Week 5 Reading Assignment: Chapter 2

I chose chapter 2,"Inquiring with Technologies".  This chapter explains how the internet has evolved over the decades.  How doing research on the internet "with a purpose" is vital for true learning.  It mentions how we need to articulate what we learn and how to use it in new ways.  This sounds like Bloom's Taxonomy, which still applies to how we learn.  I like the section where the authors go over the different search engines and directories; I particularly find 'Google Scholar' a valuable resource that I am already using for some of my research in another class.  With Google Scholar, you can go directly to journals, peer-reviewed papers, and other scholarly material. 

Other important topics include the legal aspect of doing and using research done by other scholars.  Such as 'Copyright, Fair Use, and Plagiarism" on pages 33-34.  The other sections that teach us about safety (for students especially), and Privacy are things that we, as teachers and students, must always keep in mind.

Another section concerns information we gather by using mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, etc.  The authors state that mobile devices are a cost effective way for students to gather information.

Reading this chapter has convinced me to upgrade my regular cell phone to a smartphone.  Every time I see somebody using theirs makes me realize how convenient these devices can be.