"Current research suggests that when young learners do dive deeper for information online, their search skills are typically lacking. They are prone to drift off-task as they become distracted by tangential material and fail to return to their original search thread (Palfrey and Gasser 2008)."
The article by Weigel brought to my attention a conversation I recently had with a Latin teacher. He was explaining to me that his seventh grade students use an Internet program that allows them to enter in information for the purposes of studying and the website in turn creates digital flashcards. Not only does he enjoy using the program himself for his studies, but he encourages his students to study this way. However, he did explain a couple of downfalls. First, he stated that many of his students gather their information from Internet resources that do not always provide accurate information. Secondly, some students have told him that the program doesn't work to their benefit because their distracted by facebook, instant messaging and games.
After further discussion we established a number of ways he could scaffold researching and provide them with websites that he has read and approves of. Additionally, we decided that he may want them to use the school's computer lab to create the next sets of flashcards as a class for the purpose of modeling focus and efficiency.
It is so important that teachers do not put aside new technological resources due to deficits. Rather it is a teacher's responsibility to educate students on how to use resources appropriately so that they may enhance their learning experiences. In the future those who are currently learners will be expected to have a certain level of technological literacy. Therefore, it is critical that teachers assume the responsibility of encouraging students to explore the Internet and technological resources, but model how they should and can be used to their fullest potential.
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