Week 5: Google, Copyright, etc.

"Teens are impatient and unsophisticated online researchers who are often limited by their poor reading skills. But because they're attracted to clean and simple Web interfaces, they often turn to Google—and now Wikipedia—to help meet their research needs." (47)

from "Return of the Google Game". School Library Journal v. 54 no. 5 (May 2008) p. 46-8

Is this a problem? Perhaps. Or is this maybe a step in the right direction? We shall see.

Throughout our week 5 readings we have dove into a world of print copyright rules, their judgments, search engines, and the specificity and accuracy of the most popular search engine, Google.

According to the Berger chapter entitled Searching the Web from the book Choosing Web 2.o Tools, student information seeking behavior is analyzed and contrasted to find patterns that we as information professionals can learn from. In the text, the author states, "...students overrate their searching abilities and expect too much from the search engines, they are usually satisfied with their results; what they find is usually 'good enough.'" (Berger, 25) This is where the problems begin; information overload, potential plagiarism, lack of accurate results, etc. Between the Berger chapter,the Watkins & Elder article entitled the Google Game, and its follow up article the Return of the Google Game a world of accurate and refined search methods are detailed.

Within the Google Game, Watkins details how important it is to receive LESS as opposed to MORE results in an online search. At face value this makes little to no sense and might seem hard for any person to understand, especially a child. Since we were all very young we were taught that acquiring more of something was usually better, i.e. money, benefits, experience, information.

This new approach supersedes all that 'mumbo-jumbo'.

Watkins and Elder details great search techniques that include small alterations to search words in order to create a better search result.

The following website details such techniques...
http://www.learnwebskills.com/search/engines.html

Here comes the game (in screen shot format)

(the first image is from Watkins, Katrine. “The Google Game”. School Library Journal (January 2006) p. 52-54.
&
the second image is from
Watkins, Katrine. "Return of the Google Game". School Library Journal v. 54 no. 5 (May 2008) p. 46-8)

Game format is a wonderful technique to helping children and students learn. Playing a game is fun, therefore, learning can be fun too, right.

As detailed in the Simpson Chapter 4 about Fair Use, "Fair use is a balancing act."(36) Of course we are talking about copyright rules, but accurate searching in a search engine online is similar. The balancing act between need for certain information, relevance, type or medium, etc. and HOW TO GO ABOUT SEARCHING teeters just like a judgment about fair usage of information.

Now the final question is: Is my use of the clip art above and both visuals from the Watkins articles within fair use? My answer...it may not abide with all four factors, yet just because it does not agree to one of them (or two of them, or THREE of them) does not mean that it would not be fair.