Is the Web the best?

The article titled What’s not on the Web by Joyce Kasman Valenza discusses the disadvantages of the Internet for research purposes.

The author raises the point that school students may not be using the Web in the best way possible when researching information for assignments. She talks mostly about how the “free web” lacks good quality information yet this is the type that most students use when researching as opposed to online databases and journals. She suggests that students will not find or be able to access high-quality reference books that are full-text non fiction, any books under copyright, journals, magazines and newspaper indexes and magazine articles written before 1990.

She believes that students using the “free web” also miss out  on a critical element of the process of researching; using library books in their search. She believes that students are at a great disadvantage when they only use the “free web” as they will miss out on gaining more comprehensive information that could be found from resources that were published before the web (and that can’t be accessed through the web databases). You have to imagine that this would affect their learning and allround knowledge on topics. 

The author believes that the solution to this problem is that students must perform research studies both online and in books as well as purchase subscriptions to quality databases such as EBSCOHost and Facts.com

While I have indicated in earlier posts that I can definitely see the benefit of the Internet within the school, I do find value in what this author suggests. To help with this problem in the school, I beleive that the teacher should raise this point with the students when handing out assignments.

  Reference:

Kasman Valenza, J. (2001). What’s not on the web. Learning & Leading with Technology, 29 (1), 6-9.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/19802834@N00/1340089439

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33377700@N00/443545349