Search: The New Age Must Have Skill

It is no longer possible for anyone to stay in the digital world, without knowing how to 'search'. With the sea of information that one is confronted with after hitting the search button, it is important to be able to hit on the right information. It’s like finding needle in haystack! This certainly requires skills which are entirely different from conventional search tools.

Many netizens, at the most know the use of features like string search, Boolean operators, calculation and conversion. Most are unaware of site operators, search by filetype, image search, the gear on SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) etc. and even combining them.  Anyone who is proficient in searching would conclude that searching in the cyberspace is not a science, it is an art! Science works in the background, but the search results appearing in the front depend on how well the search tools are chosen, used or combined.

It is certain that skills of searching are ‘must have’  for all those in educational domain. To be high on digital literacy, it is important that a person acquires proficiency in search, else is certain to get overwhelmed by the information overload. Poor ability may blunt the capability of judging information and even mute creativity of a learner.

Thus, there is a strong case for students being imparted skills in searching from the early stages itself and along with other skills. This will ensure that this skill gets deep-rooted in them (like skills of reading and writing), keeps them focused in the face of information deluge, does not curb their ability to be  imaginative while learning and also stay independent learners lifelong.

Search-based games could be a way to teach the students- the science and art of searching in cyberspace. Assignments requiring use of historical/ past data could be another way to push students to search and hone their skills in judging the information. To encourage students to use calculator/ conversions, projects that call for routine monitoring of parameters could be designed and they could be asked to present reports in different units. For image searching, jigsaw puzzles (-creating them or completing them) can be quite useful.

Interestingly, the growing need of proficiency in search can well have the focus again on librarians who are skillful in searching but have been relegated in the academic landscape. Proficient in searches as they are, librarians can play a vital role in imparting the much needed skills in the student in the class-rooms itself. Librarians, are you listening?

So, if all these years "research" was about finding answers, it is "search" now. Better search than research (Better late than never) !

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Dr. Neeraj Saxena is a Scientist with Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC)