CTAP 201- Activity 1a
Post a brief assessment of the standards you read in Lesson 1. How can the Internet help you accomplish these standards?
The link to ACRL on CTAP9 Online is bad. Please use the link below instead.
American Library Association (ALA) - Info Lit Standards
The link to ACRL on CTAP9 Online is bad. Please use the link below instead.
American Library Association (ALA) - Info Lit Standards
posted by Lainie McGann at 8:13 AM
69 Comments:
After reading the ALA standards in lesson 1, I would accomplish a research project by: Identifying what the needs are of the person doing research, the Internet sources available, how to use them, what formats are available. I would then check their validity and their appropriateness for the topic being researched. I would continue narrowing them down by investigating diferent viewpoints presented, discussing them, and determining if the information serves the purpose I originally set out to achieve. Finally, a searcher uses the information to create some output: a document, slide show, etc., with effective results. The results also should fit into ethical and legal parameters.
Dang, I'm the first to comment. What pressure!
I thought the standards were great. It's interesting to think that these are THE critical skills of a self-learner and yet we have for so long just trusted the info in print of any kind that educators never formally addressed them.
But to the question... the internet definitely can help teach these skills because their is so much information out there. 2 students doing the same search in a text book won't turn up very different results, but get them on the web and now its interesting.
Also the information on the web in so well indexed, for the most part, you can attack a problem/question from a variety of different approaches and I think that empowers students-knowing there is no 1 right way, that they get to choose, makes it more engaging, motivating and meaningful for them. So the context of purpose is there and now they will really see the value of determining a view point or refining their search strategy.
The standards are mostly about retrieving, assessing and contributing information in the most efficient and effective manner. It also includes standards for being a savvy consumer of information with a specific purpose. With an abundance of information only keystrokes away, access is the easiest through the internet. The internet allows people opportunities to think critically about information and its veracity. The standards are geared toward expected outcomes in higher education. It would be helpful for me as a teacher and for planning purposes to have a more specific age and grade level appropriate set of standards in order to achieve the expected outcomes stated.
The internet is a great tool for students to use that corresponds with the information literacy definition. All a student needs to do is do a search on a search engine, filter our their data, and apply it to their own knowledge. Standard 1 would require the student to acknowledge the question that they need to research it and how to do the appropriate search on the web. Standard 2 would relate to a student pointing out which websites are relevant to their search and have to filter out the ones they know are not related. Standard 3 would be the student applying their information in their research paper or what ever they are working on and relate it to their own knowledge. The standards require the student to show good judgement and to find different sources. Students shouldn't trust just one website and a good researcher will always look for another just in case.
I think that, as with all standards, students need instruction and practice in order to master information literacy standards. The information literacy standards require skills and strategies that many adults use without analyzing what they are doing. As a society we know how to get the information we need, most often using the internet. The standards are not internet specific, but the internet is a common tool that can be used for instruction and practice. Students can gather, evaluate, organize information from books, magazine, and many sources, but none quite as readily as the internet. Also teaching students to analyze the validity of the source of information and how to use that information effectively is best done through the internet. We can use multiple sites to compare information and make decisions about how to communicate what we have learned. The information literacy standards are what we want our students to master, the questions are where to start, and how do they apply to second graders as well as high school students?
The standards are necessary to ensure that all students follow the same criteria in order to seek information, decipher accurate information, and be respectful of forwarding or copying information. The internet will help students find information by learning the best search practices, as described in novemberlearning.com. The internet will provide them the ability to share and store information. In using the internet students will naturally learn new technological skills. Students could then integrate the acquired information and skills in new ways.
I thought that the information literacy standards were valid and pinpointed skills students and adults need to be informed citizens. The standards reflected the idea that all information must be approached with a critical eye. I also thought the distinction between computer literacy and information literacy was interesting. I’m not sure that all teachers recognize the difference. The web is a great resource for teaching the information literacy standards, as there is a wide range in the accuracy and validity of information available. Students must be taught critical thinking skills, in addition to search skills, to use the web effectively, beginning at an early age. Students can learn to find the information quickly through search engines, compare two or three web sites about the same subject and evaluate the information. Then, of course, they need to apply what they have found out.
These standards seem reasonable, but more as a final goal of where we would like our students by the time they exit high school. As an elementary teacher, I feel I can begin to teach some of these standards at a simple level. Using the internet will help us reach these standards in ways that once seemed unimaginable.
The internet helps educators access the entire world to their students now. We can search and discover problems that are occuring outside our front doors. A students who is familar with good searches can find incredible sources of information based on a number of sources not limited to paper, film, or CD. Students can now look at multiple views of subjects they are researching. They can see videos, pictures, commentaries, talk to scientist.
I have been reading so many stories of young children and teens who are trying to make a difference in the world today because of things they learned about. One story was about a boy in elementary school who heard about a country in Africa that needed money to dig wells for clean water. This boy raised began to raise money for this village and actually bought a well. He also began his own website and fundraising organiztion to help dig more wells. I am sure I did not do the story justice, but it seems that this boy learned of a problem, created a solution, and has effected an entire country. CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE AND READ UP ON IT! www.ryanswell.ca We really want our kids to make a difference in the world, and they want to be taught what is out there. It is what they do with the information that they gather and are taught that is what we truely care about.
The goal of the information literacy standards is for students to have a systematic way to approach all of the information that they encounter. Students need to learn how to filter, process and refine all of the information that they are constantly facing. Teaching students to use the Internet effectively will help them accomplish the information literacy standards.
How can the internet help accomplish these standards?
Students can use the Internet as a source of information to research topics and narrow down their research subject. They may also use the Internet to sift through information to find valid and important sources of information that can help in their studies or research.
The Internet can be used to carefully select key words, phrases and to narrow down searches to find the key information on appropriate search engines and using techniques (like a Boolean search). Students can use the Internet to learn about multiple perspectives and to monitor new developments on topics that they are interested in. The Internet can be used to communicate with others through email, blogs, and to communicate with experts/authors as well.
All nine of the ALA standards are obviously targeted to provide students with a comprehensive use of the current and developing technologies in information research and dissemination, most specifically the Internet. However, these standards do allow for cross application to traditional research sources also (e.g. library book research, newspapers, periodicals, etc.). I feel the standards are update and relevent to both new and old information technologies.
Through proper technology education, students can use the Internet to learn how to make quality choices in their information research and presentation needs. The Internet offers numerous tools to facilitate the selection of proper and relevant information. Search engines, directories, and other topic specific websites can lead students to vast amounts of information. Understanding filtering capabilities can narrow to their specific needs. The public nature of the Web, it's variety of web-based publishing offers students many viewpoints on any topic, both historically and up-to-date. Multimedia channels of information give the student a variety of ways to formulate expression of these subject areas. From text, graphics, video and audio, the Web offers broad choices for exchange of information.
The internet is quickly becoming students first choice to find information and find it quickly. As teachers, it is our responsibility to teach students the necessary skills, as outlined by the ALA standards, to become information literate. The web offers so many choices of information. Students need to use those appropriate skills to identify sources available and accurately evaluate those sources to accomplish a purpose.
-Amanda Donnell
As I read these standards I realize that one of their main goals is for learners to use other modes of gathering information, and not just the internet. Rather, the internet serves as as spring board to being able to locate other resources to help them accomplish their academic goals. For example finding places to visit, people with whom to speak, groups that may be a resource etc...The internet allows them to filter and dig deeper, before narrowing which resources they really want to use, and which resources are vaild.
The Internet can help me accomplish these standards by training kids to efficiently access information. It is important to focus on the source of information in order to determine its reliability. Some sites are not updated regularly and therefore might not be valuable.
In order to accomplish these standards, the students must be able to utilize the internet. Teachers can supplement their lessons with the internet and have students complete independent research. Teachers are responsible for teaching students ethical research techniques. For the primary grades, teachers must introduce research techniques using the internet, through various interactive lessons. Students then will have a good foundation to build upon when research becomes more complex in the upper grades.
With the internet being the fastest source for information it seems only logical that this would be the first place you would go to implement the standards. This doesn't mean that other sources of information should be overlooked, but for efficiency and up-to-date information the internet is the best choice to accomplish the standards.
With the internet being the fastest source for information it seems only logical that this would be the first place you would go to implement the standards. This doesn't mean that other sources of information should be overlooked, but for efficiency and up-to-date information the internet is the best choice to accomplish the standards.
The standards appear to focus on literacy through technology. The internet can help me by providing multi-culturally rich and intriguing reading sites that are visually stimulating and encourage my kids to want to navigate further. Interesting links are important. Sites that tell me the grade level are more useful to me than others that don't specify a grade level range. The internet can be an enriching source of learning and is a great resource for research.
Many of you have commented that the Internet is a fast and effective way to find current information. I would also add that unlike bound reference materials with finite space for content, online resources are not limited and can cover a broader range of topics. For more on this idea, check out The Long Tail by Chris Anderson.
Also, an interesting investigation by Nature, International weekly journal of science, regarding the accuracy of online encyclopedias like Wikipedia vs.Encyclopaedia Britannica....
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7070/full/438900a.html
The internet is a great place to accomplish the information literacy standards because it has many sites that engage the learner and through this process, help them to access information efficiently and effectively. Because of the individual nature of the internet as a learning tool, students can become more independent learners. There are invaluable sources for learners to find literature and other creative expressions of information. Hopefully, through the interplay of the teacher and the student as user of the internet, students will develop a sense of social responsibility with regards to internet sources. It is hoped that they will attain the standard of respecting others' ideas and develop high ethical standards within themselves.
I think the most important part of these standards is Standard 3: The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
There's so much misinformation on the internet that without some instruction, students would probably never be able to sort it out. I think that making students aware of the misinformation can be done using some of the sites/aspects of the internet as examples.
Wikipedia, for example, might seem like a good resource at first, but students should be taught how to dig a little deeper to find out for sure... once they find that Wikipedia articles can be edited by anyone at all, a discussion about how this would affect accuracy would be useful.
Students should be taught how to determine the reliability of any given site using some of the millions of information resources on the Web.
I agree with the standards put forth in ALA's standar one. I will actually integrate these into a rubric I am using for an independent study with four of my students. Searching online for library archives is so much easier and faster than actually going to the library, I think. The NBPL site is very kid-friendly and I direct my students to use it for their research.
Standards 1a
The utilization of the Internet encompasses all learning as deemed appropriate in a democratic society. This includes being able to access information efficiently, being able to evaluate information critically , competently, creatively, as well as being able to pursue information independently, appreciate as well as embrace creative learning and literature. The Internet helps people get information needed for continuing education.
Being Internet literate also means one demonstrates good citizenship by positively adding to information in an ethical matter.
Standards for Information Literacy encompass knowing what you need to find, evaluating it and using it for the purpose you have determined. It also encompasses independent and creative laearning and understanding the importance of accessing information in a free and democratic society. The Internet offers access to a wide variety of current information, ideas and perspectives that students and teachers can for education and personal purposes.
The internet is a quick way to access infromation. That goes without saying. For visually challenged children with learning disabilities the internet provides them with the oppertunity to perform at an adequate level of involvement. It keeps them in the game. That is the most, and always will be, imporatant aspect. The feeling of belonging.
The ALA standards provide a lofty but valuable goal for third graders. The internet provides tools and motivation to accomplish these goals. Students who learn to love the question and the process of answering it will grow into lifelong learners. Learning how to acquire and organize information is much more valuable than memorizing facts. When students have the desire to learn and the tools to seek information, there are no limits. Using the internet also provides the opportunity for students to research and work at many differentiated levels. High students can stretch as far as they choose while struggling students are also able to be successful. The challenge is teaching students to use the internet as a tool rather than just as a toy.
The ALA standards provide a lofty but valuable goal for third graders. The internet provides tools and motivation to accomplish these goals. Students who learn to love the question and the process of answering it will grow into lifelong learners. Learning how to acquire and organize information is much more valuable than memorizing facts. When students have the desire to learn and the tools to seek information, there are no limits. Using the internet also provides the opportunity for students to research and work at many differentiated levels. High students can stretch as far as they choose while struggling students are also able to be successful. The challenge is teaching students to use the internet as a tool rather than just as a toy.
2:47 PM
In working wiht the standards foir Information Literacy set by ALA on a regular basis, I have to say that most of the above comments that I have read have a great responce to these standards. They are standards because that is what we must be aming for when teach students about information and how to use it effectively. Yes, the internet plays a key role in facilitating these standards but at the same time, it is not just sit the student down and let them loose with the internet. They need to be TAUGHT how best to search, use, and produce their own work based on the internet findings. The standards are also there so that the classroom teachers are aware that these standards need to be addressed along with and in conjunction with their lessons. With this in place, students can and do use the internet effectively.
When I am teaching second grade students, the best way to use these standards would be through modeling for the students how to complete these standards. Second Grade students may be able to access the internet, but in terms of making judgements about accuracy, I would need to model how to do this. It would be nice to have the standards broken down by grade level. I'm not sure how relevant or meaningful they are for second grade students as they are written.
By the end of third grade the students should be able to type using the home row keys, and use the keyboard to begin to type with accuracy. They should be mastering the following: save to hard drive, floppy disk, CD, and server. They should be able to retrieve from: hard drive, floppy disk, CD and server. The students should be able to use KidPix to: use the pencil, paintbrush, paint bucket, spray can tool, change the colors of tools, change the patterns of tools, use the eraser tool, use the line and shaper tool, use the line and shaper tool, and use the text tool. In addition, they should be able to create simple graphics using KidPix. They should begin to master the ability to select an appropriate application and go online.
The information literacy standards were broad enough to cover most grade levels, but also pinpointed skills students and adults need to be informed students. All students need to learn to access, process and evaluate all of the information before they use it for academic purposes. I believe that standard 2 is very important for students as it describes how information literate students need to weigh information carefully and wisely to determine its validity and quality. Identifying inaccurate and misleading information is just as important as finding accurate and relevant information. The Internet is a great resource for teaching the information literacy standards, as there is a wide range in the accuracy and validity of information available. This teaches children critical thinking skills. Students can use the Internet to learn to find information quickly through blogs, search engines, and multiple web sites about the same subject. The students can then organize the information and communicate their ideas with others using the Internet.
As a primary grade teacher, probably the most overarching theme that jumped out to me was that the internet will be our students' futures, and especially as they enter higher education. Traditional campuses are being replaced with online education. Learning is increasingly self-directed, and online. A great hope for those of us in education is that our students will be lifelong learners, and the internet will be an effective tool in this learning.
Right now, my students are facing the the difficulties of deciding the accuracy and relevance of certain Internet sources as they research ancient inventions. My goal is to help them critically look at sites to determine how reliable information is. The literacy standards are written in language I can certainly use with my students as steps to responsible information gathering and problem solving.
The purpose of the ALA is to promote ethical and effective internet use. It is a guideline that helps students utilize the interne twhile being able to pace themselves and filter put the things that are not useful or can be detrimental. The intenet is an invaluable tool to access information, but site students used should be filtered and analyzed for there authenticity. As a kindergarten teacher, it is my job to introduce these standards, but aas the children further their education, they will continue to learn more about the ALA standards.
The ALA standards have set forth a reasonable set of skills for students to achieve throughout their education. These standards have set a foundation for effective and ethical internet use. While teachers have the responsibility to teach these skills, as a Kindergarten teacher, it is my duty to provide exposure to the ALA standards, rather than an in-depth training. As Kindergarteners are developmentally just beginning their journey of utilizing the internet, it is my job to guide them to safe and secure addresses, and demonstrate appropriate ways to use the internet. As our students move into new grade levels, they will be prepared to evaluate and analyze educational sites.
The ALA standards have set forth a reasonable set of skills for students to achieve throughout their education. These standards have set a foundation for effective and ethical internet use. While teachers have the responsibility to teach these skills, as a Kindergarten teacher, it is my duty to provide exposure to the ALA standards, rather than an in-depth training. As Kindergarteners are developmentally just beginning their journey of utilizing the internet, it is my job to guide them to safe and secure addresses, and demonstrate appropriate ways to use the internet. As our students move into new grade levels, they will be prepared to evaluate and analyze educational sites.
After reviewing the ALA standards, I believe the Internet is the perfect resource to help my students meet these standards.
The internet is the perfect place to explore general information and help my students narrow and refine their search. Students must learn to evaluate this information because of the ease in which anybody can post information onto the web.
I also think the Internet is the perfect place to teach students to site sources of information and teach them about copyright laws.
The best thing about the Web is how up to date it stays and how the students can compare information from books to new information as in the Pluto example.
As a teacher it is our responsibility to help our students follow the path of the ALA standars. Promoting ethical and effective internet use ensures that students appropriately use the internet to gain the information needed. This guideline helps students utilize the internet while being able to pace themselves and filter websites that are not useful or can be detrimental in the learning process. The intenet is a valuable tool in the learning process in this day and age. It is our job as educators to make sure our students are able to safely access information, but should be filtered and analyzed for maximum learning to take place. As a kindergarten teacher, it is my job to introduce ALA standards. They will continue with it's understanding as the students grow and develop with each passing grade level.
Although the standards were written with higher education in mind, the internet can really help with the ALA standards at all grade levels. As 3rd grades, the internet can help my students find answers. The language of the disciplines will help with searches, expanding what they can research. With the abundance of information out there, they need to be able to find the info. in an efficient and timely manner. It is critical that they realize that not all information on the internet is true. They need to evaluate the validity of the info. they have acquired. I find with third graders, another area I need to really help with is following the laws and regulations that are out there. With the ability to cut and paste, students will sometimes try to cut and paste what they read, thinking they can take ownership of it. By teaching them the proper way to find and use info., we are also teaching them higher level thinking skills. At this young age, we are guiding them with the standards that they will need in their future schooling and careers.
Math Games sixth grade
This is a fun site for students using a SMART Board as they can drag digits to create a problem and an answer with just a click of a mouse. The teacher is able to differentiate instruction by providing instruction at the child's independent learning level. Additionally there is an engaging game where the children have to capture or destroy various geometrical shapes in a virtual space war. The level of play goes from simple to difficult. There is also a section where the child can receive problem solving practice.
Mr. Nussbaum's Math Games
I agree with several of the other bloggers on this site, in that use of technology needs to be modeled by the teacher, as well as utilized by the students, in order to be beneficial. The technology standards should be a framework for teachers personal planning as well as development. I would like to see more funding be slotted for teachers to be provided with more up to date equipment for use in the classroom. Maybe then, the students would be able to use resources like internet, ipods, video, and other tools in a more natural setting.
The standards are mostly about retrieving,assessing and contributing information in the most efficient and effective manner. It also includes standards for being a consumer of information with a purpose.The internet presents real-world examples of intergrated knowledge. The electronic tools available on the Net help form a link between learning and life. When you intergrate the internet in your lessons in meaningful ways, your students learn the content and their ability to find, access, evaluate, and use information.
Combining what the ALA standards in Lesson 1a say along with information I just received at an Information Text conference by Linda Hoyt, I have these comments. We need to teach our students how to be better readers of informational text so that they are better able to use the resources found on the internet. Some 94% of what we read in our everyday lives is non-fiction, informational text, but most of what we teach our students to analyze and reflect on is fictional. Students need additional skills in learning how use the internet effectively so that it benefits their overall learning.
As a teacher, my goal is to stimulate and enrich their learning through resources found on the intenet.
CTAP 210 Activity 1a
In second grade, my students are just beginning to use the internet to access information. I have not felt comfortable allowing the students to explore the internet on their own, but rather, have given them specific websites to find the answers to particular questions. After reviewing the ALA standards, I recognize that I need to teach my students to independently, accurately, and SAFELY navigate the internet in order to become information literate.
The isteNETS standards provide an firm base upon which to plan a lesson plan using technology. Using these standards the following will be integrated in the lesson plan on Desert Ecology:
Students will demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems, namely the internet. Students understand that ethical, cultural and societal issues related to technology. Studetns will use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity and promote creativity in a lesson plan dealing with desert ecology
The Internet standards were interesting to read. It is the job of any educator to teach students to use the Internet in safe and productive ways. The standards promote the idea of teaching students to gather information and evaluate its integrity. This is very important in a world in which there is so much information online and students must learn to find what they want and make sure it is a valid source.
I could use these standards to guide my instruction by doing a research project with my students where they need to identify good sources of information and then synthesize this information by doing a project.
These standards are critically important to the students that we are currently teaching. The amount of information available to them through the internet is staggering, and will continue to increase exponentially as they move through the K-12 system and on to higher learning. They will also be using the internet for acquiring all kinds of information related to their daily lives.
Those of us who grew up sort of "alongside" the internet were able to learn about it gradually as it was evolving, but our current students are thrown into the water, so to speak, at a very early age. They can easily get lost or confused on the internet if they are not purposefully introduced to its proper use. They need to be taught how to clarify the specific information that is needed, conduct an efficient search process, evaluate what they find, and use the information appropriately.
The internet helps teachers assist the students in taking on responsibility for their own learning. Discovery and education go hand in hand. If students are able to explore technology, while tapping into various interests, the students will be able to go farther and deeper into the curriculum naturally and enthusiastically.
I think in the day and age of internet research, information literacy is at the utmost importance. Students are on the internet all the time, not only for school but just looking around. It is important for them to be aware of where the information is coming from and how biased or valid it is. As a teacher we can help the students with this by guiding them through sites to show how to find information on who created it and when. The more experience the kids have, the better they will get. Teachers can also give students ideas on which sites to use for research and how to know if it is valid.
Is this a trick question or are there really still teachers out there who lack the insight to see how the internet supports all disciplines? At the click of a mouse the entire world of knowledge is at one’s finger-tips. While the internet has the free and easy spirit of the Wild, Wild West, the positive resources available to teachers of all disciplines is incredible. When teachers complain about access to the school library they need to be aware of the greatest resource of knowledge ever created that is available everyday in their classroom. The days of ‘lack of resources’ or lack of access to technology is becoming a weaker and weaker excuse for teachers not incorporating internet resources into their curriculumn. I doubt that in our local county there is nary a one classroom that does not have a substantial potential of access tot he technology and internet resources to at the very least augment the curriculum.
We also need to reverse the focus of the question and ask: How can the teaching of technology help students accomplish their standards? As a strong proponent of inter-disiciplinary education I believe that as we teach technology we need to reveal to students how they can use technology to increase their proficiency in their other subjects as well.
Technology, though, is not subservient discipline to other content areas. In the very near future all every aspect of teaching will be impacted by the use of electronic technology. As a teacher of technology I insist that the teaching of technology is a penultimate for the life long learning of our students. We cannot hope that our students receive their technology education in a happenstance fashion only or simply in conjunction with some other discipline. When school districts spend millions of dollars on equipment in classrooms the least they owe the public and the students is a competent clear and direct technology program
Christopher Brady
The standards cover such topics as accessing and assessing information, organizing information for use, and actually making use of found information. All of these are also to be applied while following applicable laws and etiquette. The standards are attainable, but they need to be integrated across all of the core disciplines, as well as followed up at home. While we as teachers can instruct our students in how to make use of the internet, the ethical side has to also be supported at home. Getting parental buy-in will be the hardest part of the whole process. Getting students to see the value of not only using the internet to find information, but to also assess its quality, will be easy in comparison.
The first three standards are goals we should be attempting for the students to have not only with the web, but text books and all types of research, I find it hard to say that a students should appreciated literature since i do not think we can make a standard about their reaction or opinion, and if they learn to appriciate liture that is amazing, but i have doubts as to weather it should be placed as a standard. The internet is a pleathera of information both valid and invalid which allows the students many opportunities to explore and utilize these skills.
The internet can help you accomplish these standards by having the student practice searching for information and evaluating site for accuracy, relevance, and validity (Standard 1). Through the internet, the student can become a more efficient retriever of information by learning various methods for doing so effectively. Also, the student will learn to refine how they search for information and utilizes the appropriate technologies to extract and record information (Standard 2). The student uses the internet to facilitate elaborative rehearsal to sort and assimilate information that builds upon previous understanding. Through their proceedings on the internet the student comes to understand that the manner of extracting information and the information content has guidelines for retrieving, using, and documenting sources and information contained by and accessed through the internet.
The ALA standards are guidelines for what students should be able to do when searching for information on a given topic. The teacher would need to be able to effectively teach these standards which is where the internet plays a role. The teacher can use the internet as a tool to teach students how to efficiently search for information. I would find it more helpful if the standards were grade specific, I felt they were directed more towards upper graders. Which is good because upper graders are the ones beginning to do comprehensive research, but for teachers like myself that teach primary grades where should we begin? I think this is where the internet plays a part for all grades. Students in primary grades should be acquainting themselves with the internet so they are better prepared in the upper grades.
I found the ALA Standards interesting. The internet is such a great tool to accesses any type of information, however, it is important to keep in mind that not all inforamtion on the web is relyable. As a teacher it is important to educate the students about how and what are the best ways to using the interent. These standards are a good tool or guideline to follow when using the web to teach the proper ways of using it.
The ALA standards are there to ensure students know how to accurately research information whether it is on the web or in a library. The web is a great way for students to accomplish these standards because there is so much information available and is easily accessible. It is important for students to know how to differentiate between valid and non-vaild information. As teachers we will be the ones to guide the students to this knowledge of information literacy.
The standards are focused on: how to determine the extent and nature of the info. needed, the student accesses needed info. effectively and efficiently, student evaluates info. and its sources and incorporates some of this into their own belief system, apply the new knowlegde to the planning and preparation of a product of some kind, and lastly many of the issues surrounding the info. and uses this ethically and logically. The internet can help me as a teacher accomplish these standards by setting a bar that myself and my students need to meet when researching a project. These standards assist the student in doing research, how to research, in what ways can you use your research, and making sure to cross reference check your sources to check for validity on a source. Once the student has done all of this they need to evaluate the info given and incorporate it in a way that is meaningful to them and relevant to the project at hand. The researcher will then come up with a final project using valid info. researched, as well as, applying prior knowledge and beliefs. You are now ready for publishing your final product!!
Although the ALA and the ACRL standards for information literacy differ in number, they cover the same basic areas: formulating a question, deciding on what resources need to be used to address the question, having the skill to use those resources, an evaluative process of both reliability of sources and how well the question has been addressed, a product or performance which can be communicated to others, and knowledge of and adherance to ethics, laws, and etiquette.
The internet helps because of it's vast array of information.
Today’s high school students use the internet extensively to gather information about a multitude of topics. It is important for them to be aware of where the information is coming from and how biased or valid it is. As educators we need to help the students with this by guiding them through sites to show how to find information on who created it and when. Student’s sometimes feel that since they found it on the internet that it must be true and we need to be sure they understand that the information they find can be very inaccurate. Teachers can also give students ideas on which sites to use for research and how to know if it is valid.
I feel the ALA standards are a little overwhelming because they are not grade level specific. The standards talked about making students "lifelong learners". This can be accomplished through the internet. Teaching students how to use the internet to find valid information can enhance their learning. Students need to be taught how to sift through all the information out there. The standards talk about having students locate and access specific information. Students can do this by using the internet to locate and access information they are researching. According the the standards, students need to evaluate information and sources. The internet is a great tool to use to teach student how to evaluate the validity of websites and the information posted on them. Some other strands of the standars I saw relevant to internet use was identifying keywords/synonyms for information needed. Students can be taught how to use keywords to find the information they need on the internet. Students can also read online articles to find the main ideas of the text. The interent can be used in so many ways to achieve these standards.
Literacy standards are important for accessing and meeting the needs of students. ALA and ACRL standards allow libaries to compare themselves to one another in authentic, meaningful ways. Thses libary standards are continually updated to keep information resources current and valid. Having access to the best information available is vital for students and teachers in today's classroom.
Author: Marcia Pina
Subject: Information Literacy
Information literate means to have the skills to recognize the need for information, the ability to locate and evaluate the needed information and use the obtained information effectively. The Internet helps persons become information literate when it is used as an Information Retrieval System. Once students identify the information needed, they can access Internet web sites and examine or evaluate the validity of the information retrieved for suitability towards their goal. The Internet allows for students to use selected information with the understanding that the student or Internet user abides by any copyright laws, obtains the information legally, and avoids plagiarism. Also known as "Netiquette". Using the Internet as an Information Retrieval System has made the use of hard bound encyclopedias a thing of the past, but Internet user beware! Along with useful information found on the Internet, comes untruthful and deceiving information.
The internet has an abundace of resources available at our fingertips. I think the standards are vital to ensure that all students receive access and demonstrate understanding of the same goals and objectives. The internet and access available will allow all students equal opportunity to share/retrieve information.
The internet is a great tool for students to use to help them in all the domains of their education. The first standard would require the student to figure out what they are searching for and when they find out they would need to apply their prior knowledge. The second standard would require a student to decide which websites are relevant and filter out the ones that they don't need. The third standard would require the student to use the information they found and apply to their own life and what they already know. The standards hold the student accountable for finding appropriate website to use in their research. Students need to learn to recognize good resources from bad ones. They shouldn't trust just one resource either.The goal of having standards is for students to have a systematic way to approach all of the information that they encounter. Students need to learn how to filter, process and refine all of the information that they are constantly facing. Teaching students to use the Internet effectively will help them accomplish these standards.
As with all standards, these standards need to be explicitly taught. When I think about the spectrum of my own experience over the years with the internet, it really makes me realize that it's something that needs to be taught and learned. For example, the way I search for information has changed greatly over the years not only because of the technology but because of the things that I have learned about searching more effectively. Granted, today's students come with some of these skills more innately embedded but there are still parts that need to be taught. For example, teaching kids how to muddle through all the information to determine what's accurate and appropriate for their lesson, learning or activity. I think the internet can not only help you accomplish these standards but are crucial to achieving these standards. How could you do it without the internet? :-)
I think a lot of the standards require some quite sophisticated thinking. So we have to model the standards and discuss them to be sure that students are understanding them. Moreover, this doesn't get easier with older students; it gets more subtle and less obvious.
Fundamental is the much to easily given trust for whatever is presented on the computer screen. It is the current generation's equivalent of my personal days in school great foible: "I know it's so. I read it in the newspaper!" We've gone through "I heard it on TV" and now "I got it on the internet."
Never has it been more important to have students evaluate sources, validate any findings with confirming independent sources, etc.
Back to the technology pedagogy, I believe we have to model, practice, apply (a familiar model for anyone teaching Houghton Mifflin reading!) The greatest care must be taken in assuring the students understand and are able to apply the standards.
The ALA standards cover many important areas for successfully finding and analyzing information. Being able to do so is an important part of lifelong learning. There is so much information on the internet is is essential to know how to filter out reliable and effective information. Being able to use the internet successfully is also important because these days this is the most widely used throughout the world. In almost any career you choose you will have to master these standard, so it is vital that we start teaching students from a early age how to gather information, evaluate information, and analyze information in an effective way.
After reading the ALA standards, I feel they are a good road map to getting my students to where they need to be in the future. More and more we rely on technology to get through our day to day lives. My tech education in school was lemonade stand(ha ha ha ) with the boring green curser. Things have come a long way in a short amount of time and will continue to advance quickly. I feel these standards are not only attainable, they MUST be done for the future of our students and even for some of us.
In order to accomplish the ALA standards outlined,students must be able to utilize the Internet.
Today's classroom teachers must bear the burden of exposing their students to technology. This includes teaching students ethical research techniques for future Internet use. For the primary grades, teachers must introduce research techniques using the Internet via interactive lessons. Students then will have a good foundation to build upon when research becomes more demanding.
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