Reflective Searching

As a consumer in this day of an over abundance of information I can sometimes find myself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information available to me on the internet. At other times, I will find myself completely at ease with searching for key information that I need while quickly and easily scanning multiple resources.

So why do I feel these two different ways? I believe it has to do with my own comfort level with the content that I am looking to find.

When I am looking to find information about something unfamiliar to me I am not sure exactly what keywords to use to search for the answer. I will often have to refine the words I am using to search with several times before I will get the results I am looking for. When I am searching in this manner, I identify myself as participating in "horizontal information seeking" as described in the article Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future by the University College of London. I will skim information quickly searching for just what I need and quickly moving from one source to the next. This behavior also fits the the articles description of a "power browse" where I am not truly reading the content, but looking for what correlates with the limited information I already know about my topic. 

When I am searching for content about a topic I am familiar with I  identify as a "viewer" or someone who spends slightly more time on a page, but I am still "power browsing" or seeking the information I need while filtering out the content that does not apply to me. Since I know more about a topic I identify more quickly whether the media is what I need, and I will spend more time reading it thoroughly.

Based on my own searching methods I certainly identify as one of the members of the Google Generation. I find myself turning to find quick answers by using search engines. I can avoid creating my own filter bubble by using academic search engine more often. I also need to continue to validate the reliability of my sources. Personal publishing becomes more professional in appearance almost daily, and it will only continue to become harder identifying quality sources. "We have moved from an internet built by a few thousand authors to one being constructed by millions" (University College of London, p. 16). That number has increased exponentially since Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future was published. This week's reading has reminded me of the importance of informational literacy instruction in our schools

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 19, 2018 at 9:10 AM

    Cassie,
    You are right, with so much information on the internet it is becoming increasingly hard to find credible sources just for basic information. As a consumer and educator, it is sometimes contradictory to try and teach our students on how to research topics correctly, find credible sources, and not just use the first resource you find when we ourselves are members of the google generation whether we were born after 1993 or not. I like your idea of using more academic search engines to avoid creating filter bubbles. If I can practice using those more as a consumer I will be more inclined to used them more with my students. While google is a great tool for students to use, academic search engines will allow students to see the different results and how quality is better than quantity.

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  2. AnonymousMay 20, 2018 at 7:31 AM

    Cassie,
    I think many of our students would likely feel the same way as you in regards to their Google searches. Students have commented, more times than I can count, about the vast amount of information that they are able to find with one keyword search. Some become frustrated and just shut down, while others pick the first result they see and move on, and a very small percentage actually go through the process of filtering out what does not apply and possibly even fact checking and researching. I think often times students are lost in the information overload, and they just want to get the assignment completed. Some of this has to do with the way a classroom teacher teachers. If a class comes to my lab that has a teacher that gives them the path, they are more likely to get frustrated. However, if I have a class that the teacher is more a facilitator, the students are more likely to dig and and wade through the information. It seems to me that students with a facilitator are much more likely to be able to move past the "just Google it" phase, and move toward Google being one of the many tools they use to research.

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  3. AnonymousMay 20, 2018 at 9:20 AM

    Cassie,
    I can totally agree that there is so much information out there that we need to learn how to tell the difference between fake sources and truly credible sources. I have seen my students just go right to the search engine to search something and click on the first one which is not always the most credible source. If the students are working on a project I make sure the students use the digital resources that the county provides, I show them how to weed through the program so they know how it works when they go to do it on their own. That way I know they are getting their information from a credible source, and it is more accurate than if they were just going to "Google it".

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