User talk:Peaanne&/sandbox

Searching in the Information Age.

There once a time when we looked through four-drawer file cabinets with file folders, file folder labels and papers. We could vary our filing methods by subject, color coding, numerical, and alphabetical. When records were digitized we could keep our files on the computer and secondary storage devices. The Internet is created and we can place text around the world. Next the World Wide Web is on the Internet. Innovators create operating systems with browsers giving us greater access to data and information. People using the Web place trillions of electronic documents on just as many topics around the world which include multimedia; images, text, animation, video, and audio. There is an ocean of electronic documents to wade through when we need to find something. The information age requires that we are savvy shoppers. We can find what we need without wasting time and be able to make decisions about what we will or will not use. New technologies require the use of new skills.

Navigating the Internet requires a skill set of Information Literacy. According to the Association of College and Research Libraries information literacy is the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information. Being knowledgeable of these skills could eliminate wasting time when researching topics.

Searching for a topic requires knowledge of search tools such as Google.com, Bing.com, and Hotbot.com. Using key words and search operators such as and, or, and not helps to eliminate unnecessary sites. These methods ensure the retrieval of needed information. Once the material is found one needs to take a close look (analyze) at the information found to see if it is creditable by checking sources. Once those sources are validated they may be used for your selected research.

Anyone in the world may post information to the Internet. The Internet bypasses governmental boundaries. The advantage of knowing information literacy skills creates savvy information shoppers. You can narrow your search for the information needed instead of wading through mountains of electronic documents. One would think critically about the information retrieved. An excellent standard of data gathering would be achieved.

http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/info_literacy/ Information Literacy (talk) 12:04, 14 April 2013 (UTC)