Information Fluency
September 2011 Information Fluency Community Newsletter
In This Issue
Information Investigator 3.1
Elementary Fluency
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21st Century Information Fluency Project
In the northern hemisphere, school is resuming for millions of students. As educators think about ways to foster 21st century learning, Information Fluency offers many powerful resources to help with that task.

This summer, we piloted a new self-paced, interactive assessment package entitled Information Investigator 3.0. The second edition (3.1) is available this fall and is ideal for middle schools and high schools that need a self-paced tutorial and assessment package.
Carl Heine and
Dennis O'Connor

Information Fluency
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information investigator 3.1
Information Investigator 3.1 is our newest approach to information fluency assessment and training. This package starts with a 10-level interactive tutorial that diagnoses and strengthens eight key search and evaluation competencies. Live search challenges are coupled with "first aid kits" that address the knowledge and skills needed to succeed. A Certification Exam is provided after the tutorials to assess information fluencies in finding and evaluating information. The entire experience can be completed in about 3 hours.

If you are interested in previewing the entire package for your students, please contact Carl at carl@21cif.com. No obligation. This package was developed with feedback from teachers and library media specialists last spring. Over 900 students in middle school and high school used the materials this summer and improved their information fluency scores by over 50%. Group discounts available.
Elementary Fluency

Back to SchoolWe've been asked by a program director at Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development to think about creating online tutorials and assessments for students in grades 3 - 5. 

 

This is a challenging project: what do students in elementary grades need to know, what skills should they possess to prepare them for middle school information fluency?

 

A couple years ago we created an elementary workshop to address these needs. That workshop may be found here.  It's by no means comprehensive. For instance, we didn't address elementary students' difficulties in telling the difference between information and advertising. That could be a key area to focus on. 

 

Creating a bridge that builds on those ideas and connects with Information Investigator 3.0 and 3.1 could make an interesting project. Information Investigator 3.x represents our latest thinking about information skills that middle school and high school should possess.  There is surprisingly little difference between the capabilities of middle school and high school students. I'll outline that in an upcoming report based on a study of over 900 students conducted this summer.

 

If you are interested in having conversations about materials and activities that position learners in elementary grades to be more fluent upon entering middle school, I'd like to work with you. 

Let me know if you are interested!  We will move the conversation to CoolHub.IMSA where we develop projects like this. Email Carl directly at carl@21cif.com.



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