The Google List

I’m currently working on a project with eighth-graders who are learning about civil rights. The other day, we were talking about Rosa Parks. I told them that she wasn’t just some random bus passenger who was too tired to move, but rather (and more impressively) an experienced protester who allowed herself to get arrested on purpose. This surprised the students, who then wanted to know – if that was true – why all of their other teachers had told them otherwise. I said that their other teachers probably heard the story that way, as this is a well-circulated account of what happened.

As an example, I mentioned that it was a popular myth that Columbus proved the earth was round. This time, it was one of the other adults in the room who challenged me on this. I told the students that they didn’t have to believe anything was true, just because I said it was. They could put it on their Google List.

When I visit this class, the teachers asks me if the students should take notes. I encourage the students to keep a Google List. If we broach a topic we don’t have time to cover fully, you put it on the Google List. If there are questions I didn’t have time to answer, or didn’t know the answer, you put it on the Google List. If something I say doesn’t ring true, or contradicts what you already believe, you put it on the Google List. In the Information Age, there’s no reason that learning needs to be completely guided by the teacher, or that it needs to stop when the bell rings.

When I was in graduate school, I kept a “Library List” with me during my classes, so when a professor brought up a reference I didn’t know, I could go to the library and look it up. For me, that’s who these questions were addressed Before Google. What a difference the Internet has made! Today, I’m all over Google (and Wikipedia, actually), expanding my knowledge and filling in gaps on a daily basis. These are real 21st century skills. We should be encouraging our students to develop them.

3 Responses to “The Google List”

  1. Jude Says:

    Of course, getting them to look things up is only part of the battle. If you look in the wrong places, you’ll find plenty of myths. Evaluating the information you find and using the best sites are critically important skills. At various times (though not at this minute), Wikipedia has pronounced Isaac Newton both gay and autistic. A children’s author told us on a list I’m on that, no, he wasn’t dead, even though his Wikipedia page had announced his death. Teaching critical thinking, information literacy, and especially the subset of *evaluating* what you find is essential.

  2. Bill Says:

    Welcome, Jude!

    I absolutely agree with your point that information literacy skills are essential to using the Internet for research, and need to be taught in today’s classroom.

    As for Wikipedia, I’ve said a lot more about it in the post linked above. Basically, I use it myself a lot, but don’t allow students to use it because it cannot legitimately be cited.

    Incorrect information often pops up on Wikipedia, yes, but tends not to stay very long. The inaccuracies in textbooks, however, are usually of greater consequence and cannot be corrected on the printed page. The Loewen book was a real eye-opener for me in that respect.

    Also, I once found a textbook that had an incorrect year of birth for the very same Isaac Newton. I recognized it as wrong, but I confirmed my suspicion on Wikipedia. Now, if you didn’t know the correct answer and you only noticed the discrepancy, which source would you trust more?

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