I can honestly say I am hooked on Google. I use Google on a daily basis and have for years as a tool for searching for information. I also use my Google Chrome account and many of the wonderful features that is offered with Google. I would definitely say that if you were to poll people across the globe that Google would have to be the top search engine in the world and it has been a tremendous asset to me in education.
On the subject of searching I read the article The Information Behavior of the Researcher of the Future and I have determined that I may be a combination of a couple of the search types that researchers have identified. The two types I feel that represent the way I search is both Checking Information Seeker and Viewers. I use a lot of cross-referencing from multiple sources to validate information such as mentioned in the Checking Information Seeker description. This also helps me break the "filter bubble" because I like to search for different views. I also like the term "Power Browse" found in the Viewers description. Many times when reading or searching I will power browse through material to get to the pertinent material that is needed. I am sure a lot of 21st century learners do the same. In any case, it is interesting to learn about the many styles of searching for information.
I am surprised and not surprised to find that many teens do not really know how to filter and search for information. I teach 7th grade students and we have daily access to Google Chromebooks so I get to witness their inability to determine what to use or what is good material versus material they should not use. I think partly they become distracted or overwhelmed by the volume of information. Other problems may be not knowing the vocabulary or not having the ability to pick out key search terms. In any case they should be able to mine information better than they do. Did I mention I teach more than just science? RR
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