Research Report: Learning to Become Internet Literate
Sheree Robinson G17 Fall 2002 |
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Introduction
Self-Observation
Counseling
Psychology of
Information Literacy |
Section1: Introduction
In this section, three of the Generational student
papers will be reviewed: 1. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/cohta/459/report2.html
2. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/hansjurg/reports/Report2a.html 3. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/march/409/report2. For
each review there will be three parts:1) a description of the student’s point
of view on learning the internet, 2) my reaction, and 3) a conclusion. ddddddddddddddddddddddd v Review 1 My Adapting
to Internet
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/cohta/459/report2.html DESCRIPTION: First
thought -Panic “When I first
walked into class I thought I'd learn what Traffic Psychology was all about.
Then I heard about going on the Internet, I started to freak out because I
tried to avoid the internet like it was the plague for years…So I decided to
make it a point to spend as much time as I could to prove to myself that I
could over come my fears about the Internet and e-mail.”
When
this student began this course about Traffic Psychology, she had no idea that
the class included extensive use of the internet. Although her inexperience
with computers left her worried, she decided to try to the best of her
ability. She seemed well aware of her computer illiteracy and her fears surrounding
that. Either she had ignored the fact that this was a computer intensive
course or registered without being advised about the scope of this course. Week
#1- Confusion “Believe me, I
felt lost and confused because I didn't understand a word [the lab monitor]
was saying…I really thought that once I got my login and password it was
ready to use. Boy was I wrong and I felt like an idiot…Yup, he looked at me
like I was stupid or something because he said that's easy…I started to panic
and realized that I had to type leon for the teachers address. After typing
in leon and started to type my message, my friend left my side.”
This person is similar to most others in their first experiences on the computer in the computer lab. She is expressing her feelings of frustration in trying to learn how to work on the computer in the lab with an assistant. The combination of her over-reacting and the monitor’s arrogant attitude made for a bad situation. In addition, typically, it usually ends with the monitor getting bored and fed-up and walking away. Week
#2- Determination “When the teacher started to tell us that cd means
change directory and went on to explain the rest of the commands it made more
sense.”
As the weeks progress, the student had an idea of what questions to ask the teacher. By this time, at least she had some time to see a little of what she was up against. She can begin to form some kind of understanding of the project, enabling her to start creating a game plan. Week#3- Frustration “I have a really big problem with not knowing if
things did what I wanted it to do because I couldn't see a thing the computer
was doing. It reminded me of e-mail, I couldn't stand not knowing if things
went through or not…Now that I was very irritated and frustrated because I
had to find the error, I retyped the whole address. I thought that was the
easiest solution. WRONG, I didn't realize that I could put the cursor where I
have the error and delete or add whatever I needed to. Wait now before you
start laughing, I was told that the computer commands that I use in Microsoft
Word or Works couldn't be used on the Internet. I found out real fast that I
was wasting my time by retyping the address by my computer literate friend.
He's such a big help and at times annoying with his teasing remarks.”
This person is obviously having a very hard time getting everything in her project up and going. She is getting so upset that she is losing her cool and doing things that are making her problems even worse. She also expresses again her problem with getting people to give help appropriately. After a couple of weeks of weird looks and snickers to her expense, she is feeling a little helpless. Week
#4- Overwhelmed “When I started to make the files I didn't know
where to start or where to go. I was a complete basket case...I got stuck
because I didn't know what I was suppose to do with that information. After
asking Dr.James, I got my answer, copy and paste whatever I wanted to copy
and paste into my file…Than something happened, I got stuck and started to freak out because
I had screwed up and didn't know what to do. Being in the CLIC Lab I thought
I was completely screwed. Luck came to me when I asked for help, talk about
having a weight off my shoulders. Well, that's what I thought and than began
to panic because the lab monitor didn't know why my file in Netscape wasn't
changing…”
It is clear that this student is having a hard
time getting the amount of knowledge she needs to use the computer for this
project from just the people in the lab. Although she seems to get some good
tips from the instructor, it seems like a lot of her frustration stems from
not be able to get appropriate help from anyone. Also, at times there are
monitors who might be willing to help, but they also have no idea what the
solution is. “I went home
many times and yelled at everyone because I was irritated, frustrated, and
tired. Well, I did get my frustration out but got the people at home giving
me lectures about my attitude and behavior. However, it made me realize that
I looked like an idiot to my family because they didn't do anything to me and
I was yelling and blaming them for being in my way…”
Now this student is starting to think about this problem constantly. She is taking her frustrations about her experience into her personal life. Now she not only is stressed about how she looks at school, but now she is worried about how she appears at home. She now seems very defensive now around people who have nothing to do with showing her how to use the computer. Her ego is definitely bruised. “I'm starting to feel good about
the Internet and the computer world because I've learned how to look up
information and create my files. I'm even helping my friends who want to know
how to e-mail and create files on the Internet. Reminds me of myself when I
first started out on the Internet…”
It appears as though she has persevered to the point of feeling some kind of ease and comfort on the computer. She seems as though she is very willing to help others that are struggling. She is eager to show off her newfound computer literacy. At this point she may have become over-confident or complacent. I was shocked
and surprise that the teacher was disappointed at the whole class because he
had expected us to be ahead of where we really are right now. I feel as
though everyone in my class is working very hard in trying to finish there
files and reports but they take a lot of time and energy…I hope to find more
as I go along because I need and want short cuts.”
She sounds like she is past the beginner’s spot at this point maybe, but is being challenged to do more. It appears as though after this long she still has not grasped the vastness of this project for her. She feels as though this is an unfair amount of work and is justifying this attitude by including the whole class as being over-worked. How
I feel now-
Unimportant “Sometimes I
start peeling my fingernail polish off my fingers and tend to start biting of
my nails… I use to give computer geniuses a thumbs up but I'm beginning to
get annoyed by them because they need to slow down so my brain can keep up
with technology. But somehow, I don't think they'll ever listen to me. In
fact, I know they're ignoring me on purpose. I know I would if I were a
genius like them.”
This is a curious statement. Well, it is obvious that
though this person has had moments of hope in this process, she is definitely
overwhelmed by this whole experience. She seems to be rather annoyed with the
humans behind the computer also. She has bought into the idea the lab
monitors have been feeding her that “if you are computer literate, you are
part of a secret and superior race. And if you are not, well, you are just an
idiot doomed to die.” Conclusion- Resolution “I enjoyed this course and hope that I
will learn more next semester when I take up Dr. James Psychology #409 and #499
class. I learned that my resistance to the knowledge of computers was
connected to my resistance to learn a new information gathering system. I
learned to overcome my resistance to achieve I new experience in my life. I
found that this computer technology is easier than looking up information in
the library. I just couldn't believe how up to date the information is on the
computer world. I now know where to come if I ever need up to date
information.” Sounds like by the end of the semester this student
felt motivated by this course to take two more classes with this technology
agenda. She has learned some things about herself that might make her
learning experience easier next time. She also discovered that computers are
not her enemy but a tool, when used properly, can make life easier for the
student. Learning to use the internet had opened up a whole new world for
her. REACTION:
I can relate to many of the feelings this person had.
Although I did not walk into this course totally computer illiterate, I had
the same experience when I returned to school. I get the feeling that this is
also someone more mature who is a returning student, maybe not. When I first
returned to school I had no idea how to even turn a computer on and decided
to major in Media Arts. I had no idea what I was taking on, but like her, I
was willing to give it my best shot. I experienced many of the same feelings
and experiences. Frustration and anxiety filled my every waking
moment over this darn machine. It didn’t help that no one counseled me
properly, which would of given me the full scope of what I was about to take
on. Then once I started, I was amazed at the arrogance and unhelpfulness of
the young lab monitors, not to mention anyone else that I asked for help. It
was all a big joke on me. It was like they got some vicarious pleasure in
building their ego by knocking me down. It was a very humiliating experience.
One little old man finally gave me the best help I ever got. CONCLUSION: From my own experience and following this student, I can see the problem as being twofold. First, I feel like returning students do not realize the immensity of learning the computer and internet. This can be compounded by pre-existing self-esteem issues, the pressure of deadlines, or just being plain nervous about returning to school. Also, schools need to have clearer pre-requisites, counseling and better trained people working in the lab. However, if students can get to the point of finding
proper instruction to become literate, they will discover as I have how
valuable knowledge of the internet and creating webpages can be in education
as well as other areas of life. Top
of Page ssssssssss v Review 2
Problems and victories dealing with the Internet http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/hansjurg/reports/Report2a.html DESCRIPTION: Fear
– Phobia “Most
students that have never used the Internet before report fear and anxiety
before starting. There are different kinds of fears reported that persist through the
initial contact with the internet. Most fears are overcome during the
learning process.”
This
student states that people have web search fears based on their info phobia.
It has been his experience that most searchers overcome these fears with
experience. Fear of the internet can cause people to avoid the use of
computers like the plague. However, the more one becomes familiar with the
interface process, the more eager one becomes to learn more. Frustration- Irritation “Frustration
within the reports was mostly centered around searching for topics on the
internet.”
Irritation is the next experience with learning internet searching. He states the frustration caused by internet searching is the inability of people to properly find sites on specific topics. A lack of knowledge of where and how to search for topics can make searching a long and slow process. Motivation-
Immobilization “The most
positive aspect of the net which is the amount of data available can easily turn
into a nightmare.”
The student states that information overload is a problem that stifles the motivation of new web surfers. Making it to the servers home sites to the search engines and to specific websites is a long and arduous process for many inexperienced users. The phobia and confusion may make the student feel like giving up. Additionally, sorting through the vast array of advertisements can even further confuse the already lost searcher. Addiction- Obsession “Most likely
like it happened to me we will go beyond
what is asked for class and dive deep into the matter but be aware addiction
to computers is a reality.”
Student explains how it is easy to get side
tracked when web-surfing. Getting off the topic or too much non-specific
information can be a problem. There is something tempting for everyone out
there to distract them from the project at hand. Skills and Knowledge- Accomplishment
This student has now learned how to look at the
internet not only as a form of entertainment but as a valuable instructional
tool. She now has a feeling of confidence about herself in navigating the
internet and will most likely continue to use the internet in her learning
and future career. REACTION:
Phobia, irritation, immobilization, and obsession
are all very real problems experienced by everyone eventually in dealing with
cyberspace. The reasons he gave for people’s feelings were very common ones.
My initial phobia of using the internet was in doing something wrong that
might cost me money. In the beginning, I felt very wary of throwing myself
into the unknown area of cyberspace. I felt very vulnerable, like there was
some little hacker out there just waiting to get into my space and rip me
off, or just mess it up just for the heck of it. When I first became aware of the amount of
information necessary to search the internet and the amount of information on
the internet I was completely immobilized. I didn’t know where to start.
Search engine? What the heck is that? Not to mention a whole new language of
acronyms from some foreign planet. My irritation was trying to go faster than the
server I had was able to go. Cable service would solved that problem but I
haven’t gone there yet. I was lucky to have someone show me in the beginning
how to surf the net with some good search engines and keyword tricks. My obsession to search the web is pretty
burned-out right now. I am not one of those who sit on the web for hours just
for the fun of it. It is strictly a functional thing for me. After doing
animation for a couple of years and sitting on the computer for HOURS and
hours, day after day, I am over it. It got to the point where it was
addicting for a short time, but it eventually faded after the newness wore
off. Besides, real bad for the back! CONCLUSION: Fear, irritation, immobilization, addiction. This
has a familiar ring to it. Addictions like drugs and alcohol begin in the
same pattern I believe. Underlying fears lead to irritation in caring out
everyday tasks. The resulting low self-esteem from perceived bad performance
causing depression, hindering immobilization. Eventually, the very demon
becomes the place in which the obsessive-compulsive finds some kind of sick serenity. Someone who goes to KCC told me the other day that
finding a computer in any of the labs now is almost impossible because all
the students are sitting for hours just playing games. If students can learn
to use the internet for something besides addictive game-playing they might
find it would make their lives much easier. Making the jump from getting stuck in the
addictive phase to the practical use stage can be difficult for some, but if
a student can overcome this they will find that the process of retrieving and
transferring valuable information from their own web page can give them a
higher feeling of fulfillment than any addiction ever could. lllllllllllllllll v Review 3Developmental Patterns for Learning the Internet http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/409af96/march/409/report2. DESCRIPTION: Frustration–
Links and WebPages “How many of you out there experienced frustration while using the
computer? I know what it's like going on a computer and it doesn't do what
you want it to do. Before taking this course, I only knew about the internet
and how to "surf" it. I experienced frustration when my links
weren't working properly, and then when my icons wasn't loading up
correctly.”
This
student appears to be having problems knowing how to make web pages. She
expresses her inexperience in using the computer except for the purpose of
casually browsing the internet. Learning how to upload and create links to
existing pages can be frustrating for a first-timer. Stress- Deadlines “Don't Worry! You're Not Alone! Can you believe
that even I got stressed from this class. I was up to the point, nah no need
do the reports, got plenty time. Uh uh. So I wrote down who I was going to
make links to, and then from there got stressed again, cause I had to figure
out what I was going to write on this report.” It sounds like she has made the typical mistake many college students make- waiting until the last minute to do projects. However, anyone who has ever used the internet for research and/or made web pages (or created anything on a computer) knows: allow time for the unexpected! (And back-up your files!) Anxiety-
Uploading “Many students, including myself, found it irritating when a
homepage took forever to load up.”
It sounds like the stress and frustration have turned into anxiety. If the computer is slow and she is feeling irritable, restless and discontent already, up/downloading on a slow computer can be a slow, painful process to witness. Depression- Analyzing “There are
those times in our lives when we all get a little depressed. Some of us know
what triggers our depressed state, yet there are a few of us who don't know.”
Student explains how it is easy to get depressed
when you struggle on the computer with no results for a long period.
Isolating and sitting stationary for any length of time can cause depressive
states also. If someone is already pre-disposed to suffering from depression,
searching on the internet could well be a trigger. Excitement-
Empowerment “I found that you could search for anything and anyone on the net. By
using the internet yellow pages, I was able to get the address from a friend
from long ago. I also was able to do some research for one of my classes via
the internet net search engines. I also learned from this semester that I am
very impatient when it comes to waiting for pages to load up. That's one of
the reasons why I took out some of the fancy stuff I had on this homepage.” REACTION:
Frustration, stress and anxiety seem to be a
recurring theme in most of these reports. Unless you have a special talent
for computers or you are a fifth grader who has been weaned on computers and cyberspace,
interfacing with the web can not only be boring and uninteresting at times
but difficult to get the hang of. For me, the problem is that I have a life.
The amount of hours a day I want to devote to sitting in front of the
computer do not jive with the amount the world requires that I sit in front
of it. Frankly, there are just not enough hours in the day for cyberspace and
life. But the key to dealing with problems with links,
uploading, and deadlines is to learn to stay calm and properly analyze the
situation. Problem-solving is a skill many people never realize they are not
very adept at until they start using computers. Coping skills need to be
developed in order to properly solve software, web-page design, and internet
difficulties. CONCLUSION: Part of the solution might be to take more care as
a population to properly train persons on efficient use of the internet
before throwing them into the fire. This might eliminate some of the stress-related
problems surrounding web-usage. People overcome their emotional issues about
using the internet when given the knowledge of how to use them. Through this
process they find a new empowerment and sense of achievement. Top of Page yyyyyyyyyyyy Section2: Self-Observation
Links to related materials:
During the weeks of the search, we did weekly
postings in an online forum
discussion, discussing our various topics and the sites we found
pertaining to them. The topics I chose for my bibliography were forms of
spirituality in society today and the differences in men and women in
relationships. Other topics to choose from were sick pets, distractions while
driving, and rage. Bibliography Report Instructions Gathering this self-observation data was done
while searching the internet for information for the Annotated
Bibliography Report. Each time a search was done, a G17 form
was completed before and after the search. These forms were kept in a file,
to be later compiled into the forms
website. Recorded on each form is the date and time of each session, followed
by a self-report about the search. The self-report is divided into three parts. The
first part of the self-report is to be filled out before the session,
recording any expectations about the session. The second part is filled out
during the session, recording what search engines are used and why they were
chosen. The third part records the feelings about the experience, to be
filled out after the session. The questions were scale ratings of one to 10
followed with an explanation of the rating. Below is an abbreviated outline
of the questions asked in each part of the report. Part 1- Before Describe the task How long do you think Compare this task to
other search How important to you How upset would you be How sure are you How likely is it that
you will become good How much luck do you
have in searching How motivated are you Computers and search
engines make it easy How likely is it that
there will be something specific How much effort do you
expect Part 2- During List the databases and
search engines Explain why you chose
it Part 3- End of session How irritated did you
feel How anxious did you
feel How frustrated did you
feel How much rage did you
feel How much effort did
this task require How much effort did
this task require of what you found How supportive are you
of the search engine or computer facility you used How easy was it to use If you compare how long
did it took to other sessions Which factor was most
important in getting the search results Did you change the
goals from the beginning to the end My four session forms have been compiled and
summarized for this self-observation report. I have used averages and ranges
to identify any patterns, test data validity, and find any differences
between the numbers and averages and the information I provided in the
explanations. Self-report
Experience
Filling out the form To be honest, filling out the form was a little irritating. I can’t say it was less bothersome before, during, or after. The reason before was because it was taking up valuable time and I knew I was going to be on the computer for a long time anyway. The reason during was that it was distracting me from concentrating on what I needed to be doing. The reason after was because I was exhausted and didn’t really feel like doing it. The Search Session Like I said, filling out the form during the
session irritated me, but there was one advantage. It forced me to find and
use search engines that I normally would not use. However, I didn’t find one
any better than the other really. It has been my experience that you need to
use a new site over an extended length of time before you are familiar enough
with its efficiency enough to compare it with other sites, but using
different search engines did break the monotony a little. Data In summarizing the data, I tried t find averages, ranges, patterns, differeneces and similiarities. To begin, I took the information from my four search sessions and made a spreadsheet so I could easy calculate averages and print out a chart to easily get a holistic view of all the information in the reports. I began calculating the averages on the 1-10 scales and making notes of obvious patterns and conflicting reports. Next I sat down with the chart and took notes on the comparison of Parts 1, 2, and 3 results. I also looked at any notable averages, patterns and irregularities. I couldn’t fit all my comments from the chart on the webpage, but here is a summation of my averages:
Summary
Expectations The average time I searched was 8:30- 10:30pm (2
hours). This was longer than I expected which averaged at 1˝ hour. Although I
stated usually that I thought the search would take longer than usual, it
took even longer than what I expected. I found a pattern of progression in my
expectations and focus. My level of expectations heightened and my focus more
specific. I found a high value based on the importance of finding something at each session. My escalating expectation level and specificity of
focus, combined with my high value of importance of finding something each
time, does not seem to coincide with my report that I felt a medium level of
anxiety. I was a little unsure
how successful I would be in finding the information I wanted, but I seemed
to have a high level of positive attitude about my ability to improve my
abilities in searching. Self-discipline I reported
each time highly that I did not believe in luck in searching. My motivation level
was very high, with comments about my obsessive behavior in all tasks.
However, I was unsure about committing to the idea that search engines make
it easier for people to find what they are looking for. I reported a middle
ground every time in believing search engines making it easy to search. In part 2, I
reported that I used Google the most, although this was because it is AOL’s
default browser and I just used it because it is the fastest, most convenient
route to take when time is of the essence. However, the engines/databases I
found the most productive were Alta Vista and Uh Manoa database, even though
I reported the session using the UH database to be the most difficult. These were
suggested to me by more experienced users before me when I first began using
the internet for research several years ago for research purposes. I tried
MSN one night just because I had heard of it before and never tried it.
However, I had a conflicting report that stated at then end of my search
being very supportive of all search engines I used. Time and Effort Although I
always thought it highly likely I would find specific information, my
expectation of the amount of effort it would take jumped drastically between
the second and third level. Drastic jumps in scales were also noted between
the second and third session in how much effort it took in the session
compared to past searches and the length of time compared to other searches.
My expectation about the amount of effort I would have to put into the search
jumped according to the jump in how much effort and time consumption it took
the search before. I found the
later in the evening I searched and the closer to deadlines I was, the level
of anxiety I reported feeling at the end of the search jumped. Since I reported
an expectation of surety in finding something during that session, as the
clocked ticked later and I became more fatigued, anxiety began to set in. Irritation I showed a
higher level of irritation during the first two sessions than the last two.
Although I reported finding relevant items every time, I still reported I do
not believe in luck. I was extremely motivated, or obsessive is a
better word, to find what I needed. However, I did report expecting to find
relevant items and at the end reporting, I did find them. A progression in my
level of expectation of effort needed and level of effort exerted jumped
drastically during the second two sessions. I think the anxiety was higher than I wanted to admit. I seemed to comment a lot on deadline and staying on schedule. This rigid outline for living seems like it might be causing me more anxiety than I want to acknowledge. I think there was connection between how important the task was for me and how anxious I felt. My
self-confidence in my abilities before each search improved progressively
with each session. I do not think I am willing to trust the idea, or am
unaware of the fact that search engines do make my life easier. I have found
the ones that are suggested to me by experienced users are the best route to
take, even though they do not just pop up when I open AOL. Compared with my high expectation
of becoming good at this task, I think using better search engines with better
results at the last two searches allowed me to find a feeling of
self-confidence, thus, feeling less irritated. I think a lot of my irritation
is related to the fact that I have an underlying belief that success is a
product of obsessive self-will. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Section3: Counseling
The Session
The class was to attend a one-time counseling session conducted by a graduate student. Two persons were assigned to each session where we were given three topics to search as a team using the search engine Vivisimo. The object of the co-search was to find sites covering the three topics and answers questions about each site on our own questionnaire according to what we each thought to be the best answer. After the search, the grad student offered us comments about our search experience, giving suggestions on how to improve searching. I gained some new knowledge from the session. Although the grad student assured me of my adequate abilities at searching, I realized how difficult it is to search with someone else. I became very aware of my capacity to become very controlling in certain situations I am obsessive about. I became a little impatient with the other person searching and blind to any suggestions of other ways to search. I was trying to control my attitude and hoping my partner was not sensing my annoyance. I also learned about Vivisimo, a new search engine I had never heard of. I realized I never really investigated any other search engines or internet providers to use. Suggestions The only suggestions I might have are: Have the students do a session with a partner they
are acquainted with and someone they are not acquainted with. I think this
makes a difference in the way they interact. Or the grad student should take
note if the partners have been previously acquainted. For the three searches, make the team use one engine neither have used and one engine both have used, and one engine only one partner has used. This will also make a difference in how they interact. wwwwwwwwwwwwwww Section 4: Psychology of
Information Literacy
Generational Curriculum
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/instructor/kcc/kcc97.html A summary of Dr. James Generational Curriculum is
given in the abstract from his article: Creating An Online Learning
Environment That Fosters
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