JAKE CROMAN

W H Y C O L L E G E S T U D E N T SN E E D T O D E V E L O P D I G I T A LR E S E A R C H S K I L L S

"DIGITAL NATIVES"

Most of today’s college students–myself

included–are considered “digital

natives.” We grew up with the internet

and we’re used to living in a world where

we can Google the answer to anything

within seconds. But our comfort with

digital communication and smartphone

use doesn’t automatically translate into

our knowing how to digital research, or

how to navigate an overwhelming

information landscape with comparable

facility...

The internet represents a fundamental shift in how college

students learn and engage their coursework, gather information,

and conduct academic research. In the eyes of older generations,

the internet has made academic research appear effortless for

students–but that is not actually the case..

The explosion of digital material presents

both opportunities and unique challenges

to student scholars, especially those who

aren’t used to navigating journal

databases and massive amounts of

information.

College presents a great opportunity to cultivate digital

research skills, which then enable students to explore

more far-reaching questions about digital culture and its

effect on identities and relationships.

“The majority of students — of all levels — exhibitedsignificant difficulties that ranged across nearly every

aspect of the search process."

“They [the students] tended to overuse Google and misusescholarly databases. They preferred simple database

searches to other methods of discovery, but generallyexhibited ‘a lack of understanding of search logic’ which

often foiled their attempts to find good sources.”

ACCORDING TO RESEARCH OUT OF ILLINOIS WESLEYAN

UNIVERSITY THAT WAS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE ATLANTIC

TOOLS LIKE VIRTUALLEARNINGENVIRONMENTS ,INFORMATIONDATABASES , AND SOCIALNETWORKS AREAMAZING RESEARCHTOOLS, BUT THEY AREONLY HELPFUL TOSTUDENTS WHOUNDERSTAND HOW TOUSE THEM.

College professors and employers alikeexpect young people to know their way

around the academic side of the Internet.So, if young people are to meet these

expectations–if we want to thrive in thisera of digital information and

communication–we need to developdigital competencies.

DIGITAL COMPETENCIES

We need to know how to do onlineresearch.From an academic standpoint, digital research skills enable

us to be better and more aware as learners. And on a larger

scale, college students who are digitally literate are more

capable of making contributions to the world–not only as

professionals, but as people.

DIGITAL COMPETENCIES:

College students need these skills beyond the world of

research and academia. Young people who have the

dexterity to carry out information-seeking tasks–whether

for school, work, or as part of the minutiae of everyday

life–have a major advantage over those who lack this skill.

DIGITALLY FLUENT:

Beyond being able to discern which

online sources are reliable and knowing

how to cite source materials properly,

having some degree of digital know-how

is needed these days, in order to excel

professionally and establish

independence.

Think about it: from setting up a wi-fi

network in your first apartment to

creating a personal website to impress

potential employers, the fittest and most

capable young graduates will be those

who are digitally fluent.

Living in a digital age brings a

paradox: as universities and

workplaces become increasingly

dependent on online

communications and information-

sharing, strong reading skills and

the ability to locate digital

information with efficiency have

become more important than

ever.

Similar to combatting traditional

illiteracy, overcoming

technological illiteracy begins with

education–and that kind of

learning should ideally start much

earlier.

Many childhood literacy experts are already questioning how the constant

presence of digital devices affect kids’ ability to interpret and understand

written information. While there is a bad rap young people get for “being glued

to their screens” or “addicted to texting,” digital media consumption can only be

harmful when parents, caregivers, and educators ignore their role in helping

kids navigate the digital landscape.

With that sort of guidance, college students will have the skills they need to

consume media of all kinds–print, digital, and everything in between.

For More From Jake Croman,visit his website:

JakeCroman.Co