February’s Curriculum

MODULE 4: USING TECHNOLOGY WISELY Information, Media, and Technology Literacy Session 1

AGENDA o Welcome and introductions o How do you gather information? o Information literacy o Using trusted sources o Paying for college o Applying for financial aid o Finding scholarships o Summary

HOW DO YOU GATHER INFORMATION? NewspaperTelevisionComputer Friends/Informal Networks Social MediaOther media?

INFORMATION LITERACY What is information literacy? o Information literacy is defined as the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand (Source: US National Forum on Information Literacy). o With increasing access to information (especially online), information consumers must be able to sort through more information than ever before.

MANAGING INFORMATION OVERLOAD o Use appropriate sources to find information o Think critically (evaluate) the information and its accuracy, relevance, and application to project o Consider the source when processing information o Use information accurately and give credit to the source o Act responsibly when publishing information online or through other media o Unplug from the information stream when possible

USING TRUSTED SOURCES Information can be created and disseminated in two ways o Academic, Peer-reviewed, Editorial content o Academic journals o Newspapers o Reports generated by experts o Periodicals o Websites from trusted sources o User-generated content o Wikipedia, wikis o Blogs o Social media

RANK THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION 1.Newspaper articles 2.United States House of Representatives Homeland Security Report on Terrorism 3.Tweets from people living near the World Trade Center on September 11 th 4.Tweets from journalists covering the events of September 11th 5. Wikipedia page about September 11 th 6. A paper written by another student at a different high school available online 7. Time magazine 8. High school history book 9. A story about someone who lived near the World Trade Center shared by a friend on Facebook Francisco is writing a paper about the September 11 th attacks on the United States. Rank the sources below from best to worst for writing his paper.

RANK THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION 1.Newspaper articles 2.United States House of Representatives Homeland Security Report on Terrorism 3.Tweets from people living near the World Trade Center on September 11 th 4.Tweets from journalists covering the events of September 11th 5. Wikipedia page about September 11 th 6. A paper written by another student at a different high school available online 7. Time magazine 8. High school history book 9. A story about someone who lived near the World Trade Center shared by a friend on Facebook Trusted sources

RANK THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION 1.Newspaper articles 2.United States House of Representatives Homeland Security Report on Terrorism 3.Tweets from people living near the World Trade Center on September 11 th 4.Tweets from journalists covering the events of September 11th 5. Wikipedia page about September 11 th 6. A paper written by another student at a different high school available online 7. Time magazine 8. High school history book 9. A story about someone who lived near the World Trade Center shared by a friend on Facebook Less reliable sources

PAYING FOR COLLEGE Applying for financial aid

PAYING FOR COLLEGE o Four types of financial aid available to students o Grants are free money awarded to students with financial need o Scholarships are free money awarded to students for academic merit o Loans from the federal government must be paid back o Work-study program for students to work part-time while in college o You should never pay for information about financial aid o You do not need to pay someone to find scholarships for you

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID o Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) o This is the application used by the Department of Education and higher education institutions to determine your financial aid award o Used by federal government, state agencies, colleges, and some scholarship agencies to determine your financial need and what kind of aid you are eligible to receive o Information that must be included on the FAFSA o A snapshot of your finances o Student and Parent Income o Savings and Investments o Benefits o State Tax Rates

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID o Apply online at FAFSA.gov website o FAFSA must be completed after January 1 st of your high school senior year o Make sure you accurately complete the form o Don’t make up number or information, errors can be costly o Insure that your information is being sent to the Department of Education on a secure connection o If using a public computer clear the cache after you are done o Choose tax preparation services carefully and avoid scams o The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) provides free help

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID o In order to complete the FAFSA, you must: o Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate o Are working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program o Are a U.S. citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident with an Alien Registration Card, or an eligible non-citizen (refugee, asylum granted) o Have a valid Social Security Number o Some states offer their own financial aid applications for students who do not meet these qualifications

SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES o Scholarships are offered by o Universities/colleges o Private and non-profit organizations o Foundations o Churches o Businesses and corporations

FINDING SCHOLARSHIPS o Scholarship information through many different channels o Counselors, college advisers o Online searches o Websites of scholarship donors, universities o Scholarship guidebooks available at libraries o College fairs and college workshops

APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS o Every scholarship has its own application o Seek out the following information about the scholarships you will apply for o Application deadlines (postmark vs. received by deadline) o Scholarship requirements o Documents needed for scholarship application o Formatting or submission requirements

SCHOLARSHIP HOMEWORK o We will continue to talk about scholarships next month o Please search for a scholarship online and bring the following information with you o Scholarship requirements o Scholarship deadline o Scholarship application

SUMMARY o Managing information overload and becoming information literate is an important skill for this century o Information should be evaluated critically for accuracy, relevance, and application to your project/interests o There is a major difference between user generated content and editorial/academic content and their uses can be acceptable depending on the situation o Financial aid and scholarship are available to help students pay for college o Applying for financial aid is easy using the FAFSA.gov website o Scholarship opportunities are available from many trusted sources

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING Questions/Comments

SHPE Jr. Chapter

Annual SHPE Jr. Chapter Process Review SHPE Jr. Chapter Handbook & Outreach Toolkit Identify a local high school/Contact SHPE Jr. Advisor (for sustaining Jr. Chapters) Create SHPE Jr. Chapter Committee Elect SHPE Jr. Chapter Representative & SHPE Jr. Chapter Volunteers Contact High School Gain School Administrator support Identify a SHPE Jr. Chapter Advisor Submit SHPE Jr. Chapter Proposal Submit Participation Agreement Recruit SHPE Jr. Chapter members Complete SHPE Jr. Chapter Forms Hold SHPE Jr. Chapter Elections Is the SHPE Jr. Chapter Chartered?* Yes No YES Submit Members Forms Submit SHPE Jr. Chapter Form (include calendar of events) NO Submit Membership Forms Submit SHPE Jr. Chapter Charter Application Form (include calendar of events) Submit SHPE Jr. Chapter Bylaws Conduct SHPE Jr. Chapter Activities Submit Monthly Highlights- Due by 10th of each month

NEWS SHPE Jr. Chapter Representatives do NOT have to submit receipts for the SHPE Jr. funding. NEW- SHPE Jr. Chapter Handbook and SHPE Jr. Chapter Outreach Toolkit

Reminders Submit Membership, Release and Photo Release Forms Deadlines to Submit Charter Applications for SHPE Jr. Chapters –April 3, 2015 –May 29, 2015 Submit Monthly Highlight by February 10,

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