The past weekend I had to get so much work done regarding school. There were articles I needed to find, books, videos, teaching material...that the only way I would have time to find everything is if I could find them online. So like every graduate student I went on my laptop starting to search for the info I needed. Two hours after I started searching I caught myself on Facebook... Were there any articles there maybe??? NO!!! I just got distracted from everyones "news" and "posts"...Anyways, after that... I went on UofT's library website and started searching for articles on "Social Networks". The amount of results I got back from every search was unreal. There was no way I could go through everypage till I found what I really needed. I tried making my key words everytime even more specific...but that just led me to getting either too many results or too few results. I got so frustrated that I just logged off and took a break...
All this introduction was just to share my thoughts on how "BIG" the www is and how much information it contains. If I (a graduate student who has been using the Internet everyday for the past 5-6 years) have a hard time finding specific information online, what do students or older people do when they are searching for something?
Given the digital divide that is growing day by day (at least that's my opinion) this matter can only get worse. Search engines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engines) are becoming "widder" and more advanced and the information on them is getting more and more specific. Does everyone have the same access to the info? Can everyone search for info online? Is it as easy as we think it is? Are we just used to "Google-ing" information and dont even think of the rest of the world? Here is a video that explains how to search online http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWHPf00Jkqg "In Plain English", but is that enough? Information on different topics can be found anywhere on the Internet: on websites, blogs, forums, e-libraries, e-mails, etc... but does everyone know "how" and "where" to search for information???
We have entered 2009 and still few are the schools who actually teach how to search online and how to "filter" the information found. Critical media literacy is so important nowadays if one considers the amount of info available online http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m6grhWShNY but do schools do something about it?
I really hope that schools all across the world start offering classes on how to search for info online and what to "keep" because it is truly important.
Take care,
Stefania
PS. How to use search engines: http://www.monash.com/spidap.html
Hi Stefania,
ReplyDeleteI can really relate to your frustrations about trying to find information online. On the one hand some people can't talk enough about the reach and connections of the WWW. I can definitely see their point and agree that with the Internet we have been able to access information that was almost impossible for us to get...or at least you had to leave your house and go to a library to try to access it. Not today! Now you can pretty much get what you need in your pajamas! (I do that often) :) However, I definitely agree with you that there are two problems with this new way of accessing information online: 1) Information Overload: too much information and not enough tools on how to filter and search properly (I never thought I'd say this but I miss the old days of going to a library and having to go to different floors to look for books by their call numbers) 2) Unequal Access: many people don’t have access to the Internet. So what happens to those people who can't access information online????...all that information that many people ASSUME we can all read and get to.
In my blog for this week I also spoke to this point a bit when I talked about the Internet and activism. I believe that the Internet is allowing or helping for groups to form and to connect in a much faster way and often with people they would not be able to reach in the past. But as we cheer for new ways of reaching people, are we not ignoring a HUGE group of people who can never join and participate in these causes online???? It's quite easy to forget how privileged we are and that many people do not have these comforts or the time (for the have more pressing family issues and responsibilities) to browse the Net.
Posting for Tom Packwood
ReplyDeleteHi Stefania:
What a great time to read your latest blog and Iwona's comment, as I am working in my hotel room...in my pyjamas (well, track pants and Toronto Raptors t-shirt).
I also agree that the online search for information can be a challenging task and is certainly one of the most effective ways of making myself feel old and out of touch with the "latest" technologies. And on a recent trip to the UofT library, I, like Iwona, found myself enjoying the quiet and the smell of the rows and rows of books. Yet, even that search involved an online search engine.
Remember when we used to complain about how difficult it was to find what we were looking for in the days of card catalogues?
One thing is certain - while the online search can be challenging, it is definitely a life-saver at these times when I have to be out of town. No matter where I am, I can continue my work and research, thanks to information on the www.
I must say that when I take these trips for work (I'm in St Lucia right now), I begin to question the digital divide and who it is that is actually not reaping all of the benefits of this new age. On the one hand, I understand that not everyone has access to a computer or the internet. On the other, I wonder how many of these same people have access to expansive, updated libraries. While it may take time, is it possible that access to technology will expand to more of the population more rapidly than we would see more libraries and universities being built? Each island and developing country that I visit has left me with the same perception - that the implementation and adoption of new technologies may be proceeding quicker than "developed" countries in some ways. I've visited places where not everyone has a land line, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone without a cell phone. And, in terms of learning how to do a proper/effective online search, I could see schools in developing areas being more eager to incorporate that into their curriculum, simply out of necessity.
When I arrived at my hotel - a collection of two-story buildings spread across a fairly large property - I went to the front desk as I could not locate the high speed connection in my room. They informed me that the entire property was set up for wireless.
Hmmm...maybe it's Toronto that's going to come up short in the digital divide.