Thursday, November 10, 2011

November 10

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Let's Get it Started (Spike Mix)" by Black Eyed Peas; "Right Now" by Van Halen]

What inspires you to be at your best?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab/reading test

HW: TBD (as previously promised, this will depend on how all four periods do on the test-- I will update this at 3 PM today, please make sure to check this space so you can plan accordingly)

UPDATE @ 3:03 PM: Great job on the test today! Nice to see what you're capable of when you put your minds to it. As a result, your only HW is to read your literature analysis book--plan on finishing it by Friday, 11/18-- and to read/respond to the following two articles with a comment of 1-3 paragraphs to this post:
http://bit.ly/rtoEAm
http://bit.ly/pyOOBQ

95 comments:

  1. After reading the first article, it made me think: if students are too lazy to go search for legitimate sources of information, why isn't that taught as a standard in some class? Kids definitely do use the first source Google lists (usually Wikipedia), but they don't know if it is the actual truth. Like the librarians are trying to do in some schools, searching and breaking the mold of the engines should be a lesson all students need to understand. Otherwise, false information will spread like wildfire and people will depend on made up links.
    Although teaching to the test is helpful to know the right things to get the A, it can leave many students ignorant in the facts of life. Of course, firewalls and budgets get in the way of refining our search skills; maybe there needs to be times when certain websites are unrestricted for the sake of research. Students don't try as hard to pertain the correct information because we don't know how to decipher the Internet completely. We may be digital natives, but that doesn't mean we know anything and everything about technology. There needs to be that chance to find legitimate sources with the knowledge of filtering the good from the bad. The more technology starts to catch on in the school purpose, the more it should be used as a teaching mechanism and not the enemy. Therefore, kids can become the resourceful individuals later on in life.

    -Kelly Brickey, Period 3

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  2. I've thought about this many times, and it always brings up the same questions, like Why aren't we taught this? (as Kelly mentioned) and if we were, what would be the correct way to go about it? It seems like you'd have to have some pretty solid rules for what's good and what's not good online considering that the internet changes so quickly and new information/sources are added every day, and if then, who sets those rules or standards? And, is our all-too-satisfied search mentality just based on laziness or because we've been programmed to trust sites like Wikipedia because they're "accurate enough"? If we're really trying to compete with India and China/other countries in education, teaching technology integrated with classes would be a good place to start since our math improvements aren't going anywhere and the internet isn't leaving any time soon. We should focus on what could be strengthened. Of course, there is the fact that this sort of thing costs money. Nowadays a lot of schools have computer labs, but realistically, trying to enact a whole new technology education system would probably take money that the people in charge wouldn't want to risk.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFBDn5PiL00

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  3. I've noticed this problem actually myself in my own research. I'm a lazy fellow, and because of this I pick the first link I get on DDG (Duck Duck Go). Whether this be Wikipedia or some valid source written by a college profesor, I never really cared what I read as long as I got the "information." But it's a problem. Maddy's video makes an interesting point. Anyone can write on Wikipedia about anything. While there are some arguments to defend Wikipedia, the fact is that there are better sources. We just have to find them.

    That's what should be taught in English classes, how to search properly. "In 1955, we wondered why Johnny can’t read. Today the question is, why can’t Johnny search?" It is an important skill that every student and adult needs to find accurate and factual information on the internet given the raw and unedited characteristics of the internet.

    But it is true that understanding which websites provide accurate information does come with age and understanding. But why not start this process earlier so that students can be more prepared for college?

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  4. Both articles make really good points about the way todays teenagers do their online searching. For the past three years I have done the exact same thing. I go to google and the extent of my search is looking at the first couple of websites that are available. After reading these articles I realize that it is important to know where your information is comeing from and if it is valid. It is shocking to me that kids are not taught how to analyze the information they are seeing online so that they can make their own assesment on if the information is valid of not, instead of just trusting the computer to do the work for you. I think it is great that Dr. Preston is showing us how to use the internent to it's full extent.

    A.J. franklin
    Period 2

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  6. These articles make sense, making a core class in school based on practical technology use makes sense. I think the response article articulates the reason why people don't care about the authenticity of their searches well, because (at least student-wise) the grade is emphasized, not the quest for knowledge. Regardless, I think it's up to the individual to prioritize.

    As a side note, Wikipedia is a good source if you research multiple websites and books, which is a technique for everything. I don't think it needs to be completely dismissed.

    Dannielle Edwards, 4th.

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  7. I find that it's definitely a problem that little kiddies are suffering from the lack of a proper induction into the practice of search engine use. Checking sources or even checking for the presence of sources is an essential lesson to be learned. However I think its also important to note that Clive is completely correct in that kids are already at a disadvantage just because they are uncultured and no not of the world around them. This leads me to believe however that if simple steps are taken to lead the little children in the right direction in the online world, they will become more proficient searchers as they age.

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  8. No doubt that it is a disappointment that there is a a problem with the poor usage of search engines. It is very important to learn how to properly use these engines, and the only time I was ever introduced to proper online searching was in the seventh grade for an English essay! I don't remember much of it, sadly. Nevertheless, Mr. Clive is right in stating that the youth are at the disadvantage here. Right now, it'll be difficult to turn the current foundation of information "searching" and form a new one, but we can scrape away at it little by little if we can at least point them in the right direction. If that doesn't work, go left.

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  9. I find the article to be too general and I feel uneasy about teenagers like us being evaluated just on a "test". I believe us teenagers are capable of better things but I do admit that some people tend to be lazier than others and just click on the first thing that pops up on the screen. For me, I like to scroll around and fish the website with the most valid/current information. Wikipedia and those popular "dictionary" type web sources are good to have as a start point but not necessarily to use as a reliable resource page.
    Anyway, kids can be taught how to make good use of the internet and how to effectively research so I don't understand why this is such a big problem. I think it's just a habit some of us need to break.

    -mari kagawa per3

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  10. It is pretty safe to say that we are all guilty of using the first couple of Google results as sources. The articles do a great job in saying although the first results are the most relevant, they may not be the most accurate. If only schools would go out of their ways to teach students how to search. (couldn't this be incorporated into keyboarding classes, since they are required?) I hardly ever go to the library, and when I do, it is not for research. The one thing I miss about books is that you had the author's name right on the front cover. Better yet, the inside would usually have a bio. This made it much easier to distinguish between valid writing and garbage. Nowadays it is very difficult to find who even wrote online papers, let alone determine whether their work is legitimate. So it isn't that we are lazy searchers, its that we trust what we see.

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  11. The first article struck me as sort of a wake up call. Usually (at least for myself) we go to the first thing that Google shows us, and we assume that it's right. I was one to never research what I was reading, because simply I didn't care, or I was to lazy. No one ever taught me to find the truth behind what I was reading, and I believe it is a tool necessary to be learned as we progress further.

    The other article, however made me think twice about my new found motivation. Who's to say that teachers won't stop blocking our access to other information, other than what they think is acceptable, and prevent us fro learning from other sources. Yes people should make sure that what they are reading is close if not perfect to the truth, but teachers should also be aware of how they teach us this skill.

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  12. I definitely agree with both articles in the fact that students are using the first source they find on the web. Before taking this class I never understood why you had to use different search engines and I don't blame others for thinking the same way. WE have never been taught how to do this or how to distinguish between the facts and opinions of others. However both articles do show that there are people out there who are trying to make a change but being libarians, and because of budget cuts not much has been done. I assume that by the time we enter college we are going to be placed with great fear an uncertainity because we haven't been taugh how to adequately look for information online.

    Edith Gonzalez
    p.3

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  13. The first article i agree with. We all go to the first website that pops up on Google, and we think it will answer or give us the right thing. I have always done this because I believe that I am very lazy. I just click on the first thing that shows up not knowing what is truly is. I also agree with the other article
    in that we should always check the article to make sure all of it is true. Instead of just using that information on, for example a school report, and getting all of the info wrong and recieving a bad grade for it.

    Patrick Sims P.3

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  14. Whenever someone writes something, they do it for a reason, and that should be in the back of your mind whenever you read something. Judging the validity of something shouldn't be about where on the search their site is listed or their name, but by looking at what they have to say. It's naive to conclude that since this site is number one on the list its information is wrong, but you should instead use your brain and look at the information and how it's presented, then come to a conclusion on whether you should believe it or not.

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  15. These articles make good points of how students don't go through the extra effort to make sure what they are reading is from a credible source or is accurate. I know that I just choose one of the first few websites and assume the information is correct. For all I know, however, it could be written by some person who likes to share their opinions, and is very good about making their diction sound educated and academic. I think that educators should teach us how to make sure the information we are researching is credible. As students, we need to be sure to not be lazy with our research and put in an effort to weed-out the phony websites. In the college years we have ahead of us it will be important that we know how to make sure the information we use off the internet is true and accurate. This is a skill we all need and we need to learn it early on.

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  16. After reading the two articles above it made me think about how I do searches and I realized two important things. 1. I am not doing my job as an active student and 2. We have all fallen trap to the belief that everything we read is valid and just. Where did this assumption originate? In our schools. Because nothing can get past schools firewalls that are not correct, we are built to believe that everything we are looking at is valid. How are we supposed to be able to detect whether the information we are reading is written by a valid author in an office in Washington, or a bum eating cheetos on a bean bag drinking Scotch. I believe schools should build into everyday curriculum how to successfully make this distinction and make sure that we are not failing to detect this ourselves.

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  17. Reading the first article made me realize that I do the same thing that the experiment showed. I hardly ever look past the second or third page on when I use Google. I will almost always just stay on the first page. I have never thought of the possibility that the information would/could be faulty. I know Wikipedia can be changed by anybody, which is why I try to not get too much information from there.

    The second article was interesting to think about. Having all this information readily available to us and we don’t think about what we are choosing to read.
    Mitchell Edmondson P4

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  18. I agree with the articles. Almost every student picks one of the top three sites they find in a search, I know I do. I also like the idea of having the schools teach us how to deal with search engines and the internet in general because it is a vast amount of information and there is a lot of wrong information in that mix to. If the schools teach us, even a little bit, then we wont be consumed by that mass of information, we would be able to work with it.

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  20. From my past experiences, I have to say that what both articles are saying is true. Many people do get too lazy and just go for the first thing that pops up on their search engine whether it's Wikipedia or anything else that can be some invalid information. I do blame the schools for not showing us how to correctly use internet search engines but at the same time I blame us the students because we can easily stop being lazy and figure it out ourselves. I guess you can also say that sometimes it's pretty easy to tell whether one sight is being biased or not.

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  21. From the two articles I learned that when I'm looking up information, I may not be getting the correct  information.  The first article said that they did a study and most kids would just go to Google for their search and pick the number one answer.  I normally do this and don't check out the other pages.  The information taught me that I need to make sure that the research I get is valid.  This means I might need to use other websites that might confirm that the information that I have is correct.  It also makes me wonder if this is such a problem when kids get to college, why aren't kids given the skills they need  to find the right information online? This should be taught to the kids so that it isn't a problem when they do go to college. 

    Hunter Walker
    Period 3  

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  22. As much as many teenagers would like to disagree with these articles, they can’t. Many of us are guilty and fall under the same category. We tend to rely and put all our trust on the top of Google’s results list. Although, there is one part of these articles that I disagree with. These articles, like many, state that the reason why teenagers fail to do “good” research is because we aren’t being taught how to.
    The first article says that we are natives at Googling because the ability to judge information is almost never taught in school. We can’t fully blame it all on the school and the teachers. I’m lazy but even I know that we have to step it up and learn how to do good searching. Would it really be that hard to teach ourselves.
    We need to ask ourselves two very important questions. One, who wrote it and two, why? It’s important for us to seek help and enrich our minds to improve the information we find. In the second article it says, “it does force us to become our own editors.” Some fault does fall on our schools, but not all of it.
    Lupita Perez Per. 3

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  23. I think the reason we are not being taught anything about authorship and context to evaluate the merit of internet sources is because technology has progressed so quickly that many have had their tops blown off or their skirts blown up and are uncomfortable about it. So uncomfortable that they can’t understand it, they can’t come to learn about, that they can’t come to see that it needs to integrated into the way that students learn. Technology and 2.0, everyone says, is becoming an immoveable part of our lives, even the conservatives stuck behind advent horizons trying to keep their skirts down, would agree to this. However, technology is being kept from our education. This doesn’t make any sense. I understand that today’s technology has, in a sense, swept over the globe and we’re all splashing and flapping about trying to paddle through it all and only few are actually swimming, however we all need to learn to swim and we have adults, stuck in a mental jail, stuck behind advent horizons trying to dictate where this torrent of water will go or who should swim in it. You can’t regulate this, we must integrate it. Seeing students, now, unable to get decent information from searches and “picking the lowest lying fruit,” is evidence of certain people trying to keep technology out because they themselves don’t understand how to use it. They think they are keeping kids “safe,” however, this teaches us nothing. We have colleges and jobs expecting these certain skills from us that schools just are not providing. I want to learn how to search better, I want to understand authorship and context to be a better crap detector (as funny as that sounds.) So, why isn’t this change happening? Since when did education get so conservative? If no one is going to teach us this, we really will become everything they stereotype us as.

    -Trevor Hudgins

    Period 6

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  24. I think it would be helpful to teach in schools how to search effectively on the internet. I have always used websites like Wikipedia when researching, because even though it may not be a very reliable website, it is easy to access and pops up at the top of every search engine I have used. When I'm trying to write a research paper for school, I want to get it done in the fastest and easiest way possible. This has contributed to my lack of judgement of internet sources. These articles have proved that in should extend my own research, not just choose to read the first few websites that pop up on the screen. If schools were to provide a class about how to think critically when reading online material, I know I personally would be able to expand my critical thinking skills in other areas as well.


    Arianna Farmer
    Period 2

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  25. The experiment given in article one isn't surprising to me, it reflects almost all students if not, most people in general when they use a search engine for an answer. Usually when we find the "key" points to our answer when look at the first few results we click it and automatically believe it's correct. Honestly, how often do we end up going past the 5th search page to look up one of our answers? Not often at all. From the article 1, it has proven to me that we as "digital ntives" arent so savvy at all & we aren't taking are part in actually caring or thinking about what we actually are searching for, we just want a quick fix solution. Considering that Wikipedia is one of the top results in all search engines when we look up an answer & sometimes it may seem legit feedback, ANYONE can go to and edit it themselves whether its right or wrong, I could go on there saying the sky is actually green when it's obviously not. Were are taught to learn about computers in elemtary school all the way through highschool. Beginning with keyboarding skills, why not search engine skills as well? Considering that search engines are a number one source & website on the internet. I like the idea of Frances Harris and how she taught her students the judgement of a well written article online and keeping the importance of siting your work. I believe the research coming from a book or encylepdia has been becoming more of a faint shadow and considered a last resort to research, but it is also the number one source to the right answer. It's not that the internet is a bad thing when it comes to search engines, it's just that we need to remember the key to finding the right resources and websites is not always at the top of the list but the information itself and how well we can judge if it's a legit answer or not.

    Alaysia Navarro
    Period 4

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  26. The experiment given in article one isn't surprising to me, it reflects almost all students if not, most people in general when they use a search engine for an answer. Usually when we find the "key" points to our answer when look at the first few results we click it and automatically believe it's correct. Honestly, how often do we end up going past the 5th search page to look up one of our answers? Not often at all. From the article 1, it has proven to me that we as "digital ntives" arent so savvy at all & we aren't taking are part in actually caring or thinking about what we actually are searching for, we just want a quick fix solution. Considering that Wikipedia is one of the top results in all search engines when we look up an answer & sometimes it may seem legit feedback, ANYONE can go to and edit it themselves whether its right or wrong, I could go on there saying the sky is actually green when it's obviously not. Were are taught to learn about computers in elemtary school all the way through highschool. Beginning with keyboarding skills, why not search engine skills as well? Considering that search engines are a number one source & website on the internet. I like the idea of Frances Harris and how she taught her students the judgement of a well written article online and keeping the importance of siting your work. I believe the research coming from a book or encylepdia has been becoming more of a faint shadow and considered a last resort to research, but it is also the number one source to the right answer. It's not that the internet is a bad thing when it comes to search engines, it's just that we need to remember the key to finding the right resources and websites is not always at the top of the list but the information itself and how well we can judge if it's a legit answer or not.

    Alaysia Navarro
    Period 4

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  27. The first article made very good points. A quote that really stuck out to me was, “High school and college students might be ‘digital natives,’ but they’re wretched at searching” He is blunt and to the point with valid reasons to back him up. Most high school kids I know do exactly what he was saying, Google what then need to know click on the first like and use no other web site to compare the information taken from the first one. Not to mention a lot of the time the first one is Wikipedia where anyone can add any information to it. Where a site is listed on the page means nothing, you must analyze the tone in the paper like the author said and decide what kind of person wrote it.

    Many times I Google things, and if the first couple links don’t give me what I want I change what I typed in the search bar until something that works for what I’m researching comes up. This is not a good way to research and the articles bring light to that. The second article brings up the point that, while researching at school many times kids assume that anything the gets past the schools firewall is valid but this is defiantly not true. The only way to really know if what your reading is right is to look at multiple web sites to see if they agree and check the author’s credibility. Lastly, you can actually go to the library and check out a book. Books are far more reliable on information credibility and you can read it with out questioning whether everything is made up, and be confident that the information your retrieving is correct.

    Kristen Frias
    P.2

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  28. When researching a topic, I usually only stick to credible (first page, because the other pages require extra "clickage") results. The way that I typically do this is by sticking to well known sites (NY Times, USA Today, LA Times, or even the oh-so-hated Wikipedia) and avoiding Blogs, completely. I have never gotten any information off of a blog due to the fact that they are online journals and I would much rather not base any argument(or a Dr. Preston assignment) on some guy in Ohio's opinions. As some of my classmates have previously said, It really is just based on intuition and sometimes research on the persons credentials to deem a source valid. There are a few key things to look out for when you're trying to take in everything at face value instead of researching the author of the posts. If the website design is ridiculous (hot shades of pink and blinding hues of lime green) it's usually not a good source. Also, if it's a blog (that doesn't belong to Dr. Preston or anybody in our class, of course) it's typically not a good, reliable source. And finally if it sounds, like if it was totally made up and has a very biased tone to it (*clears throat* Faux News *clears throat*) it's usually not the best choice. "Don't be stupid and take everything you read on the internet as fact" -Abraham Lincoln
    -Noe Bernal
    Periodo Dos

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  29. As I was reading the first article, I felt a little guilty because I used to do the same thing that these college students were doing. I would just use the first page that popped up. I am now aware that I should not be doing this because it was taught to me this year but other kids may not be getting this kind of information. Providing a class to prevent this from happening would be a solution to this problem and teach us to "become our own editors."

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  30. Like most of the articles, I have had to read for this class, this one was an eye opener, I knew that most people are lazy and only look to the first two pages of any search engine (that is if they even get past the first) but I was completely blown away by the fact that most people cannot distinguish between valid sources on the internet. Granted I am not much better than this and mainly consult either Stanford’s or other colleges’ academic articles or some articles in newspapers such as The New York Times or even the local The Santa Maria Times if I am taking a research project seriously. I know since that the state does not test students on it that most kids wouldn’t know how to do an even semi decent online search, but I didn’t know that “most” was more like 80% than 60%. I want to learn stuff that will prepare me for the outside world because that is what school is about, or at least was about before everything became standardized. I don’t want to be helpless because I was never taught how to use the tools that could have easily catapulted me into success. As the second article puts it, “Today's student should be in training to become a critically-thinking citizen and the best response schools can come up with is to force-feed students in sanitized information feedlots.” And I apologize if I truly sound ungrateful, but I am not a dumb animal and I deserve and want better. We are in school to prepare ourselves for the rest of our lives and to gain the knowledge to lead successful careers in life, not to pass some test that becomes irrelevant as soon as we graduate from high school.
    Jon Hoffman
    Period 3

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  31. Daniel Gonzalez Per.2November 13, 2011 at 7:25 PM

    I agree with the the idea that us internet users, to retrieve information via search engines, use the first source presented without knowing its credibility. I do this a lot when doing work for any of my classes, but the minority of the time I compare these sources to get the best answer for my questions or cravings.I completely agree with the idea of having a small class on this matter because popular sites for information like Wikipedia show up on most user's search results and the site is known to contain falsified content.

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  32. I think that the first article bring up a very good point. It's not our fault that we don't know how to search because it's a skill just like any other and it's a skill that we haven't been taught. (Thankfully it's a skill that we're learning now) I do things when I search that I didn't even know we're bad. I only look at the first, maybe second, page of results on Google. I fell into the trap that everyone else falls into. I used to think that if it wasn't at the top it wasn't important or valid. But now I know that that couldn't be father from the truth. We really do need to learn how to do an effective search that will get us the results that we NEED instead of what our filter bubbles think we WANT.

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  33. As I was reading these two articles I was not too surprised by the information because I had heard this before. I completely agree with what was being said, and I too am guilty of clicking the first site that comes up instead of making sure it was a reliable source. Even though many times I have found a website to sound suspicion I would continue to use it. Then I realized that the problem to doing this was that I was never taught how to research properly. I was never informed that certain websites were fake or unreliable. I have now realized that I am not the only one that does not know how to research properly, millions are doing it everyday. It is hard to fit this into a curriculum at schools since there are so many budget cuts and so little time. But like the articles stated we live in a technological era and we need to be taught to think critically and analyze our research. Researching properly will take more time since we will have to look at credibility, analyze tone, check who the author is, and so on but it will pay off. If schools would make even a small effort to teach students how to research properly it will make a huge difference in the way students think about research.

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  34. Both of these articles are very relevant. Whenever I google anything, if I don't deem the results on the first page "sufficient", then I just assume the answer must not exist and I move on. I rarely move very far down the list because the results seem to become random and I don't have the motivation to dig through the results.

    I do think that checking sources is important in finding reliable information. The more you search, the easier it becomes to find good sources and to realize what a good source consists of. I think that given even a small amount of instruction on how better to search, that we would be able to run with it. I also think that these types of computer skills should be made a more common knowledge. We can't take full advantage of the resources we have if we don't understand them or can't use them properly.

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  35. The articles make a great point about people being lazy. We all just accept one of the first few links from a search as the right ones. We do not double check or verify the source. Very few sites do not have a bias or try to force their opinion. People have to learn to search for correct information. We need teachers to show the correct way of doing things.

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  36. Both articles make really good points about the way todays teenagers do their online searching. For the past three years I have done the exact same thing. I go to google and the extent of my search is looking at the first couple of websites that are available. After reading these articles I realize that it is important to know where your information is comeing from and if it is valid. It is shocking to me that kids are not taught how to analyze the information they are seeing online so that they can make their own assesment on if the information is valid of not, instead of just trusting the computer to do the work for you. I think it is great that Dr. Preston is showing us how to use the internent to it's full extent.

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  37. When I search for information online, I usually look at the first couple of results. There are a couple of websites that I will skip because they are a blog or because the website has nothing to do with what I am looking for. I try to stick to well-known websites and websites that people can trust. Wikipedia is not a website you can trust, but I do think you can get some information from there and check if that information is correct or reliable. Sometimes, when I have to write a research paper, I just want to finish it quickly. I will search for certain things, and not verify if the information is correct. Most students will get lazy and not look past the first page of results. They might change a couple of words they put in the search box (I know that’s what I do) and look at the new results. I did not find the two articles very shocking, but I do agree with them that the most common website visited is not always the most reliable.

    Chelsey Soriano
    Period 3

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  38. Even though our generation is referred to as being "digital natives", I definately think we have put too much trust in the machine as Bing Pan proved when he saw that the group of college kids relied on the webpages at the top of google's results list for information. I feel like we have become lazy in our searches which is a bad thing because anyone can post anything on the internet now a days and if we aren't checking multiple sites we very easily could be getting wrong information. I think it is important to practice critical thinking by seeing who the author was and why they put it there. We were never really taught a good way to search online because all the computers at school have things blocked, so whatever the search pulls up is correct. Although this is convenient it doesn't teach us necessary skills we should have. Basically we should be "learning how to learn" as Buffy Hamilton put it. A good education is the key to an effective search because google makes it important to have broad based knowledge.

    When the article was talking about how we should become critically thinking citizens, for some reason it reminded me of my ap government class. Jimison has been having us practice for the ap essay exam. I remember him giving us the prompt and nobody knew even what it was asking. We kept wanting him to give us a hint but he said he wanted to see our ability in reading and understanding what the prompt was asking ourselves, and then see if we knew the information needed to answer it correctly. He made a good point. He said that he was going to let us rewrite it after going over it in detail, but this was the only chance we had to critically think and figure it out on our own. This reminded me of the article because when he gave us the rewrite, after he had explained how to write it, we were doing it from memory which takes away our opportunity to evaluate the prompt critically. This made me relate to the article because I could see the difference between the inquiry-based approach to learning vs. stuffing your head with facts that you have to cover for the test.

    Nicole Anderson
    Period 2

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  39. After reading these two articles, I have to say...I agree with them. Everyone should be educated on how to use the Internet. But more specifically: how to search and how to know what information to trust. I also agree with the first article when it states, "Who’s to blame? Not the students. If they’re naive at Googling, it’s because the ability to judge information is almost never taught in school." Kids need to be taught all of this in school since school is the place for receiving education. However, when it comes to "mastering 'crap detection 101'", as Howard Rheingold calls it, since it takes a lot of world knowledge, I think that will be the hardest challenge of the Internet.

    Kayla McCallie
    Period 2

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  40. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  41. I do believe that most people (not just teens/students) are guilty of being terrible and somewhat lazy when it comes to searching and being able to identify a reliable source. I've always been the type that likes to get things done as soon as possible, so at times I skip the part of analyzing the content and thinking of it's "authorship" because we were never taught to be on the watch for those not so minor details. It's always been get through the first two pages on Google, if you even need that many, and pick whichever looks best. Everyone has lowered their expectations instead of trying to makes us more aware of the internet and the function of its networks. Especially now that technology has been expanding and is becoming more influential over the new generation.I think that the administrators need a reality check and instead of fearing technology, causing them to set restrictions for the students, they should become more educated on it and be able to educate their students. It'd be easier to know what's right and wrong on a website if we were taught how to distinguish those two characteristics.

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  42. After reading both articles, I do believe that they make great points about teenagers and our online searching process/knowledge. It’s crazy because for the past 3 years I have been doing the same exact things both articles discuss. Step 1: go to google; Step 2: look at the first couple available websites. Thinking back, I rarely checked to see where this information came from or if it was even valid. This is very important. I do believe that kids need to be taught how to break down the information they are given and analyze and see if it is valid or not. Instead we instill our trust into our computers and think they will do the work for us.


    mariah cooks p.2

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  43. From reading these two articles it made me realize how much we have ignored the difference between valid and invalid information. While reading I got to make my own personal connection. Sometimes I tend to think that the internet always gives me the right answers and I don’t actually check to see if the information that I am reading is valid information that I can rely on. I’m sure this is how many people do research not just teenagers. For example when you ask someone a question and they reply with “hold on, let me Google it” it shows how much we rely on the websites that we just look up the information and think that it is reliable information.

    I think that technology has really became a huge part in many people’s lives which is why we begin to think that all the information we see is good information. I think that it is important for people to begin looking up the author to see if that author is writing valuable information that we can use and not only look at the first site that appears on Google, but look at a few different sites and compare the information. It is important that we keep in mind that not all the information a search engine gives us is always the right one.

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  44. When I search things online, I really do click on the first thing it comes up or click on the first couple results it comes up (except for Wikipedia, because I heard from many people that Wikipedia is wrong); and I sometimes change some words that I searched for to get better results.
    And actually, I don't blame on school for not showing or teaching us about Internet search engine usages, because what I think is that Internet using is one thing that we have to learn by ourselves while using the Internet. Also, say school does teach us on how to use internet or how to search online; it will be waste of time, since our technology is growing and growing every minutes of our lives.

    Period 6 Yun Joo Lee

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  45. Relating to the first article, I feel that yes if we were taught how to verify the validity of a site or a source it would greatly improve the information we choose to believe. But I also think that kids are often so lazy sometimes we just want the "fact" and as long as it is mostly true we won't search for the unquestionable truth. Yes some digital natives who have a little paranoia in them might be great at analyzing the tone and wording used to get a glimpse at the author, but there are so many others that do not seem to care enough to do this.
    Also, like the second article said, students are so trained and geared towards knowing the facts and not questioning the truth that it's obvious our minds have been set on search and collect rather than search, verify through careful analysis THEN collect. It seems like so much more work, but if it was taught in schools it would become second nature. How delightfully useful that would be! Curriculum that would help mold us into critically thinking individuals who are able to find the truth in a sea of "facts."
    -Cambria Leach P.2

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  46. Well, like with anything that needs to be taught in schools, knowing how to search on the internet is not. Though we are “digital natives” that doesn’t mean we know every little thing about how to use the internet for search. We, as a society, may all think that it is relatively easy to search on the internet it is quite the opposite there is no such thing as a simple search that is unless you’re looking for the address of the closest Domino’s Pizza. I feel that we should be shown how to search by someone who does extensive work in the field or who has been shown how to do it properly. It will only allow us to be better students if we know the ins and outs of proper searching techniques but until then we will be stuck unable to figure things out on our own. That is unless we search on how to search for ourselves.
    Isaac De La Cruz
    Period 2

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  47. I can relate to both articles. I find myself always choosing the first few results I get on Google, and I don't care whether this information is true or not. If students were taught in school how to determine the credibility of a website, as Frances Harris teaches her eighth and ninth grade students, I believe students would use those skills. As of now, students rely on what they read online simply because even if they wanted to check the credibility they wouldn't know how. So they choose to be lazy and take whatever the search engine gives them. If tools on how to check the credibility of a website were taught to them, they would be much more likely to check their sources, and not be lazy.

    Cayla Salazar Period 2

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  48. When I first read this, not going to lie, I was thinking about that was kind of how I used to be. I would research and look up things, but honestly wasn’t fully aware of the internet as a whole until I had Dr. Preston’s class sophomore year and now senior year.
    I used to do the same thing in this article. I would look up something and only refer to the first couple of links on the first web page. I would never really hit page 2,3,4,etc. I would always assume everything I researched was generally valid and informative. And hardly did I ever go to multiple sites. I would just normally use one designated one. But my thoughts of this quickly changed through our Internet discussions and different techniques for proper use of the internet.
    And I think without proper guidance, many students are probably headed in the same direction. I think this is something schools need to and should start enforcing in their daily curriculum. Yet our AP English classes have an advantage in that we are do talk about this stuff and even elaborate on it. We still are talking about it, have had practice with it, and are more prepared and able to distinguish what’s useful and accurate. Because the internet is such a valuable tool that’s used worldwide, being able to manage one’s control of it, is beyond important. As mentioned in the first article, “good education=effective search.” And it begins with proper teaching.

    Jolissa Jiles
    p.4

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  49. I believed, like many others, in the google top results, that they were the most accurate.  However, that theory is wrong.  Many people are naive to this fact.  Even teachers, which is why they can't teach us how to search correctly, they don't know themselves. They should be taught how to teach us to search so that when it is an essential tool we can use it correctly. We are programmed to know certain things a certain way.  If we take the time to check the credibility and teach others to as well we can gain so much more knowledge and develop better as educated people. Instead of being robots spitting out the same first few results we could become humans critically thinking about the correct results. 

    Taryn Kawahara period 2

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  50. When I read the articles, I agreed with the studies that "High school and college students may be “digital natives,” but they’re wretched at searching." When the first one said that most kids rely on the first source (usually Wikipedia), it struck me that most people aren't taking advantage of the new technology into searching deeper rather using it carelessly. I never thought about school teaching students how to distinguish credible sources to derived ones, but I agree with the people. Schools should set some time for students to engage with technology and allow them to learn new concepts and incorporate it into their diurnal lives. In Dr. Preston's class, I learned so many facts that's been hidden from me relating to technology such as "filter bubbles".

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  51. I to am one of those people that just looks at the first pages top results. Part of it could be that I am just to lazy to look at all the other 1-10 of 1,440,000,000 results that Google come up with after searching technology, but hey lets not kid ourselves. We all have the time in the world to look at 1,440,000,000 results and read each and every one of em to decide whether they have credibility or not. Another part of it is that since I have grown up with Google I have become to trust it. That is also due to the fact that as a child I was completely oblivious to what was going on. It didn't occur to me that Filter Bubbles were happening until it was brought to my attention. Nor that unaccredited top paying websites are at the top of the pages when you use Google search engine.
    I think it is because were digital natives that we are willing to put in the extra effort to learning more about things such as the internet and experiment with it so we can become Savvy.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Both these articles are very interesting. It was interesting to see the insight someone had on the first article.
    The first article stated how "teens" are the digital natives of this time and can solve most problems on a computer, but when put to the test teens really are not as bright as many scholars might think. It is a common stereo-type of teens, that just because adults are not as computer savvy that the teenagers must be the answer.
    I do think that in schools, now that we are in a digital age, that they should teach students how to properly search something on the internet because it truly is a useful thing. I have always searched something on Google and took the top result and not looked to checked the result, just took it as correct and the truth and moved on. That needs to be changed and should be taught in school.

    Max Kuhlman
    per 2

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  53. Ever since we began to learn of filter bubbles and such I have wondered exactly how accurate is the internet? After reading these two articles I have learned that there is factual information out there via internet, you just have to know how to look for it and make sure it isn't false. The thing is, we teenagers are known for taking the easy way out and there is some truth of that shown when we tend to choose the links that are at the top of the first page after a search. So, I believe that Johnny can search. It's just that Johnny, along with others, needs to be exposed to the right way of searching where we have to back up our evidence with more evidence.

    Annais Acosta
    Period: 6

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  54. I find it ridiculous when teachers look down upon their students for using websites such as google and wikipedia for information. Not a single lesson has taken place when a teacher instructs their students on how to conduct an effective internet search, and wikipedia/google are the only websites that the majority of students are familiar with. However, they still expect us to flawlessly surf the internet and come up with completely valid information. It's as if a math professor expected all of their students to ace the final on the first day of class.
    I understand the purpose of our previous lessons in this class now. Now that we will finally be educated in the process of searching online, there should be no excuses in the future. But, until then, I see no reason why students should be ridiculed for their use of common search engines and public encyclopedias.

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  55. "In 1955, we wondered why Johnny can’t read. Today the question is, why can’t Johnny search?" This example was very interesting to me. It got my attention because it's true. Technology is getting to the point where it is weird if a kid doesn't know how to do a basic google search. If you asked someone to do a google search in 1955 they would have no clue what you are talking about. Our generation has been brought up with technology, so I think we should be trusted with the way we use it.

    Patrick Fraire
    P.3

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  56. I don't understand why "Web Search" isn't a required class in school. Not a day goes by where I don't use the internet to look something up. It is very important to know how to do a proper search and find accurate information. Dr. Preston is doing a good job of opening our minds to all this 2.0 learning, but it really should be taught as a required course. It is more important than most other things we learn in school anyway. This reminds me of how my junior high took "Keyboarding" off the required classes list right before I got there. If I took that class it would significantly reduce the time it takes for me to do homework. I just don't understand why no changes toward learning about technology are made.

    Nathan Seidenberg
    P. 3

    Nath

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  57. I found these articles very interesting. I agree that teachers should try to make this more known to their students, not to choose the top result when searching with Google. Though I feel most will not listen, it just seems easier, I guess, to choose the first results you get. Students need to be educated, about these things. I also agree how we put too much trust in technology now and days. It is the thruth we are becoming lazier with technology, and we need to make proper choices and do thorough searching.

    Stephanie Owens
    Per.4

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  58. Jojo Relyea
    Per. 3


    The main idea I took away from reading both of these articles is that the quest of “helping Johnny search” starts with education. That education needs to start coming from school curriculum so we can teach students to critically think on the web. In the article by Clive Thompson he wrote, “One can imagine even more entertaining ways to help kids grok the intricacies of the search world. Why not let students start a class blog on a subject and see how long it takes for it to show up in search results?” Ring-a-ding—ding. So I guess this class is this author’s prayer.
    But we are just one class, in one school, with one teacher. But this blog gives us and our followers the opportunity to have many teachers. Whether they were an author of an article found online, a newspaper journalist, a guy like Roy Christopher, or us the students we have the largest source of information. We are the guinea pigs and once this class and our blogs get the publicity so other teachers can learn from it to better their student’s curriculum, or just any independent party who takes an interest, this modern way of teaching may become the norm or at least publicly known.
    I didn’t realize before reading these articles just how many people and parties have taken an interest on this topic, are concerned, and want to educate this “digital native” generation. It makes me think that by participating in this class I may be helping someone else further educate themselves on these topics and that all this work in these new formats is worth it.

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  59. Like most kids have stated before me, out of the hundred pages Google gives me, I pick the first couple of websites. While I do get information, the question becomes, is it the right information? The two articles show us that teenagers like us aren’t researching properly. But we can take into account that it’s human nature to find the most efficient way to do something. It’s definitely a problem that we aren’t being taught how to use search engines and classes such as yours really do apply to life outside of class. Wikipedia I feel is a good foundation, but most certainly not the last place you should stop looking. I can understand what Thompson is trying to point out; anybody can put something on the internet! If we aren’t taught how to differentiate between fiction and the truth, then false information will be passed along and no one will be the wiser. Due to the way technology is advancing, it baffles me that it's not integrated into our daily routines. There needs to be more classes where we get to experience the technology that surrounds us, such as yours. Why fight the future, embrace it.



    Laura Wong
    Period 2

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  60. The ease of technology has made most students lazy. Why would we look for a better answer when there is one that will do the job in front of us? THere is so much going on in the world today, that Johnny doesn't want to search. It's not that he can't, he just sees things that are a better use of his time than finding a better more detailed search, heaven forbid, at the bottom of the page. Digital natives know what a good search is. They also know what will pass as a good answer when the time comes and they haven't done their homework. They know the top of the page hold the most logical answer to the problem they have, wanting to Facebook, be on itunes, and check their e-mail, while they look for an answer. It is simply easier to use the top of the page then scroll, and use more of your already divided attention.

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  61. It's funny how these two articles excatly describe me. I never look past the first five links they give you on google. I just assume, that since they are on top, they are going to be the most reliable and truthful.
    In elementary, they did teach me a little aboput looking at sources and seeing if they were truthful or fake. But it was when readin magazine articles, they never taught me when searching online.
    I guess we have just become so used to believing everything on the internet, that we forget to question what we are reading.

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  62. Both articles bring up the same idea of assessing the information you're provided when you research something online. I'll admit I'm as guilty as any high school student of using the first few links google provides me when I look something up. However, I agree with the articles. I believe it's important to check the validity of your sources and not trust the Internet to give you the right answers.
    The articles also brought up another interesting point about the librarians and their fight to help educate students on "crap detection 101", as Howard Reingold says. I think that the critical thinking some librarians are trying to teach students is crucial in furthering their education. If someone doesn't teach students to critically analyze the information and the sources that provide the information, they will never learn it.

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  63. The listed articles bring up a legitamate problem that will face the youth of the present and of the future. This problem being the validity of internet searches used by students in research of any kind. Students in this time period have come to believe that any information gathered in school is true, but with the incorporation of technology into the curriculum, this is not always true. An easy solution is available to this problem, but one that many tend to neglect, that solution being to utilize several sources. Movement towards this solution will most likely come slowly, but will depend on the student in the end and will ultimately be put upon the teachers to embrace and teach the proper use of this technological paradigm.

    Salvador Ramos
    Period 2

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  64. Every student at Righetti can attest to the fact that the “college prep” classes (and even some of the AP classes) do more to prepare us for the standardized test at the end of the year than to prepare us for college, so much that their title should be changed to “CST prep” classes. Our performance on these tests is the meter that gages the school’s proficiency as an institution of education. Because we devote so much time/effort/focus to passing the CST, there is virtually no time left to teach the students how to think critically. Since having critical thinking skills aren’t relatable through a cookie-cutter math exam, teaching them is just not one of our priorities.

    But it should be. As both of the articles mentioned, having the ability to think critically and search effectively is imperative to the success of our collegiate endeavors, and our lives outside of school. I think that the only way for technology-based classes to be accepted and implemented into high schools like ours (even though they are entirely helpful and necessary) would be to introduce them as independent core classes. That way, there is no worry that learning about our world through our technology will interfere with preparation for the CST’s.

    Kari Griego
    period 4

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  65. Ok....I wrote a much longer more wordy post three seconds ago. But THAT post was erased when I went to log in. Soooooo the general idea of that post was "if we take time to properly educate the children on proper search methods we can better america."

    P2 matt sagisi

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  66. I felt that in the first article when the study was conducted that, although it was the point of the study, it wasn't quite right for Pan to switch the order of the results knowing that they are in the order they show up in for a reason. As a younger generation we know that the most viewed and the more it has to do with the topic, the higher up on the results list it will appear. Taking this into consideration I usually do go with the top post because in general it is correct. The point of the study to show that kids need to learn to check the sites they visit and make sure they are a reliable source does have its place, but if we are serious with the matter, how will a MLK post from a white supremest ever get the following or views of the general public to ever rise to the top of the results page? This is why the younger generation doesn't check the source as often as they should, because generally the top result is correct and in more cases than not you do "get lucky".

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  67. The articles are very true in saying that students in this generation aren't using their tech skills to their highest potential in the fact that we just pick the first website that comes up from a search and trust it. I think we haven't been taught how to use search properly because maybe teachers and schools think we already know how to sift through all of the false information or scams? Or maybe schools feel like they've already done that for us by using filtering systems for the internet on the school's network (Righetti uses Barracuda). I think if people took the time to teach others the ways of the internet and search engines, much like what this class is doing, I think people everywhere would then have a better understanding on how to get solid and trustworthy information. And also just be more knowledgeable of what is going on in the world all around. I think these articles go well with the words of Roy Christopher, "Program or be programmed". Lets have a little more faith in ourselves and what we can do with and for technology. Instead of technology showing and telling us what to do.

    Kira Asel Period 3

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  68. I find that many people, myself included click the first site that comes up when using search engines. This is due in part to human nature, which tells us to take the easiest route, and because students are not being taught the proper ways of internet searching. As the articles mentioned it is important to think critical and search effectively. I feel teachers have taught students to think critically especially those who teach AP classes. I don't, however, students are being taught to search effectively, and you need both of these aspects to be successful. Search effectively requires having an understanding that anyone can post anything online, so you can't be positive you have valid information until you do cross referencing. The use of search engines can make our lives easier only if we are taught how to optimize the information we get from them.
    Kelli Carrillo P.3

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  69. I always pick Wikipedia, which is like the half-special needs cousin of the encyclopedia. Those cousins, although cute and cuddly, are not very reliable for information. Everyone knows that you can go in and change text, and when I say "you" I actually mean any person with fingers and a keyboard in front of them.
    Why do I keep going back?
    I have no idea, if anything I would say I've conformed to the ideals of the Google CEO. Not picking the top link at the top of search is trying to hard, obviously the only right answer is the one at the top anyways, right?

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  70. When I look things up online I am usually in a hurry or trying to meet a deadline. Therefore, I seem to pick the first few sites that come up on google. This is also a generation where everything comes very easy to kids and they are programmed to take the quickest way to finish a given task. The article mentioned critical thinking, which is thinking about your thinking. I started learning this my Sophomore year with Mr. Greely and I have continued to use it throughout my life since then. I think this generation would be more respected if we took full advantage of this technology phase and learned how to use it effectively. I agree with Ryan, it is human nature to believe the "correct" answer is always at the top...
    We need to re-route ourselves to the thought that we don't always know what the right choice is and we cannot always depend on the first site that comes up.

    Kaley Jorgensen
    Period 2
    absent

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  71. I'm guilty of googling things and always clicking on the top result to my search. Weirdly enough, it's always Wikipedia. I always trust that what I'm reading is true because, I dunno, it has the most hits, or however they measure how many people view the page. I dunno, doing searches quickly and efficiently isn't a bad thing. Why do people always equate that with laziness? -.-' Like the article and everyone else has said, it's knowing whether or not the source is a credible one. Part of knowing whether or not you have a credible source is knowing who the author is, and what their purpose is. I'll definitely have that in mind next time I do a web search on anything. Still, something's going to bug me later, and I'll google the answer, and I'll read the first article, and it won't bother me too much. Still, I kinda wish they'd teach stuff like this in school more often.

    Marissa Tajalle
    P.2

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  72. Unfortunately, I must agree when it was stated that students were wretched at searching. This is mere truth. I see these exact observations in my overall search skills today. I settle for the first search result rather digging deeper, and looking to see if the information is legit. It’s unfortunate that the education system has been so focused on the “No Child left Behind,” tactic, that they have lost the whole purpose of teaching. It’s true, students are not taught critical thinking or problem solving anymore, but the material for what is on the upcoming tests. Teaching on search skills is overlooked and never touched on, and upon the entering of college, it has left us with the incapability to search correctly. Yes, the blame could be put on the teachers and the education system, but I think a big part of the blame is on the students. With the internet giving you the information within seconds, why is there a reason to keep digging deeper when you have five pages of similar information. A reason for students’ ill-searching skills has to do with laziness and lack of checking if the information is credible.
    Miranda Perez per. 3

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  73. I'm not going to lie, whenever I have to research something I automatically go to the first few links and stop there. If the topic actually interests me then I will go to several other sources and even go to the second or third page of results. Shocking, I know. However, it is because we have become to trusting of google. We all know that the internet is full of lies, but when it comes to a research project, students don't typically want to spend hours searching through the several pages of results that google brought up. If the information they gathered is incorrect, then they automatically have the excuse of "oh, well that's what the website said." At least that's what I would say, but when I have a research project I tend to rely on Wikipedia. If I have unanswered questions then I simply go to the resources that were used to type up the article on Wikipedia. I also cross reference the information I found on different sites and if something doesn't match then I look for another source.

    Nancy Rubio
    Per. 2

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  74. I can tell you from personal experience that when I have to research something I go to google and look at the first few things that come up because I'm lazy, and I know I'm not the only one. Schools offer computer classes but only as electives, and in elementary school when they should be starting computer education they only teach typing. We are moving into the future and computers are part of our daily lives, many of us carry them in our pockets, we need to learn how to properly use our resources to take full advantage of them. Program or be programmed. We may be digital natives our generation is still trying to figure a lot of technological things out because technology is growing along with us. It's very necessary we learn how to research things properly so we don't end up with false information, but a big part of it is our own ambition.

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  75. How many times has Dr Preston told us that Wikipedia is a great place to start, but a horrible place to end? A million, at least. And this is what i was thinking about the entire time I was reading these articles. The internet is a place with information galore, but how much of it is really fact? Anyone with internet connections can publish their thought and make them believable to anyone out there. I find it interesting that until now, students are being trained to avoid such ploys.

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  76. As basically everyone stated before, many of our generation are terrible at researching. I think its due to the fact that those teaching us did not know how to properly research on the internet. I remember being taught how to research things at libraries or by usung encyclopedias. I also remember using Ask Jeeves and Google, although I did recieve a few guidlines I was never truly taught how to tell which sites were useless. It is definitely something we should be taught at a young age. Looking back, elementary school was just loads of mindless busy work, and if we were lucky we would get taught how to play an instrument like the recorder. Instead of that kids should be taught how to properly use computers and search engines. We're just a bunch of cavemen with burning sticks.

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  77. This article raises a very valid point, but I don't completely agree. With this idea at hand, I must admit I get sucked into choosing my first couple choices on a search engine, but this is not true for just students. Some kids these days, we admit, are lazy, and they simply don't care to validate any information; they trust the internet. Having that said, people really haven't been taught not to trust what they read on the internet. Students as well as adults don't use the internet to the best of it's ability due to filters, but if better informed I feel more internet users will catch on to the idea of verifying their sources

    "In 1955, we wondered why Johnny can’t read. Today the question is, why can’t Johnny search?" The idea of Johnny reading and searching is the same thing to me. I feel the point of this quote doesn't validate their ideas that are being portrayed. Johnny can be a bad reader just as he can be a bad searcher. The fact is that just because a person can read doesn't mean they are understanding or learning, just as in searching online. Kids had to teach themselves to read between the lines just as they will need to do with search engines; they need to work harder for the truth. A student can search for anything and come up with a legit answer, but until they check their sources and validate their information everything they read could be a lie, making them a "bad" searcher.

    I do not feel that this idea of being a better "internet searcher" needs to be taught at school. I feel that it should be mentioned to kids as time goes on, but as for adding it to a curriculum, I don't agree. We learned the internet on our own, why can't we learn to better our internet searches on our own as well? Yes, some kids are lazy with this idea, but those who want to succeed with the correct knowledge will re-teach themselves on this and be more mindful on their searches. The internet is a crazy place, but we are the "tech savvy" generation and I feel we should learn to utilize our information to the best of our ability on own, like we discovered the internet in the first place.

    Shannon Murray
    period 3

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  78. Today, a lot of us search online with the primary website of Google and we accept the first few links. Like myself, I don't really look more into the answers I am given. We haven't been taught to really research online and what links are the right ones. However, I don't know if there is a way we can be taught to do this in school. We should be able to learn on our own. I know now we all rely on the internet to give us the correct answer, but what we don't realize is what we sometimes have right in front of us can lead us into the wrong direction.
    We need to learn to think critically like the articles say and judge the information we are given. What use are the basics if we can never move forward with the correct information. Society now and in the future need to evaluate every little thing and critically think or we will be stuck with clicking the first link that pops up on Google.

    Briana Derr
    Period 3

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  79. The way the authors of these pieces seemed to describe “digital natives” as those who should know everything there is to know about digital media. In contrast, I believe that “digital natives” perfectly describe my generation because we are native to that landscape and are learning about it. I believe that the mood of the opposing argument expects us to know how to run the internet as if we were the creators of it.
    Like many people mentioned before, as well as the articles, there are not many resources in the average high school to teach students more about the internet.

    Rebecca Patterson per.6

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  80. Teenagers these days are obviously getting more and more lazy as the days go on, so of course when we are searching something online (usually Google) we are going to pick one of the first few topics on the page. But we never choose to take the extra time to verify if what we are using is the actual truth. However, with the entire world having the abitlity to post anything they want to the internet, how are we supposed to know what is real truth and what is an educated statement of someone's opnion? Teachers are always telling us to double check our work and make sure what we have is right, but I just don't get how we are supposed to know if we are right when we are not exactly sure what is wrong.

    Gabby Cuevas Per.2

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  81. I think, and it's clear from all the other answers that others think too that this should be taught in school. Teaching children and other people to properly search for validified information is way more critical and practical than a lot of the things we are "taught" here. We must also find some way to circumvent the laziness that comes natural to a lot of us.
    Tyler Stewart Period 3

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  82. Both articles made really good points reguarding the way teenagers today search things online. i have to admit, I do the same thing. I go to google and search for what i need and just check the first websites that pop up. Sometimes changing the key words in the search box. After reading these articles I realize that it is important to know where your information is coming from and if it is valid. We are all guilty of just reading what the internent says and never really knowing if the information is valid or not. We are making a change and taking a step up, because Dr. Preston has begun teaching us about the internent, and the many different, responsible ways to use it.

    Tori Thompson Period 3

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  83. Reading both this articles I realized that I tend to click on the first two links I see. From my perspective I usually think that their the most reliable sources of information, But reading this articles I realize that its actually the opposite. What caught my attention was the different methods you can use in order to validate the link or website. Exploring different links, comparing different websites, and analyzing the different tones presented. I agree with the fact that schools should teach students how to successfully search for online information with the capability of knowing what is fact or fiction.

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  84. I was interested to see how both articles began the same way and talked about teh same issue. I believe that teens today usually always go with the search results found at the top of the page because it saves them time when it comes to completing a school assignment. For all i know everytime i do research online i can be getting false information because i don't pay attention to the author or why it was put online in the first place. Dr. Preston has tried to t4eaqch us how to be safe onlin ebut not how to search for accurtate information, I'm guesing this is the next step in successfuly surfing the web. I completely agree with both articles on thier opinio about schools doing wrong by thinking that using a firewall on their computers is going to cut it. There may be budget cuts and all but there is always pen and paper to give them pointers. Students are protected from getting unappropiate results online but they are still in danger of getting false information impending them from learning the right things.

    I dont believe that it is all the schools or teacher's fault that students are uneducated in this area. Yess, teachers are meant to help students learn skills about how to properly surf the web but students need to also stop being lazy. I personally know that teachers have told us how to check the author of a website or article online but the question is...do we take the time do it everytime we read or watch something online? of course not because that would take up more of our "fun" time. Teachers can only help us if we put into [ractice what they teach us already. The internet is a dangerous world and the same way it can have millions of right answers, it can have millions of wrong answers.

    -Marie Alvarado
    Per.3

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  85. I would have to agree with the article on the fact that some students don't use the searchenginenand Internet to it's fullest. Some students just type in a word and got to the first result in order to grab all of their information. This does not mean that students are estranged to the Internet, it merely reflects the search habits one has. The mentallity of a teenage student is that all research is pointless because it doesn't captivate their attention or it just doesn't seem like a priority. the search engine is also to blame because of the search results it shows first. The results are so popular that one thinks it would be foolish to continue searching for information. Thus the articlenis correct to a degree.

    Carlos Cruz, Period 3

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  86. I have known that most people only used the first couple pages if not just the first in any research that they do simply out of laziness. I was alarmed though at the fact that many kids could not tell fact from fiction on the various sites they looked up. I am not much better than in the fact that I look up major college articles such as the ones from Stanford or well known newspapers like The New York Times if I am actually taking a research project seriously. I really do hope that schools will add how to be search savvy as part of their “teach to the test curriculum”, but that is a far hope indeed. I wouldn’t mind taking a lesson or two on my own during lunch if it were offered at school because I would be learning a skill that would be vital to have in college if not for the rest of my life. I mean, what is the whole reason we go to school if we are not learning things that will prepare us for the rest of our lives? This is a valid tool that anyone should know and is becoming ridiculous that we as “digital natives” can not use the tools we were essentially raised with.
    Jon Hoffman Period 2

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  87. I agree that a good majority of the time kids do choose from the top of the page and don't search in depth. I usually look a little more than that, but not as much as I probably should. After reading these articles I think that students in this day and age need to be taught how to correctly search for info online. It's only a matter of time until everything will be online and if you can't properly get facts then what's the point really?

    Matthew Giddings p.3

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  88. Both articles make very good valid points about teens and the way they search for information online. I myself do the same thing by just simply going into google and visiting the first few sites that google takes me to without going any further into the search. It is very important to know where your information is coming from, and it's almost shocking that kids are not taught these skills in order to better analyze it and make their own assessments valid with information

    Chelsea Stevenson
    Period4

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  89. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  90. I had always used the first few pages on a google search only because I assumed that they were the most visited making them the most reliable, but reading these two articles made me discern that this isn't always true. How Pappas criticized our grabbing the first "low-hanging fruit" made me realize how inexperienced I am for being a "digital native".

    Just like kids are taught to use tools like pencils, books, and calculators the internet should should be on the list of lessons taught to children in elementary. Instead of digital natives, ideas and criticisms like these make me think that we might be immigrants in our own land.

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  91. Finally found the post!

    Anyways, I believe that while teens, and most adults as well, do only check the first couple pages of google when researching something, that happens mostly when the subject their researching is one that they don't really care for. They're looking for the quick answer. Like when I have to find something for a history class I just type it in and try to find the quick answer, but if I was looking for the correct lyrics of a favorite song, or some pop culture history I usually try to ask around on the internet or go to a bunch of sites to figure out the absolute correct answer.

    If we care about something we're going to work harder for it, rather than the less than perfect way we would go about it if it were just an assignment to get points. Although, sometimes we can chock that up to not knowing your way around the internet. I assume because I have more practice with html codes and RSS feeds than other students because I've spent more time with them, I might be able to navigate my way around the internet better. However, no one is perfect and there is always room for improvement, seeing as no one knows everything about the internet... how could they?

    It's possible that what we aim towards is a level in which we are most comfortable just because we were brought up that way. We will lean towards the most used, the popular one, because we think that if everyone else is using it it must be correct. But if we truly want to be able to navigate the internet, we have to trash those beliefs and step out of our comfort zone. That's the time in which we will get the best information.

    But the best thing around the internet is you can ask. And not enough people think of that as a viable option. If we band together, we can learn more efficiently and the things we learn will be less fictionalized then some things we could find on the internet.

    Savanah Lyon
    p.2

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