A Google A Day Keeps the Tree Octopi Away

The class activities described in the following blog post were meant to teach the class how to search in an efficient way and use online resources responsibly.
Within the past ten years, Google has become a part of nearly everyone's everyday lives. "Google it" has become a phrase uttered whenever an difficult question arises. Most people probably make at least one Google a day, whether it is to access a website, their email, ask a question, or find a picture or video. Google now provides a trivia service called "A Google A Day" which asks a question, and the user searches the Google search engine to look for the answer. The question, however, has multiple components, making it impossible for the user to just look up the question. They must find out the answers to each component, then answer the question. This concept can be better explained by simply viewing a question at the website. In class, we used this game to learn how to search effectively and use keywords, rather than just typing in a question. It was a fun activity, but some questions posed were very difficult to find the answer to. For one question, I found an answer, but the source that I found it from had apparently misspelled it, and therefore Google did not accept it. I liked the feature of "Deja Google", which prevented spoilers from getting into the Google A Day search results. One thing I learned from this activity is how to use keywords effectively.

Accuracy, Authenticity, and Reliability are all measures of whether or not to use an online source. Accuracy describes the quality of information being clear, concise, precise, and on point. Authenticity describes the source being official, and reliability means the source is dependable and consistent. In class we viewed a website with pages devoted to the The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.

Tree Octopus, http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/treeocto.jpg

The website seemed lovely, until you realize that the information is all false; the Tree Octopus doesn't exist. The main page of the website says it is "Your Source for Conspiracies and Other Distractions", which is not very scholarly. While the source may have been accurate and reliable, it was not authentic, invalidating its other two traits.  This source is simply an internet hoax, and makes an excellent example for a media literacy lesson.