MAPping Information

When I decided to register for a class on integrating Technology into the curriculum, I thought to myself, "This will be a nice summer walk in the park for my last semester of college".  Of course I expected to learn things, but I also thought that I would already know much of the information presented, I mean, I am a Library and Technology Aide at a middle school, for goodness sake!-- It's my job to help students with finding information through technology and the internet. Needless to say, when I took the Web Literacy Quiz I was startled by how many questions I just didn't have answers to. 

  I consider myself pretty savvy when it comes to finding information; I don't always rely on Google (although admittedly, I probably do more often than I should). I like to use Ebsco and other library search engines as well as Google and Yahoo and Bing to find information. It's just that Google is so easy and fast, and honestly, after years and years of using it, Google is familiar. But after being reminded that the placement of websites on a Google search list has little to do with the relevance of the search, but the amount of traffic, I will be much more careful in future searching.  I also had a n "ah-ha!" moment when I realized that I use Boolean phrasing all the time in my Ebsco searches, but I have never utilized that very helpful approach in other search engines. I also am excited to utilize the search technique of limiting results to educational sites only. What a wonderful way to help weed out all the nonsense that comes up in a search!

After completing this assignment, I realize that I do need to alter the way I search for information on the internet, and equally importantly that as an educator, one of my new goals will be to ensure that my students become information literate. Children are using the web to find information at home and at school at younger and younger ages. It is important to introduce proper search techniques right away. As they advance through the grades, students can and will access more and more information at a faster rate. It is for this reason that students must be taught to be savvy in their research methodologies at every stage of their education.  21^st century learners must and should utilize the web to access the wealth of information available to them, but they (and their teachers) must also be competent at discerning valid and appropriate content when seeking information. My hope is that I can obtain and impart that knowledge to the students that I teach.