InfoQuest What Is It? How Does It Work? presented by Kimberly All handouts may be obtained at:

InfoQuest: The Book InfoQuest: A new twist on Information Literacy by Peggy Milam Published by Linworth, 2002 (ISBN: )

Background: Information Overload More new information has been produced in the last 30 years than in the last 5 millennia More than one million books are published annually with an additional 100,000 printed by the U.S. Government alone Over 3 billion web pages are available on the World Wide Web and the number is growing by 5 million new pages a day! Inaccuracy is an additional problem caused by the sheer volume of data available

What is Information Literacy? “Information literacy is the skills needed for information problem solving.” American Library Association (ALA) It has been declared the single most important skill for individuals entering the workplace The “tool chest” for today’s students To become effective users of information in many formats, students need frequent opportunities to become familiar with print resources (ie. books and periodicals), as well as nonprint resources (ie. electronic databases. CD’s, and the Internet)

Why is Information Literacy Important? “Information literacy forms the basis for all lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education.” Association of College and Research Libraries, 2000, p. 1.

Why is Information Literacy Important? “…students were not overwhelmed by too much information. Instead, they were floating in a sea of information but did not know how to access more than a few drops…” Judy Pitts, 1995, p. 181.

What are Information Literacy Skills? 1. Defining the need for information 2. Initiating the search strategy 3. Locating the resources 4. Assessing and comprehending the information 5. Interpreting the information 6. Communicating the information 7. Evaluating the product and process

Benefits of Information Literacy for Students Take an active part in their own learning Find the projects more motivating Show more sustained interest in activities Interact and learn from others with a variety of interests and ability levels Have greater retention of material Develop critical thinking skills in selecting appropriate resources Become skilled in lifelong learning habits Make rapid progress with less fear of failure

What is InfoQuest? A game of challenging research questions that can be answered in the school library media center Process-oriented Truly individualized learning May extend into personal interest Designed to work with children’s natural curiosity and motivate them to learn more

What are the Benefits of InfoQuest? Provides opportunities for active, resource-based learning Introduces students to the thrill of being an information detective Challenging, motivating, and exciting, even to younger students Stimulates interest in a specific subject area or research question Helps students distinguish between types of resources

More Benefits of InfoQuest Provides practice in critical thinking skills Assists students in documenting their research findings Helps students to become successful and independent researchers and thus be less tempted to plagiarize the another’s research Empowers students with success!

Why InfoQuest Works Exceptionality not the usual information literacy program Expectations high for all levels Equity suitable for everyone Evidence designed to yield measurable results

S.T.A.I.R.S. (Steps To Achieving Independent Research Skills) Inquiring Searching Organizing Sharing

PROBE-ing for information rovide an information-rich environment equire activities where students must seek information ffer multiple opportunities to practice information-seeking ring attention to a variety of information sources ncourage the information seekers

How will it work? Question announcement on Monday Staff Room Tables School website Students come anytime to research – may turn in answers up until the end of school Past questions On counter underneath tracking sheets On school website

How will students be rewarded? Certificates Participation (not always correct answers, but trying…) Achievement of the next level of detective Noted on poster hanging in the library Each question is marked so student knows how close they are to the next level

Levels of Detectives Gumshoe 0 correct Investigator 1 correct Inspector 6 correct Senior Inspector 11 correct Amateur Detective16 correct Detective 21 correct Master Detective 26 correct Super Sleuth 30 correct

What do you want us to do? Help me publicize the program to students Suggest questions or curriculum areas for questions Let your students participate!

What will YOU do? Work with teachers/students/parents to develop questions Monitor student researchers and maintain program and materials in library Post questions and answers on website Work with student announcers Do the initial research to make sure we have the material to answer the question

When can students come to research? 3 students (maximum) may come down at a time Each student needs to have a pass Usually between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. is safe (when Esther is working in the library)

What other benefits are there? Build good Public Relations Bring in financial support Increase library use Enhance classroom curriculum

Ready? Let’s get started!!!