Earlier this year, a Midwest bank manager told me about a youth market survey the bank had conducted on youngsters and technology. The survey revealed that while youngsters were “Internet-savvy” and attracted to mobile banking, when it came to making critical decisions about finance, they weren't so savvy. They relied on word of mouth from their parents and friends—and limited their Internet searches to well-known search engines like Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) or Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO)
The bank welcomed the news—because it meant that marketing dollars could be funneled into just a handful of Internet channels. But these survey results also raise other questions.
Kids are considered “Internet-savvy”—but do they have the skills to critically navigate through gigabytes of good and bad information and perform the research necessary to make sound decisions and cultivate higher learning?
"The majority of students, middle schoolers on up through college, will start and end with Google in their search,” said Jim Teicher, CEO of Cybermart! Education. “Even then, their understanding of how their selection of keywords can impact the quality of their search results is horribly weak, not to mention the fact that they don't realize that Google does not include many of the fee-based quality research databases. But then, relatively few adults realize this either.”
Important skills for Internet searches include:
Effectively developing the right search questions and topics
Being able to locate information
Critically evaluating the usefulness of information
Synthesizing information to answer questions, and
Communicating results to others.
“Internet skills are like any concept which necessitates student instruction,” said Susan Brooks, co-founder of Internet4classrooms. "Since these skills are not tested by many states, other areas of instruction that are tested get class-time priority. Because of this issue, many students may not have had direct instruction on how to perform research, and their skills reflect this.”
One Internet skill Brooks suggests that teachers stress is how to evaluate Websites for accuracy and authenticity. Other skills include learning word and punctuation usage to ensure a good compact search, and how to quickly scan a Website for information.
“Teachers can create a hotlist of Websites for students to explore and discuss in class,” said Brooks. “By giving examples of acceptable and unacceptable standards that students need to look for in Websites, students learn to quickly assess sites for validity.”
The alternative to developing critical cyber-search and verification skills is “surfing,” where youngsters go with the flow of what interests them, leaving much of the critical thinking behind—and wasting time in the process.
“Teachers are very aware of the need for instruction,” said Brooks. “Parents who do not use the Internet and youngsters who do may not be aware of the skills needed for effective searching. Students tend to do what other youngsters have taught them or rely on their own self-developed ways of searching.”
Most experts agree that once Internet skills areas are addressed, students understand how to search much more efficiently. “But what the educators are typically NOT as aware of is this - that the implications of having so much information at our fingertips means that critical thinking skills are more important,” said Jim Teicher. “It’s more than simple retrieval skills….Tests that ask students to retrieve facts are silly. The kids have the Internet to retrieve facts. Tests that ask our kids to use the facts to present an argument or develop a position--this is critical thinking. These are the skills our kids need to achieve in the twenty-first-century environment.”
Schools that must push through a lot of students are mass learning engines that cut a swath through the mid-section of the learning population--and leave students who are gifted and students who are slow behind.
It is a frustrating process, but one difficult to overcome because of budget constraints and the diversity of learning profiles that an average classroom teacher must face.
Internet as a tool in schools can also fall victim here--because again, it is built into these standardized learning formats.
What is very compelling is what a few teachers have advanced as "best pratices" for Internet learning. One project has middle school students building an entire virtual city (a la Second Life), with infrastructure to keep the city running, laws to govern it, arts and culture to bring it alive. Along the way, kids learn advanced cyber skills.
I too enjoyed your article. I hesitated on making any comments because it struck deep and I agreed with so much of it.
What I personally found 'frustrating' with curriculum in both high school and college was that because of its structure, demand, and rigourous schedule, it left very little for creativity and so much for regurgitation. Matt Damon pointed that out in "Good Will Hunting" where I jumped up with joy that others (this was 1996, no web2.0) too felt this way.
Perhaps that is where the 'proper' schools come into play as they embrace, and cultivate creativity along with 'learning'.
Contrary to my frustrations, I was a part of a program from 6 through 12th grade that allowed for more collaborative learning environment..well actually 10th grade was the last grade level that supported a talented and gifted curriculum and by then it had become 'mundane' and pointless..and was called 'humanities' a mere mashup of English and History.
You'd think that with internet woven into every day life, academia would have embraced an ahead-of-the-curve principle. Sure would have been great if we had it.
Hello Mary! I really enjoyed reading your post. I teach in Russian University and most of our students use the Internet for social networking. If they try to find some information for the study, mostly often they download papers from the Internet, thinking or hoping that their teachers do not use the Internet or just can't prove that it is plagiarism.
Another problem is the way most of students are taught.A lot of professors demand just memorising and simple reproduction of the given information. Nobody needs analisys and critical thinking:(.So in my case, we have to teach students critical thinking at first, and then they migh use it in everyday life including Internet searching.
In elementary schools, the software is basically Accelerated REaidng and educational software. Internet access is available, however we have to sign a document yearly allowing them to let our children use the internet. If the internet is beign used for educational purposes, then the teaches should be required to learn atleast the basics.
However my middle schoolers have direct access to the internet. This is mainly because they are required to start most researcxh assisgnments in school. However they are using a laptop in which it is recommended to purchase one.
Besides home, what would you recommend to help children obtain the correct internet skills?
I can think of no technological innovation as far-reaching as Internet when it comes to the potential of breaking dowen borders and speeding the cultivation of a highly intelligent collective consciousness that exceeds the accomplishments of its individual parts.
Schools as we speak are struggling to add Internet search (and other skills) to their curricula.
Part of the battle is that the teachers must also become educated--and there is resistance among staff.
Schools are also working with filtering softwares for monitoring to keep youngsters focused on creditable Web info sources--while not unduly interfering with freedom of speech and freedom of Internet. Finding a balance here is difficult.
i agree. While completing my Masters degree (online) it was mentioned often in the discussion are. And i have only noticed it once while in grad school for my PHD.
I have children in middle school and elementary school. When my middle schooler have to research for a project, the first stop is google.com. And the information is not always accurate. My elementary school child just look up disney.com, but is becoming more savvy by the day.
I feel that internet skills shouls be offered in school, We can monitor them at home, and offer assistance their, but what about when they are online at school/library.
The parenthetical phrase at the end hid my favorite part of your post. "Higher and higher collective wisdom" is a worthy goal--a wonderful goal, in fact. Collaborative work has the potential to far exceed that produced by any single individual and it is my fond hope that within it is the future of humanity, and perhaps any other form of intelligence we come across. However, I cannot forget the contention of speculative fiction author James Bhumi in his "June 2508" that intelligent life must by its very nature destroy all other life, unless it can assimilate it instead. My view, possibly lookng through rose-colored glasses, is that intelligent life of all species can not only coexist but in fact blossom through sharing the best parts of each one. Collective wisdom is paramount in such a future.
Thanks for your reply to my earlier musing. I did enjoy your message--and not just because I am happy to know someone read mine!
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