week 6

Reading about more efficient ways to do research on the internet was very helpful for me and I can definitely see how important it is to teach these tools to kids in school now. I thought it was interesting to look at the URL and think about where the information is coming from and how biased it could be. I had always known to look at the URL to make sure it was coming from a real site, but sometimes even those real sites can misconstrue information. Finding credible sites can be difficult and it is nice when the University supports the free access to journals and other sites to their students. Moreover, I never knew about using multiple search engines to find more information, I had always assumed one was just like the other. I figured that search engines were the best means to find relevant information and I have always depended on sites like Google to help with my research. It would be nice for students to become familiar with better search engines in order to do more comprehensive research.
I like the idea of using a directory that is more organized with credible sources. A directory seems like a good way to get the most out of internet research without wasting a lot of time going through sites that do not reference other authors or where the information came from. I think that schools should constantly try to get kids away from just typing in key words and teach them to quickly turn their attention to better sites like JStor or publications in that field.

After going over spreadsheets this week in class, it was helpful to learn how to better utilize formulas. Learning the basics like Sum and Average were helpful formulas. Though I have used Excel for many other things, it was generally lists and did not involve real numbers that needed to be calculated. It was nice to be reminded that formulas need an equal sign in front of the formula. Also, relearning how to do different graphs was helpful. I like being able to change the colors or to be able to present graphs and ideas in more vivid images. It would be nice to do another Excel project where more techniques are taught. However, learning about the simplicity of how the software works was very beneficial. I think its important that teachers utilize Excel for grading because it keeps a record and ability to track a students/classes progress on assignments. This can be a good indicator of whether the students are really being taught something or if the teacher needs to do a better job on instructing. Also, Excel is a way to have proof of grades to present to students, parents, or other administrators.