Give Up the Goods, Google and Wikipedia! I Figured You Out!

     I always thought I had a good understanding of Google and Wikipedia. I knew I had not mastered the technology, but I felt I had a basic understanding that would get me from A to B. It did. However, little did I know Google and Wikipedia were holding out on me! How dare they!

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     In the vast expanse of the internet, and in my line of vision, Google and Wikipedia held all the keys I would need for research and simplicity -- and I completely missed it! I've always used Google -- Googledocs, GoogleSheets, -- but today I learned the variety of uses I can implement for the future. For example, Google has an archive of saved newspapers! By typing in news.google.com/newspapers, a database of uploaded newspapers dating back a century or more pops up. This is an amazing tool for research and classroom reading projects. Students today are so attuned with technology by using this database, we can mine history right from the web instantly.

     Now, Wikipedia provides a similar use. As one of the world's largest, living database, Wikipedia has proven, shockingly, more accurate than a student's textbook! (Goodbye to not citing Wiki articles, and hello to a new form of research and citation.) By searching an article's rubric, the student can ascertain phenomenal sources through a ranking system (GA-FA are top). This could provide the basis and structure for the beginning of a research project.

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     As a future eleventh grade Social Studies teacher, technology, especially for students, has become an essential role -- a new language -- that has become increasingly prominent with Millennials and Generation Delta. Kids are always on, and the benefits of using and understanding Google and Wikipedia for the classroom is endless! We as educators must use technology to bring inclusivity and personalization to the class through technological tools like Google and Wikipedia, because it builds computer literacy, independence, and curiosity -- the new means of connections and relationships for a student's life.