Chapter 5 to me was an interesting
chapter because it made me think about things that I hadn’t before. When I
think of having to do research online the first thing that comes to mine is
Google, school databases, or Proquest. It wasn’t until reading this chapter
that I realized how important it is to really teach our students about
conducting online research and doing it properly. As a grad school student I
would know what websites to use and what not to use as valid resources, but for
elementary, middle and even some high school students they might be up to date
on the last technology, websites and search engines, but that doesn’t mean that
they really know how to do research online. In all actuality, I
sometimes feel students rely too much on the Internet and any time they find
themselves stuck they end up searching for and finding a website that answers
their question, whether the site is valid or not is a whole other story though.
Of all the chapters read so far I
think I actually liked this one the most because as I continued reading through
it I found myself really understanding and learning about the process and how
to pass on this knowledge to my students. I also learned some new tips for
myself for when I conduct online research. However, I did come across some
facts that I was unaware of and actually surprised by. For instance, I am not
sure if this might still be the case today since the citation does say it is
from 2007 but when I read, “it has been estimated that “less than half the
searchable Web is searchable in Google”” (p. 119) I was surprised because I
personally am very fond of the term “Just Google it!” so when I read this I was
shocked because if this is still true,
then how is it that Google has
become so popular and is viewed as the “know all” of the internet? The next
section on electronic note taking was something I decided I want to look into
because the way it sounds, this method of electronic note taking can actually
be quite helpful, especially for teachers.
The next piece of information that
I gained from this reading that concerned me a bit was the fact that Google
will be providing offline library resources to their databases. This concerned
me because when it states “Eventually millions of pages of text that are now
available only on library shelves will be online worldwide” (p. 122) I began to
wonder would this lessen the need for
libraries? By taking resources that
are only find in libraries and publishing them online won’t that just make the
need for a library unnecessary since everything will now just be a mouse click
away.
The next part I felt was a whole
lot of terms, but they are very useful in knowing, especially the terms on
identifying problems and knowing the difference between the different types of
information, i.e. misinformation, malinformation, messed-up information, and
mostly useless information. However, the most relatable I felt for myself
working with students is Wikipedia and comparing it with other encyclopedias.
Too often I hear students referencing Wikipedia without even a second thought,
and when I try to explain that not everything on Wikipedia is necessarily valid
they just don’t seem to want to understand that. A perfect example that I
sometimes like to share is that when I was a senior in high school this debate
of Wikipedia being a valid source was a big thing in my class, so one day a
group of my friends went onto Wikipedia made up some term using one of our
friends last name, gave it a meaning and ta-da it was on Wikipedia. The next
day during class we talked about how easy it is to put stuff on Wikipedia and
it doesn’t even have to be a real word. So for my final question I would like to know if anyone here has had
this issue of students using Wikipedia as a resource? Do you allow it? If so do
students have to show other sources that prove the information accurate? And if
it is not allowed how do you explain to the students why it isn’t an accurate
resource?
Then....
Now...
Notice how the Library has been replaced by Google...
and finally related to my first comment on how there seems to be a website for everything...
EDUCATIONAL VIDEO PROJECT TOPIC:
Bullying/Cyberbullying using the film Cyberbully and the book Bully by Patricia Polacco
Crystal-
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. It was engaging and the pictures made it fun to view. To answer your questions, I have never had a student use Wikipedia as a credible source (as I currently work in a math classroom), but as I will soon lead my own English classroom, I do not think I would allow it. As you mention, Wikipedia can be accessed and altered by anyone, and not all of the information on the site has be proofread or fact-checked. HOWEVER, I would teach students how to use Wikipedia, and other references, to their benefit. Wikipedia cites many of its references, and these references can be valid information resources. I will teach students in my classes how to look at work cited sections and pick them apart to find resources that suit their research needs. This is a skill I leaned halfway through college, and something I wish someone would have shown me years earlier! I'd also like to comment on what you write about the lessening need for libraries as books become more widely available online. As a book lover myself, I can understand your pain in parting from the smell, touch and experience of holding a book in your hands. Libraries and collections of books make me smile, and it's hard for me to imagine a world without them. HOWEVER, I am sure many people said the same thing about VHS rentals as society shifted to video streaming sources like Netflix and Hulu. Blockbuster was a booming business for many years, but as technology advanced, it no longer made sense to go out and rent a movie when you could order on off the TV. Similarly, I hear that BestBuy is not doing so well and they may soon go out of business. With the launch of Apple products, the convenience of online shopping, and the ability to compare sellers for the lowest price with sites like Amazon, BestBuy no longer has a place in our society. The same goes for online books. They are the way of the future. Sure, it'll be sad to transition away from printed books. I know that I will never be able to give them up completely, but that does not mean that we should shun technology because we are weary of change or too sentimental to evolve.
GREAT PICTURES! Especially the last two, the surgery one if funny because it is a sad truth anything we do not know we head to the internet, search it and read it. In regards to the question about libraries, the internet is taking over so much of the world, businesses, ideas, socialization, etc so why not the libraries too?! I do not understand why society cannot hold onto some of its foundations. I think libraries are very important places for children or even adults to come read, learn and socialize. I for one do not like to read off of the computer, I print everything out and only read it then, I really hope the internet does not take over libraries.
ReplyDeleteI love the outernet comic. It's so true!
ReplyDelete1. I think Google is almost completely comprehensive in giving search results. Maybe one day it will be 100%!
2. Libraries are definitely on the decline, but I don't think their demise is imminent.
3. I'm not a teacher yet, but I wuld allow it as long as they provide backup and additional resources.