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.