adventure1

=**Information Literacy - Navigating Sand Traps on the Internet **=

[[image:hitting_sandtrap.jpg align="left" caption="Flickr CC: keksmattson"]]**Objectives of this adventure in Block 6:**
At the end of this block you should be able to: • Use skills to navigate the Internet more effectively and knowledgably • Articulate how you can validate an online resource • Articulate the significance of information literacy in the digital age

The activities in this adventure are presented in a step-by-step fashion so that you can slowly build new skills, and apply your skills as you go. Taking the time to work through the steps carefully will benefit you in your effective use of the Internet.

1.) Getting Ready
View an introduction to Information Literacy in this VoiceThread: media type="custom" key="3172094"

**2.) Am I "Information Literate"?**
New skills are required to be information literate in the 21st Century. Take the Grammar of the Internet test and see if you know how to be a critical thinker on the web. [|Pre-assess your knowledge] (This first activity is optional. If you choose you may go on to the next activity.) At the end of the 11 question quiz, you will need to navigate back to block 6 - Adventure 1

**3.) Why is Information Literacy Important?**
[|View this PowerPoint Slideshow] Brief article [|Developing Critical Literacy]

**4.)** **How Can I Search the Internet Most Effectively?**
Knowing how to search the Internet gets you where you want to go and gets you there quickly. [|Effective Searching]

**5.) What Can I Learn From an Internet address?**
As soon as children begin using the Internet we need them to become aware of "the grammar of the Internet". The first step is reading the URL or the web address in order to know the source of your information.
 * [|Understanding an Internet address] || [|Applying this knowledge] ||

**6.) How do I Validate Internet Resources?**
When we learn to read we learn the grammar of print. The same is true for the Internet - we need to understand the grammar of the Internet to be able to use it effectively [|MAPping the Internet] - for Middle Years and older students

Whenever students use the Internet to gather information they should be able to defend their choice of resources by outlining their **MAP**ping information. Teach students to be detectives and gather their evidence with every assignment. [|MAPping Evidence] These resource sheets can be used as part of research references.

**7.) Something for the Classroom Teacher**
Here are some fun activities to use with middle years and older students after they have strengthened their information literacy skills. Try them yourself - they are fun! Test your skills (and those of the students or adults you work with, or live with) through these fun activities:
 * 1) [|Keyword Challenge] - Transform research questions into effective queries playing our original word-matching games.
 * 2) [|The Soccer Challenge] - Strengthen your keyword choices with four different challenges on a soccer theme.
 * 3) [|The Snippet Sleuth Challenge]- Continue to improve your keyword choices by discovering hidden treasures in snippets.
 * 4) Speed Search Game - [|Lego Lady][| Lego Lady 2]
 * 5) [|Marnie's Delicious bookmarks of Hoax sites] to use with students when evaluating Internet sites
 * 6) [|Marnie's Delicious bookmarks for information literacy]
 * 7) More Resources: [|Information literacy for Kids from PBS – Gr. 4 – 8]
 * 8) Alan November's [|Empowering Students with Technology]
 * 9) [|Marnie's Information Literacy Resource]

8.) A Final Story
[|Listen and view this short movie which shares a personal story about critical thinking on the Internet.]

**9.) Return to Block 6 Conclusion and make sure you have completed this week's assignment**
Block 6