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Advanced Searching

How do you find video files, audio files, Excel files, PowerPoint files on the web? Why reinvent the wheel when the item already exists? Learn how to find slide shows on the topic you want to teach. Use the Advanced Search function to locate exactly what you want and quickly. Remember, your search is only as good as the keywords that you select. If you do not find that the first 10 results contain what you seek, don't keep looking at that list of search results. Go back and modify your keywords to try to state more clearly exactly what you seek. The keywords are what matters when using a search engine. Keep refining them to get the results you want!

 

  • Search Engines and what they do best.

    • Google Advanced Search Google is excellent for finding file formats like Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. Select Advanced Search then type in your topic in the search box and look below for the File Type box. Using the down arrow, select the type of file you are looking for then search. All the files returned will be in the format that you selected. Advanced Search is excellent for finding PowerPoint files on your particular subject.

    • Hotbot Advanced Search Hotbot Advanced Search is wonderful for finding sound and video/movie files. Select the Advanced Search feature then type in the topic you seek. Scroll Down to the Page Content area and check the kinds of files that you seek then run the search. The results will be sites on which you will find sound and video/movie files. These are not quite as obvious so you do have to look carefully to find the files.

    • Alta Vista Search Alta Vista offers both the tabs for image search and tabs for video and audio (mp3) files. The Advanced Search is also available here but is not necessary as you can find sound and video available from the main page. The results will be sites on which you will find sound and video/movie files. You will still have to go the the site to find the sound files. Remember they are linked to web pages not embedded in them.

  • Now What

    • You found a great PowerPoint that has several slides you want to use. How do you get it to your computer?

    • Point your mouse at the name of the file on the Search Results Page. Right click and select Save Target As. You will now see a save file dialog box. Select the location on your computer and save. The file will be downloaded to your machine. Now you can use the PowerPoint.

    • If you modify it, be sure to credit the source of the file.

  • Dressing Up Your Files

    • Suppose you would like to add a Video/Movie to your file

    • In PowerPoint, Insert, Movies and Sounds, Movies from File

    • Select the video/movie file saved on your hard drive

    • Either double-click or highlight the file and click on Open

    • After a brief wait, you will get a question--start automatically or not. Answer Yes if you want the movie to begin when your slide appears and No if you want to start the movie by a mouse click.

    • That is it--Your movie is now in your PowerPoint slide show.

    • See how easy it is!

  • Inserting sounds and pictures

    • Insert, Movies and Sounds, Sound from File

    • Select the sound file that you want

    • Double-click or highlight and Open

    • Answer the same question and the sound is now on your slide

    • Pictures work the same way. Insert Picture, Picture from File. Locate the picture and double-click or highlight and Open. The picture/animation now appears in the middle of your slide. Drag it where you want it on the slide.

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This page was updated on:  03/07/03