Visual Searching

Quintura

• Web 2.0 oriented search engine uses cloud array of search terms to change the way we search. Includes a Kid's version.
  

• Video Overview: http://www.quintura.com/Help/en/movies/tour_01.html
  

  Tags: visual, searching

  • popular search topics
    • searching is limited to popular choices - By Carl Heine

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Center for Social Media American University

• The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education -- Publications -- Center for Social Media at American University

  An important document for the school media specialist, that asks educators to engage students in interacting with contemporary media under the guidelines of fair use policies. This work has the potential to RADICALLY expand fair use for educators. WATCH THIS one!
  

  Tags: best practices, media literacy, copyright, fair use, school libraries

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Copyright Crash Course for Students

• CRASH COURSE IN COPYRIGHT

  This looks like a good way for students to learn about copyright in the digital age.

  Tags: copyright, fair, use

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

PBS for Library Media & Tech Coordinators

PBS Teachers . Library Media & Tech Coordinators

Tags: library2.0, MediaSpecialist

Library Media & Tech Coordinators

• PBS provides Library Media Specialists and Technology Coordinators with resources to support media and technology integration.

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Fresh Start! 21cif.imsa.edu becomes 21CIF.Com

Equals = http://21cif.com

What's New?

The 21st Century Information Fluency Project has a new home!

Careful searchers know that the URL contains important evaluation information. So what does our switch from 21cif.imsa.edu to 21cif.com mean?

21cif is no longer published by the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy where it was conceived and developed. With the generous help of IMSA, the authors of the project have acquired all of the project's intellectual property rights. We are now independent publishers operating as a private company. We remain dedicated to keeping our Information Fluency research alive and thriving!

The old rule of thumb that says ".com is bad" has been irrelevant for a long time. In our case, the change from .edu to .com means our materials remain fresh and under continual revision.

All of the 21cif resources remain free. The funds needed to support our research will come from tuition or licenses for customized training, facilitated courses, and similar products.

Automatic Re-Direction of links. Our materials can still be found via 21cif.imsa.edu URLs. However, traffic is automatically re-directed to our new URL at 21cif.com. This means older links will lead directly to our new URL at 21cif.com. This will make it easier for you to update your links to our project. We are following Google's recommended procedure for maintaining our search index reputation. Our goal is to avoid broken links and create a smooth transition for all of our visitors.

What's Ahead?

• New Energy
• New Ideas
• New Games
• New Presentations
• New Workshops

Learn more about new 21cif initiatives by subscribing to our newsletter.

We look forward to working with you for many years!

Carl Heine & Dennis O'Connor
Information Fluency Partners

Diigo: InformationLiteracy / Fluency links

Join the Information Fluency Group on Diigo!



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

• PBS Teachers . Library Media & Tech Coordinators

  Tags: library2.0, MediaSpecialist

• Library Media & Tech Coordinators

  • PBS provides Library Media Specialists and Technology Coordinators with resources to support media and technology integration.

• CyberSmart!

  Free k-12 Curriculum featuring Information Fluency/literacy issues.
  
  Professionally prepared, available by grade level in pdf format.

  Tags: cybersmart, curriculum, cybersafety, web2.0, information fluency

  • Two free resources support daily teaching. The free CyberSmart!
    Student Curriculum empowers students to use the Internet safely, responsibly,
    and effectively. The free CyberSmart!
    Educator Toolbar puts 21st century skills into practice every day, with
    just-in-time 24/7 access to annotated essential resources to support student
    learning.

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Diigo: Annotated Links from the Information Fluency Group

Join us on Diigo.




Help us build a robust social bookmarking network!

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• Search Engine Optimization Glossary

  A glossary of search engine and technical terms. This is a wiki based system Handy!

  Tags: glossary

• Internet Search Challenge: Coolhunting Web 2.0
  

  Tags: coolhunting, web2.0, search

• • From Carl Heine: Working on the tech edge as usual!
    
  • The basis of coolhunting is that you can use Web 2.0 tools to locate creative swarms of individuals who are developing new ideas before they reach a tipping point. Web 2.0 forums, chat, bulletin boards, etc. (even emails) afford a window into the communication patterns of people who are engaged in creative swarms.
    
  • That means when searching Web 2.0 for information, at least 80% of people are at a distinct disadvantage. Without being involved in a conversation, they don't earn the trust of the individuals who are involved.
  • I highly recommend reading the book Coolhunting by Peter Gloor and Scott Cooper if you want to know more about social network analysis, swarm creativity, collaborative innovation networks and so on. There are some very powerful search tools in this field that are like Google on steroids. I'll blog about that later.

• North America – 360 Cities

  Virtual Worlds: Visit a city online! 360 degree photo images of cities around the world. (Search engine)
  

  Tags: photo, photography

• What is Moodle explained with Lego

  Very clever and clear slide show that illustrates what Moodle is and what it can do. We teach our online classes using Moodle and the learning games we have online are quite modular. The Lego Brick analogy fits!
  
  Audience: educators / trainers interested in e-learning and online teaching.

  Tags: moodle, slideshow

• Geezers online and implications for schools

  From Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog. Doug provides a link to the new Generations Online in 2009 report from the Pew Internet project. The chart of Generational Differences In Online Activities is an eye opener. (Since I have geezer eyeballs, the title of this post really appeals to me!) As always Doug writes with humor and insight. If you haven't read his Blue Skunk Blog... you're missing something great!
  

  Tags: e-learning, online education, demographics, blue-skunk, doug johnson

  • While school leaders (rightly) focus on the importance of the Internet in students' lives and education, we ought to also seriously be considering what this report says about how we communicate with our parents and communities. And asking what expectations we should have of all teachers of an online presence and use of digital communications.
  • Most of our parents fall smack into the Gen X category - that which has a disproportionately high percentage number of online users and is increasingly likely to look for information online.
  • Too often educators think of students as their "customers." Dangerous mistake. Children no more choose their schools than they choose their physicians or shoe stores. Parents who wouldn't choose a bank that does not allow online account access won't choose a school that doesn't offer online gradebook access either.

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

Technologically Illiterate Teachers?

Hmm... Let me check. Yep! It's the 21st Century and the first decade is almost gone!

NOW is the time for INFORMATION FLUENCY.

• The Fischbowl: Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

  I read this post several years ago and it got my blood moving. The author, Karl Fisch lays it on the line. This post was voted the most influential ed-blog post of 2007. It's 2009 already and still a very relevant piece of work. A must read!

  Tags: e-learning, professional-development, technology integration, 21cif, information fluency

  • Here is my list:
    
    1. All educators must achieve a basic level of technological capability.
    
    2. People who do not meet the criterion of #1 should be embarrassed, not proud, to say so in public.
    
    3. We should finally drop the myth of digital natives and digital immigrants. Back in July 2006 I said in my blog, in the context of issuing guidance to parents about e-safety:
    
    "I'm sorry, but I don't go for all this digital natives and immigrants stuff when it comes to this: I don't know anything about the internal combustion engine, but I know it's pretty dangerous to wander about on the road, so I've learnt to handle myself safely when I need to get from one side of the road to the other."
  • 4. Headteachers and Principals who have staff who are technologically-illiterate should be held to account.
    
    5. School inspectors who are technologically illiterate should be encouraged to find alternative employment.
    
    6. Schools, Universities and Teacher training courses who turn out students who are technologically illiterate should have their right to a licence and/or funding questioned.
    
    7. We should stop being so nice. After all, we've got our qualifications and jobs, and we don't have the moral right to sit placidly on the sidelines whilst some educators are potentially jeopardising the chances of our youngsters.
  • If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write.
    
    Extreme? Maybe. Your thoughts?
  • Keep in mind that was written after a particularly frustrating day. I’ve gone back and forth on this issue myself. At times completely agreeing with Terry (and myself above), and at other times stepping back and saying that there’s so much on teacher’s plates that it’s unrealistic to expect them to take this on as quickly as I’d like them to. But then I think of our students, and the fact that they don't much care how much is on our plates. As I've said before, this is the only four years these students will have at our high school - they can't wait for us to figure it out.
  • In order to teach it, we have to do it. How can we teach this to kids, how can we model it, if we aren’t literate ourselves? You need to experience this, you need to explore right along with your students. You need to experience the tools they’ll be using in the 21st century, developing your own networks in parallel with your students. You need to demonstrate continual learning, lifelong learning – for your students, or you will continue to teach your students how to be successful in an age that no longer exists
  • If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write.

• ASCD Inservice: The Curse of the Digitally Illiterate

  A solid and timely article about the professional responsibility all educators have to become digitally literate. The comments on this blog are particularly good. You get a real feel for what's happening in the trenches

  Tags: 21cif, information fluency, information literacy, professional-development, teacher training

  • In his article in the February Educational Leadership ("Learning with Blogs and Wikis"), Bill Ferriter argues that digital tools like RSS feeds and aggregators help educators advance their professional learning. But first, some teachers need to join the ranks of the literate
  • Sadly, digital illiteracy is more common that you might think in schools. There are hundreds of teachers that haven't yet mastered the kinds of tools that have become a part of the fabric of learning—and life—for our students. We ban cell phones, prohibit text messaging, and block every Web application that our students fall in love with. We see gaming as a corrupting influence in the lives of children and remain convinced that Google is making us stupid.

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

Professional Searchers Vocabulary

• Search Engine Optimization Glossary

  A glossary of search engine and technical terms. This is a wiki based system. A quick way to grasp search concepts is to master the professional vocabulary. This glossary is focused on SEO, Search Engine Optimization, which is the analysis of how information if indexed and ranked by the likes of Google and Yahoo. This is a handy reference!

  Tags: glossary

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

Information Fluency Online Classes: Begins February 9, 2009

Power-Searching In a Web 2.0 World

| 4 weeks | $99

This is a 4 week overview class suitable for beginning, intermediate, and advanced searchers.

• We use discussions, open-book quizzes, interactive glossaries, and learning games to teach information fluency.


• You will learn to search, evaluate, and ethically use online materials


• We will help you locate materials specific to your needs.


• We will show you how to investigate the credibility of the resources you find online.


• We will help you create a personal search engine based on the online materials you select.


• Our materials are designed to help you teach these skills to your own audience.


• Join us! It's fun!

Introduction to Google Docs

| 1 week | $40

This is a one week introduction to the essentials of Google Documents designed for those who have never used Google Docs. If you're using Google Docs and need some guidance we can help you learn how to use this powerful (and complex) online tool.

• Learn to create and share online documents using Google's powerful and free document sharing tools.


• Learn to use earlier revisions of a document.


• Learn how to create a webpage from a Google document.


• Ask questions and find answers working with an online facilitator.


• Access a rich set of educator resources that will help you teach with Google Docs

---

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours a week will this take?

Courses take about 5 hours per week. (You can certainly spend more time if you wish.)

Will I be working alone or with a group?

You'll be working with an online teacher who monitors the course on a daily basis. Our classes are fully moderated. That means you're working with a facilitator and other members of the class to learn together. You'll be able to get help, ask questions, and learn from both the facilitator and other participants.

What if I've never taken an online class?

We have an information rich, but low pressure learning environment. This class is a good introduction to learning online. Many of your classmates will be taking their first online course. Try it!

How will we learn online?

We take a hands-on approach. We use the Moodle online learning management system to organize and present our courses. Moodle is a popular online learning environment used around the world.

• You follow a set of instructions that explain the goals and objectives of the course.


• You watch online videos demonstrating essential concepts.


• You refer to a glossary of technology terms to acquire a professional vocabulary.


• The PowerSearching class uses discussion forums, learning games, and open book quizzes to introduce the concepts.


• All classes have a Question and Answer forum that is monitored daily by your instructor.

What kind of technology do I need?

• You need a reliable Internet connection.
  
  
  
  • We recommend a high speed connection.
  
  
  • Those using dial-up connects will need patience as the web-based materials load.
  
  
• You need a MacIntosh or PC with an updated web browser.
  
  
  
  • MacIntosh with Safari or Firefox
  
  
  • PC with Firefox or Internet Explorer.
  
  
  • (Most other browsers work with our Moodle learning management system.)
  
  
  • You will also need an up dated version of Adobe's free Flash Player.
  
  
• It is very convenient if you have access to an Internet computer at home and at work.
  
  
  
  • However this is not a requirement for success.
  
  

What kind of computer skills do I need?

• You should be able to navigate the Internet with your web browser.


• You should be able to use email.


• You should be familiar with word processing fundamentals.


• You should be interested in learning new communication concepts.


• By the end of the course you'll know more about both the course topic and web 2.0 concepts!


• It really help to be curious!

How long will I have access to the materials?

We leave the course open for at least three months after the class end date. You can return and browse the resources on your own schedule.

Is Course Credit is available?

• Illinois Educators can earn CDPU's for our courses.


• Educators from outside of Illinois can earn CEU's


• No additional charge for credit.
  
  
  
  • However you must complete the required number of course assignments.
  
  
• You can audit this class. (But you'll learn more with full participation.)


• (College credit is not available at this time.)

Can I preview the courses?

Yes, follow the link below. When prompted, login as a guest. This allows you to see an outline version of the courses without enrolling.

How do I enroll & pay?

Follow the link below to set up your personal 21CIF Moodle account.

• After you set up your account we will send you a confirmation email.


• You will then be able to enroll and pay for the class of your choice.


• We accept major credit cards.
  
  
  
  • We use a PayPal based secure payment system.
  
  
  • You do not need to become a PayPal member to use this system.
  
  
  • Your credit card information is not stored by PayPal or Information Fluency Partners.
  
  
• When you complete the payment and registration process you will be able to login to your class.


• The full course is available on the course opening date.


• To pay by invoice contact: carl@21cif.com.

Do you have free materials?

Yes, almost all of our materials are free online at 21cif.com. You'll find many years of research based curriculum materials on our site. We support our research project by offering online classes, conference presentations, and custom online programming for educational and corporate clients.

Click here to visit our list of online classes. (Login as Guest to preview the courses)

Look before you leap: 360 Cities online

• North America – 360 Cities

  360 degree photo images of cities around the world. (Search engine)

  Tags: photo, photography

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

Coolhunting: Social Network Analysis

Here's a link to a fascinating new post from Carl Heine, of Information Fluency Partners:

• Internet Search Challenge: Coolhunting Web 2.0

  Tags: coolhunting, web2.0, search

From the Blog: "The basis of coolhunting is that you can use Web 2.0 tools to locate creative swarms of individuals who are developing new ideas before they reach a tipping point. Web 2.0 forums, chat, bulletin boards, etc. (even emails) afford a window into the communication patterns of people who are engaged in creative swarms.

That means when searching Web 2.0 for information, at least 80% of people are at a distinct disadvantage. Without being involved in a conversation, they don't earn the trust of the individuals who are involved.

I highly recommend reading the book Coolhunting by Peter Gloor and Scott Cooper if you want to know more about social network analysis, swarm creativity, collaborative innovation networks and so on. There are some very powerful search tools in this field that are like Google on steroids. I'll blog about that later."

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