Information Literacy

Information Literacy

Addressing a new challenge in society.

Why is this important?

• Provide individuals with the intellectual tools necessary to manage the mass of information that doubles every two years.

• Allows people to filter out what is important and valuable.

• Allows people to make informed decisions.

Definition: Information Literacy

• information(noun.)-a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn

• literacy(noun.)- the ability to read and write.

• literate(adj.)- able to read and write

• When educators teach literacy the goal is to get students to read and write.

Clarification

• In reading and writing students take letters and words and transform them into meaning.

• Information Literacy is the process of evaluating facts to discover their meaning.

• It also includes the application of facts to make meaning.

Evaluating Web Pages:Four Questions to ask.

• Does the author have the credentials to write about the subject?

• How important is the currency of the information?

• Do other web sites, with different domains, support the information?

• Is the information presented with one point of view?

Information Literacy: Evaluation

• Determining the quality of information.• Authority-Who is the author/source?• Accuracy-Is the information supported by facts?• Objectivity-What is the authors point of view?• Currency-What information is date dependent?

Evaluation : Authority

• Credentials• Expressed author/author who claims work• Access to the author/ ability to verify

credentials• References to other credible works• Why do you trust the creator of the

document?

Evaluation: Accuracy

• Conclusions/Points are supported by facts.

• Facts can be verified by outside resources.

• Check for clues of questionable work (spelling errors, grammatical errors, and other typographical errors)

• Can you verify the information?

Evaluation : Objectivity

• Are the authors opinions clear?

• Acknowledges other points of view.

• Is there a personal or group agenda behind the document?

• What other points of view are there on the subject?

Evaluation : Currency

• Information is current as indicated by dates or references to current sources.

• Are there efforts to keep the content up to date?

• How much of the content is dependent on the date?

• When was the document created?

Information Literacy: Application

The application of this knowledge should occur in all of your significant works. Whenever you are able to provide supporting evidence of a position, your ideas will more easily be accepted in a reflective culture. Opinions and casual debates are frequently offered with little or no supporting evidence and are flawed logically.

Information Literacy: Application

To be credible you must:• Authority-Become educated about the topic.• Accuracy-Support your information with facts

from a variety of sources.• Objectivity-Acknowledge other points of view.• Currency-Use the most recent data that you can

find.

Information Literacy: Application

• Productively contribute to a body of information.

• Use information accurately in products.

• Locates information efficiently

• Present information with the necessary objectivity.

Internet focus

• While these principles apply to many areas they seem most relative to the internet where good and bad information can be easily found.

• There are several strategies to collecting and verifying information from the web.

Effective Web Page Design

Effective Design Rubric

Text (20% of grade)• Background does not interrupt text• Text is large enough to read (but not too big)• Page hierarchy is clear• Text columns are not too wide. Less than that

of a book.

• http://scholar.coe.uwf.edu/wbi2000/students/aleake/goodbad/bad.htm

Effective Design Rubric

Navigation (20% of grade)• Navigation is apparent and easy to use.• The use of frames enhances content. They

are not obtrusive.• There exists an index for large sites• Navigation lets the user know where they are

on the site

• Example: http://www.artcenter.edu/

Effective Design Rubric

Links (10% of grade)• Link colors coordinate with page colors• Links are clear to visitors. (underlined, usually

blue)

• http://scholar.coe.uwf.edu/wbi2000/students/aleake/goodbad/bad.htm

Effective Design Rubric

Graphics (25% of grade)• Buttons are appropriate for the page.• Graphics have and alt label• every graphic has a matching text link.• Graphics and backgrounds use browser safe colors• Animated graphics turn off by themselves

• http://scholar.coe.uwf.edu/wbi2000/students/aleake/goodbad/bad.htm

Effective Design Rubric

General Design (25% of grade)

• Pages download quickly

• home page fits into 17 inch screen (800x600)

• All other pages have the important information in 800 x 600 pixel screen

• graphics elements are well used to keep content interesting.

• There exists consistency in page design. All pages look like they belong to the same site.

Types of web pages

• Personal web pages

• Scholarly works

• Professional pages