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How Databases Defeated Google
The Information Cycle
Senior Seminars
https://sites.google.com/a/geneseoschools.org/i
nfocycle-islma-presentation/home
Geneseo High School (825 students)
Deanna Bott
Jeanne Brucher
English Teacher
Teacher Librarian
 Comp 2 (sophomores)
 Middle School 6-8
 AP Lang (juniors)
 High School 9-12
 ENG 101/102 (dual-
enrollment seniors for
Black Hawk College)
Why did we start this unit?
 Deanna wanted a project that
taught the ENG 102 kids how
to use the college level
databases without it being
another “research paper”
Why did we add this course to all seniors?
 Jeanne wanted to add a senior
research project that forces
kids to use all of the advanced
researching skills practiced in
the junior research paper.
Essential Thematic Questions:
 How does the information cycle
affect the reliability or focus of
information that one learns about a
significant news story?
 How does the competitive,
instantaneous transmission of today's
media news outlets affect the quality
of news coverage?
Essential Process Questions 102:
 Why do college professors often
insist that the bulk of sources in a
research project be pulled from
academic journals and books?
 What are the best Internet tools
that you have learned for
managing your research process?
The Information Cycle
The Flashpoint Events We Use:
Columbine
Apr. 20, 1999
U.S. Presidential Election
Nov. 7. 2000
The Flashpoint Events We Use:
9/11
Sept. 11, 2001
Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal
Apr. 28. 2004
The Flashpoint Events We Use:
Indian Ocean Tsunami
Dec. 26, 2004
Hurricane Katrina
Aug. 25-29, 2005
The Flashpoint Events We Use:
Haiti Earthquake
Jan. 12, 2010
Gulf Oil Spill
Apr. 20. 2010
The Flashpoint Events We Use:
Japanese Earthquake
Mar. 11, 2011
Shooting of Trayvon Martin
Feb. 26 & Mar. 13, 2012
The Flashpoint Events We Use:
Benghazi embassy bombing
Sept. 11, 2012
Sandy Hook shooting
Dec. 14, 2012
The Flashpoint Events We Use:
Boston Marathon bombing
Apr. 15, 2013
Edward Snowden NSA leaks
Jun. 5, 2013
ENG 102 Path
 Students are pre-assigned Search Path
Tutorial on Black Hawk College library site to
become familiar with college-level research
expectations
 Teacher introduces the idea of news
inaccuracies (i.e. Sandy Hook op ed piece)
 Librarian shares Penn State Information
Cycle Shockwave video
ENG 102 Path
 Librarian models access points for each
media type, including sources available
through Black Hawk College
 Show samples from Google site
ENG 102 Path
 Students research independently, making
sure not to overlap sources
 Each student produces an individual
annotated Works Cited list
 Small groups collaborate for a peer-
observed 15 minute Socratic Seminar to
demonstrate their knowledge of the event
and how the cycle played out
Adaptations for English 4
 No college-level databases, which means
limited access to journal articles
 Use a book chapter rather than whole book
 6 classes at the same time was stress on
resources
 Allow documentary as a choice
What has been revealed in this project?
 Students recognized a pattern to our cultural
reaction to tragic events
 Comparing similar events like Columbine and Sandy
Hook revealed how social media has changed the
way we consume and distribute information
 Some even noticed their own role in perpetuating
inaccurate information at the start of a new flash
point event
What has been revealed in this project?
 Students demonstrated increased political
awareness on subjects of current debate because of
a new familiarity with recent historical events
 Some expressed appreciation in being forced to try
the college databases, which they admitted to
avoiding at the beginning of the project
 One student even shared her epiphany that a
simple Google search will rarely offer her the
quality of information she seeks
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How Databases Defeated Google
For access to links and sources:
https://sites.google.com/a/geneseo
schools.org/infocycle-islmapresentation/home