IC3 Lesson 14 - Managing Media Literacy
How do you use "AND"?
"AND" between two keywords means both keywords must be present. "Lemon and dessert and recipes" will give you results for dessert recipes that contain lemon.
How do you use "NEAR"?
"NEAR" is used to look for terms in the same document that are within 10 words of each other. NOTE: I have tried these Boolean Operators and they don't work well in a few popular search engines. I recommend you use "Advanced Settings", described below.
How do you use "NOT"?
"NOT" is used with "AND" to exclude certain results. "(Lemon and dessert and recipes) and not pie" would give results for lemon dessert recipes that are not pies.
How do you use "OR"?
"OR" between two keywords means either one can appear without the other. "(Orange or lemon) and dessert and recipes" will yield either orange dessert recipes or lemon dessert recipes. (Ones that contain both may also show up.)
What are the three tasks of a search engine?
1) A search engine searches the internet to find pages that contain words that match the search criteria you enter. 2) A search engine builds and maintains an index of key words. 3) A search engine displays links to pages containing information that match the search criteria.
How should you check the validity (truth) of information on a web site?
1. Look for obvious errors in facts, statistics, grammar, spelling or language use. 2. Check when the web site was last updated. 3. Check that the URL is associated with a reputable institution or organization.
How else can you check the validity (truth) of information on a web site?
10. Check whether the tone of the information on the page is factual and informative or trying to be persuasive. 11. Check the advertising and number of ads on the page, which may indicate there is a commercial bias to the information provided. 12. Think about how you found the site. If the site has a good ranking in several search engines, this may indicate the effort put into the design and maintenance of the site. But remember that some organizations pay to get high rankings.
How can you check the author's and publisher's qualifications to publish information?
4. You can check the author's and publisher's qualifications by a. Checking who published this author's work and the relationship between the author and publisher. b. Checking the "About Us", "Mission", "Philosophy", "Corporate Profile" and "Background" pages on the site. c. Following any links to check the author's credentials further. Links that don't work or lead to pages that are no longer available may indicate a lack of currency of the information. d. If other links lead to pages that are offensive or are for sales of another product, this indicates a lack of maintenance of the web site.
Why is the presence or absence of source references important?
5. Check for the presence or absence of source references. If the sources of quoted information are not given, you should question whether the contents have been altered, taken "out of context" (repeated without explaining the situation in which they were said, so that their meaning is changed), or used without the author's permission. If sources are given, check that they are based on facts, not opinions.
What are some other things you can do to check the validity of information on a web site?
6. If a site claims to offer technical expertise, check the source references. 7. If you are on a blog or wiki, remember that the authors need no qualifications to contribute information.
How can you determine the depth of coverage of the topic?
8. You can determine the depth of coverage by checking: a. if the web site/author is associated with reputable organizations b. if the web site/author has the credentials to provide unbiased information c. what kind of sponsored ads/links appear on the site d. who owns the products/services being advertised.
How do you determine if a web site is presenting opinions as opinions or as facts?
9. To determine that a web site is presenting opinion as opinion, not facts, check if: a. Any arguments are supported with documentation. If the topic is controversial, both points of view should be included. b. If there is a "forum" where people can leave posts, is there a balance of positive and negative comments?
What is a "handle"?
A HANDLE is a user name for an account on Twitter. Handles start with the symbol "@". They are used for businesses as well as individuals and are often used for advertising.
What is a "hashtag"? What is it used for?
A HASHTAG is a word or phrase preceded by the number sign or hash symbol (#). A hashtag can include letters and numbers but no spaces or punctuation. Hashtags are searchable links that allow you to organize content on the site and follow discussion topics.
What is a "podcast"?
A PODCAST is an audio file uploaded to the internet and available for listening or downloading.
What is a "single seat" software license?
A SINGLE SEAT software license gives permission to use the software on only one computer.
What is a "site software license"?
A SITE software license grants permission to use the software on a network at a single location with an unlimited number of end users. There may be a limit on the number of simultaneous users.
What is a "volume (or network) software license"?
A VOLUME or NETWORK software license is used when a company or organization needs copies for a large number of users. The number of computers on which the software can be installed is controlled by the terms of the license. This is less expensive than buying individual licenses and is usually installed from a central network location to remote computers.
Why do companies and organizations use filters and blacklists?
An institution or organization has the right to enforce whatever guidelines it decides are suitable concerning the use of their equipment and services and that includes filtering web sites that are not work-related or blocking software downloads.
What is "intellectual property"?
Any created work or invention is considered to be the INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) of the person or organization who created it. Anything created by an individual or group under contract to an organization belongs to that organization.
What is "blacklisting"?
BLACKLISTING is putting a person, web site or domain on a list that will deny them privileges, service, or access. A network administrator or ISP can create a BLACKLIST to block traffic from specific sites or domains and an individual can do the same on a browser.
What are "blockers" and "filters"?
BLOCKERS and FILTERS enable network administrators to control the type or amount of content that can be viewed on the internet; they are often used by academic or corporate organizations.
What are "Boolean Operators"? What are the four Boolean Operators?
BOOLEAN OPERATORS are words which specify the relationship of the keywords to each other and provide more precise results. The four Boolean Operators are AND, OR, NOT and NEAR.
What kind of information will you find on blogging sites?
Blogs allow individuals to enter and share comments, experiences or information on specific topics.
What kind of information will you find on a business web site?
Business web sites usually include pages that describe the company and its products or services, and may include pages for feedback or online purchases.
What does "copyright" mean?
COPYRIGHT laws protect any material, published or unpublished, created by an individual or organization.
What rights does a copyright owner have?
Copyright gives you the right to make and distribute copies of your work, sell it, perform or display your work, or create additional work based on the original. No one else can do any of these things without your permission.
What kinds of materials are protected by copyright law?
Copyright law covers books, music, plays, videos, sound recordings, essays, pictures, software programs, web sites, and architectural works.
What is "Fair Use"?
FAIR USE means that you can use a (small) portion of copyrighted information for the purpose of criticism or comment without seeking permission from the copyright holder.
What is "freeware"?
FREEWARE programs are free and may also be shared with others. Support for freeware and shareware is often limited or non-existent and you are not automatically entitled to updates.
How long does copyright protection last?
Generally it starts from the time the work is in a fixed form (published, saved to disk, printed, etc.) for the lifetime of the author and for 70 years after that. (The text is incorrect.)
What kind of information will you find on a government web site?
Government sites usually include pages for each department and other pages with links to files or forms that you can download.
What is the exception to the order of search results?
In some cases, a site will pay to have their URL listed on the first page, and it is usually marked as an "Ad".
What is "licensing"?
LICENSING is when you are given permission to use a particular product or service from a vendor.
In what order do the results of a search appear?
Most search engines rank the URLs they retrieve by how closely the data associated with that URL matches the search criteria used. Those that rank highest are listed first. In other cases, web sites are written to include hidden keywords for the purpose of making the site appear near the top of a page of search results.
Is information on the internet always reliable and accurate?
No, anyone can put almost anything up on the internet. You should always check information that you find on the internet in other sources.
What is "open source" software?
OPEN SOURCE software is when the programming code is made available to anyone. You can change the program and share it, but you are not permitted to charge anyone for it.
Where do you find the "Advanced Settings" search? How do you use it?
On the search results page, under the search box, there is a tab marked "Settings". Clicking on it will show a drop-down menu which includes "Advanced Settings". Clicking on "Advanced settings" will give you a dialog box which will guide you through setting up a search using the Boolean operators.
What does "piracy" of intellectual property mean?
PIRACY of intellectual property means the unauthorized use or reproduction of someone else's work. It is a federal crime and can carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
What is "plagiarism"?
PLAGIARISM is when you use information created by another person and present it as if it was your own work, either exactly the same or with minor changes. Plagiarism also applies to images, which can be copyrighted. Plagiarism can easily be detected using plagiarism detection tools. If you use a small portion of information from the internet, always use it in its original form and cite the web page where you found it. Plagiarism in an academic environment can lead to serious penalties.
What is an "RSS feed"?
RSS is "Really Simple Syndication", XML-formatted text that is commonly used for distributing weblogs, news, or other content that is updated frequently. RSS feed or content can be viewed with a newsreader or RSS app.
Where else can you search for reliable information beside the internet?
Reliable information can be found in public libraries, reference books, or in local university libraries.
What is "shareware"?
SHAREWARE software programs are usually available to try out free for a limited amount of time. After the trial period, you can pay a small amount to continue using the program.
What is "Software as a Service" (Saas)?
SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE (Saas) is software that can be leased as a service that enables you to access and use it via a network, an intranet, or the internet. You need an account to access the software and once the license expires, it is no longer available.
What kind of information will you find on a college or university web site?
Sites with an .edu domain are usually associated with an accredited school such as a university, college or high school. These sites include information about curriculums, courses, faculty, school resources, financial aid, etc.
What kind of information will you find on social networking sites?
Social networking sites allow subscribers to share photos, games, videos, chats or messages.
What does "bundling" mean?
Software is sometimes BUNDLED (combined) with a computer purchase. Some may require you to purchase a full version or register online before you have full access.
How can you use HTML objects in searches?
Some of the ways you can use HTML objects are: 1. "anchor:" before another word will find pages with hyperlinks to that word. Don't use any spaces between the words, e.g. anchor:craters 2. "host:" will find pages with the word(s) specified in the host name of the web server. e.g. host:rogers.com 3. "image:" will find pages with images, e.g. images:craters 4. "link:" will find pages with links to a web page, e.g. link:Microsoft.com 5. "site:" will find pages from the site specified. These HTML objects need to be combined with other words to make the searches more specific. For example, surface link:microsoft.com.
What kind of information will you find on wiki sites?
Wikis are used as sources of information and have tools that enable individuals to add, edit and rearrange information on the site.
What is one way you can you narrow your search results?
You can specify that you want the results to include only specific types of information or sources. On the search results page, under the search box, there are usually a series of tabs, such as "All", "Shopping", "Images", "News", "Books" and "More" (which includes maps, videos, and other topics). Clicking on one of these tabs will narrow the results.
How do you use a search engine?
You click in the search field and enter your search criteria or "keywords". As you type, you may see suggested search terms appear below the search box. If one of the suggested terms matches what you are looking for, you can click on it. Or you can finish typing your search criteria and then press ENTER.
What rights does registering your work with the U.S. Copyright Office give you?
You do not need to register your work but if you do, it gives you the right to sue a person who violated your copyright for monetary damages. In either case, the work can be marked with the copyright symbol "©", the year of creation and the creator's name. However, the work is protected with, or without, the copyright symbol.
How should you evaluate the quality of information you find on the internet?
You should evaluate the accuracy, authenticity, objectivity, currency (how up to date the information is) and coverage. You can remember these as: AAOCC.
What is an example of a web site that allows individuals to upload multimedia, such as photos, videos, audios, and podcasts?
YouTube.com
How does a search engine work?
The search engine maintains a database of internet URLs. Each record in the database includes the URL, a short description, title keywords, and other site information.
Many Web sites include a search field on their pages. When you use it, which web pages are you searching?
Using a search box on a web site searches only the pages of that web site.
