Information Literacy

Week of 09.22.2014

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– 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• .edu

– Educational institution– Probably reliable

• .gov– Government website– Probably reliable

• .com– Commerical website– BE CAREFUL!

• .org– Non-profit organization– BE CAREFUL!

Definitely not reliable for academic research

• Social media• Blogs• Forums• Editorials• Personal websites• Wikis• Ask.com• Yahoo Answers

Validity

Hoax sites• Velcro Farming• Tree Octopus

Hate sites• 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• Downloading a paper• Copying and pasting• Peer copying• Making up sources• Substituting words in a

sentence

Unintentional• 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 Plagiarism1. Know the definition and expectations2. Take good notes3. Paraphrase carefully4. Learn to cite correctly5. Leave plenty of time6. Understand the assignment7. Research wisely8. Make your bibliography as you work9. Double-check your work10. Make the assignment personal

Review

Bibliography

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