I am a Google master. I can find almost anything. More than 50% of my computer technician skills are directly created by Google. You’d be amazed how often you can solve computer problems when you Google the error message. My mantra: odds are someone else has dealt with this problem before, let’s let them solve it instead of making us solve it again.
At times I feel a bit weak without it. It’s one reason I really want to get an iPod Touch.
Well, weak is a bit of a wrong word. I don’t see it as a weakness to rely on Google. I see it as using one of the strongest tools of knowledge we have. Like with Google Maps. Having a printout map is always a good idea. But wouldn’t it be awesome to have unlimited maps, the world map, with satellite view, at any zoom level, and it gives you directions from point to point!
Google, and other search engines, also allows my memory to be sharper. Just today I wanted to find a Youtube clip of a certain British game show blooper. I was able to put in the keywords I remembered and there it was, first page result. I didn’t have to remember the exact address or the game show’s name, the keywords were enough to successfully recall this.
I also think that it wastes less librarians’ time. I can research a topic well in advance, if I really need help then I can go talk to a librarian and they can help me continue finding data or whatever I need. But I can also observe the search techniques the librarian uses and adapt them to my overall search abilities.
I’ve said this before so I’ll just briefly say it again here: I strongly believe school should include a class for teaching how to use the Internet successfully. Things like being able to determine the credibility of a source, verifying a site is legitimate, being safe on the Internet in general, the basics of how the Internet works, etc. It’s such a huge part in our lives now, and it’ll be such a bigger part as time continues, it makes sense to give kids a big head start in using it and not being used by it.