S.E.X.E.S

Now that I have your attention, (set-induction).
Information literacy is the ability to locate, identify and critique information . It includes the ability to share this information.

When I asked a couple of my former students what they thought of my assignment they came up with S earch the internet/ media venue for the information.
E valuate the information for literacy and content.
X- Ray the information, look deeper, not just at the surface. What are the qualifications of the writer?
E ducate yourself, look for other views and how they measure up.Check for bias versus facts.
S  tudy related material.

You would only have to look at a few websites and see that all information is not equal and biased to the point of being untruthful.Our thoughts are influenced by media-speak and our own beliefs. The internet has opened a whole new realm, but even when the only news source was newspapers the view could be skewed (The Great Boxer Hoax). We must be aware of what information we trust in and how honest they truly are.

I will continue to teach my students to question the information that they hear or view. To be critical of this information and to continue to educate themselves as information changes.

"She Was an Analog Girl, In a Digital World..."

Discussion Topic for Two Weeks: We are bombarded daily with information from the media, newspapers, magazines, radio, and the World Wide Web. Is all information equal? Is it accurate, worthy of our attention? How do you decide which information to take in and which to discard? What is information literacy? How will you teach your students about information literacy?

When speaking about information delivered via the web, things completely take a different turn. The other 3 (or 4 if you include television) have traditionally been how we have gotten our information. Even with those we have had the obligation to sift through it to get to what is legitimate. The internet gives us "real time" info. Now that we carry mobile devices and various electronic gadgetry, we can always be updated. Ultimately, in my opinion I think information that is pertinent to the individual, especially if it's critical in nature, should be the information that is taken in and evaluated. Information literacy at this point would simply boil down to one's ability to have the clearest knowledge of an occurrence, event or happening, that would give them a positive outcome first hand. For example... if there was information that the government was providing assistance with student loans to teachers, one who teaches would pursue this information and investigate what sources may be applicable to them. Once they find a credible contact and are able to obtain assistance, then the outcome is positive. What I would say and instruct my students to do is, invest time in internet research, but also, have dialogue with others who are doing the same research and compare notes. What can be found from this is that sometimes individuals gravitate to information that is tailored to who they are as an individual. If we are able to discern the "spin" given to pieces of information, then it allows us to make better assessments of our sources. With this in consideration, our mindset has to accommodate a new medium in which we receive information. As technology evolves, it would be safe to predict that the printed word will become a thing of the past and digital information will be the new source that we acquire knowledge. It would be the closest thing to speaking to an expert first hand.

Life Before Google

A recent dinner conversation involved my 13 year old son asking me how I did homework "way back when you were a kid Mom, like- before google." Once I got over the coughing epidsode that resulted from the "way back when" comment, I taught my son a little something about ENCYCLOPEDIA  BRITANNICA. It went something like this:

Me: We had a set of red, leather bound books that were in alphabetical order and you could go look up information in them.
Son: You could look up anything?
Me: Well.....almost anything.
Son: How many books were in the set???
Me: About 10 I guess....
Son: That's all!? Ten books... I guess your homework was a lot easier back then than mine is now...........

So the thirteen year old had a point. While Encyclopedia Britannica was "safe" and the information was relatively accurate, albeit outdated on many occasions, it was morbidly limited when compared to the information highway available at our fingertips today. We have learned that with the vastness of available information comes the responsibilty to discern what is relative, accurate and yes, safe. As teachers, it is our responsibility to help these young whipper snappers of today navigate through the windfall of available information. It's a little odd that the problem is never the lack of available information but how to weed through the opinions and propaganda of the plethera of information to find truth. One of the ways that I accomplish this is to have several websites that I have researched myself as resources for my students. However, I never want them to be limited by my opinions of relevancey so they also have to site other resources besides the ones I have offered. Two great ideas from our digital literacy research that I will employ for my students is first for them to backtrack all websites and make sure that the root domain is reliable and the other is to use more than one search domain. While google may be the first step for many of our students today, it shouldn't be the only step. So in closing, fellow old-timers, do you think I could get anything for that set of Encylopedia Britannica on ebay?

I have been reading many sources of information on the World Wide Web. It has changed the way I will teach my students and present infomation from the internet. Teaching my student on the subject of informational literacy they need to know the history. I will teach the three waves of Western History agriculture, pre-industrial, and pre-modern a good site that I found was http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/Faculty/gilton/InformationLiteracyInstruction-AHistoryinContext.htm written by Donna Gilton. This will give student the information and media litercy that it takes to make them successful in the work force/society.

media, newspapers, magazines, radio and the Web

            My personal belief as to the media, newspapers, magazines, radio and the World Wide Web being equal is simply NO.  Throughout the opportunities given to us to learn one becomes aware that quite often a writer’s personal opinions are interwoven within the text being reported. Within personal experience of learning, I believe online learning is a key to learn with a more open mind on most subjects.  This opportunity is due to there being ready access to digital literacy, thus having access to information literacy.  To be successful with this style of learning, one must develop new skills.  It certainly is necessary to see, read, find, and these are just a few abilities one must develop to be successful with online learning. Information literacy must be evaluated by the user, which many times can only be done by extensive or sometimes a little research.  This is definitely some of the skills along with the ability to decide what is current and what material is not up-to-date.  When my students do research for a project, report, essay I require their websites (sources) to be listed.  Then if there is a question to what is being reported, we can go back to the referenced website.

 

Week 4/5: Information Literacy

According to (http://www.webs.uidaho.edu/info_literacy/) Information Literacy is the ability to identify what information is needed, understand how the information is organized, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information. It is the knowledge of commonly used research techniques.  Information Literacy is critically important because we are surrounded by a growing ocean of information in all formats. Not all information is created equal: some is authoritative, current, reliable, but some is biased, out of date, misleading, false. The amount of information available is going to keep increasing. The types of technology used to access, manipulate, and create information will likewise expand.

Since there are so many avenues to obtain information, I believe there isn't one main way to present it.  You have to use various resources, because as stated in our CTAE course this past summer, a student's attention span is only good for about 10-15min and then they're lost.  They need various ways to receive relevant material.  Information literacy can be presented in classroom skits, powerpoint presentations, networking events specifically for students, or one on one interviews for a particular assignment. Of course, use of the internet, books,and periodicals are the norm.

Week 4 and 5: Information Literacy

We are bombarded daily with information from the media, newspapers, magazines, radio, and the World Wide Web. Is all information equal? Is it accurate, worthy of our attention? How do you decide which information to take in and which to discard? What is information literacy? How will you teach your students about information literacy? Use the following Link on Information Literacy (written by a vocational education teacher in Australia) to help guide your response: http://knowledgetree.flexiblelearning.net.au/edition07/html/c_blackall.html

As defined by Blackall (2005), digital literacy (synonymous with information literacy) is related to a persons ability "to access the internet; find, manage and edit digital information; join in communications; and otherwise engage with an online information and communications network".  In a CTAE program digital literacy is very important as technology is constantly changing and everything in a textbook is not always the most updated information.  As a teacher I decide what is relevant (what to keep and discard) based on the source that the information comes from.  One thing about the internet is that good information is typically going to be available on multiple web pages, therefore cross checking sources is a possible option. Looking at dates is also key.  Information needs to be accurate and up to date. 

Every day my students use the internet to research a new technology and then write about it, to later share with the class.  This has been a very valuable experience not only in that we learn about a lot of new technology, but also that I can spend this time discussing and building digital literacy skills.  At the beginning of the year I provide them with credible sources that they can choose from, but they also are able to find sources on their own.  When presenting the students are required to provide the source. If information seems far fetched or not accurate we could use this time to check the source, and its credibility. 

Week 3: Surprise

What surprised you the most this week at school and why? (This could be something about your own reactions to what went on, or something that someone did, or anything else that occurs to you.)

Beyond just my regular teaching duties, I also play a big role in the Technology Student Association.  When I was hired it was made very clear to me that this would be a part of my job description and that I needed to be prepared to spend a lot of time working with it. I did it last year and it is a lot of work,  that the Career Academy has opened I have been put in charge of training the other three engineering teachers in the county about how to run a TSA program.  This week I was surprised that despite my email reminders, and  face to face discussions that no other teachers in the county signed up any kids for the association nor did they encourage any of them to attend the upcoming field trip. I confided in my assistant principal and previous mentor and it seems that it will be my place to talk to these teachers and find ways to not only get the kids involved but also these teachers. 

YES READ THIS

Information Literacy is defined as the ability to define problems in terms of there information needs, and apply a systematic approch to search, locate, apply, and synthesize the information and evaluate the entire process in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. The information that we recive from radio,T.V., magazines, and the web are not equal. Some of the information that we recive are biased,misleading, and out of date. Due to the increasing technology it's very ease to access and munipulate information this will be a growing concern in the next few years. We as teachers need to teach our students that information literacy can be used for academic purposes such as research and group presentation. We also need to let them know that it is used in the work force the ability to find, evaluate, use and share information is an essential skill. A good example on how we can teach this to our students would be consumer decisions, such as which car or home  to purchase, are critical.

Information Literacy

Information Literacy is skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze or use information.  Everyone needs Information Literacy.   Information Literacy allows students and adults to create creativity when researching various topics.  Students cannot learn everything that they need to equip for college.  Information literacy helps them to develop critical skills.  This is an important skill needed for students and teachers.  These skills extend beyond the classroom into the workplace and personal lives.  It has pretty much become a survival skill.  If you don’t know how to use it then you won’t survive technology changes.  I will teach my students about information literacy by first exposing them to websites that give important information about Resources & Ideas.  These sites provided information about on a wide variety of subjects.  Once students learn how to use Information Literacy, they can think and analyze outside of the box when presenting projects or writing research papers.

All information is not equal

 All information is not created equal.  I prefer to get my information from the World Wide Web.  Using the World Wide Web is very inconvenient and easier to access for me.  Due to growing technology demands I have multiple ways to access it. The most convenient way is my cellphone.  Unfortunately, you have to still be careful on the accuracy of information obtained.  A lot of the information that is reported may or may not be worthy of our attention. It depends on whose reporting the information.  The only other source that I may pay attention to is the news.  The news is a source that is usually accurate. The only problem with the news is that I rarely get a chance to listen to it unless I am using the World Wide Web to access it.

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!

 

 

 

 

All Information is NOT Equal.....

I love the word wide web, in fact not a day goes by when I do not find myself searching the web about one thing or the other. Whether it be searching for a handout for a class or the cheapest hotel rates for Christmas break, I look to the web for EVERYTHING!! And I must say that all information is not created equal. It is also hard to discern what information is factual simply because there are so many people looking to scam someone else or trigger happy reporters who do not check their sources before going to print.   I have a simple philosophy, and that is to rely on what I know.

I often search sites like CNN, Fox News, and the Huffington Post for my latest political fix, and I utilize sites like the ajc.com, and wsbtv.com for my local news and weather.  I prefer sites like Expedia for travel resources, but I have learned that is it less expensive and even a little less troublesome to actually go to the  company website for services because all of your questions will be answered there. With the exception of EBAY, I do not really make risky purchases, and even with EBAY because of the insurance I feel comfortable when buying used goods.  Just like with anything else, my advice is always follow your instinct, there are schemers sitting behind a keyboard waiting on their next victim, so I try to stick to my tried and true. Companies with great feedback from consumers and local business bureaus, and of course the ones with exceptional customer service are who I keep in my Favorites column.

What is Information Literacy?

According to the National Forum of International Literacy, "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".  In addition to defining the term, this organization promotes the need for literacy as the key competency needed to enhance K-16 academic performance, engage patient personal responsibility,  improve workplace performance and productivity, and compete effectively in a dynamically evolving world marketplace.

As a district, Atlanta Public Schools, in its efforts to introduce the common core standards are asking each teacher, including CTAE teachers to make literacy and reading a focus of our daily planning and instruction. I think this is an important step in providing a broader message, not just in core classes, but in elective and pathway classes as well.

As a health care provider, literacy is just as integral as performing hands on patient care, and as a result, I began integrating literacy into my lesson planning and instruction prior to incorporating the actual ELA standards.  In particular, this week both my second and third year classes are working on units entailing Communication in which they are being taught verbal vs. non verbal ways of communication. I have utilized several case studies in which studies have had to read and actually formulate a response to the level of care that the patient received. Students were asked to provided feedback in the form of a letter to a patient, and in other cases asked to analyze the level of communication or lack thereof between the patient and the provider.  I even had my second year students to see if they could recognize spelling and grammar errors in one study.  I must say that I was surprised at the lower levels of thinking and analysis of some of the students, but it gives me a starting point, and reinforces the need to include literacy into my dally lessons.

Information Literacy and the Worldwide Web

Question of the Week - Weeks 4 & 5

Discussion Topic for Two Weeks: We are bombarded daily with information from the media, newspapers, magazines, radio, and the World Wide Web. Is all information equal? Is it accurate, worthy of our attention? How do you decide which information to take in and which to discard? What is information literacy? How will you teach your students about information literacy?

Is all information equal? No, not at all. The student researching information must ensure that the information is complete, accurate and not simply bits and pieces of watered down information from someones personal opinion, but instead solid information that can be backed up by facts and experts in that field.

Is it accurate, worthy of our attention? Some information on the WWW is very accurate, for example if the student is researching international affairs, CNN would be a good source of accurate information, as CNN is usually very careful about what news they release to ensure accuracy of the report before it is released to the general public.

How do you decide which information to take in and which to discard? Whenever I have my students do research on the web, I have them search for the most accurate and up-to-date information on the given subject. I encourage them to seek information that is backed up by facts, research and respected subject matter experts (SME) in the field or subject they are researching. Lots of information out there is not factual and at most, someones personal opinion. One should be careful and do the research to ensure that the information they seek is in fact - factual.

What is information literacy? Information Literacy is 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.  It can also be defined in terms of a set of competencies that an informed citizen of an information society ought to possess to participate intelligently and actively in that society.

How will you teach your students about information literacy? By explaining to them the importance of identifying and gathering accurate information and effectively using that information for the project at hand. I would also provide them a listing of what I feel to be reliable sources of information to assist them in their research. Today's technology has provided students a way to access information that was unheard of in years past. I would encourage my students to use this technology to its fullest.

Helping students find websites

Most of the time in HCS when we utilize the web for research,  it is medical related.  Trying to help students be discerning about what sites they use is not easy. They are quick to  "Google" or "bing" something and pick the first website on the search. In general I advise students to use non-profit, government sponsored sites to start. Typically there is no agenda on these sites.  It is important that There is no advertising on the site,or links to merchandise.  This can mean the website/article has bias and leads the reader to a product. 

Information Literacy

Question of the Week - Weeks 4 & 5

Discussion Topic for Two Weeks: We are bombarded daily with information from the media, newspapers, magazines, radio, and the World Wide Web. Is all information equal? Is it accurate, worthy of our attention? How do you decide which information to take in and which to discard? What is information literacy? How will you teach your students about information literacy? Use the following Link on Information Literacy (written by a vocational education teacher in Australia) to help guide your response: http://knowledgetree.flexiblelearning.net.au/edition07/html/c_blackall.html

Information Literacy is the ability to identify what information is needed, understand how the information is organized, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information. It is the knowledge of commonly used research techniques.

Career and Technical Education teachers can use information literacy   for academic purposes, such as research papers and group presentations.

Information literacy is critically important because we are surrounded by information in all formats. Not all information is created equal: some is authoritative, current, reliable, but some is biased, out of date, misleading, false. The amount of information available is going to keep increasing. The types of technology used to access, manipulate, and create information will likewise expand.

Information literacy can be engaging and a positive way to introduce students to real world experiences.

WOW Week!

          My surprise for the week was a big one, (to me anyway).  I had scheduled a guess speaker this week. I just knew that the “horrible none caring class” causes me many anxious moments. I was wishing half of that particular class would not show up because my greatest fear was them causing me overwhelming embarrassment. Surprise to me, they did not embarrass me at all! They were so into what the guest speaker had to say. The class was raising their hands, asking questions and participating in the activity that was being presented. They are coming out of their shells enabling me to see the person on the inside of each student.

          Being at NTI this summer has enabled me to believe I can manage my students regardless of the situation.  The students ask what has happen to you.  You act differently. They did not like the “New Me”.  On the outside many students appear to dislike structure and strict teachers.  But I know on the inside they will learn in a structured environment. It may be something they do not get at home and when they have rules and structure, I believe they will recognize and understand that there are people who care.

          I had another surprising moment this week. With the writing curriculum, I had the students write an autobiography about themselves. One of the students in this same class, their autobiography made me say WOW! She has had a rough life and is always trying to be the smart mouth tough one but is afraid of being left alone! Does this come from being left alone because her mom is in jail? There are some teachers that are afraid of this student. I have never been afraid or uneasy of this same student. I have always felt a special “something” for this one. I believe that God puts us in places for a reason and she very well may be my reason.

Cryday

For the most part, last week went pretty smoothly-- I successfully got my Intro class working on My Big Campus, completing assignments online. My Applications class has started anatomy, and we all were excited about that. I even had a student tell me that she was able to help her mother, who is in college, study anatomy because of some of the things she had learned in my class. The students in my General Med class were doing great as well. Then came Friday, or more accurately, "Cryday, the unusual part of my week." At the beginning of first block on Friday, I noticed that one of my students had failed to begin the work that had been assigned, which is not typical for her. I instructed her to meet me at the back door so we could talk. As soon as she stood up, she burst into tears. I managed to comfort her and get her to work, but she never would speak on what had her upset. Then, during second block, less than two hours later, while I was taking attendance, one of my students started sobbing rather loudly. Her best friend, who's also in my 2nd block, asked if she could take her to the hallway and talk to her. These two young ladies are two of my more responsible students, and I figured that she would be more inclined to talk to her best friend, so I allowed them to go out to talk. They went out in the hallway to talk. I went out after a few minutes to check on them. By the time I got out, they were on their way back in, and all was well again. Now, I realize that nursing and teaching are the same in that you have to be prepared for anything, but I honestly wasn't expecting lightening to strike twice, so to speak.

Judging a Book by it's Cover

I was at a week long assignment.  The teacher was actually transitioning to another position.  Of course the work was already provided and I was given a headsup that a new teacher had been hired and she would be starting soon.  As the students were being informed, they were already having pre conceived notions about this person.  They were asking how did she look, whether she was old or young, and how did she dress.  All of this, I thought were irrelevant to her teaching the material.  Then the students went so far to say that they didn't like her.  That was pretty surprising to me, being that they didn't even know this woman.  When they were told what school she came from, there were negative comments as well, about her going to be mean to them and give them too much work.  A comment be a student was made that they have a passing grade and they didn't want another teacher because they had the feeling that they were going to fail.  It's just a shame how what you wear and how you look depends on if the students are going to give you their undivided attention.  I feel like I'm back in Corporate America.  The only difference is, its' Corporate Education where the students are the hiring managers and they determine whether or not you climb that corporate ladder. Simply Ridiculous!!