We’ve all heard of “Doctor Google”. In today’s society many individuals will turn to the internet for medical reassurance, often by Googling their symptoms; however, this self-diagnosing behaviour can be dangerous, causing the general public to fret. Whilst Google can provide a wealth of information on both mental and physical conditions, it can also scaremonger and provide false information. It really is a double-edged sword.

“Professor Google” is no different. As discussed in our blog: The Google Generation: Information Retrieval Behaviour today’s generation favours information that can be accessed quickly with little effort. It should come as no surprise then, that students today are turning to Google for their study needs. But is using Google to aid one’s learning always as bad as it sounds? In this article, I will explore both the advantages and disadvantages of our relationship with Google and education.

All you need is … Google?

“It takes time to flip through pages [of a book] when you can easily type a question [into Google] and automatically get so many answers.” [1]

“Just Google it” is a phrase I’m sure you have encountered. Maybe you’ve even suggested it to a fellow friend or colleague? The fact is, Google is easy – you can indeed ‘automatically get so many answers’ with just a click of a button. But what does this mean in an academic environment? Well, it depends on the extent of your reliance on Google.

Picture this: you have just returned home from the library where you have read an interesting book. You sit down to write your essay. You want to know when the book was published for contextual information. Rather than dragging yourself all the way back to the library to look inside the front jacket of the book, you whip out your phone and Google the title. Or, even better, you Google a referencing programme such as ‘Cite Me’ which tells you exactly how to set out the publication information. Initial problem solved with extra benefits.

The above example illustrates the benefits of Google’s instant response to a query. Another instance of this perk is finding a synonym for a word which will make your essay sound more complex. Again, this is much faster than finding a printed dictionary or thesaurus.

However, using Google in excess of helping you fine-tune the perfect word selection, or aiding your referencing woes, can become problematic.

The mindset of just needing Google to answer a question or learn about a topic is frightening and actually hinders students. In a 2015 study on the use of Google by college students, a pupil was quoted saying: “Instead of looking in the book, I just Google the question” [2]. A student’s readiness to discard traditional methods of learning, such as the textbook leads to a compliant mindset. By finding an answer within seconds, people are losing the ability to analyse and research more complex pieces of information. After all, if Google has all the answers ‘automatically’, why should we think for ourselves and question the content we are skim-reading?

“In a fast food, fast data environment, the web transforms into an information drive through. It encourages a type-in-download-cut-paste-submit educational culture” – Tara Brabazon, The University of Google: Education in the [Post] Information Age [3]

This ‘cut-paste-submit’ ethic also poses problems: it leads students very easily down the path of plagiarism. Not only is the content that they are accessing more than likely untrustworthy – remember, anyone can publish on Google – but without crediting and debating a published academic source, they are often incorporating little more than questionable ‘facts’ into their work.

Popularity, not Quality:

When a student searches Google it ranks their search results via popularity, meaning the number of hits a site has takes precedence over the quality of its content; students who rely solely on Google, therefore, are often unable to access the standard of research which is required of them.

The ‘popularity factor’ is also, to some extent, found when using Google Scholar. Google Scholar is designed to specifically search for scholarly literature, meaning the content found can be considered trustworthy – however, by ordering results by relevance or date, it opts for a one size fits all approach. Through neglecting users the opportunity to really refine their (often thousands of keyword hit results) by subject area, many users cannot find necessary specific information that is easily shown through using a library database which does allow this specific way of searching.

Additionally, Google Scholar is fantastic for showing the most up-to-date information, results can be refined by the year 2018 if needed. However, it is much more difficult to find dated content, such as raw data like a newspaper clipping from the 1800s (which  can be found almost instantly when searching Loughborough University’s library database).

Google in the Classroom:

Google has undoubtedly transformed the way in which we learn, but it has also revolutionised the way we teach.

“Instant. Paperless. Easy” [4]

The above marketing tagline by Google Classroom perfectly captures the essence of how Google has changed the classroom environment.

What is Google Classroom? Google Classroom is a free web service which allows teaching to become more interactive and accessible.

How does it work? Teachers are able to create a class in just a few clicks of a button, add students to the virtual space and even set assignments on the platform.

Why is it beneficial? From a student perspective, it allows one to be more organised – everything you need is in one place. No more misplacing class notes. It also allows students to directly ask the teacher a question without the whole class needing to hear. This privacy can certainly ease any anxiety which a struggling student may have. Equally, for teachers, the ‘instant’ nature of this platform allows them the luxury of monitoring their students’ progress as well as removing the need for dozens of photocopies of worksheets (a win-win for both time management and the environment!)

Discover more with Google:

“Field trips to virtually anywhere” [5]

Google Expedition allows students and teachers to virtually explore anything from a museum to Mars through specially designed virtual reality kits containing collections of immersive 3D 360-degree images.

Why is it beneficial? The opportunities are endless. Virtual reality means students and teachers are free to explore areas which would have previously been geographically inaccessible. Furthermore, it makes the experience of a school trip accessible to all – everyone can join in as long as they are in the classroom, whereas with traditional school trips students and parents often have to consider financial implications.

To conclude then, Google can be a fantastic asset to teaching, education and learning. It can provide individuals with new experiences, reduce our reliance on paper and make learning more interactive and instantaneous. However – like with any platform – it should not be used without caution; it is disadvantageous, and often a form of academic misconduct, to rely on Google for researching and essay writing.

Author: Sarah Gunton

REFERENCES

[1] Lesley Rennis, Gloria McNamara, Erica Seidel, Yuliya Shneyderman, ‘Google it!: Urban Community College Students’ Use of the Internet to Obtain Self-Care and Personal Health Information’, College Student Journal, 1 September 2015   Available at: http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=1f67af3e-3aba-4233-a7ff-302aff5f45cb%40sessionmgr102 [accessed: 2 April 2018].

[2] Rennis et al, ‘Google it!: Urban Community College Students’ Use of the Internet to Obtain Self-Care and Personal Health Information’. Available at: http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=1f67af3e-3aba-4233-a7ff-302aff5f45cb%40sessionmgr102 [accessed: 2 April 2018].

[3] Tara Brabazon, The University of Google: Education in the [Post] Information Age (Aldershot : Ashgate, 2007). Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=QdeXCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT21&lpg=PT21&dq=BA+(Google)+:+graduating+to+information+literacy&source=bl&ots=JcIrhAVriq&sig=F73hEOUZMMzYhEeF0e_-91gV40w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj7gM3ox5vaAhWFB8AKHdR-DgkQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=BA%20(Google)%20%3A%20graduating%20to%20information%20literacy&f=false [accessed: 2 April 2018].

[4] Google Classroom tagline. Available at: https://edu.google.com/intl/en_uk/products/productivity-tools/classroom/ [accessed: 2 April 2018].

[5] Google Expedition tagline. Available at: https://edu.google.com/intl/en_uk/expeditions/  [accessed: 2 April 2018].