Thinking Browsers
Just a quick thought. I am not sure I like that my browser and various application are thinking for me. A while back I was looking online at beds, now all the ads streaming across my screen are about beds and bedding. I have long since moved on but my browser has not. When I search news stories or seek articles I am frequently told what is trending, as if my attention should be drawn there. Google, Twitter, Plurk, and Facebook among others connect us to what is popular but not always to what is correct, relevant or needed. It is more important then ever to teach info-literacy skills, critical reading and thinking and to encourage ourselves and the learners we support to look for a variety of perspectives and to check the motivation, bias and facts in what we read.