by Danielle Zarcaro

Created on: June 16, 2009   Last Updated: July 12, 2009

Using books for research is where online research came from. It is important for students to understand print research as well as internet research. As much as people would like to think that books and newspapers are going to become obsolete, the truth is that they will be around for a long time - and it will always be a part of our history.

Most of the information from research books is online; this is true. But the information originated from books. It is important for students to experience physical text research, especially middle and high school students. You don't learn to play soccer by playing a game in the MLS. You don't learn to sail a boat by taking a solo trip across the Pacific. You don't learn how to research properly by having the computer do the work for you.

Assignments should include Internet sources, but in order to understand those sources and to know what reliable sources look and sound like, there should be a minimum amount of sources as physical texts, especially for larger assignments. The more students learn about gathering information, the better off they will be. Not only will the student be able to use something as simple as an index, but they will understand more about the information process.

Nothing can replace the skill of gathering research. There will naturally be something that will need to be researched, and instead of using Google to get whatever the first selection is, perhaps it will motivate the student to look for reliable information from reliable sources instead of just clicking on random things. Most of the time the articles towards the top are more concentrated on the number of hits they are getting than the content in the article - most of the time they are written with search engine optimization in mind instead of good content. Students get a chance to use scholarly journals through their schools - through texts and these journals, students will learn what real information is that is written at more than a fourth grade level.

I can't stress enough how important it is that students get a chance to access the information, get a taste of real research, while under the supervision of a teacher. It is important that if a student has a question, he or she is not discouraged and can have a teacher directly available to them. As much as technology is an important part of our life - and is always growing - it is important to learn the basics. Only from there can we expand upon our knowledge.

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