Re: Research and the Internet

[Johns April <aljohns@HOME.COM>]

Kathy,

I do feel the electronic databases make research better and faster.  We
have so many more quality periodicals and newspapers at our fingertips.
(Of course, the better and faster is only true when the server does not
go done, the printers work, and the database company is not have
internal problems...)  A fair percentage of our teachers realize this
and welcome our suggestions:  first day, print only; second day,
electronic databases; third day, quality internet sites (often we
provide a pathfinder for their topics).

I do not think the Internet fills this role as well.  I've never had a
student stop and validate an internet source before using it -- "but, I
found it on the internet, it must be true..."

I believe students are excellent at "surfing" the 'net, but do not know
how to "deep sea fish", and desperately need our expert guidance as
"deep sea fishers".  Unfortunately, they do not see the need for
guidance.

Students are too eager to only search the Internet, or at least use it
first.  And I still see too many teachers encouraging this (do they just
need to meet their "technology goal" so plan a search online?)

Students still don't have good searching techniques.  Some are happy
with 2 million hits, then sit there and slowly go through them one by
one.  And at the end of the period, walk away with nothing!  There is
one slight bit of good news in this:  those same students WILL listen to
the librarian about searching techniques and starting with known/print
sources after a frustrating day!

Students think the way to research to copy and paste and print.  And, to
avoid plagiarism one need only change one word in a sentence.  So, this
is another internet struggle, students are not reading, evaluating, and
synthesizing information.

Sorry this sounds so dismal.  I've been at 2 high schools and 2 middle
schools in the last decade and see this trend.  It's up to us to correct
it.

April Johns, LMS
Larkin High School
Elgin, IL
aljohns@home.com

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