Seventy-three percent of youth in middle school and high school (between the ages of 12 and 17) have Internet access. Of those online youth, 94 percent say they use the Internet for school research.
And 71 percent of teens with Internet access said they relied on Intemet sources the most in completing their most recent school report. (Source: www.pewinternet.org/index.asp)
A recently released report, "The Internet and Education," by the Pew Research Center shows that increasing numbers of young as well as adult learners are using the Internet to do their research. The ease and speed of online research are cited as the main reasons for using the Internet.
Of the 71 percent who said they relied on Internet sources the most, how many almost exclusively used the Internet?
We don't know the answer to that from this survey. I bet the only reason many of them used any resource other than the Internet was due to the teacher's insistence that citations come from other sources.
The ease of the Internet is one of its attractions but can also be one of its pitfalls. I know teach ers and librarians are trying to expose students to the vast array of information resources that exist. Parents, too, should support this effort.
I know it can be tempting to sit at your computer, search the Intemet and believe that you have enough information for your report. However, in order to make that judgment, you really need to know what information resources exist beyond the Internet. You need to have developed the critical and evaluative skills to determine the quality of the information.
High-quality information has always been a commodity, bought and sold, rarely given away for free. Libraries have always been the great equalizer, providing access to this information for everyone, regardless of your income. The Internet, massive as it is, is still only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to information.
Don't get me wrong. I love the Internet. But it is just one tool in an immense information toolbox. It's important that we remember how to use all the other tools. And we need to make sure that our children learn how to use these tools, when to use these tools, and why they may need more than one tool to get the job done.
Send your questions to Jan Dempsey via e-mail at technology@syracuse.com, fax at 470-2141 or standard mail at Technology, Box 4915, Syracuse, N.Y. 13221.