Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > March > 28
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Does Google make you dumber?
In a recent New York Times Op-ed, a technology author suggests the ease of search engines has weakened the research skills of students. He cites an example from an Israeli study in which only 15 percent of students could use the Internet to find “a picture of the Mona Lisa; the complete text of either “Robinson Crusoe” or “David Copperfield”; and a recipe for apple pie accompanied by a photograph” even with no time limit.
The author believes kids have become so used to popping key words into today’s excellent search engines like Google that when their searches fail to produce good results our kids don’t know what to do next. They don’t have the research skills to seek alternative methods to find information.
I’m always wary of the argument that great technology, the kind that makes our lives easier, is necessarily detrimental to our skills. But as someone who searches for information for a living I do believe students will need new research skills as more new tools become available. Information overload is already a problem.
This might be an argument for more librarians, and better trained librarians, in our schools. How do you propose we fight Google stupidity?
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: My Favorite Posts, Teaching and Learning
