Information+Fluency

Led by [|Buffy] and [|Gwyneth]toc

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=What is Information Fluency? = Quick Answer: "Using wikis and blogs to make the research process more transparent and interactive." (Valenza). Longer Answer: "Information fluency is the ability to apply the skills associated with information literacy, computer literacy and critical thinking to address and solve information problems across disciplines, across academic levels, and across information format structures ([|Callison]). According to [|The Associated Colleges of the South], "using critical thinking skills and appropriate technologies, information fluency integrates the abilities to:
 * collect the information necessary to consider a problem or issue
 * employ critical thinking skills in the evaluation and analysis of the information and its sources
 * formulate logical conclusions and present those conclusions in an appropriate and effective way" - [|Information Age Inquiry]

This is an amazing, comprehensive site, covers every aspect of information fluency! Includes: Resource Kit contents (which include curriculum, links, workshops, interactives, and indices that categorize all site content by information fluency competency and ISTE-NETS). Teacher-Librarians MUST check this site out.
 * 21st Century Information Fluency-** [|**Full Circle**]**:**

= = =Mobile Reference=


 * [|CIA World Factbook]
 * [|WorldBook English Dictionary and Thesaurus]
 * [|U.S. Historical Documents]
 * [|Dictionary.com]
 * [|Google Mobile]
 * [|TED Talks]
 * [|OCLC WorldCatMobile]
 * [|Kindle for iPhone]
 * [|Stanza]

=Search Tools=

//__Google Tools__//
> media type="youtube" key="_Ah7ZWYjxdM" height="295" width="480" > media type="youtube" key="MtirDMfcOKE" height="295" width="480" media type="custom" key="4640834" [|Get Going with Google Apps in Your School]- from the [|The Innovative Educator]
 * [|Google News Timeline]
 * [|Google News]
 * [|Google Squared] (for building comparisons)
 * [|Google Books]
 * [|Google Alerts]
 * [|Google Custom Search]
 * Google Wonder Wheel (graphical way of exploring related searches)
 * [|Google Search Options]
 * Need More Help? Check out the [|Google Channel on YouTube] for tutorial videos

//__Search Engines__//

 * [|Wolfram|Alpha] (computational knowledge engine)
 * [|Boolify] (an educational boolean search tool)
 * [|100 Search Engines You Should Know]

= __Information Organization and Management__ =

What is a Widget?
A widget is anything that can be embedded within a page of [|HTML], i.e. a web page. A widget adds some content to that page that is not static. Generally widgets are originated by third parties, though they can be home made. Embeddable chunks of code have existed since the early development of the World Wide Web. Web developers have long sought and used third party code chunks in their pages. Early web widgets provided functions such as link counters and advertising banners. Now you can make them work for you! - [|Wikipedia]

Adding Widgets
= = Adding Video & Widgets to a Wikispaces page is really easy Check out the Comic Life graphic & this [|wikipage] for directions. - =  = [|How to Embed Almost Anything in your Website]

Widgets are mini-applications that may be embedded in websites, blogs, wikis, Nings, etc. They are often dynamic and interactive. You may use widgets to subscribe to RSS feeds and other push content. Note: Most of the Digital Storytelling Tools and online Video portals provide embed code.

**[|Unquiet Library Pathfinder]**

Finding Widgets
|| * [|Widgenie] (create and embed charts and graphs) ||
 * * [|NetVibes Ecosystem]
 * [|Widgets for Free blog]
 * [|Widget Box]
 * [|Google Gadgets]
 * [|About.com Web Widgets]
 * [|ReadWriteWeb: Evolution of Web Widgets]
 * [|About.com: Top Widget Galleries]
 * [|Widgipedia]
 * [|SpringWidgets]
 * [|Embeditin] (tools for embedding documents and web pages)
 * [|Widgets Everywhere] (TechCrunch)
 * [|Feedzilla]
 * [|WidgetBeat]
 * [|50+ Web Widgets for Learning]
 * [|Britannica Widgets]
 * [|Widgadgets Widget Gallery]
 * [|MyBooo]
 * [|Wikispaces Widget Handout]

Government Widgets

 * [|U.S. Government Gadget Gallery]
 * [|Government Widgets]
 * [|Free Government Information]
 * [|CDC Widgets]
 * [|EPA Widgets]
 * [|NOAAWatch Web Widgets]
 * [|Federal Citizen Information Center Widget]
 * [|FBI Widgets]
 * [|Open Congress]
 * [|Capital Tweets]
 * [|Open Secrets]
 * [|GovTrack](Congress)
 * [|Library of Congress: The Commons] (photographs)
 * [|Library of Congress Flickr Photostream]

Database Widgets
> coming soon!)
 * [|EBSCO Searchbox Builder]
 * [|Gale Widgets]
 * [|Gale Publication Search Widget]
 * [|Facts on File Widgets]
 * [|Alternate Facts on File Widgets (works better on wikis and blogs)>]
 * [|ProQuest Search Widget Creator]
 *  [|ProQuest K12 Widgets]
 * SIRS, Login and go to Educator's Resources to generate a custom SIRS Search Widget. (SIRS Leading Issues Widget
 * [|JSTOR Search]

Widget Potpourri
|| * [|FlickrSlider] (embed image sets, groups, etc.) ||
 * * [|PBS Teacher Activity Packs]
 * [|National Geographic Widgets]
 * [|Education Week Widgets]
 * [|Daily Quotes for Lifelong Learners]
 * [|EdTechWidgets]
 * [|Daily Language Arts Printables, Grade 5]
 * [|This Day in History]
 * [|Gigapan] (allows for amazing zooming and moving around)
 * [|EdWeek Widgets]
 * [|Glogster] and [|Glogster.edu] (for embedding collage/posters)
 * [|Cozi (calendar widget)]
 * [|Picture Trail] (for creating an animated slideshow)
 * [|ShowYourself] (for true social networking transparency)
 * [|ClustrMaps]( hit counter //map// widget and tracker shows locations of all visitors to any site - free)
 * [|FriendFeed]
 * [|Twitter Widgets]
 * [|Twidget]
 * [|SlideShare]
 * NetWeather
 * [|Scribd]
 * [|PollDaddy](easy to use embeddable poll & questionnaire)
 * [|fmAtlas] (embeddable maps)
 * [|PictureTrail] (fancy slideshows)
 * [|Voki]
 * [|PhotoFaceDashboard]
 * [|Periodic Table]
 * Learning Activities Widgets
 * [|Learning Activities Widget Games]
 * [|Surfing the Net With Kids Widgets] (Barbara Feldman)
 * School House Widgets
 * [|MuseumPod]
 * Feedzilla Music Video Widget
 * [|Flickr PhotoWhirl Widget]
 * [|Tagul Word Cloud]

Book Widgets

 * [|Shelfari] (social networking too)
 * [|LibraryThing] (big book network)
 * [|GoodReads]
 * [|GuruLib]
 * [|Random House Book Widgets]
 * [|BookBox] (embeddable bookshelves)
 * [|KidderLit] (twitter chat about children's lit & widgets)
 * [|HarperCollins BrowseInside]
 * [|Embeddable Google Books]
 * [|Google Book Search Widget]
 * [|JacketFlap]
 * [|JacketFlap: Children's Book Choice Award Widget]
 * [|International Children's Digital Library Book of the Day Gadget]
 * [|BookLoverQuotes]
 * [|New York Times Book Review Widget]
 * [|Scholastic Teacher Book Widget]

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News Widgets

 * [|USA Today Widgets]
 * [|New York Times Widget Builder]
 * [|Washington Post Widgets]
 * [|Washington Post Time Space Widgets]
 * [|Reuters' Widgets]
 * [|CBS News Widgets]
 * [|Time Magazine]
 * [|Twitter Badges]
 * [|Feedzilla News Widgets]

//__Information Portals__//

 * [|NetVibes]
 * [|PageFlakes]
 * [|iGoogle]
 * [|SproutBuilder]

media type="youtube" key="0klgLsSxGsU" height="344" width="425"

 * [|Introduction to RSS]
 * [|Merrily Down the Stream: RSS Makes It Easy to Gather Information]

//__Feed Aggregators__//
> media type="youtube" key="VSPZ2Uu_X3Y" height="340" width="560"
 * [|**Google Reader**]

//__Social Bookmarking__//
> media type="custom" key="4606702" > media type="youtube" key="x66lV7GOcNU" height="344" width="425"
 * [|**Diigo**]
 * [|**delicious**]

//Citation 2.0//

 * **[|Zotero]**
 * **[|CiteULike]**

=__Evaluating Information__=

= =
 * [|Evaluating Blogs] ; also [|here]
 * [|Evaluating Blogs] - David Warlick
 * [|Kathy Schrocks's Critical Evaluation Surveys] - PDF's for all levels & links to other evaluation sites - extensive!
 * Find out your blog's readability level at [|SMOG]- G. Harry McLaughlin
 * [|Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools] - Cornell University
 * [|Five criteria for evaluating Web pages] - Cornell University
 * [|Blog Rubric from Marta Valle] - See the rubric a New York City teacher is using with her students