You cannot get anywhere on the Internet without a search engine. It is too easy to find an engine that suits you and then stick with it. Like everything else, search engines develop and change, and new ones come along. Search Engine Watch helps you to stay abreast. If you are teaching about searching, this is also a useful site as it charts the strengths ands weaknesses of the major engines. There is a good section on tips for searching.
www.searchenginewatch.com