Inukshuk Wireless, Content Development Project
2007-2008

ISIS-21:
Information skills for the information society in the twenty-first century

Abrami, P. C. (Concordia), Wade, A. (Concordia), Lebel, C. (Concordia), White, B. L.,
& Lacroce, A. E.

The Conference Board of Canada (2000) has listed a variety of critical skills needed to enter and function in today's workplace. Among these are Communication Skills, such as the ability to "read and understand information presented in a variety of formats" and the ability to "locate, gather and organize information using appropriate technology and information systems". Our educational system needs a systematic approach to teaching this set of skills, known as Information Literacy skills. Yet few school curricula specifically address the teaching of these skills, in many cases because the teachers lack basic information literacy skills themselves. This collaborative project between the CSLP, LEARN-Quebec and the English Montreal School Board aims to develop a prototype set of bilingual, web-based, multimedia instructional content to assist Cycle 3 (grades 5 and 6) elementary students, and their teachers in becoming more informed, and educated users of the Internet. Our project entitled ISIS-21 will consist of the design and development of the following modules: How to Search for Information and How to Evaluate Information. These modules will be linked to the CSLP-LEARN's e- portfolio software entitled ePEARL and will be made freely available over the web. They will be designed according to current research evidence on effective pedagogical strategies for online learning and will be faithful to student centered, constructivist curriculi.