Google and its Benefits

This week’s readings made me think about the internet.  There is so much information to be found online—some good, some bad, some mediocre.  Yet, isn’t worth sifting through the bad and mediocre to find that great website full of valuable information?! One of classes had a debate about Google.  We discussed the flaws and the shortcomings and assets.  While there were many of both, in the end it was decided that since Google is here to stay for a while we need to take advantage of all that it has to offer.

As librarians, we may cringe when students choose to turn to the internet for all of their information needs when we know other sources might have more to offer.  Nonetheless, I really appreciated reading “The Google Game” and “Return of the Google Game”.  If students are determined to use Google to receive their information, we need to step up and help them search effectively so that they can find valuable information from the web.  Also, the creativity in the lesson was great! One of the best ways to engage students in the lesson is by allowing them to have fun!  With the Google Game, students were absorbed in the lesson, motivated to learn, and actively demonstrating their understanding.  Internet searching is an important skill for this generation, and after this lesson students will carry the skills with them for future use. 

Also, it is important to recognize all the extra tools that Google is offering, beyond its basic search engine.  There is a lot of room for innovative lessons using these tools, as was demonstrated in “Google in the Classroom-More than just Research”.  As school librarians, it is important to be aware of these tools and active in collaborating with teachers to encourage the use of these tools.  Part of our role is to learn what exist out there so that we can teach technology skills to the students using these Web 2.0 offerings.  We cannot hide behind our stacks of books forever; rather we need to embrace the internet and Google to participate in the tools that they offer to us as educators.

Copyright Awareness

The issue of copyright can be complicated, hard to navigate, and very intimidating.  However, it is a legal issue that needs to be understood and not just ignored.  I feel that many times educators tend to justify any copyright issue by putting it under the heading of “educational use” without thinking about it any further.  However, this is not always true.  One important step is to create awareness.  Copyright is not necessarily included in college education classes, so is may be up to the school library media specialist (SLMS) to teach their co-workers and create awareness.  Furthermore, equipped with knowledge about copyright, teachers then can transfer this information to their students.

It is important to start making students aware of copyright while they are still young.  Once teachers know about copyright, they can start including it in their lessons.  Copyright Alliance Education Foundation (http://www.copyrightfoundation.org/ ) offered many practical tips on incorporating little lessons about copyright in easy to do ways, such as pointing out the piracy notice that plays before every movie.  We cannot expect students to know about copyright if we do not teach them.  It is especially important to clear up misconceptions about this topic now when many students have the mindset that everything on the internet is “free”.  Teaching students about copyright when they are young is a step toward teaching them to value the ethical use of information.

Information Gaps

While reading both Gordon’s article as well as “Information Behavior of the researcher of the future,” I came across the statement that younger students are unaware of their own informational needs and as a result are unable to search effectively.  This statement came as a surprise at first.  Yet, the more I read and reflected on the statement, the more truth I found in this statement.  My own experience working with students reflect this, as sometimes despite having a topic they do not know what they are looking for.  When this problem came up, the SLMS usually suggested starting with broad research, and then based upon those findings, narrowing down the topic of research.  While this strategy may work in some instances, as the readings pointed out, many times students are not taking the time to read and evaluate their sources, which makes it difficult to narrow the focus while continuing research.  This goes to show how necessary it is for the teacher-librarian to work with the students and teach them information literacy skills.

Moreover, Eli Pariser’s video was eye-opening.  Although it is not an issue when using library resources and databases, the personalized selection of materials that many search engines are providing may hurt students’ research.  Often younger students rely on Google to provide them with their information, yet due to this personalization they may not be able to find the sources that they need, especially as search engines lean more towards a “junk food” diet of information.  I strongly agree with Pariser’s point that we need to receive a “balanced diet” of information that will entertain, but also information that presents us with new ideas that challenge us.  This new tailoring of the internet is not only serving to isolate us, but also may lead the dumbing down of our nation as the latest celebrity gossip begins to take relevance over world events. 

Beginning of the Semester

Being new to online classes, I was a little hesitant about how the class would go and what to expect.  So far, I have survived the first week and I am optimistic about what lies ahead.  The set-up of the class is very different from the traditional class, but is very fitting considering the subject of the class.  Being given the opportunity to use blogs, bookmarking tools, rss feeds, etc was a little overwhelming at first, yet is providing me a chance to learn the new technologies, which will hopefully play a prominent role in the education system soon.  Another benefit of online classes, is that I feel that my education is in my own hands.  Not to say that this is not the case with traditional classes, but I feel that traditional classes hold you more accountable, while with this online class I have the mindset that the effort that I put into the class will determine how much I learn and what I get out of the class.  Again, this is not untrue of traditional classes, but it is a good motivator for studying hard this semester!

Furthermore, this week’s topic of assistive technology made me appreciative of the fact that every child in America has the right to an education.  It is refreshing to think of all of the rules and technologies that exist to bring out the potential of every child regardless of the obstacles they may have to work to overcome.  It is important to make sure that the school library has tools to help students with disabilities since the library is a central spot in the school where all students will come to access information.  No child should be isolated from information and learning.  The library should be a spot where all students feel welcomed and able to learn.