“It’s true that young people prefer interactive systems to passive ones and that they are generally competent with technology, but it’s not true that students today are “expert searchers.” In fact, the report calls this “a dangerous myth.” Knowing how to use Facebook doesn’t make one an Internet search god, and the report concludes that a literature review shows no movement (either good or bad) in young people’s information skills over the last several decades. Choosing good search terms is a special problem for younger users.”
This lines us with my experiences running listening labs with teens. Teens are more comfortable with the web but generally fail to use the web effectively just as often as older folks. I think this is largely a failing of the traditional education system, which doesn’t provide any guidance on how to manage digital information. Bit literacy should be a part of every student’s basic education.
7 months ago