7.5 The development of children’s Web searching skills – a non-linear model
Ennochson, A.
Development of technology skills is, I feel, one of the biggest topics in Information Science today. Many older information seekers who have not been exposed to technology may struggle with newer systems and things as simple as web browsing. Children, however, I have never been concerned about. I grew up on computers; we had one in my house from the time I was four years old. I’ve had internet access at home since I was nine. From elementary school on, we had computers in the classrooms, and it was a requirement in my 7th grade year to take a typing and technology class. While this taught me 10 fingered typing, I already had many of the technology skills. In my high school, we had smart boards and laptops for use in various classrooms. In many cases, the students were better with the technology than the teachers. For those of my generation and the next, internet and technology use from childhood is becoming the norm.
Because of my extensive experience with computers from childhood, I was surprised to read the results of this study. I cannot compare everyone’s technology use to my own, but I felt like it should be easier for children to have a successful web search. I think part of the problem may be using systems not designed for children’s use. Because children may think in broader terms than adults, or in other cases, significantly more specific, a search system must be able to cater to that. It can be oppressive as an adult being bombarded with search results, and it may be worse for a child. If the children get frustrated, they will be turned off from using the system again. I agree with the article that training for both students and faculty could be very helpful in this situation. I think very specific searching exercises could help children understand what kind of search terms will yield their requested result.
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