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Welcome to the IS-21 Parent module where you will find lots of information about the IS-21 software, the Inquiry Process and Information Literacy skills, as well as tips on how you can support your child as s/he uses IS-21. As a first step, check out our brief video to learn why we care about being information literate.
When researching a complex topic, the inquiry process provides a series of useful steps and strategies designed to engage and empower children.
The Inquiry Process is designed to create independent learners by providing a framework for learning that encourages critical thinking, self regulation, and the expansion of knowledge. Your child will be encouraged to create his/her own meaningful and complex "Big" question that will drive the entire process.
As the process unfolds, s/he will learn a set of skills and dispositions that will enable them to: break a complex question down into researchable sub-topics, develop effective search strategies in order to zero in on relevant material to address each of the sub-topics, become critical consumers of information by questioning the credibility of the sources found, develop strategies to synthesize facts and opinions about each of the sub-topics and draw conclusions, and creatively communicate this new understanding to a given audience.
The Guided Mode provides structure and support as your child proceeds through each of the 12 steps of the inquiry process
The Flexible Mode has combined some of these steps and provides the learner with some flexibility in determining which features will be used.
In this mode, your child proceeds through a 12 step process with each step linked to the previous one. They initially work through the steps in order but are encouraged to revisit previous steps when needed. This mode is ideal for any students who are new to the inquiry process and ready to develop all aspects of IL skills. The Guided Mode is sub-divided into 3 phases, and into 12 distinct steps. Check out the different phases for more information.
The Flexible Mode contains all of the features that are found in the Guided Mode however, some steps will be combined (there are 8 steps instead of 12), and only the core features of the tool will be present. Your child can determine which additional features they will need to complete each step. This mode is ideal for individuals who have acquired some Information Literacy skills but require development of a specific skill. Or it may be used by younger learners as a means of introduction to a specific Information Literacy skill, such as how to prepare a search strategy for a search engine.
Information Literacy (IL) is the ability to articulate, locate, organize, interpret, evaluate, synthesize, and use information from a variety sources.
Inquiry Strategies for the Information Society of the Twenty-First Century (IS-21) is web-based software designed to teach your child information literacy skills, considered important and necessary skills in the knowledge-based society that we live in.