How to make a bootable CD?

This is exactly how the question sounds which I got from one of our patrons at May.
As I didn't know the answer, I offered the first step to do (kind of a saving belt): Let's google it! He was working on one of our newest 3-hour laptops. I found out that with this CD in hand, you don't have to worry about crash any more! It is recommended to fix errors and optimize system performance. Spotmau (A Computer Service Company) offers such software (Super Data Rescue Package) but it is rather expensive. My patron did not want to pay, he wanted it for free.
The second step offered was: Let's Book a Librarian. The district provides this wonderful service, you can get help from a qualified librarian. He didn't want it either.
My question is: Is it allowed to download this software on our public computers?

Tatyana

My November...Well, December...Challenge

All right! Donna issued a challenge for us to tackle a tech topic that would present a real personal learning curve, and I spent most of the month trying to come up with a good idea. I wanted something that really would make me work, and would also really be relevant to my job. It wasn't till I was having lunch with friends from outside the library world last week and asking them what their tech challenges were that my friend Tim asked me, "Well, do you know how to create an ePub document?"

Um, no!

It turns out that creating an ePub document isn't a coding process, but instead a markup process. It's more like getting content ready for a website than writing a computer program. So that was something good to learn, right there. I know a little--just a little--HTML from working on my personal websites and blogs, so I'm going to see if I know enough to give it a try. It may turn out that I don't know enough to finish!

My thought is to take some of the literacy content I've been writing for our monthly storytime handouts for parents and see if I can turn them into a very, very short ePub "book." I'm only just getting started with reading background material and choosing a tutorial, and will let you know how it goes!

Playing with Prezi

Well, in order to try out this new technology I wouldn't have known about if it weren't for this blog, I decided to play around with Prezi. I made a quick fun little prezi just to get to know what it is like. Click here to view my prezi.

less paper /read later or save

In Readers Digest I read an article about a web page where you can save web articles (online reading) to read at another time or save articles so you don't have to print it off (I tried by saving a few recipes). It seem quite user friendly and can be read from your computer,i pad, iphone or Kindle). Log into http://www.instapaper.com/, make an account and you are ready to go. go back to your web Surfing. When you find something you want to save Highlight the URL and right click and copy. Go to http://www.instapaper/ and click on ADD (just to the right of the Browse, Unread etc.) it will then let you paste the URL and you can title and add notes. It then saves this for you. You can also make folders if you want to organize or save articles. I don't know if there is a time limit on how long it saves articles but the concept is interesting and useful if you don't want to hunt around for articles you want to read.

Open Source and Ubuntu

I've long been really interested in the idea of open source technology. It seems to have so much potential for leveling the playing field and bringing the power of computing into the hands of the individual. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, check out opensource.org. They have an excellent definition and a lot of other great info. The really short definition is that open source software's code is developed by the community. The code is open to anybody and anybody who can program can improve upon that code and software. Open source software is free to the user and covers just about any area of computing you can imagine. Some major examples are the Firefox internet browser, Drupal website content management system (used for ALD's website) and Open Office, which is basically the free and open source equivalent of Microsoft Office.

One intriguing open source program is Ubuntu. It's a whole operating system like Windows 7 but of course, it's free. I'm planning on experimenting by using it on my outdated (2 years old) and totally uncool netbook, which currently runs the Windows 7 starter edition. Once I finally download Ubuntu and start using it I'll try to send updates on how it works and if it's worth the hassle.

I also really like the potential of open source as a tool for library patrons who have computers and that might not be able to afford the latest edition of Microsoft Office or Windows 7. These programs' open source equivalents are often comparable in quality, they're continually being improved by the community and they're free!

Helping Out

A good friend of mine recently switched from PCs to Macs and was having trouble figuring out her new photo tools. She asked if I could come over and give her a quick tour so she could send photos of her new baby out to friends and family. I said I'd be happy to go over and hold her baby help her out!

When we sat down, I realized that because she was working with a new Mac laptop, everything from her operating system to her iPhoto was a newer version than I use. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though, because whenever I wasn't sure about how to do a task, she got to see how I went about figuring it out. (Looking through different menus, pulling up the help area, and searching on Google.) Plus I got to learn some of the new features myself!

It reminded me that the best way to really learn something is not only try it out yourself, but to teach it or share it with someone else. It also reminded me that some tasks become almost invisible. She had told me before I went over that she couldn't cut and paste in a basic Word doc or email, and I had no idea what might be causing such a basic problem--until I got there and we realized that she was using the keyboard shortcut Control-V, Control-X when on Mac computers the shortcut starts with the Command key. So simple, but it didn't occur to me until I saw it in action. It's one of the things that makes answering tech reference questions on the phone so tricky!

Oh, and I did hold her baby the whole time I was there. She didn't need any technical assistance, though. :)

Learning Prezi

I took my own challenge and spent some of my holiday time learning a new technology tool: Prezi, a program for creating presentations. A few weeks ago I spent time looking at the website, watching the tutorials and also watching the "best of" Prezi. When I went back to it again, I found I had to watch the tutorials all over again. I know that the best way for me to learn is to apply what I'm learning to something I will really use. Since Richard and I will be presenting at PLA, I took our ppt and prezified it. One of my challenges with this approach was that turning a ppt into a Prezi is done by making the slides pdf's. This limits what I can do with the info on each slide. It was a good way to practice with the various editing features, but I found that it still was a pretty linear slide show because of how I started.

I struggled with this tool quite a bit and found that I wished for someone to tell me how to do and fix things. I kind of wished I could be in a classroom with a teacher so I could lean on the teacher to tell me how to do things I couldn't easily figure out myself. Learning alone online is harder for me. I really had to push myself to learn on my own. The tools are there, it just takes extra effort.

The other thing I learned is that to make our presentation really pop in Prezi, we will need to start over and think about what information needs to be grouped together visually in frames rather than on slides and what our overall image should be. I would share my Prezi with you but because of some mistakes I couldn't figure out how to fix, I think it would be more confusing than helpful.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. I'm trying not to lean on Richard to teach me how to be good at this!

Should CLFS investigate programming like this?

In an article from Newsday http://long-island.newsday.com/kids/ipadding-toddlers-when-is-it-too-soon-1.3338586 you can read about ipadding toddlers and decide for yourself if there is good reason to hand over your device to your toddler. You can also read about what may be a future library program.
Jennifer Cunningham-Lozano of Patchogue plans to launch "The Book Nook Center" on the North Shore in the spring, offering "Mommy and Me"-type classes that incorporate the iPad into the 45-minute experience. Participants will first read a book together, then play with an app related to the book topic, and then make a craft. She'll offer classes for ages 8 months to 18 months, 18 months to 21/2 years, and 21/2 years to 4. "I think if you make it an interactive, educational screen time, it doesn't make them into couch potatoes," Cunningham-Lozano says.
What do you think? Should the library bring this kind of program to our patrons?

New El Día de los Niños Website

Through REFORMA Colorado, I received information about new El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) site.  Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), an ALA division responsible for the site, provides excellent resources for libraries who wish to participate in celebrating the Día. Even though El Día de los Niños is observed on April 30, libraries can build Dia programs year-around. Please check out the new website at http://dia.ala.org.

TUTORIAL

Buenas! For any of you that are looking to enhance your knowledge of technology, I was given an exceptional website, lynda.com, that will allow you to learn everything you need to know about Excel, Microsoft and many others.

Degrees of Separation Down to 4

"How many people are you connected to through your Facebook account?"

Researchers at the University of Milan conducted a study using the 721 million members of Facebookto lessen the degrees of separation down to 4. This is mostly possible because of social media and networking, which has become a huge force in changing the way people interact. In the information world, sharing ideas has never been easier or far-reaching.

Augmented Reality and Touch Screen Phones

My present phone is not touch screen, but this information about Augmented Reality (AR) apps leads me want one. None of us wants to walk through our environment with eyes on the phone and arms outstretched, but I would definitely like to try Augmented Car Finder, identify the stars and constellations over my head (Star Walk, Star Chart) and the names and details of the mountains in front of me (Panoramascope, Peaks).
Your phone can become a magic looking glass identifying physical objects in the environment. How Cool! If you would like to find out more about these AR apps and some that don't exist yet but should, try www.ScientificAmerican.com/dec2011/pogue or the most recent issue of Scientific American magazine.

photo scrapbooking online

I have created two photo albums using mixbook.com. I had a lot of fun working with this site, which allows you to upload your photos, choose backgrounds, layouts (some of which let you use a lot of text), and even stickers. You do not have to download any software. You do everything online, and then you can order your book. They are archival and look very professional. I liked this site better than some of the others I looked at because I could add a lot of text. Since I keep a travel diary on my long trips, I am able to incorporate what happened each day, along with my photos. I also liked Mixbook because on our recent trip to the British Isles, my husband took photos with his camera, and I took photos with mine. Between us we had 1300 photos and I was wondering how I would ever integrate both sets. Mixbook lets you arrange your pictures in chronological order, which meant that both sets appeared together. I could choose whether I wanted my husband's shot of an event, or mine. Another feature of Mixbook is that family and friends can contribute to the book. You can use your photos from Facebook, Flicker, etc. If you have an event like a high school reunion, family reunion or other group event, everyone can have their own copy of the album. Best of all, it's pretty intuitive, and the learning curve is not too great. Ask me questions, or let me show you my book. I loved this.

Targeted technology

So often I learn about some "cool" new technology tool that I could use but, upon reflection, realize that it would not help me do my job any better (think "Angry Birds" or a twitter account that has few followers). So I was very excited when our tech liaison, Melissa, helped me narrow down some target areas and I was able to set up a couple of tools that were immediately useful. First, I set up a pinterest account to collect literacy activity ideas. I already found one there that I shared at a storytime practicum. Being able to scan through photos of literacy ideas will be a lot faster than trying to remember where I might have filed that great suggestion from last year. Next, I set up some RSS feeds from early literacy and library organizations. I considered using a third party reader like Google Reader for this, but decided that having the information come directly into my Outlook mailbox would make it easier/more likely that I will check in. So far, this has been a good call.

Google Music

I just found out about Google Music and how it wants to compete with the new iTunes Match. Here's an article with some very good basic information about Google Music. One nice thing about it is the FREE music!

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2396598,00.asp

Printing directions and maps from www.mapquest.com

Lots of patrons are using www.mapquest.com to look for directions to get their final destinies at May Library. Not only at this library they have asked me about how they could print the directions they would need, but also at the libraries I have been subbing.

When they get the directions to go from one place to other, also they want to print them, it means written directions and the plan. But they always try to use the following processes which do not work:

1) "File, Print Preview or Print" (located in the left and upper side of the screen): which do not work well because this process prints the first page, not getting the complete written directions and the plan.

2) Printer drawing between "Read mail" (envelope drawing) and "Page" (word) (located in the right and upper part of the screen): which do not work well either because it prints the first page and it does not print the plan either.

3) Do not right click with the mouse on the directions and choose "Print" or "Print preview": it will not work work again cause it prints the first page only, not getting the complete written directions and the plan.

Solution: you should suggest the patron to click in the printer drawing/icon which has also the "Print" word on the button and also it is located on the plan (right and upper part of it), next to "Send".

Thanks and ALWAYS ENJOY LIFE IN ALL WAYS!.

A Quick and Easy Website to Find Books for Specific Reading Levels

My grandson's second grade teacher recommended Lexile.com to find books for him to read at his grade level. It's very easy to use. At Lexile.com select a grade level and choose their overall comfort with the material at that grade level. If the patron knows their lexile number it can be entered instead of grade level. Select the area of interest and it generates a list of books that fall within that grade level. It has a link to WorldCat and our library to see if ALD has the book. After the list of books are generated, under Search Options the search can be adjusted to a different age range, lexile range or interest category. You can also search for Spanish books.

After looking into this site I found that lexile is a measure for reading levels, similar to accelerated reading levels. Many schools are now using this as their reading measure. It will be a quick and useful way for me to find books when a parent or student asks for books at a particular grade level. I can't wait to use it when asked "What would be a good book for my third grader to read?"

5 Sites That Will Help You Travel Well

I was browsing through PC Magazine and came across an article that may be useful to those looking to travel this holiday season.

google.com/flights - This airfare finder is a source if you have exact dates for your trip. This tool instantaneously offers the lowest prices it can find and even gives you a link to the airline's website to book your flight.
airfarewatchdog.com - This site has an advantage over other airfare finding services: It hires REAL people to dig up the lowest prices for plane tickets, including prices that are not listed on the internet.
room77.com - You can review rooms in select hotels in 32 cities. You can even book rooms from the site according to which floor you'd prefer, how good the view is and how far the room is located from the elevator.
gadling.com - It has a blend of news, planning advice, and adventure stories for everyone.
airbnb.com- Through this site, travelers rent spare rooms in local homes, saving money on hotel fees. After the stay the host and guest can review each other, so future hosts an guests will know what to expect.
Happy and safe travels!

It's a joke and a game all in one.

Read in Scientific American November 2011, that for many years software engineers have been known to take pride in embedding jokes in their code that can yield surprises and show their unique sense of fun. One I tried is a secret game of Snake that you can get to by pausing any YouTube video and holding down the up and left arrow keys. As soon as you see the Snake appear, you must quickly try to guide the increasingly long snake's body around the screen with your arrow keys. It's fun! Give it a try and see if you can keep from tripping over yourself!
If you like that, more elaborate surprises or "Easter eggs" as they are called by programmers, can be found at ScientificAmerican.com/nov2011/pogue

You Tube Audio

When we decided to use a powerpoint for the All-Staff Day presentation, I knew which song I wanted to use. However, it was a YouTube video and I could not find the same song, same version, same length of time, anywhere else. Jenny P. suggested I try www.Listentoyoutube.com. At that site, I was able to put in my YouTube URL to “Bellavia”, their software transferred the video to their server, extracted the MP3 and gave me a link to use to download the audiofile. I followed the steps and was able to download the soundtrack alone into the powerpoint. Worked great. This experience was a good reminder that most of my tech problems are probably not new; someone else has probably already come up with a solution and I just need to look for it.

Live and learn! - Meetup

I have just learned about Meetup - an online social networking portal that facilitates offline group meetings in various localities around the world. Meetup allows members to find and join groups unified by a common interest, such as politics, books, games, movies, health, pets, careers or hobbies. Users enter their zip code and the topic they want to meet about, and the website helps them arrange a place and time to meet. Topic listings are also available for users who only enter a location.

A group of English speakers interested in Russian language and culture has formed a Denver Russian Language Meetup Group . I joined this group online and we met at MA where I provided a library and a Russian collection tour to these people. NONE of them knew of our Russian collection before!

This is another proof of the great role that social networks play in our lives and work in our age.

One Take on Core Digital Skills

You guys know I spend a lot of my time thinking about the core early literacy skills that children need to have in place in order to become successful readers. I have some fun conversations with my husband about core digital skills as well! Bill teaches at the University of Denver in the Digital Media Studies department. DMS has just joined with the Art department to offer a new degree called Emergent Digital Practices.

“It’s about big ideas and hands-on practice,” says Trace Reddell, director of digital media studies. “Think of a program that builds on the energy and inspiration of recent TEDxDU events. People are beginning to realize that we don’t just need new technology to solve our problems. We need creative, knowledgeable and engaged problem solvers.”

Students will start with foundational courses that explore the "digital environment." These courses cover the skills the DMS faculty have determined to be essential to working with digital tools...a basic digital literacy. The skill areas are:

• critical thinking & analysis
• coding (programming)
• working with digital images (creating, understanding, & manipulating 2D images)
• working with time-based media (creating, understanding, & manipulating sound and video)
• understanding digital platforms (understanding hardware, software, networks, electronic systems, and interfaces)

I keep bugging Bill to tell me this list again and again, so I am hoping now that I've written it out it will all finally stick! I'm sure there are other core digital skill lists out there, but I love how on this list critical thinking is placed as a "tech skill." As for me, I don't know ANY programming! I know I could use more time working with sound and video, though making the Milkshake Video for Staff Day was a fun start. Which of these categories sounds most interesting to you?

Disappointment with pdf filler

Hello everyone,
I remember how we all got excited about the pdffiller.com website allowing people to electronically fill out their pdf documents. I personally assisted a patron with it too(I would say more than two months back)
Last evening, I went to the pdffiller.com website to fill out a conference aid form and after I filled it all out, including my signature(it was so cool to see that tool that transforms your typing into signature) and clicked, "done", it took me to the page, where it gives you the option to pay for one time use($12.99/- for a day or one-time use) and had other info on monthly use fee etc. etc.

It was disappointing to see that the site is now charging for its tools. I wanted to share this, so when we recommend this site to patrons we're aware that it wants you to pay a charge too. I did not pay for the service and exited out of it.

Padma

Loving ALD Mobile (Boopsie)

Ok, I know I just posted, but I am loving the new ALD Mobile catalog through Boopsie!

During today's school lunch rush a patron in the non-fiction stacks was looking for a book on Algebra. At that moment our PAC was in use by students registering for a program. I was about to go to the front desk when I realized all I really needed was my phone and the ALD Mobile app.

I was able to search for books on Algebra, verify the call number, and I would've been able to place a hold for the patron, but they didn't want to wait. Woot!

Useful WiFi Analyzer for Smart Phones

If you have a smart phone, then you're probably familiar with the initial excitement of downloading apps to your phone. When I get a new phone, or device that will run apps, I usually go through an app binge phase; "Oh, that looks interesting!" *push* "And that!" *push*, etc. However, as cool as the sky chart is, I really never use it (except to show someone how cool it is!), and unfortunately, most of my friends aren't gullible enough to bite repeatedly on the "My phone is a shaver" routine (an app that makes the phone's buzzer activate whenever you push the on-screen button).

After the rush wears off, I'm left with a bunch of apps that only take up space, and just a few that I actually use.

Besides the obvious features (email, calendar synching, camera, and using my phone as a phone) one of the few remaining apps that I actually use is WiFi Analyzer.

We often hear from a patron that their wireless internet isn't working. Of course we can always check in with the other patrons as well, but that can be somewhat inaccurate. Instead, I prefer to use the WiFi Analyer to get a more accurate picture of what is really going on with the WiFi.

WiFi Analyzer shows a graphic representation of the signal strength for all of the wireless connections available. If ALD Hotspot doesn't show up, then I know the wireless is probably down. If I see a strong signal, then it is more likely a problem with the Airport or WiFi connection on the individual computer. If I see a weak signal, then the computer is probably in a dead zone, and I can move around to find a location with a stronger signal.

My phone runs Android, so I use WiFi Analyzer, which is available for free on the Android Market. I haven't been able to find an equivalent on the iPadd App Store, but WiPry is close. Althought WiPry looks technically amazing, it lumps all signals togethers without naming them, so it's less precise for identifying which signal you're actually seeing (at SH we have 4 networks, but only ALD Hotspot is a good choice for patrons). However in fairness, I'm too miserly to actualy pay for the full app, which might make it more helpful.

One note about WiFi Analyzer, it does require that you have WiFi active on your phone. Most of the time I only leave the 4g connection active, as using the WiFi at the same time is redundant, and drains the batteries more quickly. If you have the phone's WiFi set to 'off' WiFi Analyzer will give you the option to turn it on right from the app.

IPads to Outpace Computers in Schools by 2016?

I read this Article in School Library Journal posted on November 3, 2011, that made me think that the way kids are learning is totally different and it is important that we are ready for all this new way of education system and be willing to accept the changes on the integration of technology in the classroom. It is amazing just to think about it.

According to the Article iPads are on their way to replacing computers in K-12 schools. A recent survey of district tech directors found that all were testing or deploying tablet devices, and they expect them to outnumber computers by 2016. The survey, "Tablets in the Classroom,"reveals that all were using Apple's iPad in schools, while none were testing or deploying Adroid-based tablets. The IT directors polled indicated that within the next five years, they expect to have more tablets per student than they currently have computers.

The Article also mentions that earlier this year, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook indicated that demand for the iPad is strong among education customers. In February, Georgia Senate President Tommie Williams proposed a plan to replace conventional books in middle schools with the iPad.
Apple already has a program where they come in and their recommending to middle schools for $500 per child per year, they will furnish every child with an iPad, wifi the system, provide all the books on the system, all the upgrades, all the teacher training and they report that the results they are getting from these students is phenomenal."

Where Good Ideas Come From

Check out an intriguing video describing Steven Johnson's theory and ingredients for creating the best of the best ideas at work and in life.
Hint: Time and our hunches mingling with others' hunches is the secret. I want to read the book and keep connecting..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=NugRZGDbPFU

NL Tech Talk November Holiday Challenge

Hi NL Tech Talk Techies! I have a challenge for you! November has three holiday days: Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, and the day after Thanksgiving. I realize you may have some activities already planned for these days like eating and shopping, but I want to challenge you to use a few hours of this time - or any time in November - to do some extra personal professional development in the technology arena. Take a stab at something tech oriented that has been intriguing you or plaguing you - and then share your struggles and successes with us. You've read recently about Prezi, Google+, data visualization, Pinterest, Emodo, Spotify, the list goes on. Maybe you want to create a personal website. Maybe you want to become the Twitter-expert. Maybe you want to start a Pinterest board.

Do something that impresses YOURSELF and then share it with the rest of us. Entries will be judged on how hard something was for YOU, how persistent you were with figuring out something new for you, and how well you present your finding on the blog.

As extra incentive, the prize for November will be DOUBLED! Instead of a $10 gift card, the winner gets a $20 gift card just in time for holiday shopping or just plain spoiling yourself.

Keep up the tech talk. We're learning a ton from each other.

October Techie of the Month

Hi NL Techies, thanks to all of you for your posts this month. We had a flurry of interesting posts at the very end of the month, making choosing a winner a little harder. The winner of the prestigous honor of NL Techie of the Month for October goes to Richard Lyda for his post on Prezi. Why does Richard win? Well, for one, I am interested in this software so I like that Richard reminded us of its existence. He also mentioned where he saw it used and how it can be more useful than other presentation modes we've become accustomed to. Congratulations, Richard. A $10 Amazon gift card is winging its way to you through the courier.

Why Kids Can't Search

Reposting a very interesting article from Wired Magazine's Clive Thompson. The argument is that even digital natives struggle with search strategies. And it of course begs the question: are we much better?

Why Kids Can't Search

We’re often told that young people tend to be the most tech-savvy among us. But just how savvy are they? A group of researchers led by College of Charleston business professor Bing Pan tried to find out. Specifically, Pan wanted to know how skillful young folks are at online search. His team gathered a group of college students and asked them to look up the answers to a handful of questions. Perhaps not surprisingly, the students generally relied on the web pages at the top of Google’s results list.

But Pan pulled a trick: He changed the order of the results for some students. More often than not, those kids went for the bait and also used the (falsely) top-ranked pages. Pan grimly concluded that students aren’t assessing information sources on their own merit—they’re putting too much trust in the machine.

Other studies have found the same thing: High school and college students may be “digital natives,” but they’re wretched at searching. In a recent experiment at Northwestern, when 102 undergraduates were asked to do some research online, none went to the trouble of checking the authors’ credentials. In 1955, we wondered why Johnny can’t read. Today the question is, why can’t Johnny search?

Who’s to blame? Not the students. If they’re naive at Googling, it’s because the ability to judge information is almost never taught in school. Under 2001’s No Child Left Behind Act, elementary and high schools focus on prepping their pupils for reading and math exams. And by the time kids get to college, professors assume they already have this skill. The buck stops nowhere. This situation is surpassingly ironic, because not only is intelligent search a key to everyday problem-solving, it also offers a golden opportunity to train kids in critical thinking.

Consider the efforts of Frances Harris, librarian at the magnet University Laboratory High School in Urbana, Illinois. (Librarians are our national leaders in this fight; they’re the main ones trying to teach search skills to kids today.) Harris educates eighth and ninth graders in how to format nuanced queries using Boolean logic and advanced settings. She steers them away from raw Google searches and has them use academic and news databases, too.

But, crucially, she also trains students to assess the credibility of what they find online. For example, she teaches them to analyze the tone of a web page to judge whether it was created by an academic, an advocacy group, or a hobbyist. Students quickly gain the ability to detect if a top-ranked page about Martin Luther King Jr. was actually posted by white supremacists.

“I see them start to get really paranoid,” Harris says. “The big thing in assessing search results is authorship—who put it there and why have they put it there?” Or, as pioneering librarian Buffy Hamilton at Creekview High School near Atlanta says, “This is learning how to learn.”

One can imagine even more entertaining ways to help kids grok the intricacies of the search world. Why not let students start a class blog on a subject and see how long it takes for it to show up in search results?

Mind you, mastering “crap detection 101,” as digital guru Howard Rheingold dubs it, isn’t easy. One prerequisite is that you already know a lot about the world. For instance, Harris found that students had difficulty distinguishing a left-wing parody of the World Trade Organization’s website from the real WTO site. Why? Because you need to understand why someone would want to parody it in the first place—knowledge the average eighth grader does not yet possess.

In other words, Google makes broad-based knowledge more important, not less. A good education is the true key to effective search. But until our kids have that, let’s make sure they don’t always take PageRank at its word.

-Clive Thompson

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/st_thompson_searchresults/