Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants

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Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants Five
Things Digital Natives Cannot Do despite what
they think (And What You Can Do To Help)
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(No Transcript)
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Translating a question into a query
Choosing the best database
Verifying the credibility of information
Finding better keywords
Recognizing information thats relevant
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1. Translating a question into a query

• Task Translate a natural language question or
  statement into language that is understood by a
  search engine.
• Search engines literal matching (no stop or
  clutter words)
• 3 word max. (proper nouns and numbers good
  verbs bad)

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Example question to 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 earths fastest animal
• top speed earths fastest animal

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2. Selecting a good database

• Task Predict where expert information may be
  found.
• Search engines differ! juried (librarians
  index, archive) vs. unjuried (google, ask, yahoo)
• No search engine performs a live Internet search
  when you submit a query ex page not found

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• 90 search with Google more than half of the
  time.
• 32 use Google exclusively.

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3. Recognizing relevant information

• (Failure occurs when a student looks at the
  results returned by a search engine.)
• Task Match findings with expectations, evaluate
  relevance
• Computers are made for speed - encourages haste
  (click happy)
• Hyperlinks and graphics can be distracting.
• Read snippets

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4. Finding better keywords

• Task Select and try increasingly specific
  keywords
• Frequently, effective keywords go unnoticed in
  snippets.
• Effective searching depends on keyword selection
  more than any other factor!

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5. Evaluating credibility

• Task Check the credibility of information,
  authorship
• Typically, students forego this decision
  altogether and accept whatever information they
  find.
• Special operators make evaluation easier. -
  search database, archive, information link
  siteedu (gov, org)

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Evaluate the Source
Evaluate the Content

• Author
• Publisher
• Bias
• Links From

• Evidence
• Accuracy
• Date
• Links To

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What You Can Do To Help
Question to query checklist
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• How many key concepts (important ideas) are found
  in the question?
• How many key concepts will I search for?
• What keywords are probably effective as is?
• For which concepts are more effective keywords
  probably needed?
• Are there hyponyms or professional language for
  any of the intermediate words?
• Are there words that have multiple meanings?
• Did I use any stop words or clutter words?
• Did I spell the words correctly?
• Did I put the most important words first?

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What You Can Do To Help
Keyword tutorials
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What You Can Do To Help
Choose the best database
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• What person would know the answer I am looking
  for?
• Where would I find that expert?
• Use Google/Yahoo to get there and then use the
  proprietary search engine to go farther.
• To find a relevant database use keywords like
  DATABASE, ARCHIVE, INFORMATION in combination
  with subject matter.

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What You Can Do To Help
Recognize relevant information
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• Practice scanning California Gold Rush
• Practice reading snippets Snippet Sleuth
• Use the FIND Command
• Practice reading hypertext Flash Video
  Tutorial

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What You Can Do To Help
Find better keywords
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• Practice with snippets and thesaurus e.g.,
  Soccer Challenge II
• Practice with snippets e.g., Soccer Challenge
  III, Snippet Sleuth

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What You Can Do To Help
Verify Credibility
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• Example game
• Interactive MicroModule Companions Bias
• (There are moretech difficultieswell get back
  to you with more Credibility games!)

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Want to learn more!

• Unabridged PowerPoint presentation
  http//21cif.imsa.edu
• More question to query, finding better keywords,
  and snippet games http//21cif.imsa.edu/tutorial
  s/challenge
• Great Internet Search Challenge games
  http//21cif.imsa.edu/rkit/timed_sc1.html

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