Week Eleven - Building Knowledge

LECTURE:


Today's lecture began with a short pop quiz containing questions pertaining to past lectures. The questions were:-


- What is a Boolean search?

- What strategies can you use to give a great presentation?

- What criteria can be used for evaluation of websites?

- What are the advantages of atom based information?

- What was the original purpose of the web?

- What are the 5 top things you have learnt about the use of technology at University?


We then looked at Data, Information and Knowledge and the definitions, characteristics importance and relationships between them. The slides then followed with some point form definitions of data, information and knowledge. We then learnt about the characteristics of each one. They are as follows:


Data- facutual, non-judgemental, non-inferential, translent, has no intrinnsic meaning, has no intrinsic "value".


Information- summative, relational, dimensional, permanent, has meaning, uncertain value(must be realtedto something), exists forever.


Knowledge- Inferential, experiential, judgemental, subjective, very valuable.



TUTORIAL:

The first task required us to find an online dictionary and conclude our own definitions of data, information, and knowledge. Using Dictionary.com, mine are as follows:

Data: individual facts, statistics, or items of information. (dictionary.com, 2008)

Information: knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance; news: information concerning a crime. (dictionary.com, 2008)

Knowledge: acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition. (dictionary.com, 2008)

For the second task we had to draw up our own diagram showing the relationship of data, information and knowledge. Mine is pictured below:

How can the understanding of the relationship between data, information and knowledge assist your university study?
The relationship between data, information, knowledge assists my university study, as it is a clear indicator of the process that students go through to help with their uni work. They all relate to eachother as you can see in the diagram, and if you do not understand one term, it is hard to understand another. The data is what creates the information that turns into knowledge.

Five organisations that collect information from their clients or the public include:

1) Banks
2) Medical Surgeries
3) Law Firms
4) Sports Organisations
5) Educational Facilities

They collect this information to have proof of identity, inform them of information and products, to keep their records up to date etc...

Reading 1 - Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom
This reading was about Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom. It provided information on these terms, and why it is important that we use these in everyday life. According to Ackoff, the first four relate to the past, whereas the fifth, wisdom, relates to the future. Examples are then given with a descriptive listing of a refrigerator.

Reading 2 - Information Literacy Tutorial
This reading was about these topics:

The Production of Knowledge
The Organization of Knowledge
From Thesis to Search Strategy
Fundamentals of Online Searching
Using Reference Resources
Citing Your Sources
Copyright and Fair Use

It was good for learning about information literacy skills, and there were several quizzes on the website to help students.