Being literate in online reading is just as important as being able to read. The example provided is about how some students don't understand how to successfully search on Google. They struggle because they do not know how to narrow their search down so they can read more information that directly relates to their topic. Instead, they are reading information off different sites that are not specific enough for them. After teaching these students were taught how to successfully search, they found many different usable resources that they could use.
This is particularly important for students to learn because technology is advancing constantly. Students need to know how to use these as different sources because of the opportunities that arise from them. The internet is a very valuable source for most students. Resources are so much more accessible if a child knows how to search. The acronym presented in the article is SEARCH. It goes through the steps on how to get the results you need from a search engine. I think this would be very valuable for students to learn because like any literacy, students need to be taught how to use it, so they can benefit from it.
Figure 1 is an example on how to help students get their ideas organized before they start searching online. I think that this would be particularly helpful to all students because it will keep their ideas organized and focused. Students with learning disabilities could also benefit greatly from this because some struggle with keeping their ideas straight.
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Although I didn't read this article, I found it very interesting while listening to other people talk about it today during the jigsaw activity. I agree that it is very important for students and teachers to be familiar with search engines and internet navigation in general. I think using the acronym SEARCH is helpful so that teachers can teach it with ease and students will more easily remember it. I think it is necessary for elementary school teachers to be up to date with teaching different strategies like the ones discussed in the article. It might be helpful for teachers in the primary grades to set aside time in the computer lab to teach students how to navigate the Web. A girl in my group today who also read this article talked about Figure 1 as you have above. It seems like that would be a good resource for students to use when searching and navigating independently. I also agree that this could be good for students with disabilities and maybe even ESL students!
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