Research Papers and The Internet
English, like many subjects, is a subject full of several components. One of the most difficult to teach, in my opinion, is a research paper. Not only do you have to teach students how to research, but you must teach them what is valid and credible research and how to cite that research properly. Because of the internet, this task has become increasingly difficult. Years ago, in order to conduct research, students had to enter the library search for books and then read those books thoroughly. The internet has changed that for better and worse.
On the bright side, the internet has made research quicker and much easier. Having to scour the library for what feels like hours is a task many students dread. It becomes a task that is slow and tedious, and often times unsuccessful for students. However, doing research on the computer is something the students don’t necessarily mind doing. They are able to use technology and that is always appealing to students. It also provides instant gratification. They don’t have to spend a large portion of their time looking for the source therefor it allows the students more time to read the information they have found.
Unfortunately, those same qualities that make the internet so helpful often harm the research process. While quick and easy both seem like qualities we look for, when it comes to the learning process, they are things we should steer away from. Being able to find information with the click of a button does not teach students how to research and make connections; google does it for them. Wikipedia, while it can be helpful to quickly find the answer to a simple question, has now become what students rely on. The problem with that is simple: wikipedia is often wrong. And while the student may have conducted research properly the information they are learning is incorrect. This ultimately defeats the point of a research paper.
Again the technology causes problems for research papers because the functions of a computer allow for shortcuts. Features like “cut and paste” and “find” have become essential for students. Instead of reading an entire article a student will use the “find” shortcut, type in a simple word or phrase they are looking for, and only read that information. While this makes things much easier and more simple for most, it does not allow the student to really research. “Cut and paste” is clearly an issue in plagiarism. Instead of putting the information in their own words and citing the source, students copy and paste information and forget to cite the source. Even when a student does not realize they are plagiarizing “cut and paste” makes it much easier to make this mistake.
Ultimately, the internet has been a great discovery that has helped most people in ways we could never have imagined. However, it has also provided us with an overwhelming distraction and and easy way to slack off. While I do believe it should be utilized in the classroom and at home, I also believe its use should be limited to keep students in touch with printed literature and materials and to show them that hard work pays off.
I totally agree! The use of the Internet is a blessing and a curse for English teachers in regards of writing research papers. I think that it's super important that teachers teach students how to use the RIGHT tools such as Ebsco and JSTOR, where it's not as easy to cut and paste, instead of Wikipedia!
ReplyDeleteI understand a lot of people do use the internet to slack off. I personally do not find it calming to surf the web. Many times a day I will use the internet as a go to source even during a conversation with someone. It is important for people to realize that their phone has so much information that they can use it like an encyclopedia during a conversation. I feel as though more teachers should allow and encourage students to use the tools they had. I also found your paragraph on plagiarism interesting. It has become such a big deal over the past few years. I find that many students such as myself didn't understand how to write a research paper without plagiarizing, so on that note I think teachers should be more conscious and teach how to properly write a research paper. Some teachers make a huge deal over plagiarizing and it is, but they do need to make sure students understand how to write a proper paper.
ReplyDeleteThe internet is a great tool, but unfortunately some people abuse it. There is a lot of great information out there, but there is a lot of information that you cannot trust. I agree that it is very easy to become distracted when you are on the computer, but I believe the positives out weigh the negatives. As a social studies major the easy access to primary sources is amazing. I can use professional websites to conduct my research and stay away from websites like wikipedia. Our generation loves using social media websites and this can be damaging to our character, but many of us find that these social media sites are necessary for different reasons. The internet is a great tool, but we need to make sure we are using it for the right reasons at the right time!
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