In order to develop activities using the internet, you have to be able to surf around comfortably. One of the most important aspects of surfing is knowing which search engine to use and how to use it.

(1) Visit each of these popular search engines. 
Search for the same topic on each engine. 
Choose a subject you’re interested in or one of the following: Lizzie Borden, clock . 
Compare the results. Some are better than others. Some people like one, other people like others. 
Answer the following questions: 
                Which one(s) do you like best? Why? 
                 Do you think one engine might be better for a specific kind of search than another one? Why? 
                 (Send me the answers)

Altavista 

Ask Jeeves 

Google

Yahoo

(2) Read this article Seven Steps toward Better Searching by Bernie Dodge. This article will give you ideas on how to use a search engine efficiently. 
Do the Worksheet. (I found it very useful) and Take the Quiz.  It’s a good way to learn how to phrase your inquiries so that you get the best results. Check your own answers.  
Let me know your results and how you felt while you were doing the worksheet and taking the quiz.

(3) Supplementary: Here are some links to more sources you might want to look into and add to your favorites / bookmarks: 
ESL Sites-
ESL Sites Suited to Content-Based Instruction, in A Sampling of Web-Based Resources for Content Instruction by Michael Krauss.
Links for teachers-
The Internet TESL Journal's TESL/TEFL/TESOL/ESL/EFL/ESOL Links
Dave's ESL Cafe Web Links 
Linguistic Funland
General resource links: 
Big Chalk (good for links to use making activities): 
Infoplease (check out the Almanacs)

(4) Although we aren’t going to look into this in this course, you might be interested in how to evaluate a website and how you can help your students learn to judge website quality. These sites might be interesting: 

Checklist for an Informational Webpage
Checklist for a Business/Marketing Webpage
Practical Steps in Evaluating Internet Resources