8. Roleplay

Student A

At present you are specializing in a single subject but would like to get a Combined Science degree. However, you find it difficult to choose between two science themes, e.g.: Computing and Geography or Biological Sciences and Environmental Sciences;

or non-science themes, e.g.: Education and Politics or Culture, Media and Communication and Management/Modern languages/ Philosophy.

• Talk to a Combined Science Tutor and ask him/her to help you to select your classes and plan your program.

• Explain what particular career you have in mind and what your personal requirements are.

Student B

You are a Combined Science Tutor. One of the students asks for your advice on how to plan a Combined Science Course and which of the science or non-science themes to choose.

• Agree to help him/her.

• Find out as many details as possible about the student’s interests and plans for the future career.

• Recommend a particular course and give reasons for your choice of the themes.

9. Game “Why physics or math, etc.?”

Work in teams. Hold a competition. Brainstorm as many plus sides of your specialization as possible. Compare your results.

Each one teach one

Write down a short vocabulary list (10 items) on the topic “Higher education”.

With a partner compare your lists. Cross out the items you both have on your lists.

Explain the meaning of the rest of the words and phrases.

Self study

CHOOSING THE BEST EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY Congratulations! You are a winner in the All-Russia competition among undergraduate science students. Next year you will have an opportunity to take a one-year course in one of British or American universities. To make a successful choice of a university you need to do research on education opportunities in one of the countries. Take notes of the information you find. The following questions will help you to make your decision. Explain why you have chosen this particular university. WEB SITES TO SEARCH: UK http://www.hero.ac.uk/uk/home/index.cfm USA http://www.studyusa.com/?s=2&t=9 QEASTIONS TO GUIDE YOU: What types of courses do UK/US universities provide in your subject area? What degrees are awarded in the area of your study? What kind of academic activities are available at the university you have chosen? Find advice and guidance to international students that can help you when you arrive in the UK/the USA. Summarize your findings in writing.

“Information cannot replace education”

Earl Kiole

Learning Objectives

The objectives of this module are:

• to practise note-taking

• to learn how to give instructions

• to make use of sequence words

• to revisit Passive structures

• improve info search skills

• to talk about various sources of information and ways of information hunting

Unit 1 Information Hunting

Lead In

1. Do you know what the word literacy mean? Look up this word in the dictionary if necessary.

2. develop write read achieve function solve speak compute

   Complete the definition with the words from the box.

Literacy is an individual's ability to …, …, and … in a native

language, and … and … problems at the levels necessary to

effectively … on the job and in society to … one's goals, and

… one's knowledge and potential.

Reading

3. Work in groups/teams of 2-3. Within 1 minute make a list of verbs describing what you can do with information, e.g.: extract information, … . Compare your lists in class.

2. Before you read the text match the words with their definitions.

a) sources - 1) the main ways that large numbers of people receive

information i.e. television, radio, newspapers and the Internet

b) resource - 2) an organized set of data that is stored in a computer and

can be looked at and used in various ways

c) media - 3) something that can be used to help achieve an aim,

especially a book, equipment.

d) database - 4) an official process to find out information about sth

e) copyright - 5) a person, book or document that provides information,

especially for study

f) inquiry - 6) the legal right to publish, broadcast, perform a piece of

writing, music, etc.

3. Do you know the difference between the words browse, navigate and search. The following synonyms can be of help: look through, get around, look for.

4. Read the text and take notes of its main points. Follow the advice in the Study help box.

As society changes, the skills needed to negotiate the complexities of life also change. In the early 1900s, a person who had acquired simple reading, writing, and calculating skills was considered literate. To achieve success in the 21st century, people also need to attain proficiency in science, technology, and culture, as well as gain a thorough understanding of information in all its forms.

Study help To better understand the text you are reading take notes form it. - Read the text and focus on general understanding. - Review the text and locate/number the main ideas in the margins - Underline the important sub-points and examples of the main ideas - Highlight unfamiliar definitions and vocabulary - Now take notes from the text but don’t copy directly – Try to write or speak in your own words. At the same time don’t forget to use new words you have learnt.

Accessing information has become increasingly important as databases previously accessible only to library media specialists are now available to students

and other people directly. Browsing, searching and navigating online have become essential skills for all students. They need to be familiar with natural inquiry, Boolean search strategies, and organizational

systems such as cataloging, abstracting, indexing, rating because information is located in various sources across the globe.

The digitizing of resources raises new issues of analysis and evaluation. Imagine a student who is asked to prepare a presentation based on information from the Web. That student can access vast quantities of information without a lot of understanding, because search engines make accessing information so simple. To use this amount of information effectively requires an higher skill level such as evaluating and synthesizing information from a variety of sources compared with textbooks where all the information is contained within one source. In other words,

as technology makes the simple tasks easier, it places a greater burden on higher-

level skills.

All in all, students need to understand the interrelationships between library collections, proprietary databases*, and other Internet documents to ensure appropriate, effective searching and accurate evaluation of sources. Furthermore, as students access electronic resources, it is critical that they recognize the importance of honoring the intellectual property of others by strictly adhering** to copyright and fair use of laws.

So, by information literacy is meant the ability to evaluate information across a range of media; recognize when information is needed; locate, synthesize, and use information effectively; accomplish these functions using technology, communication networks, and electronic resources.

Educators all over the world are concerned with the amount of information today’s learners have access to and need to cope with. To make it less complicated an algorithm for solving information problem has been suggested. It allows the learners to gain the education they require in today’s knowledge-based, global society.

(Adapted from the site http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/basiclit.htm)

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proprietary databases* - частные базы данных

strictly adhere** - здесь, твердо придерживаться чего-либо

Discuss

• Can you say that you are information literate?

• Why do educators today address the issue of information literacy?

• Why do you think the 21^st century is called the Information age?

• What other types of literacy do you think a literate person should possess in a modern world?

Speaking

1. Refer back to the definition of information literacy and in groups of 3-4

match the steps in solving an information problem with the stages:

stages

steps

before accessing information when accessing information after information is extracted

a) determine what is known and what is needed for problem solving b) identify and retrieve relevant information from sources c) use retrieved information to complete the task d) use technology to help searching e) organize information from multiple sources f) identify different sources of information, including text, video, audio and databases g) present information clearly and persuasively using various technology tools h) understand how the retrieved information does or does not address original problem i) evaluate and prioritize the sources of information to select the most relevant and reliable ones j) evaluate the process and products of these activities k) evaluate the reliability of the information you have found l) use technology to facilitate evaluation

2. Report on the algorithm for solving an information problem. Make use of the sequence words in the box.

   Functional language: Listing 2 First, … Second, … Third, … Another/Next, … Then, … Last, …/Finally, … The next step is … As soon as you …, move on to … .

3. Choose one of the tasks below and describe how you apply the algorithm for solving an information to complete the task.

• Advise a secondary school student on the best computer program to create presentations

• Present the faculty courses at the University Open Days

• Speak about the latest IT technologies at a seminar

• Make a presentation on negative effects of computer technologies to environment at a conference

• Write an essay on “The Internet and Game Addiction” in sociology

Listening

Listen to the introduction to the practical session on information search in the Internet. Fill in the gaps in the notes.

1. ………………… (WWW or the Web) is a part of the Internet; is …………… on the Internet that enables ………………………. of linked information, e.g.: a) ……………. documents, b) ……….. …………., animation, and video, c) …………. to sound files, d) ………… and hear voice, e) view programmes. 2. Got its name from ………………………………………. . 3. The WWW consists of …………………………………… known as webpages which can be viewed using a programme called ………………….. , e.g.: leading ones - Firefox and ……………………… and the other - ………….., Safari, ………………. . 4. Finding the Web documents you want can be easy or seem impossibly difficult and can be done by using ……………………………... used to find the information you are looking for if you do not already know exactly where to look. 5. ………………………………is a special web sites that provides a facility to ……………………………… . 6. Uses special programmes ……………………………… about websites on the WWW and stores the information in ………………….. . 7. The user can search the database to obtain ………………………. to relevant websites. 8. Requires …………………. . Once a keyword is typed into a …………………………, the search engine …………………….. a list of website links that are ……………………… . 9. Use (a) keywords to form search phrases by putting ……………………………… around the key words; (b) special logical operators such as ……., ……., ………. which can be grouped by enclosing them in brackets; (c) symbols such as …. or …. can be used to represent the operators; (d) special symbols known as …………… can also be used with keywords to represent certain characters or combination of characters, e.g.: asterisk (…) is often used to represent any combination of characters. 11. As well as keyword searches, search engines can be used for ……………, e.g.: the title field, or the web address. 12. Different search engines use various strategies to easify the search, e.g.: Google - the …………………… button.

Focus on language

Read the sentences below and explain how simple instructions are given.

• Think carefully about which keywords could be used to define the concept you are interested in.

• To search using a search engine, type words into a search box.

Simple and complex instructions To make simple instructions we use imperative e.g.: If you're looking for the Moscow University homepage, just enter Moscow University and click "I'm Feeling Lucky". Don’t rely on a date given on the search engine’s View Page. To add explanation use to-infinitive or by + -ing e.g.: To search using a search engine, type words into a search box. e.g.: Use keywords to form search phrases by putting quotation mark around the key words. To link instructions and stress their order use until + Present Simple, having + Participle II, after + Present Perfect, once + Present Perfect e.g.: After you've entered your search terms, try the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button. Continue this process until you reach the first single slash (/). To put instruction in order use sequence words: first, then, …, finally.

Practice

1. Complete the instructions with the correct form of the word in brackets.

1. ……………. (put) a quotation mark around the phrase if you are not sure in its exact wording.

2. ………….. (focus) on a particular meaning of a keyword, put a minus sign "-" in front of words related to the meaning you want to avoid, e.g.: intelligence –computing.

3. You can restrict your search to only one specific website by ………. (do) site: search. …………, type the word “site” and a colon. ……….., add the domain name and ………….., press the search button. (sequence words)

4. …………… (set, having + participle II) ranges for everything from dates (von Neumann 1933…1945) to weights (5000...10000 kg truck), you can easily search for specific information within the range of numbers.

5. Attach a “+” sign to a word or digit ……………. (narrow) your search, e.g.: World War +П.

6. After ……………….. (define) the search request as precisely as possible and ……………….. (choose) relevant keywords, start searching.

7. Keep truncating back the URL until ……………………… (find) the page’s publisher.

8. Once………………………… (link) to a retrieved site, check to see if

any information about the page’s creator is provided.

2. Put these instructions for doing “a link:” search in the correct sequence. Make sure you use various instruction models.

1. The pages listed all contain one or more links to the page you are looking for.

2. Type link: in the search box.

3. If you find no links, try a shorter portion of the URL, stopping after each /.

4. Go to the search engine site.

5. Paste the URL of the investigated site into the search box immediately following link: (no space after the colon).

6. Now decide whether the information on the site is accurate and reliable.

7. Copy the URL of the page you are investigating.

Get real

Go to various search engines and learn how they recommend to look for the information the you want. Report back on different search strategies you have learnt about.

Useful sites to search http://www.brainboost.com/ http://www.searchenginecolossus.com/ http://search.ask.com/ http://www.altavista.com/ http://search.yahoo.com/

Speaking

Work in pairs. Find out this information from your partner. Make sure you use instructions.

• how to use Brainboost

• how to conduct field search

• how to find sites that have phrase ‘information literacy’ in the title

• how to find the information on recent developments in your field of science

published within the last two months

• how to find a definition of a word.

Example: A: Do you know how to use Brainboost?

B: That’s simple. Go to the Brainboost home page. Type your question

and press the search button.

A: Can I ask Yes/No questions?

B: Well, the engine gives better results if you ask Wh-questions. So

think carefully what information you want to get exactly.

Reading

1. Before you read the text answer the following questions:

• What does WWW stand for?

• What do abbreviations http, www, html, URL, .ru mean?

• Is WWW a good source of information?

• Who owns WWW?

• Is the information posted in the Web regulated or monitored?

• Have you ever used WWW as a research tool?

2. Comment on the cartoon by Peter Steiner.

(The New Yorker, July 5, 1993)

3. Discuss with a partner if it is necessary to evaluate the information you have

found? Give your reasons.

4. Read the text to check your guesses.

Thinking about what we have found!

By now everyone has heard the terms “Internet”, “World Wide Web”. It seems you can’t pick up a magazine or watch news without them being mentioned somewhere. There is so much information across the Internet and the Web can link together info from anywhere in the world and make it available to anyone. A high school student can jump from The Times’ financial report to a pictorial tour of Russia’s capital, Moscow, to wild scenery of central Africa – without even leaving his desk.

The Internet has brought so much to society. It helps a great number of people to express themselves, find one another, exchange ideas, discover possible peers worldwide they never would have otherwise met, and, through hypertext links in web pages, suggest so many other people's ideas and personalities to anyone who comes and clicks. And that's great treasure.

Having access to huge amounts of information is part of the Internet’s

charm, but perhaps only a small part; more significant is the ability to find, view

and make use of the information. You can move around the world as easily as to

the local library just with a click of a mouse.

The World Wide Web is a great place to accomplish research on many topics, you can find research documents, encyclopedia entry or any other information almost on any subject. For many students traveling to a library to find this information has become a near obsolete venture. Instead, they prefer using the Web.

But there is one thing – you have to evaluate carefully whatever you find on the Web. Documents can easily be copied and falsified or copied with omissions and errors - intentional or accidental. In the general World Wide Web there are no editors (unlike most print publications) to proofread and "send it back" or "reject it" until it meets the standards of a publishing house's reputation. Quality of Web resources varies tremendously. Anyone can put articles on the Web. How do you know whether the information is reliable and free of error?

Moreover most pages are designed with some purpose in mind. Businesses, small or large, advertise and sell products and services; mass media’s primary purpose is to provide extremely current information. Their URL addresses frequently end in .com (commercial). Political parties, interest groups and other non-profit organizations put forward and advocate their ideas attempting to influence public opinion. Their URL extensions will frequently be .org. Education and government institutions design web pages with the motive to present factual information such as statistical data, directories, transport schedules, annual reports. Their addresses often end in .edu, .gov or even country codes. The two letters at the end of any internet address indicate the country of origin (except for the United States), e.g., .ru stands for Russia, .ua – for Ukraine, .sz stands for Switzerland.

A great number of web pages are published by individuals who may or may not be affiliated* with a large institution. This doesn’t mean they are necessarily ‘bad’ but it takes time to double-check, in other words, to gather the evidence on the quality of the information in the web site. Though the URL addresses may have a variety of endings, a personal name (sbaker or baker) following a tilde (~), a percent sign (%) or the words “users”, “members” or “peoples” is frequently embedded somewhere in the URL. It is the reader who establishes the validity, authority, accuracy, timeliness, integrity and objectivity of what you find and is intended to use. Using the Web as a Research Tool has become nowadays a real challenge. Remember that you are looking for quality not quantity!

(Adapted form the Internet sites)

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may be affiliated with* - здесь может быть связанным?являться членом организации

Comprehension check

1. Answer the questions:

1. What types of web pages are described in the text?

2. What goals do the web page owners have in mind?

3. What criteria can be used to evaluate the information on the page?

4. What kind of information can you learn from an Internet address?

2. Read the following definitions and find in the text the terms they correspond to.

a) a text that contains links to other documents - …

b)a connection of a page to another webpage or file - …

c) a common cursor control device used with a graphical user interface - ..

d) hyperlinked document in a web network system - …

e) a set of related pages on the WWW - …

f) a symbol used in URLs on the World Wide Web, often denotes a personal website - …

g) a symbol that may substitute a tilde if an input device lacks a tilde key - ..

h) a two letter abbreviation indicating the country of origin the web page comes from - …

i) the address of a web page on the world wide web - …

j) domain name in the URL address - …

k) a code number that identifies the location of stored information - …

3. Find in the text what the following name extensions mean.

a) .com b) .edu c) .gov d) .org e) .name

Now match the following suggestions for new extensions to their meanings.

.info - military

.museum - business

.biz - web-related

.web - firm/agency

.firm - museums

.mil - informative/ general use

Focus on language

1. Fill in the sentences with the prepositions if necessary. The text you have read may be of help.

1. The main idea behind the WWW is to make as much information as possible available … anyone.

2. Nowadays more people have easy access … to the Internet resources.

3. The abbreviation HTML stands … HyperText Markup Language.

4. You can use this form to look … the pages of Popular Science magazine.

5. Finally, they put … the idea that nowadays we are getting more and more dependent on the Internet for information.

6. Before using information you have up gather evidence … its accuracy

7. News Web pages provide their visitors … the most up-to-date information.

8. The 5-week WWW search course ended … a project work.

9. This small interest group will be very difficult to influence … public opinion.

10. Anyone can put anything … the Web for pennies in just a few minutes.

2. Look back in the text and find words and phrases that have similar meaning. Example: point and press - click

1. connect

2. look for

3. assess

4. extremely

5. duplicate

6. partner

7. organization with no income

8. to invest time

9. to create a web page

10. check twice

11. to support some points of view or an idea

12. to read and correct

13. trustworthy

14. point to

15. main

3. Match the verbs on the left with the nouns on the right to make as many

phrases as possible. Translate them into your native language. Choose 5 phrases and make sentences of your own.

advertise	information
meet	authority
establish	research
falsify	service
advocate	product
present	document
accomplish	idea
sell	standards

4. Within 1 minute complete the word web below with as many adjectives as possible.

Project work

“The World Wide Web: the battle for your mind at your fingertips”

You are members of a faculty task force formed to work out the guidelines for evaluating Web pages. To achieve good results in studies it is important to have the ability to search and find relevant information and estimate the quality of it. The aim of the task force is to help students to use Internet resources in information retrieval.

1. Work in groups of 5-6. Within your groups divide into pairs and conduct research on the types of Web pages and their purposes; criteria for evaluation;

Study help When you present your oral reports, follow this procedure: a) one student introduces the group and gives an introduction to the work conducted by the group; b) the next few students present one or two of the points and some interesting comments; c) the last student concludes the presentation by summarizing and interpreting the information, e.g.: It surprised us to learn that …).

search strategies/techniques and recommendations.

2. When your group meets again, share and summarize the information you have collected.

Write the guidelines for effective information hunting. Both simple and complex instructions can be of help.

3. Prepare an oral presentation of your work. Make sure to include an introduction to the problem, your guidelines and a conclusion.

In the Realm of Science

1. In the Internet and the WWW as well as in many other spheres of our life

there are a great number of symbols. Read and remember this

+ plus

- minus

~ tilde

% per cent

“” quotation marks

‘ apostrophe

: colon

* asterisk

() brackets

# lattice

@ at

& and

/ slash

. dot

4. Work in pairs. Look at the country codes in column A. Discuss which countries they could stand for. Match them with the names of countries in column B. Complete column C with the names of nationalities.

A	B	C
.us	the Ukraine
.jp	Switzerland
.cz	France
.gr	Japan
.it	Czech Republic
.fr	Italy
.ru	Sweden
.de	Russia
.uk	The Netherlands
.ua	the United Kingdom
.nl	Soviet Union (USSR former)
.se	Denmark
.su	the United States of America
.dk	Greece
.sz	Germany

Unit 1. Progress Monitoring In this unit you have worked on the vocabulary related to the topic “Information search” to look for/hunt for information search engine to access/extract/retrieve information search strategy/technique/tips to evaluate/double-check a source of information to establish validity/authority/accuracy/objectivity to put forward/advocate an idea information literacy copyright to browse/a browser available/relevant/up-to-date information to search/conduct search to proofread the material to stand for Tick (V) the points you are confident about and cross (X) the ones you need to revise.

Unit 2 Treasure house

Lead In

1. What is a library?

2. When did you first start using a library?

3. Did you have any problems finding necessary books or information?

4. Are you a confident library user these days? Why?/Why not?

Reading

1. What information sources do you know? Which of them have you worked with?

2. What is the difference between a newspaper and a magazine, a journal and a

magazine?

3. Read the text below. How many sources of information are mentioned? Pick out key words and phrases that go with each source.