While at this point in my college journey, I have learned to cite everything, but I will go out on a limb and say the Internet has in essence changed everything about information and information access. The YouTube clip above does well to showcase many different aspects of change brought upon Internet access, and in turn how we are using it change the world around us.
The presenter in this video starts by simply stating that access to information is easier, and hence people are more willing to find out more on a topic. To date myself, research-based homework assignments when I was in high school meant hoping the information was to be found in our home set of encyclopedias or a trip to the library. This of course, depending on my schedule, car availability, etc. was always a hassle and required logistical planning. The trip to the library itself was usually a tense, stressful time when I had only a set amount of time to find my information. I did not have time to “surf the web”, or be drawn into tangential searches on topics that interested me. Today, with the Internet and my Smartphone in my pocket at all times, if I hear a word, concept, or phrase that interests me then I will quickly go on dictionary.com or Wikipedia to learn more. With that in mind, I think the Internet has allowed for people to further investigate topics which interest them. The speaker in the video continues to say that the model, flow of information in the classroom, has also changed because of Internet usage outside of school. Schools used to be a place for students to come in and be given information from the teacher, as well as often being exposed to better technology than they could get at home. When I was younger, schools were where I really got to use my first computer and watch movies on the VCR. Now, with the Internet, You Tube, and even television stations like the History Channel and Discovery, often classes start with students telling teachers about information they learned themselves. Using this model, now classrooms are becoming more student-centered, as they become less reliant on the school teacher as their sole access to experts on topics. Adding the development of MOOC’s and institutions like the Kahn Academy, the whole world is gaining access to the brightest minds on topics and information can now be learned through intrinsic motivators versus just for credit. Soon, whole schools, districts, etc. can be taught by perhaps one teacher, and the “classroom” teacher might become no more than a proctor and one who just needs to just concentrate on creating and monitoring work rather than being an expert in the subject matter.
In addition to creating more access to “everything”, in my opinion the Internet has also increased access to higher quality research and literature as well. Just within mainstream America, and in context of the growing eReader market, it seems that people can quickly and often cheaply obtain some of the greatest literature ever written. I myself have downloaded many “classics”, often for free or less than a dollar, as companies want to get me used to using the tool with the hope the usage will lead to my further downloads of newer, more expensive books. Related to research and quality academic text, I do think the mass amount of information online can create situations where it is becoming more difficult to decide what is credible, or not. Many students of mine seemed to have the mindset that if something was online, then it was true, so a curriculum which also highlights teaching students how to properly find and access acceptable research is needed. The information itself, credible peer-reviewed material, is more available than ever and can often be found through simple search engines. Again back to my “old days”, there were frustrating times using the card catalog, finding what seemed to be the perfect article, to only be told after a ten minute wait while the librarian was “in the back” that the resource was missing, not returned, or they did not carry that subscription anymore. As a student at the University of Florida I have great access to quality text, and my options are not limited to a few searches, but often exponentially large due to many searches and databases working together to post and find information. Basic search engines have also worked to develop their searches to differentiate between everything on the web, and quality text, as Google Scholar is a great tool for everyone to access. Unfortunately, I find that many people do not know about this search, but are very excited once they do and have tested it for a project or assignment.
From the perspective of students, and those researching a project or topic, all of the new avenues to find quality text is helpful, but I wonder how researchers feel towards all of the access to their work. I am sure that when people publish their work, having more people being able to read it can open more doors and lead to more opportunities. Furthermore, they can network more, collaborate with others, and be pushed in directions to further their research. Unfortunately, I am sure the level of criticism increases as well. For many who research, their work can be very personal and criticism of work used to be only be a very formal and open process. Years ago, if one wanted to challenge the content of a published work, often they would have to publish a response back to the original author. Today, criticism and commentary can happen much quicker, potentially harsher, maybe anonymously through websites, chat rooms, and social media. It will be interesting to see how researchers respond to our inter-connectedness as well as the evolving world of instant feedback. Publishing, and the newer self-publishing field, are changing and how that impacts people’s desire to write and share their work remains to be seen.
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