I was reading a blog, the NeverEnding Search, and found an article about how students are searching online. This blog post gave an overview of an article, "Why Kids Can't Search" (by Clive Thompson) from Wired magazine. It covered a study that revealed students rely heavily on the top search results when using a search engine. In the study, students were asked to find the answers to some questions. For some of the students, there were false ranking orders on the results page.
The significance of this article is that the topic of search skills (or lack thereof) has made it into a mainstream technology magazine. It addresses the lack of critical thinking students are using when seeking information. They often do not consider the source, investigate the credentials of the author, or evaluate for purpose or opinion.
I think the most important statement made on the article, however, is that "a good education is the true key to effective research" as researchers need to have some background knowledge on the subject if they are going to evaluate the information in it. Could this make a difference to help people understand the need for deliberate instruction in information literacy, and the changing role of the librarian? It helps.
The significance of this article is that the topic of search skills (or lack thereof) has made it into a mainstream technology magazine. It addresses the lack of critical thinking students are using when seeking information. They often do not consider the source, investigate the credentials of the author, or evaluate for purpose or opinion.
I think the most important statement made on the article, however, is that "a good education is the true key to effective research" as researchers need to have some background knowledge on the subject if they are going to evaluate the information in it. Could this make a difference to help people understand the need for deliberate instruction in information literacy, and the changing role of the librarian? It helps.
