Asia EdNet Tutorial - Module 1
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What's out there and how do you find it? |
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Using subject directories 
Subject directories (or indexes) are a way of trying to impose some organisation on the Internet. They are databases of links to Internet sites, collected and organised by human beings according to a hierarchy of headings decided by the designers of the directory. There is generally at least a cursory evaluation of all the sites added to the directory.
You can click your way through the hierarchy from general to more specific categories. Subject directories often include a facility to search using keywords.
This section will look at three subject directories and how to use them. Ways of conducting keyword searches using search engines are dealt with in the next section.
Yahoo! and the Asian Studies World Wide web Virtual Library
Some subject directories are very large, like the well-known Yahoo! directory (http://au.yahoo.com/).
Task 3 - A sample search in Yahoo!
Follow this link to see how you might find information about children's games in Japan using the Yahoo! subject directory.
On the other hand, some subject directories are more restricted, such as the Asian Studies World Wide web Virtual Library (Asian Studies WWWVL) (http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html).
The Asian Studies WWWVL (which is only a part of the total WWWVL), is a respected collaborative resource managed by the Australian National University in Canberra. Users can suggest sites for inclusion and they are then approved by academic advisers before being listed.
Task 4 - Using Yahoo! and the Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library
Visit the Yahoo! (http://au.yahoo.com/) subject directory and scan the front page. Note the categories that are used and the types of sub-categories contained within them.
Use this directory to find information about the following topics. For the moment, don't use Yahoo!'s keyword search facility as it is important here to see how subject directories can be structured.
- Aung San Suu Kyi
- Korean recipes
- National parks in Malaysia
- Indian folk stories
- Indonesian performing arts
- [Your own topic, of particular relevance to your own classroom]
Some  possible paths through the Yahoo! categories
Now try using the keyword search facility and compare the results with that of your directory search. Do some types of topics lend themselves better to one method of searching or the other?
Note that this keyword search facility only searches the Yahoo! directory itself and does not attempt to search the whole World Wide web like search engines do.
Use the Asian Studies WWWVL (http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html) to find information about the same topics.
Don't forget to bookmark or note the addresses of any sites you find that you think might be useful later on.
Task 5 - About subject directories
After completing your searches using Yahoo! and the Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library (Task 4 above), write some notes about the following questions.
- What sites are found on both directories?
- What kinds of sites are more likely to be found using Yahoo!?
- What kinds of sites are more likely to be found using the Asian Studies WWWVL?
- What are some strengths of these subject directories?
- What are some difficulties about their use?
- Under what circumstances do you think you would use one of these directories?
A  print version of these questions is available.
Important points for consideration
Education Network Australia (EDNA)
Education Network Australia (EdNA (http://www.edna.edu.au/)) also includes a subject directory of resources and links suggested by the States and Territories which are approved before being listed. There is a section devoted to studies of Asia (http://www.edna.edu.au/go/browse/3830:759:4794:12150).
Task 6 - Using EdNA 
See whether you can find some sites concerned with Buddhism by navigating through the EdNA hierarchy (http://www.edna.edu.au/).
Need some help?
Suggested path through EdNA
EdNA is much more than a list of resources. You can find out more about its contents and how it might be useful to you by following this link.
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