Literacy Today

In today's world, I believe that society relies too much on the internet.  When students are asked to do research on a topic, their first instinct is to turn to their computer and type something into google or another search engine to see the information posted there.  Sometimes the internet can give us valuable information, but we need to look past google to find more beneficial information.  Because of the rise in technology, we have many resources on the internet.  On SLU's library website, we can search databases and find articles and other scholarly information without having to set foot inside the library.  Sometimes there are also books online where you can read to get your research.  I even use the internet to look up words in the dictionary or try and find the word I am thinking of in my head in a thesaurus.  Instead of looking at a map to figure out how to travel somewhere, we can search specific directions.  The more I think about the internet, the more I realize how much I use it in my daily life.

Today's young population is used to receiving the information they desire at a fast rate.  When we are looking for something, we want it now.  As students are required to do research, they expect to find the information they are looking for quickly, which is why the internet can sometimes be our enemy.  If we do not take the time to look at the credibility or value of a website, we may not be getting the correct information.  While in grade school and high school, teachers would limit us on the number of websites we could use for a project or paper.  They tried to encourage us to search through books and other sources.

This past week, I have learned different ways to search for information on the internet.  Since I am not a big technological person, I had no idea about the different tricks to use on google.  Now I know if you put a plus or minus sign or different symbols, I can receive more specific results.  Over the past years, google has become way more advanced, just as technology continues to change every day.  Most importantly, we must always look to make sure the site we are using is credible.  Our research serves no purpose if it is out-dated or written by someone who has no authority.  An important thing to remember is to use more than one search engine.  You will get different results depending on where you are looking, and we must take the time to be sure we are getting the best information possible.  Researching is time consuming, but to become educated, we have to be willing to give up the time.

As a teacher, I worry about technology becoming too much of a part of life.  I worry about staying updated myself about the new types of technology and how to work them.  The internet can be useful in the classroom, but I want my students to be educated on how to determine if the sites they are using are credible or not.  If we start teaching children at a younger age, they will be more likely to understand the importance of how to do research in a correct way.