Get better and faster at finding what you need, evaluating websites, capturing graphics or sound clips and retrieving, cutting and pasting... There are complete free courses online, many of them fun as well as instructive.

Besides getting to know the search engines and directories listed below, you would be well advised to invetigate the e-library facilities of your nearest British Council. For a very small outlay per year (RM50 in Malaysia) you can gain access to Internet databases and other resources worth hundreds of times the subscription fee.

• Bare Bones
  A basic tutorial in 20 succinct lessons, covering all the essential aspects of using the Internet.  The last lesson provides links to other tutorial sites.  From the home page you can also access library and information guides on such topics as citing sources, evaluating web pages and dealing with plagiarism.
  http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/pages/bones/bones.shtml
  
  
  
• Geekgirls: Plain English Computing
  An Australian site with easy-to-read tutorials and step-by-step guides to basic computing, Windows tools and technigues, word processing, spreadsheets and databases. Under Tips, References and Resources you'll find 50 Great Help Sites, Using Search Engines and Dealing with Browser Messages (for example).  In the Internet Guide Archives you'll find Internet tips and tricks and Internet Security and Privacy..
  http://www.geekgirls.com
  
  
  
• Internet Public Library (Web Searching)
  Click on Searching Tools > Web Searching for concise, sound advice on which search engines to use in which circumstances and information on how to use each one. 
  http://www.ipl.org
  
  
  
• Internet Tutorials (formerly State University of New York at Albany)
  An admirably clear site. Click on Using and Searching the Web and Basic Internet
  http://www.internettutorials.net/
  
  
  
  
• Microsoft Tutorials
  Choose the Microsoft program, the subject area and/or the grade level you are interested in, then ask for a tutorial (there are lots available), how-to articles, a virtual classroom tour, lesson plans, case studies... And it's all free!
  http://www.microsoft.com/Education/Tutorials.aspx
  
  
  
• Pandia
  The free search tutorial claims to teach you what you need to know in 30 minutes.  The site gives access to information and links for all the major search engines, directories and utilities.
  http://www.pandia.com/
  
  
  
• TONIC: The Online Netskils Interactive Course
  Free, but you need to register. Course modules include practice and quizzes.. You might want to start with the Searching the Internet module.
  http://www.netskills.ac.uk/onlinecourses/tonic/
  

   

• UC Berkeley Library: Internet Workshops
  This site claimes to have been the most heavily used and linked-to tutorial on web searchng worldwide.  From the Table of Contents page you can choose the topics you need, and you can explore to the depth you need--from complete beginner to advanced researcher.  This advice from the UCBL is backed by research:  Time invested in learning to use the Web efficiently and effectively is well worth while.
  http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
  
  
  
• Webhound
  Still one of the best tutorial sites on the Net for learning how to use it. Worksheets can be adapted for use with students. There are useful links to other sites with similar purpose.
  http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/webhound/index.html
  

Learn how to get the most from search engines at these sites:

• Bright Planet: Guide to Effective Searching on the Internet
  This covers everything--under 51 topic headings, so bookmark it. Start with Executive Summary: The Two Minute Bottom Line and proceed as you need. An essential point: ‘Time is well-spent in understanding how to pose a proper query and how to take advantage of the way search services work'.'
  http://www.brightplanet.com/deepcontent/tutorials/search/index.asp#index
  
  
• Find Websites
  This page of the University of California at Berkeley library gives quick access to the most important search engines (and directories) along with quick tips on how they work. Scroll down to the bottom for more help e.g. on search strategies
  http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/Help/search.html
  
  
• Search Engine Watch
  Click on Web Searching Tips à Search Engine Maths to start. Eventually you will probably also want to look at Power Searching for Anyone too.
  http://searchenginewatch.com/facts