Is all information equal?
Absolutely not! As many of  us have discovered for ourselves as adult learners and as many of us have heard in the news from time to time, there are very unreliable resources on the world-wide web (WWW).  I remind my students (as young learners) every time we do a project that requires them to do research that they must use reliable and accurate resources.  This historically has only included the traditional library-type media informational research from magazines, books, newspapers, microfiche etc.  In today's educational arena information now comes to us from more sources and we have to realize that information literacy now includes computer literacy, visual literacy and media literacy. All these resources have room for inaccuracy and inequality. As a teacher, I have to responsibility to teach my students this and to "do due diligence" in checking on their resources listed on their assignment submissions. This job is made easier if I give them several reliable resources to choose from as they learn this concept of information accuracy.

Is it accurate, worthy of our attention?
It is worthy of our attention if it is accurate. Some information will be accurate and some not again, depending on the source. Accurate information comes more from the bigger sites like NBC, CBC, CNN, Fox News, AJC, etc. These companies are more careful about what they put out to the public because they have a lot at stake if they are not accurate. Smaller more local websites from local news companies are accurate as well and all of these companies are quick to publicly apologize for any errors or misinformation they make.

How do you decide which information to take in and which to discard?
This takes some work on the part of the researcher. Cross-checking with several sites usually helps one find little discrepancies that can lead to either accepting or discarding information. I find having a student list their resources makes them think twice before just throwing something together. Having to have facts like that instead of their opinion on a subject helps point them in the direction of accuracy. Also, having them list the date of their found information helps keep it current.

What is information literacy?
There are many definitions "out there" on the WWW.  I liked the one by the American Library Association:

Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. American Library Association . 2006. (Accessed 27 May 2009).

I interpret this as meaning that it is the ability to identify the need for information, the ability to find it , then evaluate it for worthiness and usefulness and then to then be able to apply this information in a useful way.I really liked how information literacy was described by:
Parkins, G. 2004, 'E-Learning Adventures Beyond the LMS', Parkin's Lot, Retrieved September 2005. http://parkinslot.blogspot.com/2004/11/e-learning-adventures-beyond-lms.html

Parkins uses the example of music CD's to help explain information literacy. Once upon a time  the only music format available was on CD's and thus, the music industry dictated what was on that CD which was very limiting. The internet revolutionized how we collect music. We are no longer limited on what music we listen to nor are we limited on how we save our music. We have Ipods, blog postings and more! There are thousands of possibilities now and not limited by the music industry.

How will you teach your students about information literacy?
I will have to repetitively teach them about the process of  locating, evaluating and utilizing accurate information/data. I am responsible for guiding them to appropriate websites by making them part of my lesson plans. At the same time, I must be careful as to not limit them to a small number of websites. I need to encourage those students that do not have the digital literacy of some of their peers. Finally, I must recognize and stay updated on the changes in technology as they occur in order to keep my students engaged.  Students come much more savvy in many literacies (visual, aural, digital, etc.) that go beyond what we grew up with. This will continue to change even more in the generations to come!