Week+3+Discussion+Board

This was an interesting article. I have read a few like it before. I believe that there are many skills that people need to use technology well. This article focused on finding and evaluating information on the web. Searching capabilities of the technology user are very important. It is very important that users of technology know how to find information. This means that students need to know many different ways of searching. They need to not only be able to search through multiple search engines, but they also need to understand the keyword feature. I have had the opportunity through another graduate course to examine my own search strategies. I learned that I needed to branch out and use other search engines. I also learned that although I mostly use Google as my search engine, I do find what I am looking for in an effective and timely manner.

The article also touched on determining how relevant the information is, and finally, letting the user decipher whether or not the information is true or accurate. Much of this is related to the site the information came from. When one searches, one needs to be sure that the site with the information does not have a hidden agenda. .com and .org sites are usually funded by businesses and organizations while .edu and .gov tend to be for educational and data purposes. These sites usually have better information. I also tend to look on more than one site and compare the information. If there is no conflicting information, then I can deem the information accurate to the best of my knowledge. Both of these aspects of searching are also important for the student.

While these are all important aspects of technology and internet use, I think that the students need to also be able to communicate with each other. Google Apps for Education is a great way to do this. These are free apps that promote collaboration among themselves. Different Web 2.0 applications are very important now. The collaborative and social aspect of education is becoming greater and greater. Students use social media all of the time outside of school. I think that these should be brought into the classroom in more ways.