Internet

The Internet is an electronic communications network connecting computer networks and facilities
across the world.

Gathering Information from the Internet

We live in a time when information is readily available for us with a click of a mouse. The Internet is
filled with vast amounts of information; all we need to do is sort the good ones from the bad.

There are several things you need to take into account when researching online.

Choose the right tools.

When looking for information, use known search engines such as Google and Yahoo!. A search
engine is a computer program used for looking for information over the Internet. These search
engines can seek out relevant information connected to your topic of interest from almost all the
websites out there, and they do it really fast. It is recommended though that you use more than one
search engine to make sure you get the websites the others do not cover.

Enter proper keywords.

Key in specific words related to your topic instead of general ones. Use "How to bake a
chocolate cake" instead of "Baking cakes." This narrows your search by a lot; the pages that will be
displayed will only be on baking chocolate cakes and not on every kind of cake. Also, be aware to
use alternative words such as synonyms.

Use numerous sources.

Be sure to review at least two or three different websites to get a sense of the validity of the
information you are getting. A website is a group of pages joined to form a single entity on the World
Wide Web. Some sites are not reliable because the information can be uploaded by anyone. Check
the web address and look for .edu, .org or .gov, for web addresses that end with these are regulated
by an educational institution, a nonprofit organization, or a government,. Also, go past the first
search page; do not just look at the web entries first presented to you. You might find a better source
on the next one.

Check if the information you are getting is updated.

The information you need might be sensitive to time, and outdated information may be useless
to you, so check how current the information is before using it. Find out when the information
was published and make sure to use the most recent one.

Write down web addresses.

This is essential; do not forget to list down the links where you got your information just in case
you need it for later use.

Nowadays, getting information from different sources is a lot easier than it was a decade or two ago.
Use the tools available to you, and just make sure you get the information from a reliable source.

Example:
In searching for information about public schools, you may key in the words public schools in Metro
Manila in search engines and look for information from the DepEd website.

Explanation:
By using specific keywords, you will be able to narrow down your search, and looking at the DepEd
website will give you reliable information.