Google is a widely used search engine that uses text matching techniques to find websites for users. The search engine has become so popular it has made its way into the English dictionary as a verb. For example, "He googled the woman he had met at the party"; "My children are googling all day." These days, when someone wants answers to a question, they automatically turn to Google. But Google is not as "all-knowing" as most might see it to be. Nobody owns the internet. There is nobody sitting at a desk validating information as being correct. So how do we educate the next generation to decipher this information and equip them with the skills to determine what information is correct and what is, put simply, "Google junk"?
You've made a good point about the need to verify the validity of information on Google. It really is an incredible resource for finding information, however, students need to be taught how to search effectively. For example, being able to identify key words or phrases makes searching for information much more effective and less time consuming. The Big6 e-learning framework is a good tool for scaffolding student's use of Google and reaserch skills in general.
ReplyDeleteI think you both have made excellent points with regards to teaching students how to search effectively and to locate credible sources when finding information. I think it is also important to teach students that Google and the internet is not the 'be all and end all' and that they need to continue to use other resources such as the age old books, encyclopaedias, journals, atlases and dictionaries for example. As you pointed out Stacey, nobody is sitting at a desk validating information and anybody can post things on the internet so its our job as Learning Managers to scaffold learning and teach children how to research.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to find a balance between using the internet for research and using books. There are skills involved with using books effectively and students need to be taught these. For example, being able to use contents pages and indexes to look for key words or ideas makes research, with books, more effecive. In this day and age I think we need to make a conscious effort to engage our learners with books to ensure they are not only relying on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI think the simple answer is skills: skills which enable learners to find information, make sense of it and use it to benefit their own learning.
ReplyDeleteWell done Stacey. That is a very succinct comment.
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