Digital Blog #D - Chapter 5

Digital Blog #D - Chapter 5

In Tech Tool 5.1 section: “Search Engines and How They Work” the author explains how search engines, like google, can move with lightning speed, sifting through millions of webpages to locate a topical website, and deliver tens of thousands of results in a blink of an eye.  It can be very frustrating analyzing lots of web pages to find the information one is looking for.  The author suggests that search engines, such as  Internet Public Library www.ipl.org, the Voice of the Shuttle http://vos.ucsb.edu, the Technorati http://technorati.com, and the Encyclopedia of Educational Technology http://eet.sdsu.edu/eetwiki/index.php/Main_Page, just to name a few,  are more beneficial for teachers and students to search for academic topics, educational standards, and learning materials. What a wonderful idea.  Imagine how many hours can be saved, by simply using the proposed search engines.  

Child Focus 'E-safety'

The second subject of interest from this chapter, is ensuring safe online experiences for students.  Teachers can pre-select websites for their students.   There are several companies that offer software packages to restrict where children can go on line.  One of such company is Razzul from Kid Innovations that was designed for families with 3 to 12 years old children.  Then there is Nanny and netTracker software programs that monitor, block and report data-related sites that are visited by students.   This is incredible.  It is a comfortable feeling to know that your children are actually safe surfing the net.  

Smart Online Search Tips for Kids

The third subject that caught my attention is teaching students how to recognize the URL that indicate the purpose and goal of the site.  For example, a URL with a “.com” indicates that the site has commercial purposes, whereas a URL with .org is used for nonprofit organization.   Knowing this makes it easier for a student to go directly to the site with a URL of .K12, without wasting time searching for information on google.

As a foreigner, I can say that America is a respectful country when it comes to doing things correctly.  Whatever Americans get involved with, they tend to go all out to be correct.  Education is moving into cyber space, and smart people are busy creating tools that can make searches more, efficient, and safe for our younger digital citizens.   I have been using computers for a long time, yet I am just becoming aware of this advanced thinking.

  

Reference

Common Sense Media (2013, November 11). Smart online search tips for kids Retrieved from https://youtu.be/pqGlhNDx7_k

Creative Conspiracy (CC) (2012, May 16). Child focus “e-safety” Retrieved from https://youtu.be/d5kW4pI_VQw

Maloy, R., O’Laughlin, R., Edwards., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2^nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.