Having been working in academic libraries for several years, I noticed college students rely heavily on the Internet for research. For most people, opening a browser means connecting to the world wide library of information. At the same time, some college students are not aware of the risk of using online information without evaluation (Gross and Latham, 35). They tend to focus on relevancy more than the quality. That is the reason why so many professors are surprised to see how much information their students used is from biased, inaccurate, and commercial websites. This essay aims to provide a holistic view of online information and how students can improve their search ability in the digital age.
To understand how information is communicated online, students need to understand the basics of the global network. The Internet, as it sounds, is a connection of millions of networks of various organizations. The network, according to Shelly and Vermaat, is “a collection of computers and devices connected together, often wirelessly, via communication devices and transmission media… Networks allow computers to share resources, such as hardware, software, data, and information” (10). Networks can be as small as in a geographic region, often called local area network (LAN), or “a LAN that uses no wires” (472), to metropolitan area network (MAN) and wide area network (WAN). The largest network that users connect with is the Internet. Users can get access to another user’s hard disk and deliver files to each other via the Internet, which is called peer to peer network, or P2P (Shelly and Vermaat, 475). The most frequently used type is more between clients and companies which provide servers.
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Up until today, the Internet is still expanding to almost every corner of the world. With more information accessible 24/7, college students should also update their knowledge and skills to adapt to this massive movement. Essentially, evaluating information is more important than locating information in the digital age and everyone can be and should be information literate in the digital age.
Works Cited
Gross, Melissa, and Don Latham. "Undergraduate Perceptions Of Information Literacy: Defining, Attaining, And Self-Assessing Skills." College & Research Libraries 70.4 (2009): 336-350. Library & Information Science Source. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
Shelly, Gary B., Misty Vermaat, Jeffrey J. Quasney, Susan L. Sebok, and Steven M. Freund.Discovering Computers 2011: Living in a Digital World. Boston, MA: Course Technology, Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
Information Literacy is an important skill for the 21st century do to our busy and always on the move schedules. Recognizing when information is needed and being able to efficiently locate, accurately evaluate, effectively use, and clearly communicate the information, will help out when time is of an essence and the information needs information.
One of the most widely used technologies is the Internet, or also known as the World Wide Web. “In August 1981 about 200 computers hosted Web servers. By July 1998 there were over 36 million Web servers, that are hosts to approximately 150 million people” (Strauss). The Internet proves to be very beneficial to education, since students have unlimited access to millions of websites with tons of information. There are only so many newspapers, journals and magazines that you can find in libraries or subscribe to. Therefore, the Internet offers an unlimited pile of information that students can always have. Moreover, students are enriched with the most current information in any subject, along with regular updates. Students are able to use the Internet anytime of day, as long as they have a computer at hand. The research process will not have to end when the school day is over (Wissick, 82).
"The arrival and rapid dissemination of digital technology in the last decade of the 20th century has changed the way students think and process information”. (Prensky)
Media can present content that seems and is more or less real, however, it is our duty as the viewers to be able to distinguish, and differentiate between “reflections of reality, and constructions of reality”. The prime targets of the media are young people because they so unwittingly believe everything the media tells them, from “how to talk, how to dress, and how to relate to others”. This newspaper article, seeing is not believing by Leslie Fruman is essentially explaining that now “for the first time students will take a mandatory course to help separate fantasy from reality in the media.” The mandatory course is referred to as media literacy, and will teach young people the classifications of reality and fantasy.
"The Impact of Internet and Television Use in the Reading Habits and Practices of College Students. " Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy (2009): n. pag. Print. The.
Yes, it is true that nowadays, because of increasing variety of information resources, students could no longer rely on traditional...
The rise in popularity of the Internet to conduct daily activities is having a direct effect on the way people process and store information. It has never been easier for one to gain instant access to information whenever needed. This information comes from all over the world, and is accessible right at our fingertips. With the convenience of instant information access, the question needs to be posed as to how this is affecting our way of life and processes for storing information. The rising use of social media is also beginning to negatively affect people’s thought processes; we are losing the ability to think critically, perpetuating belief perseverance and confirmation bias. As people surf the web, they increasingly build a repertoire of beliefs based on the information they relate to. Often they will choose to believe false information simply because it follows the pattern of their preconceived notions. This leads us to a burning question: Is the Internet dumbing us down?
The Internet is a global network connecting millions of personal, institutional and company computers. The number of computers used by the internet is growing rapidly. The United States is connected with over 100 countries worldwide and linked together to exchange of data, news and opinions. The Internet is decentralized design. This means that there isn't just one computer that stores all of the information from the Internet. There are many independent host servers located throughout the US and the world that store the information made available to the global Internet community.
Darrow, R., & MacDonald, C. (2004). What Is information literacy in the digital age? CSLA Journal, 27(2), 21-23. Retrieved July 18, 2006 from the Academic Search Premier database. (AN: 13086929).
“If students are “glued” 24/7 to their mobile devices, why is it necessary for schools to teach digital literacy” (Crowley)? Now that technology has had major developments over the years, more students are using technology instead of books to learn. As unfortunate as that may sounds, digital literacy is just as important as reading, writing, and math. Over the years, there are many schools who have considered placing digital literacy into the curriculum. Unless technology suddenly disappears, students need to understand the importance of digital literacy.
The question people are asking themselves today is, Is digital literacy just as important as daily subjects such as reading, writing, and math for our students today? To prepare for this paper I was given three excerpts to read. Right away I was drawn to how much time we spend on the internet daily and what types of things we do while we are on the internet. I realized that today’s society is dependent on the internet for most things like doing homework, researching information, shopping, and getting on social media websites. While reading a fact sheet named Fact Sheet: Digital Literacy, “We live in an internet economy I came across interesting facts such as 96% of Americans use technology and internet at their jobs and 28% of American don’t
The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The Internet enables communication and transmission of data between computers at different locations. The Internet is a computer application that connects tens of thousands of interconnected computer networks that include 1.7 million host computers around the world. The basis of connecting all these computers together is by the use of ordinary telephone wires. Users are then directly joined to other computer users at there own will for a small connection fee per month. The connection conveniently includes unlimited access to over a million web sites twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. There are many reasons why the Internet is important these reasons include: The net adapts to damage and error, data travels at 2/3 the speed of light on copper and fiber, the internet provides the same functionality to everyone, the net is the fastest growing technology ever, the net promotes freedom of speech, the net is digital, and can correct errors. Connecting to the Internet cost the taxpayer little or nothing, since each node was independent, and had to handle its own financing and its own technical requirements.
Today is an era of information explosion. In the past few years, many newly invented technological devices and software are now tightly integrated with our everyday lives. Today, people can look up almost any kind of information, make friends, communicate with others, and express ourselves with the simple touch of a button on a device we usually keep within arm’s reach. “Widespread use of technology is changing the way we work, learn, and communicate – even the way we carry out our regular, daily activities.”(Seifer and Mihalynuk) These devices not only benefit our livelihoods and increase our happiness, but they are also integral in advancing education, technology, development, and, in general, human evolution. The children of today, who have been raised in this era of information explosion, will undoubtedly reap such benefits and, in turn, advance society towards a better generation.
Writing Prompt: In an age of information, are Americans more or less literate then they used to be? Persuade the reader to agree with the paper's position while exploring the consequences of this trend. With advances in technology, more and more people are becoming digital literate. What is "digital literacy"? Research and define this term, and decide whether or not this is a necessary skill in today's society. Be sure to support your opinion using researched facts and thought out reasons
Rainie, L., Zickuhr, K., Purcell, K., Madden, M., Brenner, J. (2012). The rise of e-reading. Pew Internet & American Life Project, 3-11. Retrieved from Education Resources Information Center