Focus Question:
What are search engines and how do they work?
A search engine is a tool that retrieves information from the internet using networks of computers to access the information. Search engines are generally very fast. They locate topic-related websites very quickly from millions of sources. Search engines use keywords to find what the searcher is looking for. Keywords allow the search engine to limit the webpages received to those only including that specific word or phrase.
Search engines are very useful for teachers and students. Teachers use search engines to narrow their searches to educationally relevant information. Students use search engines to complete research papers and to just look up facts for a specific class. The most popular search engine is Google.com
Below is a video on How to Use a Search Engine More Efficiently, which I found using a video search engine on YouTube.com
Tech Tool Link: LibriVox
LibriVox is an audio resource on the web that allows people to access "free audio recordings of published books and other materials in the public domain." Educators can easily access recordings of poetry, literature, and nonfiction selections. The site is easy to navigate and is visually pleasing in a simple kind of way. The website allows people to volunteer to read chapters from a book as well, in order to increase the number of free recordings they have.
LibriVox seems to be very useful, especially for educators. English teachers may find the site the most useful due to its library of poetry and fiction. However, due to the fact that people can volunteer to read chapters, I can see this website being useful for science teachers and history teachers as well. Some students learn better through audio rather than reading themselves, so this website would be the most useful for them.
Summary and Connections:
This chapter was full of basic information about the use of the internet, from search engines to how to evaluate online information. I found the section about avoiding problems with plagiarism the most interesting. Plagiarism is caused by the web, high-stakes testing, and misassumptions by students. The web itself sells term papers, therefore encouraging plagiarism. High-stakes testing puts so much stress on students to succeed that they use plagiarism in order to receive higher grades. Most of the time, plagiarism is accidental, with a student plagiarizing an idea that they read without even realizing they are doing it.
In order to prevent plagiarism, educators need to "structure their in-school and homework assignments" in such a way that allows for minimal plagiarism. Teachers stress the need to cite sources. Teachers also give assignments that simply cannot be plagiarized. Threatening students with plagiarism identifier websites is also a common practice I have noticed among teachers. Rather than threaten the students, the teacher should mold their assignments in such a way as to subconsciously discourage plagiarism.
Resources:
Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2011). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN:10 0-13-159611-X, ISBN:13 978-0-13-159611-5
LibriVox. Wordpress Entries. Web. 09 Feb 2013.
Glasgorman. "How to use the Google Search Engine more Effectively." Youtube. 10 Dec 2009. Web. 09 Feb 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6mvnMW_nnY>
Good points about plagiarism - and though I'm not a fan of the plagiarism websites, I think I understand the need for them. I would much prefer setting up an assessment that references a student's knowledge with a problem-solving project. Nice job on your post!
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