Information Literacy

Essential Questions What is the meaning of information literacy? What are the benefits of information literacy? What are the challenges of information literacy?

What is information literacy? 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.

Components Accessing information Selecting and organizing information researching from a variety of sources, using a range of technologies, identifying primary and secondary sources Selecting and organizing information including identifying points of view, bias, and weaknesses using primary and secondary sources, making connections between a variety of sources Referencing the use of referencing of sources, bibliography-writing, respecting the concept of intellectual property rights

Benefits More efficient use of time More independent learner Better prepared for 21st Century Better equipped to network and communicate

Challenges Too much information Too many resources Reliability and validity of resources Avoiding plagiarism

Reliability URL endings Social media Blogs Forums Editorials Definitely not reliable for academic research .edu Educational institution Probably reliable .gov Government website .com Commerical website BE CAREFUL! .org Non-profit organization Social media Blogs Forums Editorials Personal websites Wikis Ask.com Yahoo Answers

Validity Hoax sites Hate sites Velcro Farming Tree Octopus Go to www.google.com Search “Martin Luther King Jr” Without opening any of the websites, which one listed on the first page of the search results do you think is a hate site by looking at the URL and description? Explain your reasoning. Answer: http://www.martinlutherking.org/

Definition of plagiarism Taking any material and claiming to be the original creator Ideas Writings Images Video Etc.

Types of Plagiarism Intentional Unintentional Downloading a paper Copying and pasting Peer copying Making up sources Substituting words in a sentence Working too closely with a partner Poor research skills Poor paraphrasing skills Taking material directly from a resource to answer a question Including sources in a bibliography but failing to cite them

Why people plagiarize Confusion Procrastination Pressure Avoidance

10 Tips to Avoid Plagiarism Know the definition and expectations Take good notes Paraphrase carefully Learn to cite correctly Leave plenty of time Understand the assignment Research wisely Make your bibliography as you work Double-check your work Make the assignment personal

Review

Bibliography Gilmore, Barry. Plagiarism. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2008. Print