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Five Things Digital Natives Cannot Do

(And What You Can Do To Help) Carl Heine, Ph.D.

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy 1

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Advanced Search What digital natives don’t do well What they tend to do instead

Turn a question into a query Choose the right database Recognize information when they find it Find better keywords Verify the credibility of information Rush ahead toward an answer, either grabbing the whole question “as is” or missing an important part of it Enter words or phrases into Google Rush past important information and clues, continue to browse Stick with their original words and browse Accept what they find at face value, hoping somewhere in the information there is an answer 2

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Google

‘digital natives’ and the top hit is: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20 %20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language.

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Verifying the credibility of information Finding better keywords

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Translating a question into a query Choosing the best database Recognizing information that’s relevant 4

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1. Translating a question into a query

 Starts with a question or a problem to solve.

 Task: Translate a natural language question or statement into language that is understood by a search engine.

 Search engines differ in how they process queries, but for the most part, what works on one big commercial search engine tends to work on the others.  Search engines perform a variety of literal matching functions with Boolean and special operators.

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1. Translating a question into a query

Which of the following is the most effective query for 'find the top speed of earth's fastest animal'?

 speed fastest animal  what is earth’s fastest animal  top speed earth’s fastest animal 6

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1.Translating a question into a query

Research Findings (IMSA second semester sophomores)  36% recognized the optimal query from a list of three queries. Only 14% of incoming 9th graders at a local high school identified the optimal query.

 31% grasped that search engines perform literal matching.

 17% regularly use natural language queries.

 12% misinterpreted the research question.

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2. Selecting an adequate database

 This failure occurs before submitting the first query.

 Task: Predict where expert information may be found.

 No search engine performs a live Internet search when you submit a query. (Otherwise, how could they come back with a page that’s not found?)  That which is stored in one search engine’s database is invisible to another search engine (also called Enterprise Data) 8

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2. Selecting a good database

Research Findings (anecdotes from teachers)  When permitted, most students prefer to “Google” 9

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3. Recognizing relevant information

 This failure occurs when a student looks at the results returned by a search engine.

 Task: Match findings with expectations, evaluate relevance  Information on the Internet is not always found in predictable places.

 Computers are made for speed, which encourages haste.

 Hyperlinks and graphics can be distracting.

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3. Recognizing relevant information

Research Findings (junior honors students)  36% were able to identify web pages that contain supporting research facts from a selection of three pages.

 25% -- same task, middle school students 11

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4. Finding better keywords

 This failure occurs throughout the search process: before the initial query is submitted and as students look at the results returned by a search engine.

 Task: Select and try increasingly specific keywords  Frequently, effective keywords go unnoticed in snippets.

 Our claim: Effective searching depends on keyword selection more than any other factor.

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4. Finding better keywords

Research Findings (high school)  14% of IMSA sophomores used alternate keywords when searching.

 7% of junior honors students chose effective alternate words to find information.

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5. Evaluating credibility

 This failure occurs after information has been located.

 Task: Check the credibility of information, authorship  Typically, students forego this decision altogether and uncritically accept whatever information they found.  Depending on which database the information was taken from, information may be unedited, unendorsed and inaccurate.

 Special operators (link:) makes external evaluation easier.

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5. Evaluating credibility

Research Findings (high school honors students)  0% were able to use special operators to evaluate the credibility of a web page.

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What You Can Do To Help

Question to query checklist

1. How many key concepts (important ideas) are found in the question?

2. How many key concepts will I search for?

3.

What keywords are probably effective “as is?” 4. For which concepts are more effective keywords probably needed?

5. Are there hyponyms or professional language for any of the intermediate words?

6. Are there words that have multiple meanings?

7. Did I use any stop words or clutter words?

8. Did I spell the words correctly?

9. Did I put the most important words first?

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Challenge: What is the top speed of earth’s fastest animal?

1. How many key concepts (important ideas) are found in the question?

2. How many key concepts will I search for?

3.

What keywords are probably effective “as is?” 4. For which concepts are more effective keywords probably needed?

5. Are there hyponyms or professional language for any of the intermediate words?

6. Are there words that have multiple meanings?

7. Did I use any stop words or clutter words?

8. Did I spell the words correctly?

9. Did I put the most important words first?

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What You Can Do To Help

Question to query tutorials

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What You Can Do To Help

Choose the best database

1. What person would know the answer I am looking for?

2. Where would I find that expert?

3. Use Google/Yahoo to get there and then use the proprietary search engine to go farther.

4. To find a relevant database use keywords like DATABASE, ARCHIVE, INFORMATION in combination with subject matter.

5. Use Beaucoup.com

to search for databases.

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What You Can Do To Help

Challenge: Classical guitarist John Williams has scored the music for only one motion picture. What is the name of the movie?

1. What person would know the answer I am looking for?

2. Where would I find that expert?

3. Use Google/Yahoo to get there and then use the proprietary search engine to go farther.

4. To find a relevant database use keywords like DATABASE, ARCHIVE, INFORMATION in combination with subject matter.

5. Use Beaucoup.com

to search for databases.

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What You Can Do To Help

Recognize relevant information

1. Practice reading snippets: Snippet Sleuth 2. Use the FIND Command

Challenge: Find the name of the poem that contains the line

to tell just what it knows

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What You Can Do To Help

Find better keywords

1. Practice with snippets and thesaurus: Soccer Challenge II 2. Practice with snippets: Soccer Challenge III , Snippet Sleuth

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What You Can Do To Help

Verify Credibility

External validation of content: Links to this site from other sites

Technique

- link: http://www.edutopia.org

1. Practice using the link: operator Evaluation Challenges

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How, When and Where can skills be taught?

Performance skills require hands-on practice

 Search challenges  Interactive tutorials  MicroModules (example: FIND COMMAND )  Search Wizard

When and Where can these skills be taught?

 In the context of research paper preparation  Computer lab and non-digital applications 24

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keywords:

information fluency

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Professional Development Events

• Webinars • Face-to-Face Workshops • Conference presentations – ISLMA, IETC, IPA, ICE • Online Subscription Newsletter (coming Fall 2006) 26

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Contact Us!

URL http://21cif.imsa.edu

General info [email protected]

Bob Houston [email protected]

Dan Balzer [email protected]

Carl Heine [email protected]

Dennis O’Connor [email protected]

Gautam Saha [email protected]

Thank you for participating!

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