1.How to use this packetThe following slides, videos, and
exercises are designed to help your students become critical
thinkers and savvy users of online resources. They can be used
individually or as part of a larger unit and can be modified
depending on grade level.
2. In groups of 3-4 discuss and respond to the following
questions: -What do you think is meant by information literacy? -Is
all information that you find online valid? Why or why not? -How
could you tell if an online source is trustworthy? -What is bias
and how does it effect finding relevant information? Have students
write down their key points and prepare for a large group
discussion 3. Assignment #1 The Filter Bubble Click on
me!RossbergThe Filter Bubble Activity Learning objectives: gather
information, evaluate sources, describe the effect of the filter
bubble, develop a strategy to address the filter bubble when doing
Internet research. Procedure: Students are given a controversial
topic and are asked to do a Google search from their home computer
and/or mobile device. All students are provided with the exact term
to be searched (i.e. gene therapy). Results are recorded in the
form below: Term Searched: Location of computer: Browser used: List
the first five (5) nonsponsored linksDo you notice any evidence of
bias in your results? Provide an example, if appropriate. Are all
of these sites useful for your research? Why or why not?After
comparing information with other students in the class, or with
groups of four or five students, ask if there are any questions. If
all searches in a group were identical, have the students in that
group compare with other groups. 4. Think Outside the Like
Buttonhttp://youtu.be/B8ofWFx525s 5. Bad ScienceAssignment #2: Have
students read and react to two articles of your choice from the
column, Bad Science.
http://www.theguardian.com/science/series/badscience 6. Search
Overload! 7. Do you think that there is such a thing as search
overload? Why or why not? What are some strategies for finding the
most relevant sources? Discuss in small groups. 8. How do I know if
a source is credible? Who is the author? How recent is the source?
What is the author's purpose What type of sources does your
audience value? Be especially careful when evaluating Internet
sources! Never use Web sites where an author cannot be determined,
unless the site is associated with a reputable institution such as
a respected university, a credible media outlet, government program
or department, or well-known non-governmental organizations 9.
WikipediaAssignment #3 Chose two scientific topics that are of
interest to you and search for them using Wikipedia. Find three
references that you believe are from credible sources and explain
your reasoning. 10. Skip Google and Go Straight to Credible
Sources!http://instr.iastate.libguides.com/freescientific 11. Using
Databases to find the answer!Assignment #4 Chose two resources from
the website http://instr.iastate.libguides.com/free scientific
Search for the same topic of your choice. Compare and contrast your
results. 12. Subscription Databases See what your school library
has to offer!Subscription databases provide access to scientific
publications, newspaper articles, and much more that is often not
freely available online. Many school and public libraries have
access to these databases so take advantage of their services! 13.
Search Strategies and Keywords: Making your search better!Pick one
word, the keyword, to describe what you are looking for. 14.
Boolean Operatorshttp://youtu.be/xsSZps3NH-M 15. In-Class Boolean
Exercise Boolean "Poker" Materials: A standard deck of 52 playing
cards 1. Hand each student one card from the deck. 2. Ask those
students with face cards to raise their hands (or stand up). 3. Ask
those with cards that are both face cards AND red cards to raise
their hands. 4. Point out that there are fewer cards now than there
were before...because of the Boolean operator AND. 5. Ask those
students with "number" cards to raise their hands. 6. Ask those
with "number" cards OR black cards to raise their hands. 7. Point
out that there are more cards now than there were in the previous
"hand" because of the Boolean operator OR.-Similar examples can be
used to show the NOT operator if desired (a Jack that is NOT a
spade, etc.) 16. Tying It All Together Final Assignment We have
covered a lot of information and hopefully have a better
understanding of information literacy and how to find credible
sources for scientific information. Using our new found knowledge,
write a 2 page research paper on a scientific topic of your choice.
You must use at least 5 credible sources and include a description
of where and how you found your sources. 17. For more information
contact Amelia Vaughan [email protected]
