Frankenstorm 2012

Hurricane Sandy

A horrific environmental disaster ...

And a lesson for me about checking my sources, no matter what ...

So, I’m at the hair salon ...

I decided I had to check to see if anyone else had seen them:

She might even be able to submit the photos to CNN or CBC

So I went to the Internet

And I searched “Hurricane Sandy + shark photos”

Google found hundred of websites for me so I clicked on the first one on the list:

www.snopes.com

Hmmmm ....

Uh oh ...

www.snopes.com is a website that exposes fake photos & news stories

What is INFORMATION LITERACY?

• our ability to identify:– WHAT information is needed; – understand HOW the information is organized; – identify the best sources of information for a given

need or WHY the source works for you;– locate those sources (WHERE); – evaluate the sources critically by looking at WHO is

the author; – and share that information WHEN your teacher

collects the assignment.

Let’s check out my literacy:

What: cool shark photos from Hurricane SandyHow: on an iPhone camera rollWhy: I have no reason not to trust this person &

they’re awesomeWhere: at my hair salonWho: an employeeWhen: interest; to show others; WOW

How did I do?

Why do you and I need good INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS?

• We are surrounded by a growing ocean of information in all formats;

• Not all information is created equal: – some is authoritative, current, reliable; – some is biased, out of date, misleading, false;

• The amount of information available is going to keep increasing so …

• So we need a way to distinguish between what is GOOD INFORMATION AND WHAT ISN’T.

THIS IS CRITICAL THINKING

• Is the ability to find a fact or a piece of information;

• Show that it’s relevant (important);• And then ...– show how or why it is relevant.

Where do you go to research a topic?

Websites• written by anyone (you don’t have to be an expert);• Content is not necessarily checked by anyone so it

may be inaccurate;• Information for citations is rarely available;• Usually not organized to support student research

needs;• May not be current information or indicate when a

page was last updated;• Available to anyone with an internet connection

inside or outside the library.

Databases• Also websites but require a paid subscription; • Information is from published works (magazines,

journals, newspapers);• Gives you access to full-text articles that can be printed

or e-mailed; • Are selected by your friendly librarians to meet your

needs specifically; • Get their information from experts in the field;• Facts are checked and double checked;• Easy to cite (often they do it for you);• Updated regularly;• Can be accessed at school and at home.

We have so many to choose from...