After exploring classroom materials and the library, Ms. Gray helped her students prepare to contact experts on the Internet who might have information to share. She instructed students to use the search engines, such as Web Crawler, to look for information ab out the animal. Nearly every web search yielded results. It didn't take long for many of her students to grow frustrated. Although the Internet provides students and teachers access to an infinite amount of information, it is often difficult to find because the information is not organized.
Search engines can narrow the scope of the exploration but they sometimes lead to bird walking.
Students are intrigued by the multitude of topics which are uncovered through an Internet search, and may end up wasting a significant amount of time linking to interesting web sites which may or may not provide answers to their original questions. Ms. Gray decided to assist her students by creating a page they could access that would narrow their search. For example, instead of getting distracted by all of the links found on a Yahoo page, students could focus on their quest for information on animals. First, she created the basic page. Then, she invited her students to help her find web pages and content appropriate sites that they could link to their page.