I knew this was going to be an interesting exercise earlier this evening after I went to download Ball Point and needed a password to open the document which wasn't provided. Having been around computers since the mid 1980's this was just a mild stumbling block for me and after about thirty seconds with a Brute Force password hacker the password for the PDF file became available to me like a sudden “pop”. If you didn't get the e-mail sent out later the password is pop.
The next step in this fun-filled evening was to figure out what ERIC was and where to find it. ERIC seems to be an acronym for something, but that still eludes me to this moment, so I decided the first place to look for ERIC was at the libraries website. This also turned out to be a lost cause for me so I took what definite information that I had and used my favorite internet search engine and “googled” the authors name, Jill D. Jenson. The results were immediate, of course, and I saw the title that I had remembered from before, "It's the Information Age, So Where's the Information?" and it was at Jstor. I had used Jstor previously for a term paper I had to write in Art History last spring and knew that it carried full articles.
After reading the article I found it ironic that I had to go through so many steps to read something written about how students have trouble finding information online at the libraries. I'm pretty sure this is also part of the assignment as well. I feel the author makes some good points about how everyone assumes that college age people are all “computer literate” and that online research should be second nature to them but computers have changed so much in recent years and their interface has been simplified to the point that almost anyone can use one.
My personal opinion on these problems in the Information Age is that a person with at least some valid information on a subject can find out more if they can use that information correctly. Of course receiving the correct information to start with is the key.
I completely agree with you, just now, after hours of desperation in trying to get to the article, I finally found it. To make things easier for others I emailed it to people having difficulties as well. Now, I am trying to figure out how to blog. Maybe it is my age but I am not used to this stuff.....
ReplyDeleteERIC stands for Educational Resource Information Center--it's a database from the U.S. Department of Education.
ReplyDeleteYes! That was part of the assignment! I figured you wouldn't get how frustrating searches can be unless I sent you on a search.
Most of researching with all these new databases is about developing new habits and skills, so, Cecilia, don't worry about age getting in your way. Many of the younger students have trouble with this, too.
I certainty agree with you, computers have change and will continue to change. Having to adapt to the different interfaces, let alone all the programs is a task in itself.
ReplyDeletetechnology has evolved and will keep evolving, pretty soon were going to have to have virtual class meetings! we just have to adapt to the change and know that its beneficial.
ReplyDeleteJerry Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI have already done my peer posts. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate the entertainment value of your title.
Randall