21 st Century Information Fluency 21 st Century Information FluencyWorkshop April 27, 2007 CESA 10 Jan Adams and Diane Plantz

Think of something you had to search for using the Internet. Did you find what you were looking for? What is the proper way to cite Creative Commons material?

Digital information trends In 2002 about 5 exabytes of new information was created.exabytes

What “digital natives” don’t do particularly well What they tend to do instead Turn a question into a query Rush ahead toward an answer, either grabbing the whole question “as is” or missing an important part of it Choose the right database Enter words or phrases into Google Recognize relevant information when they find it Rush past important information and clues, continue to browse Find better keywords as they search Stick with their original words and browse Verify the credibility of information Accept what they find at face value, hoping somewhere in the information there is an answer Digital natives Photograph used by permission of cesarastudillo's photos, Attribution-ShareAlike license.

What “digital natives” don’t do particularly well What they tend to do instead Turn a question into a query Rush ahead toward an answer, either grabbing the whole question “as is” or missing an important part of it Choose the right databaseEnter words or phrases into Google Recognize relevant information when they find it Rush past important information and clues, continue to browse Find better keywords as they search Stick with their original words and browse Verify the credibility of information Accept what they find at face value, hoping somewhere in the information there is an answer Digital natives

 The goal is to build the capacity of librarians, educators and students in Illinois to Locate Evaluate Ethically use digital information resources  Funded by the US Department of Education  3-5 year project to work with 1200 schools  Create a national model 21 st Century Information Fluency Project

21st Century Information Fluency Traditional Library Skills Technology Skills 21 st Century Information Fluency is a sub-set of Information Literacy and Technology Literacy “Fluency” rather than “literacy” to emphasize that the abilities involved are more than basic abilities

Translating a question into a query Selecting the best database Finding better keywords Recognizing information that’s relevant Verifying the credibility of information

Digital information fluency – Big 6 Locate Evaluate Use ethically

Search strategies Subject Directory

Search Engine

Browsing

Browser tip: page searching Use the Find Command to locate a term you are looking for on a web page. Ctlr+F

Today’s agenda  Translating question to query Activity  Selecting an adequate database Activity  Recognizing relevant information Activity  Finding better keywords Activity  Using operators effectively Activity  Evaluating credibility Activity

Today’s agenda  Explore Full Circle Resource kit Login as educator Activity  Create a personalized search engine Create an account Activity  Lunch  Afternoon activities

1 Explore Full Circle Resource kits  We will be working as students  No login required  Let’s get started by bookmarking!

Translating a question into a query

1  36% recognized the optimal query from a list of three queries  31% understand that search engines perform literal matching  17% regularly use natural language queries  12% misinterpreted the research question Research Findings from IMSA Translating a question into a query

1  Start with a question or a problem  Task: Translate natural language into language that is understood by a search engine.  Search engines differ, but what works on one tends to work on others.  Search engines perform a variety of literal matching functions with Boolean and special operators. Translating a question into a query

1 Question to query checklist  How many important ideas are in the question?  How many key concepts will I search for?  What keywords are effective “as is?”  Which concepts require hyponyms or professional language?  Are there words that have multiple meanings?  Are stop words or clutter words included?  Are words spelled correctly?  Are the most important words first?

1  Which is the most effective query for 'find the top speed of earth's fastest animal'?  speed fastest animal  what is earth’s fastest animal  top speed earth’s fastest animal Translating a question into a query

Who first claimed that China’s Great Wall can be identified from space? Go to: Public Index Find the Great Wall keyword challenge Search challenge: Great Wall

Search challenge: continue  Try other Keyword Challenges

Selecting the best database

1  Failures occurs before submitting the first query.  Task: Predict where expert information may be found.  No search engine performs a live Internet search when you submit a query. (Otherwise, how could they come back with a page that’s not found?)  Select appropriate database/search engine (Deep Web) Selecting the best database

1  90% search with Google more than half of the time.  32% use Google exclusively. Selecting the best database Research Findings from IMSA

1 Selecting the best database  Who would know the answer I am looking for?  Where would I find that expert?  Use Google/Yahoo to get there and then use the proprietary search engine to go farther.  Find a relevant database by using keywords in combination with subject key words  Database  Archive  Repository

1 Strategies for deep web searching Invisible Web Video

1 Database challenge tutorial  Go to Index  Play “Can Google google it?”  Try another Database Challenge!

1 Strategies for deep web searching How many movies has John Williams, the classical guitarist, scored?  Search the SWICKI for Williams  Select John Williams Movie Challenge  Keywords: ?? + database

1 What airplane finished the Sport Qualifying race in second place at the Reno Air Races, September 11, 2002?  Go to Index  Reno Air Race Challenge Keywords: ?? + database Strategies for deep web searching

Recognizing information that’s relevant

1  This failure occurs when a student looks at the results returned by a search engine.  Task: Match findings with expectations and evaluate relevance.  Computers are made for speed, which encourages haste.  Hyperlinks and graphics can be distracting. Recognizing relevant information

1  Practice effective scanning. Use one of the Gold Rush activities (access through Index)  Read snippets carefully. Use Snippet Sleuth (access through Index)Snippet Sleuth Recognizing relevant information

Finding better keywords

1  This failure occurs throughout the search process: before the initial query is submitted and as students look at the results returned by a search engine.  Task: Select and try increasingly specific keywords.  Effective keywords go unnoticed in snippets.  Effective searching is dependent on keyword selection (as important as reading).

1  Finding more keywords in snippets: Use Snowsport II (access through Index) Snowsport II  Try the Kermit the Frog Challenge (access through Index)Kermit the Frog Challenge Finding better keywords

1 Using operators effectively  This failure occurs while building a query.  Task: Increase the effectiveness of keywords with Boolean and special operators  Students generally do not use operators, but when they do, they tend to use them inappropriately.

1 Using operators effectively  36% used AND incorrectly (by including stop words and typing in AND)  54% misused the “ ” operator (using it with only one word or with words that would be more effective with AND or OR)  60% misused the OR operator (using it with only one word or with words that would be more effective with AND) Research Findings from IMSA

1 Using operators effectively Practice with operators: Use Pirates and Piranhas (access through Index) Use Operators Tutorial (access through Index)

Verifying the credibility of information

1 Evaluating credibility  This failure occurs after information has been located.  Task: Check the credibility of the information and its source  Students often forego this decision and uncritically accept whatever information they find  Depending on database information may be unedited, unendorsed and inaccurate.

1 Evaluating credibility Should I keep searching? (Revision Decision)  Evaluate the Source Author Publisher Bias Links From  Evaluate the Content Evidence Accuracy Date Links To

1 Evaluating credibility  Use the Evaluation Wizard (access through Index)  Use Flash MicroModule Companions: you may want to also look at the review information (access through Index) Author Publisher Links to (who links to this page?) Bias  Try a Use it or Lose it Evaluation Challenge (access through Index)

1  Evaluate Golf Cross or another Bad Apple, using a techniques covered this morning.  (author, date, links to, etc.) Evaluating credibility

Ethical use

1 Ethical Use  Try Citation Challenges (access through Index)  Try several of the Tutorial MicroModulesMicroModules  Flash MicroModule Companions: Copyright  Flash MicroModule Companions: Citation  Flash MicroModule Companions: Plagiarism 1  Flash MicroModule Companions: Plagiarism 2 (access through Index)

1 Explore Full Circle Resource kit  As an educator – login  Check out EVENTS (past) for agendas and event materials.

Create a personalized search engine  Use Google Coop coop

1 What practical strategy or information did you learn today that you can share?

Source: 21st Century Information Fluency Project Illinois Mathematics and Science April 2007