[Baynet] Infopeople's online learning course "Extreme Googling.2"

[Linda Rodenspiel]

Since this announcement might not reach everyone who might be interested in 
this course, we would appreciate it if you would please print and post or 
route this announcement to your colleagues.

Title:  Extreme Googling.2: Discovery Tools (online learning course)

Dates:  January 10, 2006 - February 6, 2006

To register for this course:  Use the online registration form at
http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Workshop/191

Fee: Because of grant funding, California residents can take this course 
for the subsidized fee of $75.00. The out-of-state fee is $275.00.


Want to take FULL advantage of Google's many search features? Even 
experienced Googlers can improve their results by learning more of Google's 
secrets. Extreme Googling.2 will equip you to use the Google family of 
databases and services to respond to questions in ways ordinary web 
searching cannot. For example, you will learn when and how to use Google's 
specialized databases; where to obtain quick math answers, equivalent 
conversions, stock performance comparisons, patents, parcel tracking, 
vehicle ID numbers, airplane ID numbers; how to probe web pages' history, 
ownership, usage, and links.

Extreme Googling.2 builds on the skills learned in "Extreme Googling.1: 
Google's Way of "Thinking." If you have not taken Extreme Googling.1 before 
taking this course, please take the "Googling Skills Self-Assessment Quiz" 
at the end of the course description on 
http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Workshop/191


Workshop Description: This is the second of two online courses that 
together cover, at a pace geared to let you absorb and experiment, what the 
all-day, in-classroom Extreme Googling course covers. In Extreme Googling.2 
you will do many short exercises alternating with brief explanatory 
readings, take quizzes, participate in online discussion, and answer "live" 
questions.

Preliminary Course Outline:

Module 1: Finding Information on a Subject
--Lesson 1: Searching for specialized directories, link lists, and 
databases; Google's Directory
--Lesson 2: Google as encyclopedic glossary
--Lesson 3: Finding and using weblogs and newsgroups

Module 2: When and How to Use Google's Special Databases and Shortcuts
--Lesson 1: The Images and News databases; the unique usefulness of the 
Froogle and Catalogs databases
--Lesson 2: Google Local
--Lesson 3: Shortcuts for quick answers

Module 3: Google Special Services
--Lesson 1: Translate, PageInfo, and investigating URLs
--Lesson 2: A "hack" and search for retrieving pages from within a country
--Lesson 3: GAPS proximity search using a Google API key

Module 4: When Google Doesn't Work
--Lesson 1: Google is always evolving
--Lesson 2: Alternatives to Google and useful bookmarklets
--Lesson 3: Thinking in sync with search engines and websites; Books for 
keeping up-to-date


Workshop Instructor: Joe Barker.  Joe works full-time, year-round job in 
the Teaching Library at the University of California, Berkeley, where he 
does instruction librarian and reference desks in the Moffitt and Doe 
libraries. Since 1995, he has been coordinating the Berkeley libraries' web 
searching classes, and has maintained an online web-searching tutorial that 
is still one of the most linked-to web searching tutorials in the world.

Who Should Attend: Like Extreme Googling.1, this course is suitable for 
anyone in the library community who tries to hunt for information on the 
Web. However, this is an advanced course, building on the skills covered in 
Extreme Googling.1.  If you have not taken Extreme Googling.1 before taking 
this course, you can gauge your readiness for Extreme Googling.2 by taking 
the "Googling Skills Self-Assessment Quiz" at the end of the course 
description on http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Workshop/191


Prerequisites:
A.  This course is taught over the web. You must:
--Have an Internet connection and Internet Explorer 5 or higher (some of 
the quiz functions do not work properly in Netscape).
--Be able to save Microsoft Word .docs or Adobe .pdf files to your computer 
and print them out. (For .doc files, a free Word Viewer is available at 
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en. Search for 
"Word Viewer." For .pdf files, a free Adobe Acrobat Reader is available at 
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html).
--Be comfortable navigating on the web and navigating back and forward on a 
website that uses frames.

If you are not comfortable with any of the above, please consider taking 
this course with a colleague who does meet these requirements.

B. Completion of Extreme Googling.1 or possession of equivalent knowledge 
of Google search techniques is required in order to participate fully in 
and understand Extreme Googling.2.  If you have not taken Extreme 
Googling.1 before taking this course, please take the "Googling Skills 
Self-Assessment Quiz" at the end of the course description on 
http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Workshop/191


Online Learning Details: This four-week course will be taught online using 
the web. When you register, you will receive a registration confirmation 
which will include the URL to get to the course, as well as a username and 
password.

Every student proceeds through the online learning modules at his or her 
own pace. However, students should expect to commit to spending a minimum 
of 2 to 2½ hours per week on this course in order to be successful. You can 
work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night. 
However, you will be expected to log in to the course each week to do that 
week's assignment. We ask that you log in sometime during the first week of 
the course to begin the course work.

Your instructor will be available for limited consultation support for two 
weeks after the official end date of a course, and the course material will 
stay up for an additional two weeks after that, to give those who have 
fallen behind time to work independently on the course. However, you will 
be expected to accomplish the majority of the course in synchronization 
with your peers during the first four weeks.

To view a complete list of Infopeople workshops and for general information 
about Infopeople training opportunities, go to the main Infopeople 
Workshops page at http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop

If you have questions about registration or scheduling of workshops, please 
contact Linda Rodenspiel, the Infopeople Project Assistant, at 
assist at infopeople.org or by phone at 650-578-9685.