Reflection 2

In the Internet age, information literacy is increasingly being recognized as a crucial learning strategy across the curriculum, and a problem-solving approach, which is important for living in an information society. Discuss how your own efforts to undertake an Internet search for a chosen topic in this course reflected (or not) the stages outlined in the ‘information literacy model’ below.

With the increasing amount of cyber cafes opening, I come to think that the Internet has made communication (e-mail), searching for information easy and convenient for all of us. Today, people of all ages search the World Wide Web for information ranging from assignments to destination information for travel. Right up to booking of hotels and payment of travel tickets or fines are easily done so through the Internet.

As educators for the next generation, we have to be aware that information literacy is important. By teaching this tool (how to search the web using the search engines) we are aiming our pupils with a skill, which would help them in life long learning process. We as teacher have to change our role of only textbook, reference book, magazine or rather any hard copy base learning to that of software and information technology base learning.

Personally when I am given an assignment, I go onto the Internet to search for the required information. I make use of the various search engines we have such as yahoo, goggle, cicada search and many more. Today Internet search engines have come a long way. The search engines are actually sorted out by the various types of facilities they offer. We have a search engine which offers the various software, which are able to be downloaded (shareware), websites where we can go to search for only music base topics or articles. Such search engines are still new.

People tend to use the Internet to search for their information because the relevant information required is on 24 hours a day anywhere required. While the public library have got restricted opening hours and even borrowing of books. Through the net we are able to have a few people around the world viewing the same page at the same time while we cannot do so with a book.

To get relevant ideas and facts for our search, we have to make use of proper words. More of just the main words. We should avoid using words, which are commonly found in most articles. Those words are usually grammar base such as: conjunctions, pronouns, articles (a, an, the) etc. by limiting our word in the search engine we can however able to find facts which are relevant to our search. If we are to look at the second page of our search, the words typed to search are usually bold and thus helps us skim and scan through the long wordy file faster.


By looking at the informational literacy model elaborated, I would agree with the steps in the model. I first go to the web search for more information on a topic, which interest me. I am being inquisitive and at the same time while learning more about the topic I am able to have a better picture of the subject. From my pre-knowledge I can brainstorm my ideas and facts and at the same time compare and search for the appropriateness of my answer to the question I am looking for.

The only set back in the web base search would be that we can never be too sure of the information we gather. The information we gather could be from home pages of everyday people who are just expressing their own views on a certain topic. We have to be extra carefully when reading and fully believing in what we see and read over the web.