INFO LITERACY

1. INFO LITERACY Everything You Probably Didn’t Think You Needed to Know about Gathering Information

2. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION • What is info literacy? GETTING STARTED • Defining your topic USING DATABASES • Opening the Database • Limiting Your Results • Selecting Tabs • Spot Reading • Evaluating Sources RECORDING • Recording Facts and Info • Recording for Citation Purposes USING SEARCH ENGINES • Using Search Engines • Limiting Your Results (again) • Spot Reading (again) • Evaluating Sources (again) • Sources

3. INTRODUCTION

4. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE INFORMATION LITERATE? Information literacy is • knowing how to find and how to use information. It concerns how people answer these questions: • When do I need to seek new information? • Where and how do I find new information? • How do I know if the new information is useful for my purpose? • How do I use the new information I found?

5. WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT INFO LITERACY?

6. What Good Information Gathering looks like: • 6 basic steps • Defining your topic • Looking in a general information source • Looking in a source that is specific to the subject • Looking in sources that have differing points of view on the subject • Looking at magazine and newspaper articles on the subject • Searching the internet of websites on the subject

7. STEP ONE: 1. Defining topic

8. For one minute, list everything you know about CEREAL.

9. What did you list? You might have listed • Types of cereal • What some cereals are made of • When its eaten

10. Over the course of your life, you have stuffed a lot of knowledge in your brain. • Have you ever had to look up information for a project at school? • It’s likely that you already knew something about it, either from what you had learned in class or from what you had figured out on your own.

11. When you begin gathering information, you always have to start with figuring out what you already know on the topic • This is the first step in gathering information: gathering knowledge you have stored in your brain

12. One easy way to start the information gathering process is to use a KWL chart. It looks like this:

13. You will complete one of these charts as you practice the information gathering process. • The “K” column is useful because you can save time if you can identify what information you already know. • The “W” column is important, too. Why do you think so?

14. It’s important because good researchers have a plan for what kinds of information they need to find. • If you know what things you need to know, you can save time because you’ll know when you have all the information you need.

15. One of the best places to look when figuring out what you need to know is the guidelines for an assignment. • Look at the things the teacher wants you to know or do for a project to guide you in filling out the “W” column. • Also, the “W” column is for you to put any questions you have on the topic, or areas you don’t know.

16. 2. Opening the database STEP TWO:

17. The Tool to Knowledge You are about to be shown the key to information about any topic you could have interest in. With this tool you will be able to retrieve information on topics of interest focusing around school related material, life related material, and just about anything worth knowing more about. Do you think your ready? You do realize the impact that this is going to have in your life and study don’t you? Maybe you should take a few moments to prepare yourself. When you think your ready go ahead and click to the next slide.

18. Databases are the tools to knowledge!

19. Databases as shown on the previous slide provide information from credible sources that Google and other search engines can not guarantee. • Academic databases such as INFOhio and its numerous databases are structured by age level guaranteeing you that the information provided will be relevant to your age and to your educational level. Databases

20. Did you know that Google only searches about 1/3 of the sources available on the internet? That means your missing 2/3 of information sources that might be relevant to your topic of interest! But your so use to using Google and have no clue how to open these databases. Don’t Worry! The following slides will show you how to open the databases and how using a database is similar to using Google! That’s Cool !!!

21. Search Engines and Databases features Search Box/Bar: User types in topic here, hits search, and receives best- matching information to topic.

22. Google Search Box/Bar…doesn’t it look very similar to the search bar in the database? (The answer here is yes and guess what? It works just like the Google search box/bar!)

23. Toolbars: Provides additional functions in which to enhance the search Ex: Browse Science Resources (blue arrow above) allows for user to search topic according to diagrams, experiments, timelines, and videos and animation.

24. Google toolbar Google toolbar Google toolbar Though the items/words in the database toolbars may be different than Google’s toolbar the setup and purpose of them is very much the same.

25. Advanced Search: Allows for user to specify what type of search is to be performed on a given topic. This allows you to limit the return of search results. Ex: You can limit results by type of source (Video), date of publication of results, etc.

26. Google Advanced Search Just as with the search bar/box and toolbars, the Advanced Search feature in the databases is eerily similar to the Advanced Search feature you will find in Google! OHHH that’s scary!

27. Example of a Advanced search page Advanced Search Pages are very similar in all databases and Search Engines. Most of them will give you the option to search by wording, date of the source, and type of source. You can limit the number of results you get by specifying what you are looking for. By wording (more about this later!) By type of source By Date of Publication

28. Opening a Database The next slides will orally tell you and demonstrate how to open a database.

29. How to Open a Database (Orally) • Enter web address into web address bar (ex: www.infohio.org) or select INFohio icon on computer desktop. • Choose “Resources for Grades 9-12” on homepage. Continued on next slide.

30. Choose content-specific database related to topic or interest. • Ex: Science Online, Literature Online • Enter username/password to gain access to the database. • Username: think Password: infohio

31. Demonstration of opening a database Enter web address into web address bar (ex: www.infohio.org) or select INFOhio icon on computer desktop.

32. Choose “Resources for Grades 9-12” on homepage.

33. Choose content-specific database related to topic or interest. • Ex: Science Online, Literature Online

34. Enter username/password to gain access to the database. • Username: think Password: infohio

35. That doesn’t sound too hard now does it? • Good news is sometimes when you enter a username and password for one database and then go to another database you don’t have to reenter the information! (Yepee)

36. Time to Practice • The practice exercises for this section are located in the student manual. • Please refer to the student manual now to perform the practices exercises for this section. • Once the practice exercises are completed please move on to the next section in the instruction.

37. STEP THREE: 3. Limiting results using Boolean Operators , Drop down Menus, and advanced search feature tabs!

38. I’ve been searching for 15 minutes and have not found one result related to my topic of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. • Just look at my search results to the left. Not one of them is about the baseball team. • I typed in the word “pirates” in the search box but all I get back is irrelevant results. • It’s not worth my time…I QUIT! “I Can’t find anything on the Pittsburgh Pirates? Argh, I quit!”

39. Has the scenario on the previous page ever happened to you? Have you ever searched for something and haven’t been able to find relevant material to your topic? Have you ever just wasted time searching for a topic that you swear does not exist?

40. If you answered “yes” to any of these questions don’t feel bad. Everyone has experienced this same scenario at least once in their lives! • Don’t worry though…these days are over! The following slides are going to provide you with the tools you need in order to combat this problem from ever happening again!

41. Words and symbols that will help you In your internet searches!

42. “And”-Used to connect words, phrases, or clauses TOGETHER in a sentence. • “Or”-Used to connect words, phrases, or clauses together as ALTERNATIVES in a sentence. • “Not”-Used to DISCONNECT words, phrases, or clauses together in a sentence.

43. Just as you use “and”, “or”, & “not” in sentences you can also use them in search bars to limit results, increase results, or receive more relevant returns on your searches! The use of these words in internet Searches is called “BOOLEAN OPERATORS”! (Remember This)

44. Boolean Operators – “And”, “Or”, “Not” - Searches by the relationship between words or group of words. (as mentioned in the previous slide) “ ” - Searches for phrases as a unit ( ) - Searches phrases that go together * - Will search for all words that begin with the same word stem

45. Disclaimer for The boolean operator: not • Most search engines and databases will recognize the Boolean Operators “And” & “Or” but some do not recognize “Not”. • So if you put the word “not” into your search and it doesn’t provide you with the results you want don’t fret! • Most search engines and databases offer a feature called Advanced Search (mentioned in Opening Databases slide) that allow you to apply the Boolean Operator “Not” along with the other two. (More on this in a later.)

46. Example of Boolean Operators used in a search bar This user is searching for information about George Washington, the president. So the user used the Boolean Operator “And” in order to limit their returns to results that have information about George Washington and President in them.

47. The results please! • By using the Boolean Operator “And” this searcher was able to limit his/her results to include both George Washington and President. • Boolean Operators can be used in almost all search engines and databases. • Most Advanced Search features in search engines and databases are set up in a Boolean Operator way.

48. Here is a YouTube Demonstration of Boolean Operators with Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich that will enhance your understanding of them! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfvDPpnV0Pg

49. Drop Down Menus and how they work

50. A drop down menu is exactly what it sounds like.Its purpose is to give you more options related to a certain topic or word.Think of a drop down menu as you would when you order food from Chiptole!