Chemistry Central Blog

Google Jockey: nothing to do with music or horses

I came across a new term today - at least, it was new to me. I dropped in on the Chemical Education Division session "Social Networking: The Next Generation" at the ACS National Meeting in Boston, and was lucky enough to catch Laura Pence's presentation "Engaging student discussion: The role of a google jockey."

Had Google launched a new radio station, I thought. Or were we supposed to be riding the superhighway now, instead of surfing it? It turns out, as some of you will know, a Google Jockey is someone who finds information or pictures from the web to assist in a lesson or class.

Without a PowerPoint slide in sight, Pence talked about how the role of Google Jockey is enhancing the understanding of students, by making the topic under discussion relevant and visual. Pence was ably assisted by a student, Emily Greene (the jockey) - there was a deep connection between the pair, not unlike at Crufts (in the nicest possible way)! It would be unfair to say Greene was Pence's 'MiniMe' as the point here is that Greene is free to express how she is interpreting what Pence is saying. In fact, Pence made it clear that the presenter must refrain from guiding the Jockey with phrases like "show that picture of ..."

A presentation of this type spans the generation gap; Pence was talking about the sinking of the Titanic, while Greene brought up posters of the Cameron epic. But was it easy to follow? I guess this was a demonstration of the technique, rather than a true subject based lecture, so it is hard to tell. Personally, I spent more time watching what Greene was searching for, than listening to Pence - but maybe this is the point. While I can't remember all of the words, I do have a strong visual impression of the talk. During the Q&A Greene was asked about multi-tasking, and was very clear that she uses her laptop in class, often searching for further information - information she thought lacking in from the teacher. Rather than being a distraction, she is using the web to supplement her knowledge.

It was certainly fun, although I'm not sure how comfortable I would be presenting while someone else masterminded the graphics behind me. Certainly not in my team meetings. A word of warning if you're going to try this ... set Google Moderation filters to max!

There is more on this subject from

Pence L, Greene E

Posted by Bryan Vickery at 22:06    Comments (0)