Mapping assignment

Before the mapping assignment I used the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing to find all information. My favorite search engine being Google because the home page was clutter free which made it easy on the eyes and mind. I never thought to look for certain website for external links because these search engines did all the work for me. However, because of my lack of knowledge of certain search techniques that I thankfully learned from this assignment, I'm sure I missed quite a bit of helpful information during my previous searches. Since I have taken the course twice, technically these helpful search tips are not new to me, but it was imperative that I brushed up on this lesson.
I think my searching habits will change to some extent. I still strongly believe in those search engines for my own personal use because they are so broad and easy to navigate. I simply chose to ignore all of the advertisements and commercials because I know that it is a huge part of our culture and a way for people, businesses, and corporations to make money. However, I would want my students to be scholarly researchers, so I would teach them how to locate the data needed through scholarly websites, search engines, and texts. I want nothing but the best for my students, like all teachers should, so I strongly believe they should not cut corners because they are only cheating themselves.
I enjoyed this assignment and even going back through for a second time I picked up a few things that I missed. I really enjoyed learning all of the fun, cool, and interesting facts about the major search engines. This assignment opened my eyes to what little we know about what we are calling "research" and I will definitely use this same lesson to better prepare my students for research assignments in college. I think it is so important for students of all ages to learn how to properly use the internet and all its sources since as the author states, there is no "Source police". This assignment has affected me in a positive way and I will definitely refer to it in my classroom.