1. Internet Power Search Skills for Teachers and Students
Presented to the
Illinois Education & Technology Conference
November 2005

2. Agenda
Why Should I Care?
What is Information Fluency?
What is the 21st Century Information Fluency Project?
Tools & Resources

3. Challenges to K-12 educators in a digital age
Vastness of Digital Resources
Quantity over Quality
Digital Immigrants teaching Digital Natives
Both groups struggle to find information they need and to evaluate its worth
Information Source Stored
Ability to Evaluate
.03%
7.75%
92.22%
"How Much Information? 2003”, ([cited 30 July 2004]);
available from World Wide

4. Digital Information Fluency (DIF) is the ability to find, evaluate and use digital information effectively, efficiently and ethically.
DIF involves knowing how digital information is different from print information;
having the skills to use specialized tools for finding digital information;
and developing the dispositions needed in the digital information environment.

5. 21st Century Information Fluency Project
The goal of this program is to build the capacity of librarians, educators and students in Illinois to
Locate
Evaluate
Ethically use digital information resources
Funded by a Grant from the US Department of Education, Funds for the Improvement of Education
Envisioned as a 3-5 year project to work with 1200 Middle and High Schools in Illinois. We are now in our 4th year
Create a National Model

6. What is the 21st Century Information Fluency Project?
Try Googling
Information Fluency
Information
Fluency

7.
Wizard Tools

8. DIF Investigator Package
What’s Coming?
DIF Investigator Package
Help bridge the gap between sharing concepts with Teachers and Librarians and application in the classroom
Looks like help to a very busy teacher
Nine hours of Instruction with exercises, worksheets, assessment and a Teachers Guide
Assessment
More Information on Importance of DIF

9. Assessment
Micro Modules
DIF Assessment Questions
Internet Basic Assessment

10. 19% average improvement for both classes
Searching Skills Before and After the Project Intervention
Searching Skills Before and After
Source: Minooka Junior High School 7th Grade Language Arts students (n = 45) 5
4.2 4
3.7
3.4
3.0
Scale: 1=Poor 5=Excellent 3
Self-Rating 2 1
Class 1
Class 2
Class 1
Class 2
Before
After
19% average improvement for both classes

11. Searching Skills Before and After Intervention
Internet Basics Performance Assessment
Glen Crest Middle School
(n = 115)
Illinois Teachers
(n = 28)
PRE_TOTAL
POST_TOTAL
0.0 20 40 60 80
100
percentage correct
42%
53%
PRE_TOTAL
POST_TOTAL
0.0 20 40 60 80
100
percentage correct
60%
67%
20% average student
improvement
11% average teacher
improvement

12. How we can help: Free Workshops and Webinars Free Courses
Building Digital Information Fluency Skills into Schools (full day)
Power Searching (one hour, half day, full day)
Free Courses
6 week Survey Course
12 week Lab Course (3 graduate credits)
Free Curriculum and Tools
DIF Investigator, MicroModules, Search Challenges
Assessment
Lesson Plan Repository
Tools: Search Wizard, Evaluation Wizard, Citation Wizard
Training the trainer

13. Contact Us! URL http://21cif.imsa.edu General info 21cif@imsa.edu
Dan Balzer
Carl Heine
Bob Houston
Dennis O’Connor
Gautam Saha
It’s all free – your tax dollars at work for you!

14. Offline Talk

37. Main Portal: http://21cif.imsa.edu/ Featured Items
Digital Information Fluency Model
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