Source: Galileo Tutorial
To a certain degree, researching comes fairly easy for me. I've been guiding middle school students through research for the past few years. However, sometimes researching can be challenging when you don't get the desired results on the first search attempt. I usually begin searching using a keyword on the given topic. If I don't get the desired results, I then use prior information on the topic to either use another keyword search or short phrase. I uses google images on a regular basis to help my four-year-old daughter with her homework. However, it was interesting to learn that you can upload an image of a piece of art into google and do a search for the artist. I am definitely a part of the google generation. I've found that Google gives "cleaner" results; no extra ads, unrelated suggestions. My search habits are very similar to teens. Keyword searching is their first line of defense when it comes to finding information. It was interesting to learn about the filter bubbles. I like the search engine feature of making suggestions or assumptions. But I didn't realize that search results can vary from person to person and even from computer to computer. I can avoid creating filter bubbles by using specific keywords and phrases and eliminate the opportunity for assumptions.
Tonya,
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading your post. Your comment is very similar to my post. I also search using key word searches and phrases. I also like Google; it allows you to view various sites as well as images, files, news, and many other topics. I was a special education teacher for 12 years prior to becoming a media specialist and my students always went to Google to search for information, no matter what the topic was. However, as a media specialist I have the opportunity to teach information literacy, as well as web searching and other strategies to find information.
I really appreciated that you remembered to discuss the differences between the search you conducted at school verses the search you conducted at home. I had forgot to include my findings in my blog, but I did find different links depending on the computer I was logged on to. At school when I searched a topic I was directed to links commonly used by students, like Wikipedia, National Geographic, and history.com, but at home I was directed to Wikipedia and then images of the content I was searching for. I am a visual searcher so my home Google search linked me to images of the topic I was exploring.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very important for students to search for information in a way that is comfortable and familiar for them, but I believe they need to be taught how to assess whether the information is accurate and credible, which is why students need to be taught how to ask questions about the information they gather. The article "True or Not" highlighted several questions students should ask themselves as they critique information they obtain online. Teachers and media specialists need to teach and model these questions to illustrate the importance of gathering information that is accurate and credible.
Finally, I fell like it is important to teach students about the "Filter Bubble" and how not only social networks, but search engines attempt to personalize information based on an algorithm. We need to be careful not to be limited by the information a search engine thinks we want to see, but instead be open to search out information we NEED to see. This can include information with opposing view points.