Activity 6 Information Literacy: Putting it all together.

I am an escapist. As I read through Heather's multiple findings I must admit to entertaining the idea (more than once) to clap my hands over my ears and make noises to avoid "hearing" any more information on the health risks of my cell phone. I realize this kind of behavior can be dangerous, but I prefer living in a world with a silver lining. As I have recuperated from this information overdose, I realize that I can take this information and use it to my advantage. I can easily store my phone in a place away from my body and I can limit the time I spend using it.
In my findings on recycling and packaging I have made some decisions. However, I also ran into the problem of information overload. Within the overwhelming amounts of information I found; alternate ideas were expressed often. There is a landfill crisis, there isn't a landfill crisis. Recycling is expensive, benefits of recycling outweigh the cost. Each article was backed with information and statistics, so at first I was left feeling a little bewildered. In my continuing search for information about being a more informed consumer, I know that there are things I can do to make less of an impact on the environment. I think everyone agrees that garbage isn't pretty, it looks and smells bad. So whatever I can do to lesson the amount of garbage that my home produces, the better. I do support my local recycling program, however they do not accept glass, so I have been throwing my glass away. Glass takes, approximately, one million years to break down. I will now save my glass containers and take them to a receptacle. I have already purchased my own reusable bags ($1.99 at Kohl's and less if you a percentage off coupon, which my mom usually does). I am also looking into creating my own compost.
When Shopping, I will look for recyclable packaging, larger packages v. individual packages, bulk foods and organic foods.
Bibliography:
1. "Curbside Recycling - Earth911.com." Earth911.com - Find Recycling Centers and Learn How To Recycle. 30 Mar. 2009

2. McConnell, Rita. "What’s in Your Garbage? | Neutral Existence LLC." Stop Global Warming | Neutral Existence LLC. 19 Apr. 2009

3. "Recycling Facts - A Recycling Revolution." Ask.com Search Engine - Better Web Search. 30 Mar. 2009

4. "Shipping and packaging articles." Home Page: California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB). 19 Apr. 2009

5. "Tammy the Turkey's shoppers' check list." Tiki the Penguin's home page - for kids and for the planet. 19 Apr. 2009

Activity 5 Information Literacy: Renewed Search Strategies

As with the person searching for more information about wireless usage and health concerns. I found a lot more information, but in my search, the information I found through the library was much more intensive. Many of the terms were scientific,and not as easy to relate to or understand as the articles I found just searching the web.
I also got several hits for lesson plans rather than real life scenarios. As I continue to find and investigate the matter of curbside recycling, I have decided to change my focus a bit. I chose this scenario because I am interested in doing what I can to help the environment, however, the area where I live is already involved in a recycling program and I have recycled for a long time. The research that I have done so far, however, got me thinking about what I could do in addition to the environmental practices I am already involved with. So at this juncture I am going to focus on consumer environmentalism. I want to know what choices I can make to help reduce what I am already recycling or reusing.

One Last Thing

My first thought is, I hope it's not the last thing. I hope that even though I have completed "the list" I will continue to discover new things that are available online. I have been pleasantly surprised by this discovery tool. I cannot believe how many different things we were able to learn about. I really enjoyed flickr, wordle, great reads, and actually using a blog! The only thing that I came away feeling frustrated with is that there just isn't enough time in the day. I often found myself getting caught up in "playing" and not quite focusing in on the assignment. Unfortunately, many of these tools, in order to be widely used need to be "played" with in order to figure them out. I did find several dead links, but there were always alternative links to try.

Activity 4 Information Literacy

In looking back at the “cell phone” issue, I felt that the person researching the problem followed a logical sequence. She voiced concern about the video and made a decision to find out more information. She found, through YouTube, that the popcorn commercial could not be recreated. At that point she decided to find sites with information that would have a more credible background. Through this search she found a snopes report and a video produced by CNN. At this point she still had questions that she wanted to work out….and the search continues.
Through my own search I have found that implementing a curbside recycling program would encourage a higher level of recycling participation. Before beginning a program several items need to be given consideration, is there an attached fee to participants, what materials will be collected, will bins be made available, how will information be given about the program, etc.
Some citizens may balk at the idea of having to participate, would the program be voluntary or mandatory? Either way, what kind of information will encourage citizens to participate? Facts about waste lifespan, landfill capacity and pollution may help reiterate the need for recycling.
At this point I feel like I have a base level of understanding of what goes into preparing for a community recycling program, but I need to organize my thoughts and facts into a cohesive unit. Also, I know that recycling has enemies. Citizens who want the choice about what to do with their garbage, I struggle with this because of my own personal views.

Activity 3 Information Literacy

There are a lot of sites that offer information about recycling. My first find provided several tips for how to begin a curbside recycling program. The information within this site gives many practical ideas about how to start up a recycling program. Other sites that I found of interest were created by cities who already participate in a recycling program, colleges and universities, and environmental agencies or groups.
Most groups do seem to have an agenda, these individuals and groups want to provide information to help people see the importance of recycling. They have done this by providing information about what goes on when we don’t recycle (An aluminum can, can sit around for 500 years!) and what we can do, individually, to help.
In this initial search I found universities, political groups, environmental groups and concerned citizens who had put together research about recycling, with funding coming from those same groups.
A lot of facts were given about the need for recycling and the detriment to our environment when garbage is thrown away. There were also lots of announcements about starting new recycling programs and how to encourage participation and knowledge within these programs.
"Curbside Recycling - Earth911.com." Earth911.com - Find Recycling Centers and Learn How To Recycle. 30 Mar. 2009
"Recycling Facts - A Recycling Revolution." Ask.com Search Engine - Better Web Search. 30 Mar.
In comparing my search with the search about cell phone use I found that we followed some similar patterns. We began by looking for related information and from there, accurate and viable information. The difference I found was that the cell phone research was being done to discredit something they had found on the internet/T.V., while my topic seemed a little more grounded. Most people realize that there is a valid need for recycling.
The cell phone researcher found information through YouTube, CNN, and snopes.com. After finding this information she still had questions about health issues that might arise from cell phone use and the “safety” of radio waves.

Wordle

This was fun to play with I'm not sure how I would incorporate it in the classroom. I can see that there are ways to create tags that are links to other sites which might be a fun way of connecting information.

How about YouTube?

This was a great exercise for me. As a mother I have a very paranoid vision of what YouTube is. My children are not allowed on YouTube, but every once in a while they come home and have a particular video that they've heard about at school. So then we go together and find out what it's all about. So, until today that summed up my YouTube experience. I still have some concerns, for example I couldn't find a way to determine whether a video was appropriate or not without actually watching it. All of the videos I saw were fine, but how can you tell without making a mistake? Also, unless you know exactly what you're looking for the search process can be extensive. So, with that out of the way, I was pleasantly surprised. I watched a very informative piece about the lack of clean water in Africa. I also found several videos about teaching reading, books being read, author interviews and author readings. I had no idea there were so many options within YouTube. One other drawback I noticed was that some of the videos aren't very well done. In using clips, as a librarian, you would just have to make sure everything was carefully checked before hand. I chose the video below because, as a librarian, I thought it was funny. I also thought it might be a clip I could use when introducing book care at the beginning of the year.