Student as Researcher
The Issue
Growing up in the 80's and early 90's, finding out information often meant seeking out the nearest expert to tell give you the information you needed. Often times this was the teacher or a set of books on the shelf called encyclopedias. Times have changed. Students have the ability to research important issues that relate to their learning in a blink of the eye by using the internet.
Today, the issue is no longer access to information, the issue is about access to QUALITY information. As people have become more tech savvy, more people know how to post more information to the internet and this information is not always good information. So, the question for today is, "how can we make sure that students can rely on the information found on the internet?" If students can not rely on the information that they gather on the internet, it will make asking them to do projects, or allow a class “researcher” to share the information that they have found.
One possibility, and a necessary one, is to teach students how to vet the authors, sources, and information that they find on the internet. But, we as teachers will not always have time to help guide students through these issues. Is there a way to help students find reliable information when there is a time constraint?
Today, the issue is no longer access to information, the issue is about access to QUALITY information. As people have become more tech savvy, more people know how to post more information to the internet and this information is not always good information. So, the question for today is, "how can we make sure that students can rely on the information found on the internet?" If students can not rely on the information that they gather on the internet, it will make asking them to do projects, or allow a class “researcher” to share the information that they have found.
One possibility, and a necessary one, is to teach students how to vet the authors, sources, and information that they find on the internet. But, we as teachers will not always have time to help guide students through these issues. Is there a way to help students find reliable information when there is a time constraint?
Solution?
This is where iSeek Education can come in handy. iSeek is touted as being an artificial intelligence search engine that uses AI to help students do research through the use of pre-vetted websites and sources. When you get to the link, click under the apple icon beneath the bar.
The Pros
Not only does it vet the sources, but it also allows the user to search through the type sources that they want. (websites, books, videos, images, or projects created by other people). It will even let a researcher filter out their results not only by the type of source, but by the sources themselves.
The next thing I like about it is that it breaks down the topics and subtopics. For example, I started with a general search “The Civil War” and from there the search engine gave me different topics and subtopics that deals with the topic. By choosing the different topics and subtopics, the researcher can sift out information that does not pertain to their topic without having to go through all of the hits given by the search engine.
The Cons
There is a learning curve when learning this technology. Yes, it operated like a search engine, but if I was only concerned with gathering information, any search engine would do. The key is to gather QUALITY information. This entails using their search filters and understanding how it works. This is where the learning curve comes in.
Because of the difficulty, some students may want to revert back to the ease of Google, but they need to be reminded that while the search on Google might be quicker, discerning what is good and bad information will take a lot longer.
Another con is that students at some point will need to learn how to discern good information from bad information on more popular websites. There will be times where Google (or another search engine) will be the best for their research. So, we as teachers must not use a site like iSeek as a temptation to keep students from learning how to properly use a popular search engine.
The next thing I like about it is that it breaks down the topics and subtopics. For example, I started with a general search “The Civil War” and from there the search engine gave me different topics and subtopics that deals with the topic. By choosing the different topics and subtopics, the researcher can sift out information that does not pertain to their topic without having to go through all of the hits given by the search engine.
The Cons
There is a learning curve when learning this technology. Yes, it operated like a search engine, but if I was only concerned with gathering information, any search engine would do. The key is to gather QUALITY information. This entails using their search filters and understanding how it works. This is where the learning curve comes in.
Because of the difficulty, some students may want to revert back to the ease of Google, but they need to be reminded that while the search on Google might be quicker, discerning what is good and bad information will take a lot longer.
Another con is that students at some point will need to learn how to discern good information from bad information on more popular websites. There will be times where Google (or another search engine) will be the best for their research. So, we as teachers must not use a site like iSeek as a temptation to keep students from learning how to properly use a popular search engine.
Comments
Post a Comment