THING 1: Accessing Information: The Internet is targeted toward low-level thinking

As preparation for this second "thing", I decided that I would adopt the characteristics of my students.: I would wait until late (OK, relatively late by old peoples' terms) to begin; I would subject myself to multiple distractions, watching the College World Series and texting my family with scores and predictions; I would risk dropping crumbs onto the keyboard and enjoy a snack while working; I would venture no further than my electronic arm would reach; and I would still expect positive outcomes. Ah, the optimism of youth...

All teasing aside, these are the conditions under which my students work, and I hope that by appreciating their working environment I will be better able to guide them in the learning process. I can't expect the kids to work as I work; instead, I have to adopt their perspective.

So back to my narrative, I sat down at the computer ready to study Crime and Punishment. This weighty tome is one of the assigned summer readings for my English IV AP students, and given its complexity provides the perfect laboratory for my experiment with resources. It is a shoe-in for Cliffs Notes, right? The names alone - Raskalnikov, Svidrigalov, Dunia, Sonia, Lubetkin, etc - create a barrier of unfamiliarity that sends students running to the security of these "study aids." There is no doubt that students reading this novel will need support!

Seeing as how I have adopted the persona of my students, to find this support I will go directly to my computer, I-phone or other portable electronic communication device. I'd like to think that the kids might start with the library and actually hold a book, but chances of that happening are slim to none: it is late at night, and even if it wasn't, why go to the 'brary when you can just click or touch your way to the help you need? (Remind me to check out apps for literary criticism...)

Just for argument's sake, I did check out Meriwether and Aquabrowser for text resources available. Visually Meriwether appears dated and unappealing, so it was no surprise that the resources available there for a student struggling were limited: several versions of the novel and guess what? Cliffs Notes! Niiiiicccceee! Aquabrowser looked more promising, especially the web cloud Discovery Web and the sidebars for refining one's search; however, the sources were still mainly print - no e-books that this researcher could find- and required legwork that I just don't think my students are willing to undertake.

It is my conviction that students will rely on the electronic sources and that they will begin with the least common denominator of web searches, Google. Having a fairly good idea of what that type of search will return, especially considering the fact that my students will use the simplest search terms, I opted for two of the other search engines suggested. Maybe they would offer more promising returns? Bing, despite its flashy Jay-Z/JLo name, found nothing new, nothing different than I expect Google would: in fact, the first several links included Spark Notes, Grade Saver, Bookrags, Novel Guide, and Mega Essays. And what do they offer? Low level, superficial readings of the text and/or opportunities to engage in ethically low behavior! Ask.com netted similar choices: Spark, Cliff, Gradesaver, E-Notes... The one bright spot on the second page was a link to a DiscoveryEd lesson plan on Split Characters, but it was geared to a teacher's use over a student's comprehension.

I did find that if I changed the search term away from the title of the novel itself to include works like criticism, interpretation, or analysis the returns were greatly improved, but will my students know to do this? This is something I should consider!

Truly, the best sources for supporting complex literary thought came from the district's databases. Ebsco's Student Research Center and Literary Reference Center were overflowing with information. Even the plot summaries included there from Masterplots and Magill's operate at a higher level of thought, offering criticism and interpretation to enhance rich thinking rather than the oversimplification of the plot. And the true criticism? It is beautifully designed to offer new perspectives and challenge the prevailing and common interpretations offered up by the intellectual welfare system.

I did look at the social networking sites, but I couldn't find much, and emulating my students, if the answer didn't come quick and easy, I moved on. I can see the kids using Facebook to find out the library access codes, though! YouTube? There were some interesting dramatic productions and student projects there, but it is too early to see if those will be helpful.

So what have I learned through all of this? That we've got to get the kids off of the Internet and into databases and other credible sources. We already knew that, but how do we pass that learning on to them? That's a question for another day. It is 11:11, and my eyes are growing heavy. I know: pretense can only go so far... Good night and sweet dreams!