Mapping information

This assignment taught me a lot about the most important part about research, "Is it factual information?" This is a question that I have never given thought to because I am a little naive when it comes to online researching. "Google" is my favorite search engine because it is simple and easy to use. I feel like other search engines such as "Yahoo" and "Bing" are too cluttered with excess information and advertisement." I already dislike using the internet, especially for school purposes, so when the page is cluttered it makes me feel overwhelmed and can sometimes even be distracting. In the article "Search Engine Watch", Dave Davies writes about one of the many reasons Google is so successful. Davies writes, "they have successfully provided the results people are looking for in a manner those searchers either enjoy or are comfortable enough with not to switch to a different provider." (Davies,2013)This is so true, in my opinion, because I love Google's homepage and layout as well.

However, after doing this assignment I am now more skeptical than ever. Usually I just select the first link that appears but for future searches I will need to look deeper and analyze ever part of the website I select. One of the ways I can be successful researcher in the future, is too look over every part of the website of my choosing, including the author, external links, and ever typing in the main topic into a different search engine. Using the different search engines has shown me the different techniques each engine uses which leads to different link orders. Also, finding the correct publisher is and important link to finding the credibility of that author and site. The article "5 Find the Publisher of a Website", teaches researchers how to pin point the publisher through a step-by-step process. The author also provides future educators with two links, age appropriate for students practice in the classroom.

 After learning all of these helpful tips toward researching credible work, I am definitely on board to having students learn these skills at a young age. I wish I had learned this when I was in high school, even last week when I was doing tons of research. It is necessary for students to learn the importance of credibility in order to provide accurate information when needed. As children grow, technology does too which means their is more room on the internet for misinformation to be found. If students use critical thinking skills, evaluation and are taught "Information Literacy", they can successful locate accurate information in all search engines and databases. As a future educator, I will definitely use this skills and remember this activity so I can relay this helpful knowledge to my students.



Work Cited

Davies, D. (2013, Sep 26). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2048976/Major-Search-Engines-and-Directories

Learning, N. (2012, Mar 26). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for-educators/information-literacy-resources/5-find-the-publisher-of-a-web-site/