More+on+Research+and+Information+Fluency

See the following for resources to assist you in planning learning experiences with your students:

Educators must embrace the way technology has changed how we communicate in order to move students toward information literacy. While libraries and printed materials still have a valued place in our storehouse of information, we must not overlook new resources that are available. We must also understand the value of instant sharing and editing of information. The very fact you are reading this at a Wiki space is proof enough that we are part of a global collaboration community that has limitless possibilities.

Now more than ever, we have a responsibility to our students to teach them not only how to find the information they need, but more importantly how to validate the information they find. In the past, educators didn’t have to wonder if information found in the encyclopedia was correct. Students could go to the library, search for information on a given topic, and be confident in its accuracy. Not true today. Information found online can be biased, inaccurate, or intentionally misleading. While students benefit from information that is easy to access and up-to-date, they must be able to evaluate whether the information comes from a reliable source.

Alan November ’s website, [|November Learning], provides great insight into managing this task and supplies links to bogus sites to help student practice the skill of validating. The site is loaded with information about information literacy from which all educators can benefit and supports a Website validation strategy called REAL. The four step REAL strategy includes the ability to: • R – Read the URL • E – Examine the site’s content • A – Ask about the author/publisher • L – Look at the links

Another acronym based website evaluation method is the C.A.R.S. test. Students may benefit from the handout to help them as they learn this skill.

Similarly, the [|Teacher Tap] site contains an excellent list of criteria for website evaluation. While it is worded for use by older students, teachers could begin to teach these criteria in early grades by using this site as a reference. Intended for staff development, links to professional articles, links to misleading Websites for teaching purposes, and links to sites that focus on distinguishing fact from fiction by verifying or debunking information that is questionable.

[|View a webquest] written by Bernie Doge on the subject of performing better searches complete with active links, or download the document to view and save on your computer. It leads you through a simple way to perform better searches.

UC Berkley puts all of this into a nice table format in their page, [|Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask].

Whether or not you use them as they are written, there is an excellent assignment for older students and a list of suggestions for assignments that incorporate technology literacy standards from [|Waterford Union High School's Library. (Waterford, WI)] Take a look at these documents (download links below) to get you started thinking of ways to teach information literacy WHILE teaching your content standards.

Performing very specific advanced searches also leads to fewer results that include more of what you are looking for - and most any search engine you choose will have an advanced search option. By a couple of extra seconds to choose advanced search and specify what you are looking for, you may well save yourself a great deal of time by not having to wade through results that do not address your needs. [|Google Advanced Search Tips] [|altavista Advanced Search Help]

Once you know how to search smarter for what you need, you will need to use the best search engine for your needs as well. Refer to [|Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need] provided by NoodleTools or use the interactive [|NoodleQuest] to be pointed in the right direction.

As teachers and students find the information and resources they need and begin to use them, it is important to remain mindful of copyright issues and to practice crediting sources in their work. [|Citation Machine] Oregon School Library Information Service - [|MLA Elementary Citation Maker]

Excellent article [|Make Students Info Literate], just published in May 2008 "Technology and Learning" cover story provides great detail for exactly where are students are today in knowing what is real and valid, being able to locate pertinent resources, and how to prepare our students to be literate in today's world.