This instructional power point was prepared by staff at Lower Columbia College Spring 2010

Initial Hopes Define Task Identify Options Select Sources Analyze Content Evaluate Present Finding Have students identify a product they would be interested in purchasing (such as a vacuum cleaner or dishwasher) Locate a place to purchase the item (such as an ad in the Sunday paper) Find a review of the item (such as from a neighbor or from the company’s web site) Compare different brands. Decide which one would be best. Tell the class what is decided.

PROBLEM Marquita discovered that the students had so little computer experience that she couldn’t have them working with online sites. She revised the program.

New Tack Have students learn to use the yellow pages to find resources.

Phone Book Students: practiced alphabetizing learned to categorized followed “see” references found specific information in various sections of the phone book

Scenario to Plan Marquita gave the students a story/scenario. A protagonist had a problem, and had to find and evaluate information to solve his problem.

Students had to identify their own need. Define Task Identify Options They had to write a question reflecting a need for information: Where is a good place…? They had to identify one place – selected from the phone book - where they could get information about that need.

Instructor provided assistance. Marquita looked up possible web sites or other official sources of information

Students had to find information. Select Sources Analyze Content/ Evaluate Went to web sites. Used drop down menus. Used links. Used yellow pages. Used community resource guides. Answered questions such as: how much, where, when…?

Student Successes Define Task Identify Options Select Sources Analyze Content Evaluate Present Findings All students could ask a question Some could identify options They had trouble finding the information They could evaluate for price only.

Analysis There were up to 20 students in a combined Level 1-2 class - too many to teach this much. Teaching both computer skills and information- hunting skills is over-ambitious for Levels 1-2.

To do this again Let students decide question Limit searching to personal and paper-based resources Build in more communicative tasks. Compress the time frame;