In order to obtain information about a particular topic, how many of us actually head to the library? It is more common in this age to head straight to our computers and Google the topic of which we are seeking information. Google allows us to narrow down a search very quickly and receive data that is directly related to our ‘search words’. A teacher that I know uses a ‘Google Book’ within her classroom for all those questions from students that she may not know the answer to immediately. The topics in the Google Book then become a bit of a challenge for both the teacher and the students to find out the answer. The students seem to really enjoy it and I like the fact that it is acknowledging that teachers do not and can not know everything.
Although it can be a very useful tool in research, I think it is important to remind the students that not everything on the World Wide Web is actually correct. We need to make sure that the sites we are accessing have been informed by research and are reputable.
This is a very interesting topic Tonita. I agree. Students need to be made aware that Google is in fact not "all-knowing" as it has been made out to be. We need to educate students in being able to identify false information. We know first hand that anybody can access and alter wiki information, yet people turn to google-wiki for answers.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the first things I was told when I started Uni was that Wikipedia was not to be referenced.......and yet in schools, I see that they are referencing it within their research assignments. I wonder if this is because the teachers are not fully aware of how a WIKI works?
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