Finding, Evaluating, Understanding, and Using Information:

Information Literacy in Action

Elizabeth Dobler Emporia State University

Kansas Reading Association Conference October 5, 2015

search engines

images

email

booksvideo

audiodiscussion

websites

apps real objects

experiences

To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society, students need the ability to gather,

comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, and report on information and ideas, to conduct original research in order to answer

questions or solve problems, and to analyze and create a high volume and extensive range of print and nonprint texts in media

forms old and new. The need to conduct research and to produce and consume media is embedded into every aspect of

today’s curriculum.

Inquire,  think  cri.cally,  and  gain  knowledge  

Draw  conclusions,  make  informed     decisions,  apply  knowledge  to  new  situa.ons,     and  create  new  knowledge.  

Share  knowledge  and  par.cipate  ethically     and  produc.vely  as  members  of  our  democra.c     society.  

Crea.vity  and  Innova.on  

Communica.on  and  Collabora.on  

Research  and  Informa.on  Fluency  

Cri.cal  Thinking,  Problem  Solving,  Decision-­‐Making  

Digital  Ci.zenship  

Technology  Opera.ons  and  Concepts

Informa(on)Literacy)

Digital)Literacy)

Web)Literacy)

American Library Association, 2000

“Information literacy entails recognizing when information is needed and having the ability to

locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.”

Determine  the  extent  of  informa.on  needed  

Access  the  needed  informa.on  effec.vely  and  efficiently  

Evaluate  informa.on  and  its  sources  cri.cally  

Incorporate  selected  informa.on  into  one’s  knowledge  base  Use  informa.on  effec.vely  to  accomplish  a  specific  purpose  

Understand  the  economic,  legal,  and  social  issues  surrounding  the  use  of  informa.on,  and  access  and  use  informa.on  ethically  and  legally

Digital literacy is the ability to understand information and—more important—to evaluate and integrate information in

multiple formats that the computer can deliver.

Paul Gilster, 1997

Digital Literacies

• loca.ng  &  filtering  

• sharing  &  collabora.ng  

• organizing  &  cura.ng  

• crea.ng  &  genera.ng  

• reusing  &  repurposing

hOp://evradver.sing.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2012/02/  EVR-­‐leading-­‐trends-­‐infographic-­‐nh.jpg  

Web Literacy

Additional Sources of Prior Knowledge

Website Structures

Search Engines

Thinking around corners

interential reasoning - predicting

Self-regulated reading is critical

cognitive flexibility

thinking + physical actions

Is this information what I need? Where do I want to go next? Is this the information I need? Do I have enough information? What am I going to do with this information?

QUEST: A Model for Internet Inquiry

Think in Questions

Ask as many questions as you can.

Do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer any of the questions.

Write down every question exactly as it was stated.

Change any statements into questions.

Questioning Activity

Step  1:  Brainstorm  10  or  more  ques.ons  about  your  topic  on  3x5  notecards  –  one  ques.on  per  card.  

Step  2:    Sort  the  notecards  into  categories.  

Step  3:  Create  a  name  that  describes  each  category  that  would  make  a  good  focus  area  (not  too  big  or  too  small).        

Step  4:  Choose  your  two  favorite  categories  and  turn  them  into  research  ques.ons

Understanding

People of all ages are surprisingly inefficient at finding information using the uniquely flexible resource of the Internet.

Eagleton & Dobler, 2007

Understanding Activity

What is the most popular cat breed in the world?

Evaluation TruthfulnessUsefulness

Evaluation Activity• Reader Friendliness

Checklist• Bogus Websites

Synthesis“…sum of information from the text, other relevant texts,

and the reader’s background knowledge, ideas, and opinions, produced in an original way.”

—Keene, 2008, p. 252

Synthesis Activity

• SQ3R • Survey

• Question

• Read

• Recite

• Review

TransformingTeacher: What have you learned about inquiry?

Student: I have learned that if you set your mind to something that you may learn something that you didn’t know before.

Transforming Activity

hOp://search.crea.vecommons.org/  

Creative Commons

readingtheweb.net