Digital Citizenship Lesson 3

Collective Intelligence

Essential Question?

What are the benefits and drawbacks of people working together to create information online?

Words to Know

Synergy -2 or more things working together to produce something that each could not achieve separately

Collective Intelligence – knowledge collected from many people towards a common goal

Wiki – a website created by a group that allows all users in a group to add or edit content

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” … Aristotle What is meant by this phrase? How does this phrase apply to teamwork

or collaboration? What are some instances demonstrating

this phrase is true? Are there any situations when this phrase

is untrue?

Thumbs up or Thumbs down

Is it beneficial when many people work together to ...

Write a novel Write reviews of a novel Take a photo? Publish a newspaper Solve a math problem? Build a bridge

Collective Intelligence

There are growing opportunities for people to collaborate online through collective intelligence. On the Internet, people can collaborate without being in the same place, and even without knowing each other

Types of collective intelligence

Wikis that allow anyone to create and edit public Web entries

Public contests to answer problems or create products

Websites that allow you to see reviews from other users (ie. Yelp)

What are the benefits and drawbacks of collective intelligence

Pros Wide variety of

information and ideas Audience can get a

broader perspective Could be good for

reviews and advice

Cons Information is posted by

ordinary people – not experts

Information can be inaccurate or just plain wrong

Too much information makes it difficult to weed out unreliable info

A bit about Wikipedia

Information on Wikipedia is contributed by anyone who wants to post material, and the expertise of the posters is not taken into consideration.

Information can be out-dated or posted by someone who is not an expert in the field

Experts do not review information on Wikipedia to validate reliability

History of Wikipedia (video)

Wikipedia contains out dated and inaccurate information about Pleasant Grove High School

How do you know it’s reliable?

Use the CRAAP test Current – the information is not out dated

When was the information published or posted? Has the information been revised or updated? Is the information current or out-of date for your

topic? Do the links Work

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs Does the information relate to your topic or

answer your question? Who is the intended audience? Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not

too elementary or advanced for your needs)? Have you looked at a variety of sources before

determining this is one you will use? Would you be comfortable using this source for

a research paper?

Authority: the source of the information

Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations

given? What are the author's credentials or organizational

affiliations given? What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic? Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail

address? Does the URL reveal anything about the author or

source?examples: .com (commercial), .edu (educational), .gov (U.S. government), 

               .org (nonprofit organization), or .net (network)

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content

Where does the information come from? Is the information supported by evidence? Has the information been reviewed or refereed? Can you verify any of the information in another

source or from personal knowledge? Does the language or tone seem biased and

free of emotion? Are there spelling, grammar, or other

typographical errors?

Purpose: the reason the information exists What is the purpose of the information? to

inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade? Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or

purpose clear? Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda? Does the point of view appear objective and

impartial? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious,

institutional, or personal biases?

The craap test was developed by Librarians at CSU Chico