Journal 8: Find the Truth About the Pacific Tree Octopus

(NETS-T 2)

Ferrell, K. (2011). Find the truth about the pacific tree octopus. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(1), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Learning_Connections_Find_the_truth_about_the_Pacific_tree_octopus.aspx

In the article "Find the Truth about the Pacific Tree Octopus", Kieth Ferrell describes a great lesson he gave his fourth grade class on searching the web. He gave the students two options on how to approach the assignment. Students were to search either “The Tree Octopus” or “All About Explorers” and then share their findings with the class. They were to search the exact phrases in the quotes. He states that most of the students went right on to Google and used the first link that came up (Ferrell, 2011) Some of the "facts" the students discovered on the topic of exploration were: "Christopher Columbus was born in 1951 in Sydney, Australia", " Marco Polo, Bill Gates, and Sam Walton helped finance Magellan’s expedition to the Spice Islands", and "Lewis and Clark were inspired to become world-famous explorers after being mesmerized by the stunning color photographs in National Geographic magazine." (Ferrell, 2011). On the topic of the tree octopus, the "facts" the students found were: "The Pacific Northwest tree octopus (Octopus paxarbolis) can be found in the temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula on the west coast of North America", "Unlike most other cephalopods, tree octopuses are amphibious, spending only their early life and the period of their mating season in their ancestral aquatic environment", and "Tree octopuses have eyesight comparable to humans" (Ferrell, 2011). After some discussion, the students realized what they had found were not real facts at all. The students were shocked that websites could look so real but not post the truth, and these sites were the first ones to come up on Google. The discussion ended with the teacher telling students to "[use] the '5 Ws'— who, what, when, where, and why—[to look] for URL suffixes (.edu, .gov, etc.), and [how] to double-check sources" (Ferrell, 2011). Ferrell thinks that this lesson will truly stick with the students as they search the web because of the reality check they experienced when finding wrong information.

QUESTION 1: Why is this lesson more effective than a simple lecture about how to navigate the internet?
Students will likely remember what they learned better because they actually went out and did research that they thought was good until they discussed it and noticed its flaws. Having had the experience of actually getting erroneous information, students will remember the right way to go about researching to avoid being in the same situation again.

QUESTION 2: Would I incorporate this lesson in one of my classes?
I would like to do a similar lesson, but I have concerns on how it might go over in a kindergarten class. I have never heard of students that young searching the internet in a classroom, let alone on Google. This might be a little too advanced so another way to do this might be for me to demonstrate it as if I am one of the fourth grade students who is unaware in the beginning but then realizes the mistakes I made.