Unit 6: Distance Learning

What are your top three takeaways from John Green’s course, Navigating Digital Information?
Explain why each of these takeaways is important when conducting internet research/using the
internet to acquire information.

 My first takeaway from John Green’s course is the importance of lateral reading. Before
watching this course, I didn’t know that there lateral reading was a way to review
websites and cross reference the information that news media gives you. It is important
when conducting internet research because when you only look on one site, it becomes
easy to obtain tunnel visions and to see the information they present you as fact.
However, no matter how professional the website looks or their word choice, information
is not black and white and should be thoroughly fact checked and backed up by reliable
sources.
 My second takeaway from John Green’s course is that it is important to follow accounts
on social media that expose you to different point of views. He mentioned this idea by
giving an example of how social media algorithms introduce you to only information that
you agree with. I have experienced this firsthand on many social media sites such as
Instagram and TikTok. Whenever I like a certain category of posts, it will only
recommend other videos related to that post and though I may like them, sometimes I feel
that I am in a bubble. I think this is important when using the internet to acquire
information because if you researching a topic only and click on multiple websites with
the same opinion/point of view, then the suggested articles for you will only be from that
point of view and the paper may seem very biased.
 My third and biggest takeaway from John Green’s course is that Wikipedia is a great site
to help you when starting your research. I willingly admit that I have been one of those
people who proclaims never to use Wikipedia. However, from watching Green’s video, I
have been able to learn that Wikipedia has changed from the way it used to be and it is a
very easy/simple site that should be trusted in the first stages of research. I think this is
important to know when conducting research because of the number of topics that
Wikipedia has on its site. It is a vast encyclopedia that could be used for basically any
topic.
What are your top three takeaways from your time implementing the state’s social distancing
initiatives (learning from home)? Explain why this was an important idea to learn.

 I learned that Home Economics is a class that should be offered in school. I think that this
is an important idea to learn because the class was meant to teach us basics of how to live
on our own which is something that we need even more as the world turns into a busier
and more hectic lifestyle. The basics of washing your clothes, cooking, personal finance,
mechanics, and woodworking are things that everyone should know how to do rather than
being specialized jobs that we employ other’s to do for us.
 I learned that of in class instruction is not necessary for school. I think this is an
important idea to learn mostly because of all of the time that is wasted in class.
Personally, the first couple of weeks of distance learning were the best for me in regards
to school. I absolutely loved that we were assigned the work and were allowed to make
our own schedules. I felt that it was such a learning experience of how college life would
be. I feel that I was able to make school not that most important thing in life. I do
understand that in class instruction is needed for thing such as difficult topics in math,
class discussions, and testing but I feel that a lot of time is wasted in school when kids
could be using their time for other things. I think we have created a culture for teenagers
where school is the only thing that they think and once that is taken away, it’s almost like
a frenzy to find any other source of distraction/enjoyment because they have been
deprived of it for so long.
 I learned that I hate College board. This is an important idea to learn because I do not
believe in nor want to support a private, “not for profit” company that has created a
monopoly on the education system. I think this is an important thing to be discussed in
school and to school administrators. I understand that the system that College Board has
created is what has always been used, but I think that this time in quarantine has only
showed to thousands upon thousand of kids why this system is not effective anymore. It
is important that we evaluate the systems that are taking control of our youth’s lives and
assess whether or not they are healthy/fair.