Comments on: Google is White Bread for the Mind

By: Jim Wolf

Jim Wolf — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:32:36 +0000

The issues she brings up are near spot on, not because Google has done us wrong any more than we did our kids wrong when we first gave them the keys to the car. Google is a portal to the world of human knowledge warts and all, and is turning out to be a fairly decent echo of us, warts and all. There is a unique rawness to the google knowledge base that is both liberating and sometimes dangerous. Anyone who relies on it must quickly become street wise on finding subject consensus and have a good B.S. filter between the ears. Academics like her would be better serve to teach these skill and better prepare students to asses all information for merit instead of reinventing Google with a new filter as they would like the world to be seen.

By: Bridget Shersby

Bridget Shersby — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:56:35 +0000

Sue Wood’s suggestion that QAA Subject Benchmark Statements should include Information Literacy Skills, is one I would support wholeheartedly. The assumption by some universities that the majority of their new students arrive with all the necessary study skills in place is mistaken. We have an increasingly diverse student population which can include mature returners with relatively few ICT skills, as well as techno savvy but information illiterate “youngsters” who think that “cut & paste” is the answer to everything.

By: Kanwal Virdee

Kanwal Virdee — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:13:18 +0000

I agree with Sue’s comments above. Students need to develop an understanding of the information landscape and the skills to critically evaluate what they find from the Internet and other sources.

By: Sue Wood

Sue Wood — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:55:38 +0000

In response to the question about QAA Subject Benchmark Statements, I would say that it is time for Information Literacy Skills to be added, including Internet research skills.

By: Mark Callan

Mark Callan — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:49:32 +0000

If you look at her book you’ll be very pleasantly surprised to find that she is so not anti-technology. Her line is, rather, that in itself the technology question is a red herring. What matters is enhancing literacies – i.e. ensuring that students know and understand what they’re doing and why. (I have a review of the book forthcoming in the Journal of Information Literacy: see http://jil.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JIL/index)

By: Paul Ayres

Paul Ayres — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:31:37 +0000

While I agree that there is More to Life Than Google and there are some Myths About User Generated Content, I despair at the lack of nuance and shades of grey when these issues are discussed in the mainstream media. I'd counsel academics to embrace new technology and see that blogging, podcasting and even improving entries on Wikipedia can help them sidestep the misrepresentation of what they say and raise the level of public debate.