Incoming College Freshmen "Tech Illiterate"

Quote:

As with many college students, Jose Juarez carries a pocket-sized computer that lets him watch movies, surf the Internet and text-message his friends.

He's part of "Generation M" -- kids born after 1985 who grew up connected to the media, from video games to cell phones.

"For us, it's everyday life," said Juarez, an 18-year-old freshman at California State University, Sacramento.

However, not all of Generation M can synthesize the loads of information they're accessing, educators say.

"They're geeky, but they don't know what to do with their geekdom," said Barbara O'Connor, a Sacramento State communications studies professor involved in a nationwide effort to hone students' computer-research skills.

On a recent nationwide test to measure their technological "literacy" -- their ability to use the Internet to complete class assignments -- only 49 percent of the test-takers correctly evaluated a set of Web sites for objectivity, authority and timeliness. Only 35 percent could correctly narrow an overly broad Internet search.

About 130 Sacramento State students, including Juarez, participated in the experimental test, administered to 6,300 college and students across the country.

The hour-long assessment test, by Educational Testing Service -- the same company that gives the SAT -- is a Web-based scavenger hunt with simulated Internet search engines and academic databases that spit out purposely misleading information.

"They're very good at typing in and using the Internet, but they don't always understand what they get back," said Linda Goff, head of instructional services for the CSUS library.

"You see an open search box, you type in a few words and you push the button," said Goff, who is involved in the testing.

"They take at face value whatever shows up at the top of the list as the best stuff."

How about that?
The youth of the nation are struggling with finding proper information on the internet, even though they're constantly using it?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by ElectricSheep

Like Devo said, being unable to evaluate an online source for the purposes of research isn't really being tech illiterate, its not understanding how to do research properly. Every student at my school was required to take an English course focused entirely on how to properly research a topic, including how to evaluate any source. The emphasis was to not take the information simply at face value. Who is the author of the information? What are his/her credentials? Where is the information published? Is it published in affiliation with a university, government institution, or non-profit organization? Do any other sources refer to this information? How old is the information?

No I know, the title "Tech Illiterate" is a little misleading, but that's what the article was titled as well.
I suppose "Information Illiterate" would be a more fitting denomination of these students. After all, even with all of the technology in the world: if they keep dumbing it down and making it easier to use, it will create a stupid society filled with people who want things "to just work".

But that's another argument entirely. However, I think that this article is evidence that today's technology is dumbing us down. Call it information overload if you want, or over-saturation of the senses. Either way, cases like this will probably start becoming the norm, unless something is done to counteract it.

Also, ElectricSheep, those questions you ask at the end are typical research questions drilled into most college students' heads in any "research intensive" class. I remember taking a short summer History course and the professor bringing up those points on the first day because the course required research papers. Most professors shun Wikipedia unless it cites a true source and you use that source instead.
Most of my professors respond to sites like Wikipedia in the same way: "It's like a study assistant, but not a real source of any information. Take what you read from that website with a LARGE grain of salt."

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Devoxycontin

This assumption only works if you can't realize that there were just as many dumb kids in the past. There was printed media that is just as bogus as the online websites we peruse today. There were dumb kids who couldn't validate sources. There were plenty of morons who bought earlier work off a previous class, or paid some nerd to do their work for them. I get tired of this assumption that the internet is encouraging laziness and stupidity. The laziness or stupidity for many students was already inbred, being online really has nothing to do with it.

Ease of access.
Not everyone could get that dumbed down printed media. First, they had to find it by searching for it.
These days it's as easy as a push of a button (or ten).

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.