Information Literacy Assessment (aka test)

Trails is a project of Kent State University and the Institute of Library and Information Literacy Education.  This year we will be using it to assess 9th and 12th graders across the district.  We are doing this to provide benchmark data as we proceed to teach to the newly adopted California model library standards.  Teachers, librarians and administrators across the district and throughout the U.S. will be able to see the scores.  Your identity will remain anonymous.  I plan to use the scores to analyze what we are doing well and what we could improve on in the years ahead. After all in your class have taken the test, you will be able to review both your answers and the correct answers.  I will also post on this wiki, the class average.

You can help us get the best results by reading carefully and thinking critically.  Those students that score a 90% or above will be specially compensated with a trip to the treasure chest.  This is an incentive you won't want to miss. The senior class with the highest average will receive a special award at the end of the semester. Thank you all for participating in this year's important initial benchmark test.

TRAILS Test Links:

Electronic Notes & MLA Citations

• Graber Electronic Notes Example:  Graber EnotesAP.docx

•  How to Format Your Electronic Notes ( Please note that Graber requests that your notes be color coded; one color pro, another color con):  Electronic Note Cards Sullivanrev.pdf

• Citing your Sources:     
• Writing With Style District Manual
• Noodletools ( District purchased citation generator, set up your own account)
• Other Resources:  Owl at Purdue, EasyBib, KnightCite, World Book's Cite It Right

Evaluating Information Resources

Website Evaluation Wizard (Webb)

     This is a link to the 21st Century Information Fluency Wizard.  It is a tutorial was developed by the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and funded by the US Dept. of Education. It asks you to evaluate using at least 3 of their criteria.  Make sure that you choose the criteria that are most relevant to your selection of this information resource.

I evaluated a web resource I am using in my research with the evaluation wizard.  When I completed the evaluation, I copied it and pasted it into Word.  The resulting example is below.

Evaluating with 21CIL.pdf

Evaluation Criteria Handout (Graber, Hall, Libby, Schelhorse, Roy)

CRAAP Test worksheet (Graber, Libby, Schelhorse. Roy)

Evaluation Criteria Prezi (in progress)

Evaluate a Web Source Worksheet (Hall)

•      Locate a web source you are considering using in your research paper.
•      Evaluate the resource using the Evaluation Criteria Handout and determined that the source is current, relevant, authoritative,  

               accurate and meets your purpose.   Remember when in doubt, leave it out.

•      Click on the link above and fill out the worksheet.
•      Submit the worksheet for review by Mr. Hall and Ms. Powell.

The 21 Century Information Fluency website provides a thorough website evaluation tutorial.  Some of the handy tricks I learned are listed below.

• Looking for authority,  an author or publisher? First look for About Us or Contact Us on the web page.  Then try truncating the URL.  Don't know how? Check out the video:

Truncating a URL video

• Need evidence that your source is accurate? Learn how to triangulate.

•  "A biased author may not pay attention to all the facts or develop a logical argument to support his or her opinions."  Need help identifying a biased website?   Consider bias when evaluating for accuracy and purpose.

•  Have you conducted a Links to search to check for reliability?  Learn how and why to Link to.

• Need help finding the currency of the information or the date published? Check out how to find modification dates in both IE and FireFox.

Subscription Databases

For the senior project research paper you are required to use the subscription databases.  Databases are fantastic resources that have evaluated, cited, curriculum oriented information.  When you go to college or even use the public library database will be available to help you find quality resources for your research. 

Our databases and their links are below:

Books, the Reference Room and the Circuit

Books, whether in print or online, checkout or reference are great resources for many topics.  You can find books in our library by clicking on the Destiny Catalog link.  Also below are links to local public library catalogs and the Circuit (a combined public library and academic libraries catalog, that you can borrow books from with your public library card)

Library Catalog Links:

• Destiny (PHS Library) Catalog
• San Diego County Public Library  (the Poway branch is located near the skate park)
• San Diego Public Library (the city library has branches in Carmel Mtn and Rancho Bernardo)
• the Circuit (joint catalog for San Diego County libraries, CSUSM library, SDSU library, UCSD library, and USD library)

Catalog, Reference Room, Circuit Worksheet:

SrProjCatRef2010.doc

Catalog, Reference Room and the Circuit powerpoint introduction:

Srprojbooks2010.pdf