Young people's information search on the Internet : What does young people think about their own skills and experience

The study aims to investigate student’s attitudes and experiences of information retrieval on the Internet, as tools for learning. I have been interested of their own views about their own knowledge and experience in the subject, information seeking on the Internet. The focus is on what they perceive as problematic, what skills they consider they have and what needs they have in terms of teaching. Data were collected via questionnaires. About 200 students at the second year in high school have been asked about the problems and difficulties they have within seeking on the Internet. The study is especially framed within a sociocultural perspective of learning. The study aims to answer following questions: Do the students think that they, in a concentrated way, can orient themselves and seek information on the Internet? Do the students think that they had received education in information seeking on the Internet? Do the students think that they need more skills in information seeking on the Internet? The result shows that this millennial generation see themselves as competent users of the Internet, the World Wide Web (www). Young people are attracted by working with the computer as tool for learning, while teachers may feel that the boundary between school and leisure time is small. The students have a sense of success in every moment of internet seeking. Pupils and teachers have different skills on the Internet. This applies to teachers gain knowledge of it and how to teach the skills students need. Since the computer is a common tool in our workplaces in the community, is it important for the school to prepare the students for the future. It is important for all educators in the school, individually and jointly to reflect on the information that will contribute to the student's own knowledge creation and in what way.