What is information fluency?

The Information Fluency website defines information fluency as “the ability to find, evaluate and use digital information effectively, efficiently and ethically."

Why should I care about information fluency?

It is important for all teachers to practice and model information fluency and digital citizenship. Not only does it ensure that the resources that are used in the classroom are in compliance with copyright and fair use laws, but it also teaches students how to find, evaluate, and use information.

Where can I find copyright friendly images?

There are many sites that provide copyright friendly images that can be used for school projects. This document lists several sites.

When searching Google images, use the Tools menu to filter the image search by usage rights.

Use this customized search engine to search 10 copyright friendly image sites at the same time.

What is Creative Commons licensing?

Creative Commons licensing

Creative Commons licenses provide a way for individuals to specify how their content and creations may be used by others. Options range from allowing others to share, modify, and use your content for commercial purposes to only allowing others to use or share content provided that they credit it, and do not modify the content or use it for commercial purposes. Use this online tool to create a Creative Commons license logo.

What are some examples of fact-checking sites?

Hoaxy - visual fact-checking site

Fact-Checking Tools from the PA Department of Education's Information and Media Literacy Toolkit

FactCheck.org
Nonprofit consumer advocate for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. The site also includes sections for science, health and Facebook stories.

Snopes
The definitive fact-checking site. Check this site before sharing a story or offer that sounds too good to be true.

Truth or Fiction
Fact-checking site for viral content, fake news and politics

Where can I find Open Educational Resource lessons?

Open Educational Resource lessons

• Common Sense Media: This site provides quality digital citizenship resources for teachers, students, tech directors and parents. In addition to EdTech ratings and reviews, the site provides short videos that teach about online privacy and safety.

• Hip-Hop Sampling - Copyright Criminals

  • This free lesson plan from PBS LearningMedia provides videos, questions for students and teacher resources to teach students about sampling and copyright

• NetSmartz: This is the premier site for online safety resources for teachers, students, tech directors and parents. NetSmartz provides training resources, lesson plans and videos for K-12 students.

Reliable search sites

Libraries offer access to various paid resources that provide information from reputable and reliable sources. Some of the resources include World Book Encyclopedia, Power Library, SIRS, History Study Center and the Gale Virtual Reference Library. Check building’s library webpages or with your librarian to learn more about available resources.

Tech tools and resources

Use the buttons on the Teacher Tech Tools page to access videos, tutorials, cheat sheets, and lesson ideas that utilize Google Workspace for Education tools. The resources will provide tips to help you get organized and save time by working more efficiently.

Free Technology for Teachers: This site provides information about new tech tools, along with instructional videos and tutorials for using tech tools for learning

uBlock Origin: Install this Chrome extension to block annoying and distracting ads. This extension has been installed for all district students when they sign in to their Chromebooks