Search

"Child Care Health Connections" is a bimonthly newsletter published by the California Childcare Health Program (CCHP), a community-based program of the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing, Department of Family Health Care Nursing. The goals of the newsletter are to promote and support a healthy and safe environment for all children in child care reflecting the state's diversity; to recreate linkages and promote collaboration among health and safety and child care professionals; and to be guided by the most up-to-date knowledge of the best practices and concepts of health, wellness and safety. Information provided in the newsletter is intended to supplement, not replace, medical advice. Regular features include columns on resources or current information related to infant/toddler care, school-age child care, public health, staff health, nutrition, inclusion, diversity, health consultancy, product information, pending legislation, available resources, and "Ask the Nurse," a Question-Answer column. Lead article of this issue is "Teaching Young Children Habits for Personal Safety." Other topics include: Caring for Children Who Have Been Abused; The Behavioral, Emotional & Health Consequences of Child Abuse; Milk; Coining: What You Need to Know; Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS); Indicators of the Three Types of Child Abuse; and Health and Safety Resources. (Individual articles contain references.)

"Child Care Health Connections" is a bimonthly newsletter published by the California Childcare Health Program (CCHP), a community-based program of the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing, Department of Family Health Care Nursing. The goals of the newsletter are to promote and support a healthy and safe environment for all children in child care reflecting the state's diversity; to recreate linkages and promote collaboration among health and safety and child care professionals; and to be guided by the most up-to-date knowledge of the best practices and concepts of health, wellness and safety. Information provided in the newsletter is intended to supplement, not replace, medical advice. Regular features include columns on resources or current information related to infant/toddler care, school-age child care, public health, staff health, nutrition, inclusion, diversity, health consultancy, product information, pending legislation, available resources, and "Ask the Nurse," a Question-Answer column. Lead article of this issue is "Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of Mosquitoes in Early Childhood Education (ECE) Settings." Other topics include: Facial Tics in Children; Sleep Hygiene for Infants and Toddlers; Keeping Your Skin Healthy; Cerebral Palsy; What do you need to know about SART?; Scabies; and Health and Safety Resources. (Individual articles contain references.) [Additional support for this issue was provided by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.]

Finding statistics and materials on adult, career, and career-technical education can be a complex and time consuming task, so this brief includes a variety of resources designed to help searchers find information and also suggests specific actions searchers may take, including the following: (1) talking with colleagues about their search successes and failures; (2) participating in discussion groups; and (3) using Google to search with Boolean operators and proper use of quotation marks. An annotated bibliography listing 50 World Wide Web sites organized into categories adult education, adult literacy, career education, career and technical education, training, curriculum developers, publishers/distributors, resource centers/organizations, statistics, and journals constitutes approximately 80% of this document. Some of the recommended websites include links to full-text sites that include proceedings, teaching guides, newsletters, journals, lesson plans, directories, and glossaries. (MO)

The Internet seems an ideal medium for fostering and supporting informal adult learning because it allows adults to seek out and use resources independently, control the pace and direction of learning, and talk to and consult others. Because it provides access to information, encourages meaningful interaction with information or material, and brings people together, the Internet supports learning that is constructivist in nature and that builds on prior knowledge. Issues have been raised related to the Internet and its role in informal learning, including access; degree of control that governments or other agencies might exercise over information available through the Internet; incomplete understanding of the extent and type of learning that is occurring; skills needed to engage in self-directed learning on the Internet; motivation for those who use the Internet for informal learning; and how technology can be improved. (Contains a 20-item annotated bibliography of resources that provide additional information about the Internet and informal adult learning.) (YLB)

Human intermediation is the central issue for information professionals who have been striving to provide better services in ever-changing environments. This document reports on an empirical study of human intermediation to explore patterns of relationships between user situations and tasks they request of intermediaries using the AskERIC Q&A Service--an Internet-based digital reference service--as an instantiation of human intermediation. The book consists of 10 chapters. An Introduction presents an overview of the nature of the problems addressed, research questions, and the structure of the book. Chapter 2, "What Do We Know about User Behavior in Human Intermediation," presents an extensive review of literature that overviews the topic of this research. Chapter 3, "Search for the Optimal Approach," reviews the general research approaches in conventional information retrieval (IR) and information problem solving (IPS) research. Chapter 4,"Methodology of the Empirical Study," describes the research design and procedure applied in this study. Chapters 5 through 9, "Tasks Requested of Human Intermediaries,""Situational Factors Association with the Use of Human Intermediation,""Reasons for Using the AskERIC Q&A Service,""Evaluation of AskERIC Q&A Service," and "Patterns of Associations between Situational Factors and Tasks Requested of AskERIC Q&A Service," present major findings of this study with some implications for existing models of IR and IPS research. Chapter 5 provides the taxonomy of tasks requested of human intermediaries developed in this research. Chapter 6 reports a finding of key situational factors identified by the study as associated with the use of human intermediation and Chapter 7 presents findings on reasons for using human intermediation. Chapter 8 reports findings concerning users' evaluation of the outcome of human intermediation. Chapter 9 reports findings on associations between situational factors and tasks requested of human intermediaries. Chapter 10 discusses the implications of study findings for practices of information services and system design. Four appendices include forms and additional information on findings. (Contains 209 references.) (AEF)

Digital reference services (also known as "AskA" services, as in "Ask-an-Expert") provide subject expertise and information referral over the Internet to their users. This ERIC Digest provides an overview of the growing digital reference movement and its implications on sponsoring organizations, and examines current practices in the creation and maintenance of such services. Following a brief definition of digital reference, discussion includes the evolution of digital reference; implications of these Internet-based question-and-answer services; how digital reference services work; and the six-step process of building and maintaining digital reference services. Includes a list of references and readings. (Author/AEF)

Vocational educators seeking curriculum materials, lesson plans, classroom activities, and other instructional materials can locate them in a variety of places. The ERIC database is a good source of information about the following instructional and resource materials: curricula, project descriptions, lesson plans, classroom activities, task lists, and guidelines for developing curricula. ERIC can be searched on the World Wide Web and at most university, state, and resource library centers. Networking with colleagues and participating in listservs such as CAREERTECH, which is maintained by the National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education, are two excellent ways to find and obtain recommendations for materials. Another great source of information for vocational-technical educators is the World Wide Web, which includes websites of many commercial and nonprofit publishers and the Vocational Education Resources site. (A 32-item annotated bibliography constituting approximately 75% of this document lists the following: addresses of 9 commercial publishers and subjects covered by their publications; 5 curriculum labs; 3 curriculum consortia; 4 curriculum developers; 6 state/regional resource centers; 4 miscellaneous sources of vocational education materials; and 2 related resources.) (MN)

Information literacy, or the ability to seek and effectively utilize information resources, has become a critical tool in the Information Age. Community colleges, as gateways to higher education, have an important role in equipping students with this ability to access and utilize information. The increasing importance of information skills has brought change to college campuses, as librarians have moved out of their roles as custodians of information to become primary instructors of research and critical thinking skills. An abundance of resource materials has also emerged to help librarians and faculty teach these essential tools. One recently developed aid is the Information Literacy: Search Strategies, Tools & Resources (ST&R) program. Designed to enable students to become self-sustained seekers and users of information sources and digital libraries, the program takes a user-centered perspective and focuses on the intellectual aspects of locating, evaluating, interpreting, and communicating information. The program offers exercises, glossaries, and other resources related to information use, and allows students to connect automatically to electronic resources for practice. Finally, ST&R is flexible, makes use of research from wide-ranging fields, and is scalable to adapt to students with varying academic abilities. (Contains 11 references.) (BCY)

Emerging research findings demonstrate a relationship between learning styles and approaches to using the World Wide Web and other hypermedia, especially in terms of success with information retrieval. One of the most widely used conceptions of learning styles is Witkin's Field Dependence (FD)/Field Independence (FI). FI individuals perceive details and rely on internal cues, whereas FD individuals use their entire surroundings, including other people, to process information. Although most research findings show that FI's perform more efficient searches in less time and are more comfortable with "surfing" in hyperspace, FD's can use hypermedia as efficiently as FI's can, provided their learning style preferences are accommodated. Accommodations include providing a site guide or a global overview (for example, menus listing all possible choices). Other variables affecting information-seeking processes include the following: motivation; perceived importance or value of information; prior computer experience or subject knowledge; degree of self-direction; and knowledge of interface. The key is to recognize the implications of one's preferred learning style, know how to select and use hypermedia tools to match one's style, and learn to create mental models and use metacognitive strategies. (Includes an annotated bibliography of 22 print and hypertext publications, which comprises more than half of the document.) ) (MN)

This document, which was written for adult educators in Georgia, offers instructional plans and practical strategies for helping students in adult literacy, adult basic education (ABE), General Educational Development, and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) programs live longer and healthier lives. The document begins with a discussion of why basic health information and health promotion activities are especially important for ABE and ESL students. The remainder of the document presents and explains three learning activities to help adult students improve their health and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The first activity teaches students to examine and understand health statistics, including statistics presented in the form of bar graphs and a pie chart. In the second activity, students learn to solve common health problems by reading case studies and using a group problem-solving approach to solve the problems posed by each case study. The third activity, which is conducted over several class periods, requires that students conduct outside research work to obtain information about how to live longer. The following items are included for each activity: overview and rationale; list of skills developed in the activity; materials needed; steps educators should take to prepare for and conduct the activity; discussion questions; and student handout. (MN)

A number of misconceptions or "myths" about information management have arisen since the beginning of the Information Age. One misconception is that the problem of information overload stems from too much information. In reality, the greater problem may be an explosion of noninformation. Many people believe that they must try to stay on top of continuous streams of information because of economic, social, and employment-related pressures. Although some have concluded that the solution is to forget about keeping up, others have advised focusing less on acquisition of information products and more on information processes (thinking about and interacting with information). Other misconceptions are that the World Wide Web is a one-stop source for all information needs and that the secret to information management is knowing how to navigate the Web. Because the Web encourages breadth over depth, however, users must be wary of relying on any single information source and must develop the critical literacy skills required to evaluate the accuracy of the information. As lifelong learners themselves, adult educators can demonstrate for learners that the key to information management is self-management: identifying one's own information needs, being one's own filter and editor, and taking both a wide and deep perspective in information seeking. (Contains 18 references.) (MN)

Parents can play an important role in helping their children succeed in school. This ERIC Digest presents the Big Six Skills problem-solving method as an effective approach for parents. The Big Six Skills apply to any problem or activity that requires a solution or result based on information. The Big Six can help parents effectively deal with the abundance of information available from many sources to guide their children through school assignments. The Big Six consists of: task definition, information seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation. In this approach, the parent assumes the role of a "coach" while the child assumes the role of a "thinker and doer." The parent guides the student through all steps it takes to complete the assignment, while the child thinks about what he or she needs to do at each step and then finds appropriate ways to do it. The Big Six approach recognizes the benefits of technology such as computers, e-mail, and the Internet for organizing information and for access to non-traditional sources of information. The Big Six approach can help parents effectively guide their children through assignments and at the same time help their children become independent learners and users of information. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/SWC)

The dawn of the electronic age has altered the role of the school librarian: the position is less of a warehouse manager and more of a reference consultant, the emphasis is access to information rather than collection development, and the librarian is an information center manager, specialist, and teacher of information technology. School restructuring, more student-centered teaching methods, and the change from a passive learning environment into an active one require collaboration between librarians and classroom teachers to meet the information needs of students. Librarians must become proficient in the use of the new technologies to promote them and instruct students and teachers in their use. As access to information overtakes ownership of information, librarians seek out and evaluate online and other electronic sources to meet the information needs of patrons. Librarians must teach students and teachers to be discriminating users of information, teach ethical use of the materials received, and form access policies and acceptable use agreements. The expanding functions of the library necessitate that the librarian become an information center manager, developing skills to manage the different groups of people who will work in the library. The librarian is the campus expert in information location and management and thus in the best position to be on the forefront of information technology and to train others in its use. The school librarian in the electronic age expands the services available from the library to include computer-based data and sophisticated information-seeking strategies. Working in concert with classroom teachers and curriculum experts, librarians form a comprehensive team designed to enhance student academic achievement and critical thinking skills necessary for success in lifelong endeavors. (Author/SWC)

Over the past 20 years, library media professionals have worked to move from teaching isolated library skills to teaching integrated information skills. Effective integration of information skills has two requirements: (1) the skills must directly relate to the content area curriculum and to classroom assignments; and (2) the skills themselves need to be tied together in a logical and systematic information process model. Schools seeking to move from isolated computer skills instruction also need to focus on these requirements. Library media specialists, computer teachers, and classroom teachers need to work together to develop units and lessons that will include both computer skills, general information skills, and content-area curriculum outcomes. The "Big Six Skills Approach to Information Problem Solving" is an information literacy curriculum, an information problem-solving process, and a set of skills which provide a strategy for effectively and efficiently meeting information needs. This model is transferable to school, personal, and work applications, as well as all content areas and the full range of grade levels. The Big Six Skills include: (1) task definition; (2) information seeking strategies; (3) location and access; (4) use of information; (5) synthesis; and (6) evaluation. An addendum is included which presents skills and knowledge related to technology that are not part of the computer and information technology curriculum. Contains 24 references. (Author/AEF)

This document, which was written for adult educators in Georgia, offers instructional plans and practical strategies for helping students in adult literacy, adult basic education (ABE), General Educational Development, and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) programs understand the credit traps that can hurt them. The document begins with a discussion of the businesses that take advantage of the many individuals who are shunned by mainstream banks and the importance of educating ABE and ESL students about the potential pitfalls of dealing with those businesses. The remainder of the document presents and explains three learning activities designed to teach adult students to make wise personal decisions about using credit in their lives. The first activity explains how interest works. In the second activity, students are taught to use basic math skills to determine how much credit really costs. In the third activity, students apply what they have learned about calculating the cost of credit by conducting outside research of community businesses (a rent-to-own shop and a pawn shop). The following items are included for each activity: overview and rationale; list of skills developed in the activity; materials needed; steps educators should take to prepare for and conduct the activity; discussion questions; and student handout. (MN)

Information literacy is the ability to access, evaluate, and use information from a variety of sources. This document traces the history of the development of the term "information literacy" and discusses the emergence of information literacy as an important concept in contemporary society. Two major events are examined that have driven information literacy into the forefront of educational reform: the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) Report and the National Educational Goals. The impact of technology on the concept of information literacy is discussed. Finally, recent revisions in national curriculum standards that imply recognition of information literacy skills are examined, including mathematics, social studies, and science standards. An annotated bibliography is included. (Contains 41 references.) (JLB)

Information literacy is the ability to access, evaluate, and use information from a variety of sources. This digest defines the information literate person and describes the evolution of the concept. Information literacy is examined in the context of existing practice; and the impact of technology on the storage and dissemination of data, resulting in the need for information literacy in telecommunications, is considered. Finally, information literacy is discussed in relationship to educational reform and to curriculum standards in mathematics, social studies, and science. (Contains 13 references.) (JLB)

This ERIC digest contains information regarding finding videotapes, audiotapes, CD-ROMs, computer software, and other nonprint materials about and/or for use in adult, career, and vocational education. Discussed first are the benefits of networking. Resource centers, curriculum coordination centers, and libraries are discussed in terms of their potential as sources of nonprint materials. Forty-two producers of nonprint materials and publishers of directories and reviews of nonprint materials are listed along with their addresses, phone numbers, and the types of materials they produce and the aspects of adult, career, and vocational education covered in the materials. Concluding the digest is an annotated bibliography of six publications that list, discuss, and/or review nonprint materials in the fields of adult, career, and vocational education and that part of the ERIC database which is available through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service. (MN)

Since Part H Interagency Coordination Councils (ICCs) were established in 1986, parents have been discussing what the primary role of the parent member is and should be, such as providing a parent and family perspective to the work of the ICC or representing family consumers throughout their state and, as such, a wide range of needs and opinions. By their presence in ICC meetings and on subcommittees, parent members can infuse a family perspective into all conversations or, in a more active role, they can infuse this perspective into program policy and even into the processes of the ICC itself, assuring that the Council supports the participation of its parent members in all its practices. This "Early Childhood Bulletin" explores ways that parent ICC members can enhance and expand their capacity to reflect a broad diversity of family perspectives. Strategies and reasons for gathering information are summarized, and information on the use of focus groups and surveys is presented. Also included are lists of references and information resources. (SG)

No matter what their role, knowing how to identify, select, and evaluate information resources are important processes for adult educators. Two of the main sources of information related to adult education are information databases and clearinghouses or resource centers. Two comprehensive references that can be used to select the most appropriate database are the "Encyclopedia of Information Systems and Services, 10th Edition" (1990) and "Datapro Directory of On-Line Services" (1990). The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database is considered to be the primary source for adult education due both to its purpose and its history of service to the field. National and state-level clearinghouses and resource centers disseminate information about adult education to a variety of audiences. "The Directory of National Clearinghouses: Resource Centers and Clearinghouses Serving Adult Educators and Learners" (1990) provides information about national clearinghouses and resource centers. Two common strategies used to identify information resources are asking other people and searching information databases. Most information databases can be accessed both manually and by computer, and many are available in CD-ROM format. Guidelines to evaluate and select resources based on their content include authority of source, timeliness, relevance, depth, accuracy, and replicability. (Seven references are listed.) (YLB)

Articles on Black college faculty recruitment and retention and student financial aid examines these issues: senior Black faculty and diversity issues, recruiting Black faculty to small towns, the supply of doctorates, doctoral fellowship programs targeting minorities, financial aid information on the Internet, and an online college tuition-bidding system. (MSE)

Ways that higher education institutions can improve their compliance procedures in responding to external requests for reports and information are addressed. Institutional officers must first determine how the data will be used by the external agency. By questioning how the requested information will be used, a determination can be made of what kind of data is actually required. Institutional officers also need to ask whether laws protecting the privacy of individuals whose records are held will not be violated. Each request for data should be analyzed for its probable cost to the institution. The effective collection of institutional data requires at least seven steps, which are listed (including notifying affected departments, preparing appropriate data reporting formats, and incorporating the edited, tabulated data into the institution's information management system, or filing it, or recording it as an "occasional report"). The institution also needs to monitor the analysis of its data by external agencies to assure that the reported information is analyzed adequately and properly. An example of recurring, inadequate agency analysis of institutional data is the tendency of state agencies to ignore the distinction between fixed and variable costs faced by institutions with fluctuating enrollments. By reviewing the agency's use of data in decision-making, the institution can judge whether to provide a minimum of information or more extensive data. Once every three years, college and university administrators should prepare a careful summary tabulation of the number of external data requests that they have received and the ways in which each was processed. (SW)

This pamphlet discusses the use of questioning in the college classroom and its contribution to learning. Starting with a brief examination of the ways children question, discussions cover: (1) the effects of linguistic and socio-linguistic characteristics in questioning; (2) questions in psychotherapy, law, and opinion polling; (3) classroom questioning from kindergarten to college; and (4) questioning as performed by college lecturers. Analysis of questioning at the college instructor level indicates that instructor questions at all levels are more like those of a lawyer than of a scientist (or child). In these cases the answers are already known by the questioner, there is an air of power associated with them, and the questioner is the one who initiates, directs, evaluates, and controls the flow of things. Therefore, unlike the child, scientist, or scholar, these questions do not seek answers for advancement of knowledge but rather to focus on past knowledge. Such questioning, it is argued, limits learning by being more oriented to the past and the authority of the questioner than toward the future and the autonomy of the answerer. (Contains 41 references.) (GLR)

This literature review selectively covers material on end-user searching published between 1971 and 1988. The first section discusses end-user search systems--e.g., multipurpose systems developed for end-users, simplified versions of traditional systems, gateway systems, and CD-ROM versions of databases. This section also discusses the complexity of offline search software. Research on end-user searching by various groups or in special settings are addressed in the second section, e.g., scientists, physicians, academics, schools, lawyers, journalists, brokers, and libraries. The next two sections consider end-user training and performance. A discussion of future developments in end-user searching concludes the review. The 155 references listed are organized by broad topics corresponding to sections of the review. (MES)

This newsletter issue focuses on how consumers with disabilities find and access information. The importance of dissemination of research findings to consumers is stressed in a statement by John D. Westbrook, Director of the National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR). The first article suggests that often research results are available but are not widely accessible to critical groups, including people with disabilities and their families, advocates, and direct service providers. It notes the lack of research on this issue and introduces a survey by the NCDDR of consumers associated with a national network of independent living organizations. The following article describes the survey process, which resulted in a total of 1,170 consumer surveys from 380 organizations in all 50 states. The preliminary findings are reported in tabular format and text for the survey's five major questions. Most consumers identified popular media as a primary source of information; two-thirds preferred "regular print" as the desired format; and a great majority never used the Internet. Although three-fourths of consumers responded that information from disability research was useful to them, less than half reported that they knew how to find this information. (DB)