50 Free Online Games for Teaching Information Literacy and Information Fluency

Learn to Search & Evaluate Internet Resources
The 21st Century Information Fluency team just published menus leading to 50 flash based games that teach how to locate and evaluate digital information.

Check it out: Links to nearly 50 learning games, including the new three part Snow Sport Challenge. If you've been wanting to put a menu of learning games on your library or classroom computer come see what we have for you.

They also have an index of all of their Kits: Resource Kit Master Index:

You get easy access to all Articles, Podcasts, Videos, Assessment Articles, Tutorial Games, Curriculum Connections, Annotated Web Resources

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Check it out!

Joyce Valenza's Roadmap for professional development

• 
  
  How to retool yourself--a roadmap of at least 16 ways by Joyce Valenza
  
  Tags: no_tag
  
  • 
    
    How to retool yourself--a roadmap of at least 16 ways for school librarians (and
    their classroom teacher colleagues) to develop professionally
    
    
    
  
  

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Info Fluency group favorite links are here.

Diigo Webslide Show: The Internet Search Challenge

Using Diigo Webslides, here are two ways to review the great posts Dr. Carl Heine has been sharing on his Internet Search Blog.



(Launches webslide show in new window.)







Visit the Internet Search Challenge Blog directly for the latest news!

Search Tools Compared

• Search Tools Chart
  
  Strong comparison chart of major search engines. It's good to be reminded of the powerful features of multiple search engines.
  
  Tags: search engines
  
  • - By Dennis OConnor
  
  
  
• Think! Create! Share! Nurturing a Generation of Information Fluent Thinkers  (This is a Wiki created by Annette Lamb.)
  
• Straight from the Horse's Mouth:
  Nonfiction, Technology and Information Fluent Thinkers
  

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Info Fluency group favorite links are here.

Just the facts? A Diigo List of Resources about Cross Checking Data and 21st Century Information Fluency

• FactCheckED.org

  Home base for fine materials, lessson plans, and information about fact checking for educators.

  tags: reference, media, education, literacy, research, 21cif

  • FactCheckED.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center supported by a grant from the Flora Family Foundation.
    

• FactCheck.org

  Brilliant resource from the Annenberg Public Policy Center. My research and experience with the 21st Century Information Fluency Project has revealed that teenagers HATE to fact check. Luckily, FactCheck.org also has a highly developed classroom section that provides in-depth lesson plans and media links.\n\nThis is a treasure trove!

  tags: media, research, factcheck, 21cif, evaluation

• The Keyword Blog: Check the Facts! Cross Check the Facts! Lessons & Media

  Superb resources for anyone interested in teaching website evaluation, critical thinking, media literacy or 21st Century learning skills in general.\n\nFactCheck.org and FactCheckEd.org are essential tools for living in this part of the century. 8-)

  tags: medialiteracy, fact checking

  • Check the Facts! Cross Check the Facts! Lessons & Media

     

    Fact checking is essential in a (mis) information rich environment. 
  • Brilliant resource from the Annenberg Public Policy Center
  • FactChecked.org
    Luckily, FactCheck.org also has a highly developed classroom section that provides in-depth lesson plans and media links. These are highly polished materials for educators seeking a way to teach critical thinking and evaluation skills to their students. The Lesson Plan Archive ( http://www.factchecked.org/LessonPlans.aspx ) will intrigue any educator looking for a way to engage students. These plans are edgy and up to date. If you've been looking for a way to teach thinking and evaluation of media.

• 14 Ways K-12 Librarians Can Teach Social Media - NeverEndingSearch - Blog on School Library Journal

  tags: collaboration, libraries, socialmedia, education, web2.0, library

  • This is the best time in history to be a teacher-librarian. Major shifts in our information and communication landscapes present new opportunities for librarians to teach and lead in areas that were always considered part of their role, helping learners of all ages effectively use, manage, evaluate, organize and communicate information, and to love reading in its glorious new variety.
     
    A school’s teacher-librarian is its chief information officer, but in a networked world, the position is more that of moderator or coach, the person who ensures that students and teachers can effectively interact with information and leverage it to create and share and make a difference in the community and beyond.

• The Keyword Blog: Kermit the Frog Search Challenge (Information Literacy Games)

  Information Literacy Games: Finding Kermit\n\nThis blog post features a great video of Kermit the frog singing It Ain't Easy Being Green. It follows up with an explanation of a search game that can be used with the whole class in a lab or on an individual workstation. It's part of a free series of online information literacy / information fluency games available from 21cif.com. \n\nFinding Kermit was the inspiration for one of the first Internet Search Challenges created by Dr. Carl Heine. The task is to track down a picture of Kermit ready for graduation in the least amount of time. The search game is embedded on the page so you can try it without going to the main site. \n\nMany teachers use this as a whole class lab activity. Put up a search challenge and then it's off the races! Most of these games were developed for middle and high school students. Adults find them challenging as well.

  tags: information literacy games, internet search challenges, NETS-S 3

• 21st Century Libraries

  Here's a collection of on point articles for anyone interested in libraries and the future.

  tags: libraries, 21cif

  • Virtual library collections, or databases, give students access to trusted content and research tools with links to authoritative information that has been vetted by subject-matter experts. Today's 21st-century school libraries make use of virtual collections while also giving students ample opportunities for enhancing their digital literacy, research, and collaboration skills which are essential in a globally connected world.

    With the generous support of Questia School, the editors of eSchool News have compiled this collection of stories from our archives, along with other relevant information from around the web, to help you transform your school libraries for the 21st century.

• Think! Create! Share! Nurturing a Generation of Information Fluent Thinkers

  Fine resources from Annette Lamb

  tags: libraries, 21cif

  • Straight from the Horse's Mouth:
    Nonfiction, Technology and Information Fluent Thinkers

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

21st Century Libraries: an index of article you'll want to read

• 
  
  21st Century Libraries
  
  Here's a collection of on point articles for anyone interested in libraries and the future.
  
  Tags: libraries, 21cif
  
  • - By Dennis OConnor
  • 
    
    Virtual library collections, or databases, give students access to trusted content and research tools with links to authoritative information that has been vetted by subject-matter experts. Today's 21st-century school libraries make use of virtual collections while also giving students ample opportunities for enhancing their digital literacy, research, and collaboration skills which are essential in a globally connected world.
    
    With the generous support of Questia School, the editors of eSchool News have compiled this collection of stories from our archives, along with other relevant information from around the web, to help you transform your school libraries for the 21st century.
    
    
    
  
  

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Info Fluency group favorite links are here.

Virtual Libaries: A collection of articles

• 
  
  21st Century Libraries
  
  Here's a collection of on point articles for anyone interested in libraries and the future.
  
  Tags: libraries, 21cif
  
  • - By Dennis OConnor
  • 
    
    Virtual library collections, or databases, give students access to trusted content and research tools with links to authoritative information that has been vetted by subject-matter experts. Today's 21st-century school libraries make use of virtual collections while also giving students ample opportunities for enhancing their digital literacy, research, and collaboration skills which are essential in a globally connected world.
    
    With the generous support of Questia School, the editors of eSchool News have compiled this collection of stories from our archives, along with other relevant information from around the web, to help you transform your school libraries for the 21st century.
    
    
    
  
  

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Info Fluency group favorite links are here.

David Bar on knowledge, skills, and dispositions for successful searching

Super Searchers Go to School ... - Google Books 

Interview and chapter from Dr. David Barr, founder of the 21st Century Information Fluency Project. This Google book preview article from Joyce Valenza & Reva Basch's book Super Searchers Go to school reveal some of David's thinking about the knowledge, skills and dispositions for successful searching. Anyone who knows David Barr recognizes his amazing understanding of 21st century information systems. This is a gem. Don't miss it.

Tags: search, 21cif, information fluency, information literacy, david barr

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Info Fluency group favorite links are here.

Information Fluency Group For ISTE 2010 Conference: Join us!

Join US! Library Media Specialists, Ed-Technologists, any educator interested in 21st Century Skills

Information Fluency - ISTE 2010 Conference Ning

Get an early Start on ISTE 2010 in Denver!

Tags: iste2010, ning, information fluency, information literacy

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Info Fluency group favorite link are here.

It's more than just words: Data Visualization

Show Me don't Tell Me is classic advice for writers.  The same can be said when displaying data.  This round up of data visualization examples has many images that will help you conceptualize patterns and activities on the Internet.

50 Great Examples of Data Visualization

• Wrapping your brain around data online can be challenging, especially when dealing with huge volumes of information.
  
  
  And trying to find related content can also be difficult, depending on what data you’re looking for.
  
  But data visualizations can make all of that much easier, allowing you to see the concepts that you’re learning about in a more interesting, and often more useful manner.
  
  Below are 50 of the best data visualizations and tools for creating your own visualizations out there, covering everything from Digg activity to network connectivity to what’s currently happening on Twitter.
  

Joyce Valenza On Social Media

 14 Ways K-12 Librarians Can Teach Social Media - NeverEndingSearch - Blog on School Library Journal

• As always, Joyce Valenza's critical eye helps us all see how social networks fit in the complex patterns of information fluency.
  
  • This is the best time in history to be a teacher-librarian. Major shifts in our information and communication landscapes present new opportunities for librarians to teach and lead in areas that were always considered part of their role, helping learners of all ages effectively use, manage, evaluate, organize and communicate information, and to love reading in its glorious new variety.
    
    
    A school’s teacher-librarian is its chief information officer, but in a networked world, the position is more that of moderator or coach, the person who ensures that students and teachers can effectively interact with information and leverage it to create and share and make a difference in the community and beyond.
    
    Tags: collaboration, libraries, socialmedia, education, web2.0, library
    

Library Essentials: Reader's Workshop Defended

Nancie Atwell speaks up!
Atwell explains the effectiveness of the Reader's Workshop approach in an articulate response to a New York Times article. If you need a way to explain the value of allowing readers to select their own reading, this is the resource for you.
Tags: reading, medialiteracy, reading workshop

S.O.S for Information Literacy

S.O.S. for Information Literacy
Tags: Literacy, Library, lessons  
• S.O.S. for Information Literacy is a dynamic web-based multimedia resource that includes lesson plans, handouts, presentations, videos and other resources to enhance the teaching of information literacy.
  
  
  

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Info Fluency group favorite links are here.

Join us on Diigo!

Defending Reader's Workshop

Nancie Atwell speaks up for student choice!  
Atwell explains the effectiveness of the Reader's Workshop approach in an articulate response to a New York Times article. If you need a way to explain the value of allowing readers to select their own reading, this is the resource for you.
Tags: reading, medialiteracy, reading workshop

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Fair Use for Media Literacy Education

 
Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education
The Center for Social Media is a project of the School of Communication at the American University in Washington, D.C. The Center in conjunction with the Media Education Lab at Temple University in Philadelphia and The Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property, a project of the Washington College of Law at the American University in Washington D.C. has developed a Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education. The National Council of Teachers of English is signatory to the document, along with various other legal and educational groups. The code was funded by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and The Ford Foundation through the Future of Public Media Project. (Annotation by Larry Michaud - UW-Stout E-Learning Practicum)
Tags: copyright, fairuse, literacy, education, fair use, medialiteracy, fair_use, ncte

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Free Online Courses for Ilinois Educators

• Illinois Educator Free Online Professional Development (Moodle Based)
  Are you a middle or high school math or science teacher? If so, check out these new and innovative online professional development courses from the University of Illinois and the Illinois Math and Science Academy. Courses are available free of charge for Fall 2009.
  
  Tags: moodle, e-learning, online classes, math, science
  
  • - By Dennis OConnor
  
  
  

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Check the Facts! Cross Check the Facts! Lessons & Media

Fact checking is essential in a (mis) information rich environment. 

FactCheck.org
Brilliant resource from the Annenberg Public Policy Center. There is also a six year archive of contents. As you would expect, the current materials focus on the health care debate.  For a truly balanced view of things, when the facts have been checked, and all varieties of political spin revealed this is my new FIRST STOP for FACTS.  This is a treasure trove!

Tags: media, research, factcheck, 21cif, evaluation

FactChecked.org
Luckily, FactCheck.org also has a highly developed classroom section that provides in-depth lesson plans and media links. These are highly polished materials for educators seeking a way to teach critical thinking and evaluation skills to their students. The Lesson Plan Archive ( http://www.factchecked.org/LessonPlans.aspx ) will intrigue any educator looking for a way to engage students. These plans are edgy and up to date. If you've been looking for a way to teach thinking and evaluation of media.

I've been vitally interested in Investigative Searching for sometime. Fact checking, triangulation of data, skeptical and inquisitive attitude has been part of that package all along. However, I hadn't focused on Fact Checking until I reviewed the results of our summer work with 1000 teenagers who took our new Investigative Searching 20/10 online course. The data clearly shows that Fact Checking is an area of great weakness. Teenagers HATE to fact check.

This resource could change all that because once you break through the barriers, this works is stimulating, engaging, and fun. In fact, I may try one of the plans with my current group of undergraduate teacher candidates. Monty Python and the Quest for the Perfect Fallacy really appeals to me!

If you decide to use this resource, let me know what you think! (Emphasis on the think. 8-)

~ Dennis In San Diego,  remembering Joe Friday's essence "Just the facts..."


Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Use Skype to connect with authors

• Virtual Author Visits in Your Library or Classroom - Skype An Author Network
  The mission of the Skype an Author Network is to provide K-12 teachers and librarians a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits.
  Tags: skype, author, books, librarian
  • The mission of the Skype an Author Network is to provide K-12 teachers and librarians a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits. 
  • - By Dennis OConnor

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Google Reader Lists: Easy access to top bloggers' networks

• 
  
  Google Reader - Featured Reading Lists
  Several categories provide access to experts blog reading feeds. One very useful search habit is to find a trusted expert and follow their web 2.0 trail. Credibility by association is a step in the right direction.
  Tags: google, reader
  
  • Several categories provide access to experts blog reading feeds. One very useful search habit is to find a trusted expert and follow their web 2.0 trail. Credibility by association is a step in the right direction. - By Dennis OConnor
  • 
    

    Want to know what journalists, foodies, and tech bloggers read?

    Explore and subscribe to their favorite sites in Google Reader, where keeping up with news and blogs is as easy as checking your email.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Primary Sources: Great Online Class

The class was what I needed to help me get focused for school! « Random Thoughts: Change & Other Stuff

Primary Sources, Where have you been? Why have I never used primary sources? I didn’t use them because I didn’t know where to find the resources.I never considered all of the possibilities.

Tags: uw-stout, e-learning, online class, librarian, 21cif

• Primary Sources, Where have you been? Why have I never used primary sources? I didn’t use them because I didn’t know where to find the resources.I never considered all of the possibilities. - By Dennis OConnor

• 
  
  Learn how to locate authentic digital primary sources in multiple formats to enhance your curriculum. Develop age appropriate learning activities that promote higher level questioning and critical thinking skills while adding excitement to student learning through engaging activities. The course is especially helpful for teachers of AP classes, teachers addressing state and national standards requiring the use of primary sources, and teachers working with National History Day activities. Materials fromTPS Direct, the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources professional development program, will be incorporated in the class.

• Things are getting interesting
• Tags: edtech, classroom, learning2.0, shift, change, filters

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Fair Use in Media Literacy Best Practices

• Code of Best Practices for Fair Use in Media Literacy Education | Media Education Lab
  Tags: media_literacy, copyright, fairuse, medialiteracy, creativecommons, fair use, 21cif
  • 
    
    The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education helps educators gain confidence about their rights to use copyrighted materials in developing students' critical thinking and communication skills. 

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Google Educator Resourses for Web Search!

• Google For Educators - Web Search
  Tags: 21cif, google, search, lessons, educators
  
  Lots of classroom resources, lesson plans, three modules..... Ready to go!

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Digital Information to double every 11 hours?

• 
  
  • IBM software boosts info on demand - CNET News
  
  
  • So many of the e-learning teachers in training that I work with complain about information glut. Clearly the only way to cope is to learn how to sift and filter the flow of information that we pay attention to. Diigo is one great tool, rss, Google news filters, subscribed tags; there are many ways to cope with the flow. Still IBM's statement that digital info will be doubling every 11 hours by next year seems like science fiction.
    Tags: 21cif, information fluency
    • So many of the e-learning teachers in training that I work with complain about information glut. Clearly the only way to cope is to learn how to sift and filter the flow of information that we pay attention to. Diigo is one great tool, rss, Google news filters, subscribed tags; there are many ways to cope with the flow. Still IBM's statement that digital info will be doubling every 11 hours by next year seems like science fiction. - By Dennis OConnor
    • 
      
      
      Steve Mills, senior vice president of IBM Software, said the company is investing in information management technology in response to an "explosion" of content in the form of digital documents, forms and multimedia.
      According to an IBM study, by 2010, the amount of digital information in the world will double every 11 hours
    • 
      
      
      To access that information, IBM on Tuesday released what it called a "Web 2.0 interface" designed to be the preferred front end of IBM's content management servers, Mills said. The software is based on Eclipse open-source technology--already used in IBM's Lotus software--and can run on different desktop operating systems.
  
  Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Can you cope? Digital Information to double every 11 hours?

• IBM software boosts info on demand - CNET News

  So many of the e-learning teachers in training that I work with complain about information glut. Clearly the only way to cope is to learn how to sift and filter the flow of information that we pay attention to. Diigo is one great tool, rss, Google news filters, subscribed tags; there are many ways to cope with the flow. Still IBM's statement that digital info will be doubling every 11 hours by next year seems like science fiction.

  Tags: 21cif, information fluency

  • So many of the e-learning teachers in training that I work with complain about information glut. Clearly the only way to cope is to learn how to sift and filter the flow of information that we pay attention to. Diigo is one great tool, rss, Google news filters, subscribed tags; there are many ways to cope with the flow. Still IBM's statement that digital info will be doubling every 11 hours by next year seems like science fiction. - By Dennis OConnor

  • Steve Mills, senior vice president of IBM Software, said the company is investing in information management technology in response to an "explosion" of content in the form of digital documents, forms and multimedia.
    

    
    According to an IBM study, by 2010, the amount of digital information in the world will double every 11 hours.
    

  • To access that information, IBM on Tuesday released what it called a "Web 2.0 interface" designed to be the preferred front end of IBM's content management servers, Mills said. The software is based on Eclipse open-source technology--already used in IBM's Lotus software--and can run on different desktop operating systems.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

A Lesson in Information Literacy

• College Lesson Study: A Lesson in Information Literacy

  Tags: literacy, 21cif

  • A Lesson in Information Literacy

    Each year librarians at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse teach a "one-shot" lesson in information literacy to 2000 students enrolled in an introductory communication studies course. Students attend the lesson in groups of about 25 in the library. Concerned about the quality of the experience, the librarians decided to make the lesson the subject of a lesson study. They wanted to better understand what students get out of the lesson and how to improve the experience so that students achieve proficiency in research skills and learn how to use libarary resources and services.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Bing & Google Side by Side: Compare Search Results

Bing vs. Google

• Tags: Google, Bing, searchengine, search, 21cif

  • Can't choose default search engine? Want to compare Bing & Google results?
    
    This is the right place to be. Just put your query in the search box and press Enter. You'll see results from both engines side by side.
    
    Search provider for Internet Explorer 7/8 and Firefox is also available - search both engines from your browser!

• Google Jolts Search Engine With Caffeine - New search tech under the hood?

  Tags: google, search

  • Google engineers unveiled the news in a blog and said that they have been working on this "secret project" over the past few months.
  • The changes may be more apparent to Web developers and power searchers, so Google is opening up a Web developer preview to get their feedback.

  • Another tester liked the fact that Caffeine also provides more results from social networking sites.
    

    
    "I've noticed more Twitter pages in the results with this version of Google. Quite like having that - makes it easier to find people and companies."
    

• information fluency @ Bing vs. Google

  Here's a side by side comparison of Bing Vs Google results on the term: Information Fluency
  
  21cif.com ( formerly 21cif.imsa.edu ) has been online for 10+ years and dominates the Google Search results. Nothing in the top ten for Bing? Google ranks our old url #1 and our new url #4. Give this a try for your self with the same terms? I'll bet you get radically different results from Google than I do. Since I've worked on the 21cif project for nearly 8 years, I know the materials well. Also Google has adapted to my search habits and provides me with more links relevant to my interest. On the Google page I'm given a link to my search-wiki results: http://tinyurl.com/21cif-search-wiki

  Tags: google, bing, search, 21cif

  • Here's a side by side comparison of Bing Vs Google results on the term: Information Fluency
    
    21cif.com ( formerly 21cif.imsa.edu ) has been online for 10+ years and dominates the Google Search results. Nothing in the top ten for Bing? Google ranks our old url #1 and our new url #4. Give this a try for your self with the same terms? I'll bet you get radically different results from Google than I do. Since I've worked on the 21cif project for nearly 8 years, I know the materials well. Also Google has adapted to my search habits and provides me with more links relevant to my interest. On the Google page I'm given a link to my search-wiki results: http://tinyurl.com/21cif-search-wiki - By Dennis OConnor

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Google Squared: Try it?

• Google Squared

  Just try it to see what it does. 8-)

• Explore Google Search

  Tags: Google, search, 21cif

  • Search is at the heart of everything we do at Google. Our engineers work every day to solve the hardest search problems, and thus improve your online experience. Here's a glimpse at what they do, the features they've built and the remarkable user stories that inspire our work.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Twitter & John Quincy Adams

• John Quincy Adams, Twitterer? - NYTimes.com

  Clever use of social networking tech. The initial take on twitter was that it just broadcast mindless sort personal observations. This use turns that idea around. Interesting way to teach a bit of history. What if we started tweeting Basho & Issa, the great Japanese haiku poets? Hmmm sounds like a fun lit project doesn't it?

  Tags: twitter, history

  • Clever use of social networking tech. The initial take on twitter was that it just broadcast mindless sort personal observations. This use turns that idea around. Interesting way to teach a bit of history. What if we started tweeting Basho & Issa, the great Japanese haiku poets? Hmmm sounds like a fun lit project doesn't it? - By Dennis OConnor
  • They may be two centuries old, but, written with staccato-like brevity, entries from one of Adams’s diaries resemble tweets sufficiently that they began appearing Wednesday on Twitter.
  • The diary, which Adams maintained until April 1836, is a rarity among the many he kept, in that the description for each day is no more than one line long. Historians believe he used the descriptions as references to longer entries in other journals.
  • Word spread, and the society decided to tweet the entries. They average 110 to 120 characters, below the 140-character limit imposed by Twitter, and there is nary an LOL or BFF among them.
  • The posts will link to maps that, using the latitude and longitude coordinates from his entries, pinpoint his progress across the ocean. There will also be links to the longer entries of other Adams diaries, which can be found on the society’s Web site, http://www.masshist.org/jqadiaries/.
  • The idea appears to be working. As of Wednesday evening, only nine hours after the first entry was Twittered, the post had more than 4,800 followers, and Mr. Dibbell said the number was climbing.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Librarian Blogs

100 Best Blogs for Librarians of the Future - Learn-gasm

Interesting list. Who doesn't love lists? Scan for library blogs that may be new to you!

100 Best Blogs for Librarians of the Future

As a modern day library student, you’re probably excited about discovering and experimenting with the new tools and systems that have changed the way we find, receive and catalog information. But with all of the new technology out there, it can be hard to keep track of everything beyond your own niche field of study. This collection of library and information technology blogs have changed that, and now you’ll be able to learn about all of the trends, developments, tools and resources available to librarians in every niche.

Battle of the e-readers! Who wins?

An Apple tablet could pit iTunes against Amazon - CNN.com

• This is a speculative blog piece based on rumors of an Apple tablet computer that may (or may not) be released this fall. I've been dreaming of the ultimate e-book reader and the freedom to use low cost specific chapters from text books in my onilne classes. Will Apple satisfy those dreams? ~ Den
  
  What can Apple do better with e-books? For textbooks or anthologies, Apple can give iTunes users the ability to download individual chapters, priced between a few cents to a few bucks each.

  Tags: e-book, apple, 21cif

  • Reading in the 21st Century is changing. I crave a hybrid technology that combines the joys of a traditional book with the power and reach of modern tech. This might be the next step in the evolution of e-books and online reading. We'll see! - By Dennis OConnor

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Open The iPhone?

• Why The FCC Wants To Smash Open The iPhone - washingtonpost.com

  Opening the iPhone would make educational apps much easier to publish. Apple's monopoly means e-text-book readers and classroom use of hand held computers (which is what the iPhone and iPod reall are) have to pay a toll to Apple.
  
  Right now, Apple's approval system is cloaked in mystery. Developers have no way to market their products without 'official' approval. Opening up the iPhone and by extension opening up wireless networks around the country will drive down high prices and bring connectivity to more inexpensive computing devices.
  
  I hope this FCC investigation is the domino that kicks open the door to the clouds of connectivity that are already out there!

  Tags: cloud, google voice, apps, iphone, e-learning, 21cif

  • Opening the iPhone would make educational apps much easier to publish. Apple's monopoly means e-text-book readers and classroom use of hand held computers (which is what the iPhone and iPod reall are) have to pay a toll to Apple.
    
    Right now, Apple's approval system is cloaked in mystery. Developers have no way to market their products without 'official' approval. Opening up the iPhone and by extension opening up wireless networks around the country will drive down high prices and bring connectivity to more inexpensive computing devices.
    
    I hope this FCC investigation is the domino that kicks open the door to the clouds of connectivity that are already out there! - By Dennis OConnor
  • Opening the iPhone would make educational apps much easier to publish. Apple's monopoly means e-text-book readers and classroom use of hand held computers (which is what the iPhone and iPod reall are) have to pay a toll to Apple.
    
    Right now, Apple's approval system is cloaked in mystery. Developers have no way to market their products without 'official' approval. Opening up the iPhone and by extension opening up wireless networks around the country will drive down high prices and bring connectivity to more inexpensive computing devices.
    
    I hope this FCC investigation is the domino that kicks open the door to the clouds of connectivity that are already out there! - By Dennis OConnor
  • Right about now, Apple probably wishes it had never rejected Google Voice and related apps from the iPhone. Or maybe it was AT&T who rejected the apps. Nobody really knows. But the FCC launched an investigation last night to find out, sending letters to all three companies (Apple, AT&T, and Google) asking them to explain exactly what happened.
  • The FCC investigation is not just about the arbitrary rejection of a single app. It is the FCC's way of putting a stake in the ground for making the wireless networks controlled by cell phone carriers as open as the Internet.
  • Google must secretly be pleased as punch. It was only two years ago, prior to the 700MHz wireless spectrum auctions, that it was pleading with the FCC to adopt principles guaranteeing open access for applications, devices, services, and other networks. Now two years later, in a different context and under a different administration, the FCC is pushing for the same principles.
  • On the wired Internet, we can connect any type of PC or other computing device and use any applications we want on those devices. On the wireless Internet controlled by cellular carriers like AT&T, we can only use the phones they allow on their networks and can only use the applications they approve.

  • FCC cites "pending FCC proceedings regarding wireless open access (RM-11361) and handset exclusivity (RM-11497). That first proceeding on open access dates back to 2007 when Skype requested that cell phone carriers open up their networks to all applications (see Skype's petition here). Like Google Voice, Skype helps consumers bypass the carriers. The carriers don't like that because that's their erodes their core business and turns them into dumb pipes.
    

  • But dumb pipes are what we need. They are good for consumers and good for competition because they allow any application and any device, within reason, to flower on the wireless Internet.

  • The FCC also wants Apple to explain the arbitrariness of its app approval process:
    

    4. Please explain any differences between the Google Voice iPhone application and any Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications that Apple has approved for the iPhone. Are any of the approved VoIP applications allowed to operate on AT&T?s 3G network?5. What other applications have been rejected for use on the iPhone and for what reasons? Is there a list of prohibited applications or of categories of applications that is provided to potential vendors/developers? If so, is this posted on the iTunes website or otherwise disclosed to consumers?6. What are the standards for considering and approving iPhone applications? What is the approval process for such applications (timing, reasons for rejection, appeal process, etc.)? What is the percentage of applications that are rejected? What are the major reasons for rejecting an application?
    
    
  • Why does it take a formal request from a government agency to get Apple (and AT&T) to explain what the rules are to get on the wireless Internet?

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I want the ultimate e-book reader bundled with everything else...NOW!

• An Apple tablet could pit iTunes against Amazon - CNN.com

  This is a speculative blog piece based on rumors of an Apple tablet computer that may (or may not) be released this fall. I've been dreaming of the ultimate e-book reader and the freedom to use low cost specific chapters from text books in my onilne classes. Will Apple satisfy those dreams? ~ Den
  
  What can Apple do better with e-books? For textbooks or anthologies, Apple can give iTunes users the ability to download individual chapters, priced between a few cents to a few bucks each.

  Tags: e-book, apple, 21cif

  • Reading in the 21st Century is changing. I crave a hybrid technology that combines the joys of a traditional book with the power and reach of modern tech. This might be the next step in the evolution of e-books and online reading. We'll see! - By Dennis OConnor

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Investigative Searching Tutorials: Website Evaluation

Website Evaluation: Part of the WSI (Web Site Investigator) Series

• Interactive Website Evaluation Tutorials

  10 online Flash games to teach 'investigative searching'. Learn how to dig deep into a website to determine credibility of the resource.

  Tags: 21cif, website evaluation, information literacy, information fluency

  • Investigative Searching Tutorials

    Use these interactive tutorials to strengthen your skills locating and evaluating information.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

21st Century Librarian Steps Up at The University of Maryland

• Media-Newswire.com - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency

  Tags: 21cif, library2.0

  • "Librarians offer an important voice in this emerging technology environment and Maryland is an especially exciting place to work right now," says Steele. "The University has a dynamic vision for the future and appreciates the role libraries can play in achieving it. We'll be able to collaborate with top researchers on campus, and our enviable proximity to the nation's capital will give great access to the many leadership organizations."
  • Steele emphasizes that university libraries must collaborate with units across campus, serving as a catalyst for change in the production, distribution and preservation of scholarly output. She also sees a teaching role for libraries, "assuring the information fluency" of students.
  • (Media-Newswire.com) - COLLEGE PARK,Md. - The University of Maryland has named as its new dean of university libraries, Patricia A. Steele - a national leader in the Google Project and other efforts to digitize collections creating wider access to universities' information resources. Steele, described as a visionary and dynamic leader, currently directs the libraries at Indiana University Bloomington. She begins at Maryland on Sept. 1.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Innovations and Opportunities for Media Specialists

Taught by noted library media specialist Mary Alice Anderson

In The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” With the beginning of each new school year, media specialists have a chance to start fresh.

Innovations and Opportunities for Media Specialists is your opportunity to get recharged and energized to deliver a media program that has an integral role in today’s changing education environment. The course focuses on examination of current critical issues facing the media profession. Topics include understanding, surviving, and impacting change, program advocacy, data collection and becoming a leader in technology integration.

Activities include harnessing the power of Google, applying innovative web 2.0 technology tools to support engaged student learning, and examining online professional development options for your staff. Participants will complete practical course projects that meet the unique needs of their own professional growth and their media program.

Media specialists just beginning their careers and those currently in the field will gain new ideas to apply in daily work and program development.

It’s been a tough year for many media specialists, but there is still work to do and much to learn. I’d love to have you join the discussion. Mary Alice

Learn more about this course Online Graduate Course from the University of Wisconsin-Stout | Read comments from past students

Electroninc Liturature 101: Hyper-Link Reading & Understanting

• Electronic Literature

  Electronic literature uses links, images, sound, navigation, as well as text to convey meaning. Electronic literature is ergodic, and thus it is up to the reader to piece together the materials as the reader goes through the work. Elit 101explains how these elements work to convey meaning and provides examples and exercises for each element.

  Tags: writing, writing across the curriculum, 6-traits

  • Electronic literature uses links, images, sound, navigation, as well as text to convey meaning. Electronic literature is ergodic, and thus it is up to the reader to piece together the materials as the reader goes through the work. Elit 101explains how these elements work to convey meaning and provides examples and exercises for each element.
  • This is a beta-launch. I would like to work directly with some high school/college classes to refine the exercises. Please contact me at deenalarsen AT yahoo.com.
    
    Thanks.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Twitter your next library job!

• TMJ-USA Library Jobs (tmj_usa_library) on Twitter

  Here's a Twitter Feed for library media specialists

  Tags: library media specialist, jobs, jobsearch

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Project Tuva: great video lectures wrapped in Web 2.0 tools

• Project Tuva: Enhanced Video Player Home - Microsoft Research

  A new project from Bill Gates that provides a series of video lectures to "explore core scientific concepts and theories". Includes "..searchable videos, transcripts, notes and interactive extras." Free, requires installing a Microsoft plug-in called Silverlight. Currently there are 7 lectures from the 60's by Richard Feynman. Includes links to extras that are rich and varied. This resource is a treasure for all.

  Tags: tuva, physics, lectures, feynman, research, microsoft, science, lecture, 21cif

  • A new project from Bill Gates that provides a series of video lectures to "explore core scientific concepts and theories". Includes "..searchable videos, transcripts, notes and interactive extras." Free, requires installing a Microsoft plug-in called Silverlight. - By Dennis OConnor

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Google for Educators

• Google For Educators
• Tags: google, e-learning, education, tools, teaching, resources, 21cif
  • At Google, we support teachers in their efforts to empower students and expand the frontiers of human knowledge. That’s why we’ve assembled the information and tools you’ll find on this site. Learn more about Google for Educators.

• Home ‎(Google Teacher Academy Resources)‎

  Tags: google, education, technology, resources

  • This site was created to support the Google Teacher Academy (GTA). Anyone may view the site and take advantage of the resources shared here. Only Google Certified Teachers (GCT) are free to edit and add to the site. Google Certified Teachers, please follow the Guidelines when you edit the site.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Greenroom - a Great LearningTimes Podcast Series

Viewing Feed (Subscribe to the Greenroom)

• Here's a way to subscribe to the Learning Times Greenroom. This is one of the very best produced ed-tech podcasts I've listened to. Professional production values, fascinating topics, and professional production standards. Stay on the cutting edge of web 2.0 by listening to Susan Manning and Dan Balzer!

  Tags: podcast, podcasting, ed-tech, web 2.0

  • Here's a way to subscribe to the Learning Times Greenroom. This is one of the very best produced ed-tech podcasts I've listened to. Professional production values, fascinating topics, and professional production standards. Stay on the cutting edge of web 2.0 by listening to Susan Manning and Dan Balzer! - By Dennis OConnor

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.