The Google problem
To what degree do you think Gen Y students see less of a need to "know" things given the almost immediate access to information they have grown up with and expect? Many older cohorts would need to access a library or encyclopedia to get information about something they don't know. There was more of a necessity to have the facts in our heads. Has this declined with Gen Y?
Very true, the info they learn from us may be obsolete in a few years but resourcefulness and critical thinking never go out of style.
I don't find that they lack hunger for the knowledge, but I definitely have an issue with the blind trust of information sources. "But I googled it!" is a frequent point of frustration when they get very wrong answers from bogus websites.
Does anyone have tips on how to help students develop the ability to discern between credible and not-so-credible sources?
I agree with this point of view. If you know how to look up information and can get to the same end result why should it matter how you get there? I do feel that students should be taught how to look up information in other forms than online in case they do not have access to the internet.
Google and wikipedia I find are major issues in the classes that I teach. Students would rather find the information from a search engine and wiki rather than research the topic using a book or database. I have found that I have to make is a requirement in my research projects that students use books/scholarly articles, otherwise they will only cite websites. I find it a struggle every semester to get students to realize that not all websites are accurate. Thoughts?
Robert,
yes, often these students do a good job of filtering & we have the opportunity to develop those skills even further.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
In my experience with teaching Gen Y students, they use the instant information found online in a positive way. I find that they are well aware that not all returns found about a subject online is accurate and can filter out misinformation. I do on the other hand stress that the internet is just one of many recourses that they should be consulting for information.
robert,
I tend to agree overall. I personally don't think the problem is with Google or Wikipedia for that matter, it is in how the information is received. Students must be taught to be critical thinkers & evaluate what they are reading, hearing, etc. But this is no different than previous generations, there just seems to be even more information.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I don't see google as a problem. How is google any different than a library? The internet and google is like any library, it is full of both fiction and non-fiction written by people. Then internet and google makes the library of old more portable and useful.
This is more than a generational problem. It has broad implications for education, and for society in general. Clearly we have moved beyond the age when it was reasonable to require students to memorize state capitals. They can get that info in the blink of an eye using technology. However,some factual information is essential in order to understand causes and effects, or the implications and significance of many things. Why was the Civil War really fought? How does the current technological revolution compare with the agricultural and industrial revolutions? What must a person do to become indispensable in our global marketplace? There is a real value in using knowledge to make choices, and much of that knowledge is not the kind that can be Googled. Also, think of how many of our students see no value in reading chapters in a book, since they can more quickly find "answers" on line. How are we as educators to show them the importance of crucial information? Heck, how are we even supposed to identify it?
Because of Google I strongly believe more Gen Y people have a greater knowledge base and sense of whats going on in the world than previous generations had.
The only problem I see if suddenly the lights turned out or Google and other search engine somehow ceased to exist. Gen Y would have a harder time looking up information the old fashioned way.
Daniel,
yes and sometimes the greatest value we can provide these students is helping them learn how to discern what is good & valuable info & what is not so reliable.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I am new to the instructing world and having just left the working force as a diesel technician found that just being able to simply navigate websites put me leaps ahead of my older cohorts. Almost all of the manufacturers that the diesel field is involved with have gone to web based manuals and web based training. So now I stress to students of the importance of finding the proper correct information when needed. In the technician world thier are lots of manufacturers and lots of specs to remember. Where to find those specs is key.
I also agree that "y'ers" tend to not retain information the way previous generations do. I beleive we have created this environment since if they forget something, it is very easy to look it up again. To some benefit, they may find that the information has changed and at least you are looking at the latest and greatest views that may have overwritten the history books you would find in a library or encyclopedia.
I think this is one of the challenges of all age groups, not jsut Gen Y students. Many students are mainly interested in the piece of paper (diploma) that comes with completing their degree program, and they are not as interested in the learning piece (or if they are interested, they lack time due to work/family commmitments). But, to your question about Gen Y students, I find that they would rather use Google to locate an immediate answer to a question (and pick the first search result), then to take the time to appropriately research a question through more legitimate sources (such as an online journal database).
this not caring about the details is becoming a big problem with the gen Y students.the thought that everything can be looked up on google is false we are a tech school so we have to get them to learn a concept before they can fix anything.
After reviewing the posting above I am in agreement 50/50. We as instructors or teachers need to harness the power that comes with the use of Google and use it to our benefit instead of allowing students to have the upper hand. Recommend setting a limited parameter usage so they can focus in on the subject.
John,
I think this is a great approach to help our students in this area of technology usage.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think that is true to a large degree. That, and information changes so often in our career college field that I try to concentrate more on information-finding and critical thinking.
Marcus,
yes, I have had a little struggle in helping my Gen Y students realize that some information is important, even if it won't be on the test.
Dr. Ryan Meers
