Ten places to look
Your manager asks, "Which cable do we need for the new office?" You have an hour.
You could read a book, ask a friend, watch a video or search online. All of these give you knowledge. Some are better than others for this job.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Source | a place where you get knowledge | a book, a person or a web page |
| Supplier literature | guides and pages from the company that makes or sells a product | |
| Search engine | a website that finds pages for you | Google or Bing |
| Blog | a web page of articles written by one person or a small team | |
| Vlog | a blog in video form | |
| Peer | someone who works at the same level as you | |
| Wiki | a website that many people can edit | |
| Professional network | a group of people in the same work who meet and share what they know | |
| MOOC | a free or cheap online course that anyone can join |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can name ten kinds of source of knowledge and say what each one is good and bad at.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
The ten kinds
| Kind | Example | Good at | Careful about |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic publication | Textbook, journal, periodical | Checked and deep | Slow, can be old |
| Supplier literature | Handbook for one laptop model | Exact for that product | The maker wants to sell |
| Search engine | Google, Bing | Finds pages fast | It is a finder, not the answer |
| Website | Wiki, forum, Stack Overflow, maker site | Many answers, often free | Anyone can write one |
| Social media | A company page on X or LinkedIn | News and announcements | Short, often marketing |
| Blog | A review of a new switch | Opinion and experience | One person's view |
| Vlog | A video on fitting a cable | You see each step | Hard to check |
| Professional network | A digital conference | Meet experts | Costs time and money |
| E-learning | A MOOC, a vendor course | Planned, step by step | May be out of date |
| Peer | A colleague, a contact | Knows your site | May be wrong or busy |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
A search engine is a finder
A search engine does not know the answer. It finds pages. The page it finds is the real source.
So when you say "I found it on Google", say more. Was it a wiki, a forum or a maker page? That is the kind of source you must judge.
Check
Have a go
Check
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.