EDUCAUSE | Contributed by EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative and Information Literacy and Fluency

7 Things You Should Know About Wikipedia

ckeller — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:39:24 -0500

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia anyone can add to or edit. A highly popular resource, Wikipedia has become a primary research tool of college students, and it may help them develop comparative research skills. However, since Wikipedia’s entries don’t undergo verified expert review, many academics are concerned about its use for academic purposes.

The "7 Things You Should Know About..." series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) provides concise information on emerging learning technologies. Each brief focuses on a single technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use these briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues.

In addition to the "7 Things You Should Know About…" briefs, you may find other ELI resources useful in addressing teaching, learning, and technology issues at your institution. To learn more, please visit the ELI Resources page.

7 Things You Should Know About Facebook II

drupal — Fri, 11 May 2007 17:18:51 -0500

Since ELI's first brief on Facebook (http://www.educause.edu/LibraryDetailPage/666?ID=ELI7017), the social networking site originally developed for college and university students has become available to anyone. It now offers new ways of organizing social networks as well as extensive new features and access to other Web applications. Users can now manage online identities and engage other users much more easily. They also enjoy privacy policies that give them unprecedented control over how their personal information is handled on the site.

Reflecting, Writing, and Responding: Reasons Students Blog

drupal — Wed, 09 May 2007 10:10:43 -0500

Faculty and students are recognizing blogging's learning potential, including the chance to practice writing, reflect on others' thinking, and respond to critical analyses of one's own work. In this paper, a graduate student explores the campus "blogosphere" to discover who is blogging and what they are posting, as well as how faculty are using blogs in their courses and the results they are seeing.

7 Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling

drupal — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 10:01:06 -0600

Digital storytelling involves combining narrative with digital content to create a short movie. Digital stories can include interactive movies with highly produced audio and visual effects or presentation slides with narration or music. Some learning theorists believe that as a pedagogical technique, storytelling can be effectively applied to nearly any subject. Constructing a narrative and communicating it effectively require one to think carefully about the topic and the audience's perspective.

The "7 Things You Should Know About..." series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) provides concise information on emerging learning practices and technologies. Each brief focuses on a single practice or technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use "7 Things You Should Know About..." briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues.

7 Things You Should Know About Google Earth

drupal — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:37:51 -0600

Google Earth is an interactive mapping application that allows users to navigate (or "fly") the entire globe, viewing satellite imagery with overlays of roads, buildings, geographic features, and the like. Educators can use it to assess and bolster students' visual literacy. Students can use it to develop a context for spatial and cultural differences globally.

7 Things You Should Know About YouTube

drupal — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 10:16:13 -0500

YouTube is a video-sharing service that allows users to post personally developed videos of nearly any variety online, from animations to personal recordings. YouTube is one of an emerging class of social applications that allows users to share and form communities around their content. It draws users into engaging content as commentators and creators, activities that heighten students' visual literacy.

How Choice, Co-Creation, and Culture Are Changing What It Means to Be Net Savvy

drupal — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 10:43:54 -0500

The Web—and how we interact with it—has become part of our culture. The Internet is now the information universe, and we expect instant access. Content is created and co-created by amateurs as well as experts. More than ever, we choose what, when, and where to use information. What it means to be "net savvy" is changing because the nature of information itself has changed.

Getting Past Google: Perspectives on Information Literacy from the Millennial Mind

drupal — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 12:12:52 -0500

Many students may have only limited knowledge about how to effectively evaluate online resources and use them appropriately. This student perspective on information literacy uses anecdotes, personal examples, and statistics on Net Generation Web usage to highlight gaps in students' net savviness. The author also discusses how faculty, librarians, administrators, and students must work together to close those gaps.

7 Things You Should Know About Facebook

drupal — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 15:10:26 -0500

Information literacy—the ability to negotiate the opportunities and risks of the Internet age—is increasingly important. Facebook, a leading social networking site, highlights the information literacy challenges college students face. The site allows individuals to create profiles that include almost anything they want to post and dynamically links their information to others with similar information. While Facebook allows for easy, spontaneous networking, students may not recognize the potential consequences of submitting personal information to a public forum.

Ensuring the Net Generation Is Net Savvy

drupal — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 12:34:59 -0500

Net Gen students may know the Internet, but they are not necessarily "net savvy." Exposed to huge quantities and multiple formats of information online, they are constantly challenged to sort valid from inaccurate information. Moreover, students are creating information, not just consuming it. This paper explores the challenges students face online in effectively finding information, using technology, and thinking critically.