EDCI 5825. Blog 1

1. In my opinion, being information literate is a way of approaching the information on the Internet in a careful and wise manner. In order to be completely information literate you must be able to evaluate the intentions and purpose of the information on the Internet. It means to be able to have the capability to access the information in a pre cautious manner. One must always question the motive of the creator of the site and be knowledgeable enough to recognize that not all information provided on the internet is necessarily true. November (2010) states, "If you do not know the rules, it is impossible to win the game"(p 12). I believe this to be true. In order to succeed in this highly technological world of ours one must always approach the material at hand with a small amount of skepticism.

2. Teachers and students are able to carefully evaluate information resources by using a system which is referred to as MAPping. This enables the students or teachers to "map" the information they access on the Internet by examining meta-web information, authors, and purpose. Meta-Web Information refers to the structure of information on the Internet which includes URLs, links, and search engines. In order to further evaluate the URLs, teachers and students must be able to read the meaning of the web address or URL. Every single Wed address or URL contains a home directory that includes the domain name of the organization. This allows the reader to recognize whether or not the page is an official document or a personal posting. Teachers and students also have the ability to further evaluate the web address by examining the linked sites. "One of the strengths (some would say weaknesses) of the Internet is that anyone has the ability to add a link from his or her Website to another" (November, 2010, p.19). By examining the links, one would be able to gain insight as to who is linked to the site and how they used the information as a reference on their own site. This may not conclude as to whether or not the information is true or false however, it will allow for some deeper analysis. The students and teachers will also be able to explore the validation of the site's author. The reader will be able to examine the author's credentials and see how he or she is viewed by others. Lastly, the reader will have the ability to evaluate the site's purpose. Students and teachers must be have the insight to ask what the site is trying to do and for what purpose it was created. Teachers and students must always remember that the Internet is extremely powerful however, it can also be very controversial and manipulative. One would be able to apply all this knowledge to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Wikipedia's domain would show that it is a public server and therefore it is a collection of personal files and ideas. Also, Wikipedia does not have one set author which implies that anyone can go onto the Website and upload their own thoughts and opinions on the subject matter. Lastly, the site's purpose is to provide the public with knowledge about a variety of different topics. After applying the knowledge at hand, one would recognize that Wikipedia is not a suitable resource.

3. After viewing the video and reading up on the material, I realized that there are many similarities and differences between the four instructional models of Internet use (Internet Workshop, Internet Project, Webquest and Internet inquiry). A few of the similarities are that they seem to all be very student-centered, the students are able to develop important content information, and they are all ways of gathering information by using the Internet. On the other hand, there are a few differences between the four. For example, Internet Project would be considered to be a more collaborative activity and would be considered to be a bit more challenging. Webquest seems to be directed more towards the educators because it is an instructional model to create curriculum.