Information Literacy UNL 205x

As a follow-up to the investigations you have been doing into the most effective methods for using Minerva, here is the first of the poll questions. There will be at least two more polls posted during the course, so you can select the one that you would like to respond to (responding to more than one poll is welcome, though not required).

If you were helping someone who was new to using Minerva, what 2 things would you emphasize to the person as being of critical importance? And why? Write your response as if you were actually telling the person these pieces of advice.

Posted by Trudi Jacobson at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

One of the components of UUNL 205x is posting a response to at least one Information Literacy in the News item and one poll. Here is the first of several IL in the News items for you to select from. Should you wish to respond to more than one news item and poll, that is super! The first poll will appear soon.

This article appeared in September in the New York Times. China has been in the news a good deal recently in connection to their policies surrounding the Internet, which differ greatly from what you find here in the US. Please read the article and respond to this post with your thoughts about requiring an individual's real name. Is this appropriate, so that people are willing to take ownership of their comments, or will it actually hamper free speech? Think about some of the comments you might find posted on news sites you read. Are people thoughtful and civil in their comments? Would using their real names affect this? If you select this item to respond to, and if you aren't the first to comment, read through your fellow students' comments and respond as appropriate to one or more of them if it relates to your argument.

Posted by Trudi Jacobson at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Please use the comment feature to draft your first version of a thesis statement.

Posted by Trudi Jacobson at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)

You can post your topic and questions by commenting on this post. Remember, this assignment is due by noon on Tuesday, October 27. This will give me time to respond to you before class on the 28th.

Posted by Trudi Jacobson at 08:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)

Welcome to section #3562 of UNL 205x: Information Literacy. Over the course of six class meetings, we'll be exploring a number of topics connected with finding, evaluating, and using information in a variety of formats. This is not just a class on "how to use the library," but something much broader that encourages you to think about the information that surrounds you, day in and day out. Not just information you would use for academic purposes, for research papers and projects, but the information you use to make informed decisions in your daily life.

I will use this blog to let you know important information about the class. When materials are graded and ready to pick up, or if you want to find out what mistakes might be showing up in assignments so you can fix them, this is the place to look! I also will incorporate it into our class discussions as a place for all of us to discuss news items that concern information, particularly information ethics: privacy issues, plagiarism, access to information, etc. And there will be a variety of polls for you to respond to about how you find information. Take a look at the blog at least a couple of times a week.

Posted by Trudi Jacobson at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)