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Internet Explorer with Jaws for Windows Tutorials

Using Jaws with Windows XP Tutorials

Practice 5: Searching for Information on the Web

Objective:

Understand the basic concepts of the Internet and World Wide Web. You should understand the common terminology used when discussing the Web and be comfortable navigating a simple webpage.

Materials you will need:

·        Computer with Internet access

·        Internet Explorer browser

Procedure:

1.       Open Internet Explorer again. Remember, don't use the version of Internet Explorer you are using to view this tutorial website. Just go to the programs menu and open a copy of Internet Explorer and then you can use ALT + TAB to toggle between the instructions and the page you are using to practice searching for information. If you find this too confusing, you can download and MP3 version of Practice 5 by clicking here.

2.      Press CONTROL + O to open the address Edit field.

3.  Type the URL:  http://www.google.com.

4.      Use the keystroke INSERT + T to hear the title bar of the window you are in.

5.      A search engine is a program that searches one or more documents for specified keywords and returns a list of locations where those keywords were found.  A directory website is a website that provides a listing of websites by category. Directory sites do not necessarily display all existing websites in that category, just the sites that the directory editors have decided to include. However, they usually include search engines.

6.      Use the terminology and keystrokes introduced in this lesson to explore the search engine website.

7.      To reach the search edit box, press CONTROL + HOME to be certain you are at the top of the webpage, then CONTROL + INSERT + HOME. This will place the cursor in the first edit box on the page, the search edit box. Press ENTER to turn forms mode on so that you can enter text into the box.

8.      Enter the name of an author, such as Stephen King, to find a related website.

9.     Check out the top two sites of Google's results list to see if your search returned pertinent information.

10. Next, try typing in the author's name in quotation marks. For example, "Stephen King" instead of just typing Stephen King. Note the different result you find when you use quotation marks. Quotation marks make sure that the search engine always looks for the words you are typing together with no other words in between. For example, if you type in Stephen King, you could very likely end up with some hits that have to do with King Stephen of Hungary! Using the quotation marks makes sure that the words appear together and in the order you typed them. (Although in this case you will not see such a big difference, because Stephen King is such a popular search subject. To test this, reverse the order of the words and type in a search for King Stephen, you'll still get Stephen King for the first three or four results!)

11. Go back to the search page. Let's assume you are looking for information about a particular Stephen King book. Type in "Stephen King" + "Dead Zone". (Remember to include the plus sign!). Review the search results. Now you should have only entries that have to do with this particular Stephen King novel.

12.  Follow-up this hands-on work with a review of the keystrokes and terminology used.

13. Proceed to Part 3: Lesson 5 Self-Test.