INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
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Harness the huge digital knowledge repository on the internet. Learn how to search, filter, evaluate, synthesize, add value, and manage information. Save yourself from the chaos of the web. Learn to be a smart content curator!
Learners of the 21st-century deploy and manage information resources and services in order to make strategic use of information from the vast repository of knowledge (i.e. the internet). They utilise technology as a crucial tool to achieve their objectives. To assist students with information management, educators must master the skill of content curation.
In this Unit
In this Unit
This Unit will introduce participants to a variety of techniques for better content management in order to combat the problem of information overload. Participants will be guided on how to search, filter, evaluate, make sense of, synthesise, and manage information using selected web-based applications.
Your Task (1)
Your Task (1)
This Unit's objective is to make you aware of the "information tsunami" phenomenon and the significance of developing the ability to manage information. To put things in perspective, let's examine the rate and quantity of online information generated in 60 seconds. It's mind-boggling! How could we possibly manage this volume of information?
Look at the amount of information being generated on the internet in real-time. Do you think information overload is real? Share your thoughts here.
Unit 3.1: Content Discovery
Unit 3.1: Content Discovery
Finding the needle in the ever-growing haystack.
The sheer amount of content available on the internet is a boon for knowledge-hungry people but it is also making it difficult for ordinary folks to find the right information. It’s like trying to find a “needle in a haystack”.
The most effective and proficient content curators understand where they can consistently locate high-quality content. This necessitates having access to dependable sources and tools for finding content.
This unit will teach you how to use a search engine to discover and filter the right and most relevant information using an efficient strategy.
3.1.1 Google Advanced Search
3.1.1 Google Advanced Search
When someone "googles" for information, they typically end up with millions of search results after entering keywords in the search box. Very few people utilise Google's Advanced Search feature.
Many teachers do not explicitly teach their students how to use Google's advanced search because they are unfamiliar with it themselves. It is essential to learn Google advanced search to maximise the benefits and power of online searching and filtering.
Watch the following video to learn how to set up and optimise Google Advanced Search.
Your Task (2): Set up Google Advanced Search
Your Task (2): Set up Google Advanced Search
Try this exercise.
If you are using the Chrome browser, type the keyword content curation directly into the Chrome URL bar; if you are using other browsers such as Firefox or Safari, do a Google search for the keyword content curation as you would normally do. Note down the number of hits.
Repeat this exercise but this time using the Google Advanced Search function.
Go to the Google Advanced Search page.
In the first box (all these words) type the keyword content curation
In the third box (any of these words), type education
In the fourth box (none of these words), type marketing
Note down the number of hits
Add more keywords: Under 'file type', choose 'Adobe Acrobat PDF' from the drop-down list
Under 'usage right' choose 'free to use or share' from the drop-down list
Note down the number of hits again.
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What's your observation from the two different search strategies?
What actually happened?
Exploring Google Advanced Search
Exploring Google Advanced Search
If you want to be good at searching with Google, it's worth learning some of the advanced search techniques. Some of the selected resources below are useful for further mastering Google search:
Don’t ‘just Google it’: 3 ways students can get the most from searching online
Search ‘Smarter’ NOT ‘Harder’ using Google’s Advanced Search
Google’s Search Education - This website is an invaluable source of information targeted at students, but accessible to everyone. It includes “live training,” videos that teach you how to use specific Google Search features and some of the broad concepts that connect them.
3.1.2 Google Custom Search (GCS)
3.1.2 Google Custom Search (GCS)
Did you know that Google offers customized search that you can add to your website? The Google Custom Search Engine (GCS) is an embedded search engine that can be used to search any set of one or more sites.
GCS allows you to build a tailored search engine and prioritize or restrict search results based on the settings that you specify. This will narrow your search scope and make it more focused.
Watch this video to learn how to create your own Google Custom Search engine.
Your Task (3)
Your Task (3)
Make a list of several Malaysian (NST, The Star Online, Berita Harian) and international (BBC News, AP News, Reuters) news websites.
Create two Google custom search engines: Malaysia News and World News, respectively.
Create a bookmark for the public link to your custom search engine.
Try searching for specific keywords to see what comes up.
Unit 3.2: Content Curation
Unit 3.2: Content Curation
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information available?
The Internet can be a chaotic place for the novice learners. Imagine the internet as a huge, dense, virgin tropical jungle. If somehow you end up in the middle of this jungle and trying to find your way out without a compass, the chances are you won't be able to find your way out. This is the metaphor to describe the so-called 'information overload' in the era of digital information.
Fret not—learn content curation to manage information and reduce the risk of content overload.
Take a look at the video below. It's quite amusing and hilarious, but it captures the true overwhelming feeling of having to deal with an endless stream of data and information.
Your Task (4)
Your Task (4)
Read the following articles about content curation (5 minutes for each article):
Summarise 3 important points from the articles. Submit your answer here.
3.2.1 Curation Tools
3.2.1 Curation Tools
Scoopit is a web tool that allows one to curate sites from the web and display them in an online magazine format. Teachers can easily collect sites pertinent to student study into a Scoopit page, and students have the opportunity to become responsible curators of their own content and members of a community of curators.
Wakelet
Wakelet
Wakelet is a digital curation tool, so it offers a way to collate online resources in one place, called a "wake". These wakes can then be shared with a link to be accessed online, easily, by anyone.
Wakelet can be used by a collective group or individually. It not only works as a digital platform but also lets you export to PDF so you can print and use it as a physical classroom resource too. Since it works well as a way to make infographic-style outputs, it can be ideal for in-class media.
Pocket
Pocket
Pocket is considered a “read it later” app or an “offline reading tool”. While working on the Internet, if you come across a great article, save it to read later, when you have time. This is not limited to text content but is also useful for videos, slides and other types of media.
Discord is a messaging (chat) platform that originated in gaming communities. Discord can be used by teachers as an asynchronous learning and communication hub as well as a synchronous instructional tool. Discord can be used to manage information thanks to its ability to create categories and channels.
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