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ERIC Number: EJ952505
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 5
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1740-4622
EISSN: N/A
Critical Reading of the Web
Griffin, Teresa; Cohen, Deb
Communication Teacher, v26 n1 p5-9 2012
The ubiquity and familiarity of the world wide web means that students regularly turn to it as a source of information. In doing so, they "are said to rely heavily on simple search engines, such as Google to find what they want." Researchers have also investigated how students use search engines, concluding that "the young web users tended to examine briefly the first few hits on the initial results pages before performing new searches, rather than examining every hit in detail." Students "appreciate the time saving characteristics of electronic resources," but they "opt for the easiest and most convenient method of information seeking." Online library databases take a bit of extra effort, which students are initially unwilling to expend. Students too easily trust the results fed back to them by their favorite search engine (usually Google). A 2007 study of student use of Google found that, when all factors are considered, students trusted Google's positioning more than their own judgments as to the relevancy of an article. Most approaches in convincing students not to use web searches in general and Google in particular as their primary, if not only, source of information seem to fail. In this article, the authors describe an activity which offers a different approach, in that it attempts to "prove" to students that their favorite tool can lead them astray. The activity allows students to discover for themselves how inaccurate some materials on the web can be. It tends to elicit emotional reactions of surprise, confusion, and anger. In doing so, the activity increases students' understanding of the reasons for use of library databases and resources, and their motivation for using those resources. A list of references and suggested readings is included.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A