make this spartan search engine different. DuckDuckGo has some slick features, like 'zero-click' information (all your answers are found on the first results page). DuckDuckgo offers disambiguation prompts (helps to clarify what question you are really asking). And the ad spam is much less than Google. Give DuckDuckGo.com a try... you might really like this clean and simple search engine. |
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The Ask/AJ/Ask Jeeves search engine is a longtime name in the World Wide Web. The super-clean interface rivals the other major search engines, and the search options are as good as Google or Bing or DuckDuckGo. The results groupings are what really make Ask.com stand out. The presentation is arguably cleaner and easier to read than Google or Yahoo! or Bing, and the results groups seem to be more relevant. Decide for yourself if you agree... give Ask.com a whirl, and compare it to the other search engines you like. |
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The Internet Archive is a favorite destination for longtime Web lovers. The Archive has been taking snapshots of the entire World Wide Web for years now, allowing you and me to travel back in time to see what a web page looked like in 1999, or what the news was like around Hurricane Katrina in 2005. You won't visit the Archive daily, like you would Google or Yahoo or Bing, but when you do have need to travel back in time, use this search site. |
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Yippy is a Deep Web engine that searches other search engines for you. Unlike the regular Web, which is indexed by robot spider programs, Deep Web pages are usually harder to locate by conventional search. That's where Yippy becomes very useful. If you are searching for obscure hobby interest blogs, obscure government information, tough-to-find obscure news, academic research and otherwise-obscure content, then Yippy is your tool. |
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Yahoo! is several things: it is a search engine, a news aggregator, a shopping center, an emailbox, a travel directory, a horoscope and games center, and more. This 'web portal' breadth of choice makes this a very helpful site for Internet beginners. Searching the Web should also be about discovery and exploration, and Yahoo! delivers that in wholesale quantities. |
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Bing is Microsoft's attempt at unseating Google. Bing used to be MSN search until it was updated in summer of 2009. Touted as a 'decision engine', Bing tries to support your researching by offering suggestions in the leftmost column, while also giving you various search options across the top of the screen. Things like 'wiki' suggestions, 'visual search', and 'related searches' might be very useful to you. Bing is not dethroning Google in the near future, no. But Bing is definitely worth trying. |
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Mahalo is the one 'human-powered' search site in this list, employing a committee of editors to manually sift and vet thousands of pieces of content. This means that you'll get fewer Mahalo hit results than you will get at Bing or Google. But it also means that most Mahalo results have a higher quality of content and relevance (as best as human editors can judge). Mahalo also offers regular web searching in addition to asking questions. Depending on which of the two search boxes you use at Mahalo, you will either get direct content topic hits or suggested answers to your question. Try Mahalo. You might like it enough to even become a editor there. |
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Years ago, Dogpile was the fast and efficient choice before Google. Things changed, Dogpile faded into obscurity, and Google became king. But today, Dogpile is coming back, with a growing index and a clean and quick presentation that is testimony to its halcyon days. If you want to try a search tool with pleasant presentation and helpful crosslink results, definitely try Dogpile. |
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Webopedia is one of the most useful websites on the World Wide Web. Webopedia is an encyclopedic resource dedicated to searching techno terminology and computer definitions. Teach yourself what 'domain name system' is, or teach yourself what 'DDRAM' means on your computer. Webopedia is absolutely a perfect resource for non-technical people to make more sense of the computers around them. |
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Google is the undisputed king of 'spartan searching'. While it doesn't offer all the shopping center features of Yahoo!, Google is fast, relevant, and the largest single catalogue of Web pages available today. Make sure you try the Google 'images', 'maps' and 'news' features... they are outstanding services for locating photos, geographic directions, and news headlines. |
