Module No. 1 – Information Processing

Social media for upskilling unemployed and low
skilled adult workers for digital society
2018-1-PT01-KA204-047429
IO2 – Mobile and online interactive platform for building the digital
competence of low-skilled / low-qualified unemployed persons
Module No. 1 – Information Processing
Author: Consultis - Consultoria Empresarial Unipessoal, Lda. – Portugal
LINK-UPS
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not
constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the
authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be
made of the information contained therein.

Aims of the module
The aim of this module is to develop the digital skills that foster the
reintegration into the labour market of unemployed adults over 45 years old,
by promoting the following learning about informationprocessing:
 To articulate information needs, to search for information, data and digital
content.
 To judge the relevance of the source and its content.
 To store, manage and organise digital data, information and content.

Previous knowledge required
 Basic computer skills.

Learning outcomes
Knowledge
 Understand how information is generated, managed and made available.
 Be aware of different search engines.
 Understand which search engines or databases best answer to his/her own information needs.
 Understand how information can be found in different devicesand media.
 Understand how search engines classify information.
 Can analyse retrieved information.
 Evaluatesmedia content.
 Judges the validity of content found on the internet or the media, assesses and interprets
information.
 Understandsthe reliability of different sources.
 Understandsonline and offline information sources.
 Understandsthat information sources need to be cross-checked.
 Understandshow information is stored on different devices/services.
 Can enumerate different storage media.
 Knows different storage options and can select the most appropriate.

Learning outcomes
Skills
 Adjusts searches according to specific needs.
 Can follow information presented in hyper-linked and non-linear form.
 Can use filters and agents.
 Is able to search for words that limit the number of hits.
 Can refine information searches and selects controlled vocabulary specific to the search tool.
 Has strategic information skills for goal-oriented activities.
 Is able to adapt search strategies to a specific search engine, application or device.
 Is able to deal with information “pushed” at the user.
 Assesses the usefulness, timeliness, accuracy and integrity of the information.
 Can compare, contrast, and integrateinformation from different sources.
 Distinguishes reliable information from unreliable sources.
 Structuresand classifies information and content according to a classification scheme/method.
 Organises information and content.
 Downloads/uploads and classifies information and content.
 Uses severalclassification schemes to store and manage resources and information.
 Is able to retrieveand access previously stored information and content.

Learning outcomes
Competence
To search for online information using a search engine.
To use different search engines to find information.
To use advanced search strategies (e.g search engines) to find reliable information on the
Internet.
To know that not all information is reliable.
To compare different sources to assess the reliability and credibility of the information
found.
To assess the reliability and credibility of information using a range of criteria.
To save or store files or content (for example, texts, photos, music, videos, webpages) and
know how to access them once saved.
To organise information, data and content methodically using files and folders to be easily
stored and retrieved.
To back up stored information or files.
To save information found on the Internet in different formats.
To use online information storage services.

Delivery
 Training duration
 Learning duration
 Equipment/resource required
 Assessment test (pre- and post-)

Short summary of the module
The module aims to provide low-skilled/low-qualified unemployed adults, over
45, with the skills needed to access, assess and use the data, information and
digital content available online. These skills will facilitate the daily life of adults,
but essentially their reintegration into the labour market. It will enable them to
use new job search tools, but it will also help the adults to perform work tasks
for which they need knowledge in the field of new technologies, namely
regarding Internet search and information processing.

Glossary
 Access to the Internet - Possibility to search, obtain or process the information
available on the Internet.
 Bookmarks - Set of references to webpages, electronic documents or parts of
them, which are organised by the internet user), even using a folder concept
similar to that used in file organization, allowing the user to easily find the data
you find interesting , at a later consultation.
 Browsing - Action of using the Internet to search for information through a web
browser. The user moves between pages on the same or different websites
using hyperlinks.
 Crawler (see Spider).
 Data - Representation of information in a conventional form suitable for
communication, interpretation or processing. Data may be processed by
human or automatic means.
 Database - Collection of data organised according to a conceptual framework
that describes the characteristics of this data.
 Desktop - Screen content (windows and icons) that appears when a computer
with a graphical interface is connected.

Glossary
 Digital Content - Content that may be incorporated, stored, manipulated and
made available in a digital form.
 Digital media - Media that use appropriate technologies for the creation and
delivery of digital content. Examples: digital audio, digital video, World Wide
Web.
 Domain - A group of computers and devices on a network, particularly in the
Internet, that are administered as a unit with common rules and procedures
and share a common name (domain name).
 Download - Receive data on your own computer (for example, a text file or
program) from another computer, usually from a server.
 File - Identified set of records treated as a unit. A computer file is a file that may
be stored in a computer's permanent memory and is available for use by
computer programs.
 Hyperlink - Reference from some point in a hypertext to a point in the same or
another document; such a reference is usually specified differently from the rest
of the hypertext (for example, using underlined words).

Glossary
 Hypertext - Document that, besides the information it conveys, contains hyperlinks to
the same or to other texts, thus allowing a nonlinear reading. Hypertext is the basic
principle of the World Wide Web (WWW).
 Internet - Wide network that is a confederation of computer networks from
universities and government, military, and commercial research centres based on
the TCP / IP protocol. Provides access to websites, e-mail, e-newsletter systems,
databases, newsgroups, etc.
 Internet Service Provider or Internet Service Provider - A company that is permanently
connected to the Internet and makes it available to individuals or companies,
enabling them to access the various services provided by it.
 Modem - Equipment whose fundamental functions is to connect a local network to
the internet.
 Offline - Not connected to a network, and thus not being able to connect with other
computers.
 Router - Interconnect equipment, installed on a computer network, that is designed
to optimize data transmission by determining which is the best path they should take.
 Server - A computer program that receives and satisfies requests from other
programs (client programs) on the same or other computers.

Glossary
 Software - All or part of the programs, procedures, rules and associated
documentation that belong to an information processing system.
 Spider - A program that scans/crawls the Internet in a methodical and
autonomous way, visiting websites and reading their pages for the purpose of
creating index entries for a search engine.
 URL Address or Web Address - Address by which documents and other
resources are known and accessed on the Internet with the help of a browser.
Integrates protocol, domain, and path identifier characters to reach the
resource.
 Webpage - World Wide Web hypertext document, usually written in HTML
language, which can be viewed through its URL address using a browser.
 Website - Set of hypertexts organized by a particular person or organization,
stored and made available on the World Wide Web, with information of
different sorts (text, photos, graphic animations, sounds and videos).
 World Wide Web - System based on the use of hypertext, which allows the
searching of information on the Internet, the access to it and its visualization. It
uses the HTML language and HTTP protocol to display and transmit text,
graphics, sound and video, and also incorporates other traditional Internet
protocols such as Gopher, FTP, WAIS and Telnet.

Module contents
1. Browsing, searching and filtering data, information and digital content.
1.1. Access and search for information online.
1.2. Articulate information needs.
1.3. Find relevant information.
1.4. Select resources effectively.
1.5. Browse different online information sources.
1.6. Create personal information strategies.
2. Data, information and digital content assessment.
2.1. Analyse, compare and critically assess the credibility and reliability of data
sources, information and digital content.
3. Data, information and digital content management.
3.1. Organise, store and retrieve data, information, and content in digital
environments.
3.2. Organise and process data in a structured environment.

1. Browsing, searching and filtering data,
information and digital content.

To access to the Internet you need:
 A computer, mobilephone, tablet;
 A fixed modem or wireless connection (wireless or Bluetooth);
 An Internet service (Portugal: Zon, Meo, Vodafone, etc.).
1.1 Access and search for information
online.

Then, you should use a web browser.
The browser is the visualization tool needed to access
any website on the World Wide Web.
Source: https://www.color-management-
guide.co.uk/web- browser-color-management.html
Example of a web browser (Google Chrome)
online.

 The search engine searches - within a universe of thousands of World Wide
Web pages - for the keywords we enter in the search box.
 The search engine searches for the words we have entered and shows
pages containing them.
 On the Internet you find several search engines. Some of the best-known
search engines are Aol, Ask, Baidu, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Excite, Google,
Lycos, Yahoo, etc.
online.

 Step 1: Once you have access to the web browser you can type in its
address bar the URL (web address), which will make it easy for you to
search all kinds of information on the Internet.
 The address bar is located at the top of your web browser and looks like
this:
online.

Step 2: After accessing the search engine, type in the search box what you
want to find, that is, using the appropriate keywords.
Step 3: Click on "Search" or on the keyboard button “Enter” or on the icon
(depending on the search engine you are using).
online.

The search result is displayed as a list of hyperlinks, and you can click on each
result to access the information.
online.

Step 4: Then, you should choose the result that best fits the information you
need, and theoretically the first result will be where you will find the
information you want, but it depends on the efficiency of the search
techniques used.
online.

If you want to go back or forward to a previously visited page, use the
"Forward" and "Back" buttons which are on the left of the address bar:
Clicking the vertical three dots icon, on the right of your address bar, will bring
up a menu with the option “History”, which shows all the sites you have visited:
online.

You can also choose whether you want to see everything about the topic, or just
images, maps, videos, etc.
Another important function is to bookmark the webpages or websites that interest
you the most. You can do this by clicking on the star to the right of the address
bar.
online.

It is important to identify which tools best fit your needs.
Basically,there are two types of tools for searching information on the Internet:
 directories
and
 search engines

The directory is a kind of search engine that knows beforehand the content of
all the documents it may submit as a result. The directory produces, like the
search engine, a list of websites, but this list is produced based on a real-
person elaborated file system consisting of categories and subcategories.
Directory examples:
https://dmoz-odp.org/ https://www.yahoo.com/ https://botw.org/
https://inside.com/#mahalo/ https://10directory.com/ http://www.goguides.org/
ETC……

Search engines do not hierarchically
organise the webpages. They collect
information through a software known
as “spiders” or “robots” that “crawl” all
the Internet or the World Wide Web for
the information searched. Search
engine databases are extremely large
and can reach hundreds of millions of
items allowing users to locate the
desired informationby using keywords.
www.aol.com
www.ask.com www.bing.com
duckduckgo.com
http://www.excite.com
www.google.com
www.lycos.com
www.yahoo.com
ETC……
Search engine examples:

1.3. Find relevant information.
To find the information you want, please note the following:
 Know what you are looking for in as much detail as possible, as it will make it easier to
search the vast amount of information on the Internet. Choose well your keywords for the
search.
 Don't stay on the first page of search engine results. Scroll through the results on the
various pages and compare them.
 You should look for the same information on more than one search engine and browse
multiple websites or pages on the same subject so that you can compare the
information.
 Do not divert your focus from the intended information. Your search will return several
results and not all of them will match what you are looking for.
 Pay attention to the information you find. Not everything on the Internet is true or
scientifically accurate.
 Always look for content that contains multiple references.
 If you find information on blogs or social networking pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram),
find out if the author is an expert on the subject.

The Internet allows access to
several sources of information.
To confirm or have access to
the news you can and should
use websites from credible
news sources (e.g. national
television website), or the
national newspapers websites.
If you would like information on
employment and vocational training, you
should look at the public website about
employment and training, if available,
and on the websites of other institutions
offering such services, such as job sites, for
example, Indeed
(https://www.indeed.com/).
1.4. Browse different online information
sources.

 Use precise words/specific
terminology avoiding overly
generic words as they will
exponentially increase the number
of results.
 You should preferably use
names. Other types of words such
as verbs, adjectives, adverbs,
pronouns should be used in
quotation marks (advanced
search).
 In an initial search do not use
more than three words.
1.5. Create personal searching strategies.
In order to find what you want, you
must know how to use the keywords.
Example: The goal is to search for job
advertisements
You should use the following
keywords:
job search
or
job advertisements
or
job offers

To quickly find the information you need, you can use several strategies to find
what you really need, such as:
 If you want to find an exact expression,you must type it in quotation marks
(“”), otherwise,the results will focus on all the words used;
 To make sure that a word is always includedin the search, put a plus sign
(+) before the keyword (without spaces);
 To make sure that a word is always excluded in the search, put a minus sign
(-) before the keyword (without spaces);
 To search for variants of a word, place an asterisk (*) at the end of the
keyword (without spaces).
 Search engines provide advanced search fields.

Another search technique, Boolean search, a little more advanced, is the use of English
words AND, OR, NOT, NEAR. Examples:
 When you enter "search AND job" all pages containing both the words "search" and
"job" will be shown.
 "search OR job" will show all pages containing only one of the words.
 "AND job AND NOT search" will result in pages that contain the word “jobs” and
exclude the word "search".
 Job NEAR Search will result in pages containing these words next to each other - up to
ten characters apart.
Other forms of more advanced search are to use parenthesis. Examples:
 (job OR offers) AND Portugal will find pages containing "offers" or "job" in combination
with the word "Portugal".
 ("job" NEAR “offers”) AND “Portugal" will show pages containing the expression “job
search” up to ten characters away from the word "Portugal".

2. Data, information and digital content
assessment.

There are 3 basic questions you should ask to assess a website:
 Is the website reliable?
 Is the information interesting?
 Was that the informationyou were looking for?
2.1. Analyse, compare, interpret and critically
assess the credibility and reliability of data
sources, information, and digital content.

Another way to check the reliability of the information we find on the Internet is to
use the questions of the CRAAP test.
Currency: Is the information updated? When was the page created or when was it
last updated?
Relevance: Does the information respond to what I am looking for? Is the information
partial or objective?
Authority: Is the author of the webpage clearly identified? Is he/she qualified to write
about the subject in question? Is he/she linkedto any entity/institution/organisation?
Accuracy: Is there bibliographic references that support the information on the
page? Has the information been reviewed by other people?
Purpose: What is the purpose of the information presented: inform, teach, sell? Does
the information reveal political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal
biases?

You can also analyse:
The typology of URL, namely the domain of the
URL:
 .edu – used by education entities
 .org – used by organisations
 .gov – used by government agencies or
bodies
And the domains with country identification:
 .bg (Bulgaria)
 .es (Spain)
 .it (Italy)
 .pt (Portugal)
 .tr (Turkey), etc.
Domains considered less reliable:
 .com - used by commercial
entities
 .net - used by commercial
entities
 .web - used by commercial
entities

3. Data, information and digital content
management.

3.1. Organise and store data, information
and content in digital environments.
 Keep at least 3 copies of your data (1 on your computer, 1 on a secure
storage cloud, and 1 on an offline external drive or physical media, e.g.
thumb drive, external disk, server, etc.)
 You can set up a regular automatic backup program.
 Check their access periodically.
 Keep your backups in a safe offsite location (this rule only applies to offsite
disk backup). This solution does not prevent all risks such as human failure,
theft, fire, flood or natural disasters.
 Protect access to your backups with good tools and secure passwords.

Create a PC backup:
 Step 1: Select the Start button , then select Control Panel > System and
Maintenance> Backup and Restore.
 Step 2: Do one of the following:
If you've never used Windows Backup before, or recently upgraded your
version of Windows, select Set up backup, and then follow the steps in the
wizard.
If you've created a backup before, you can wait for your regularly
scheduled backup to occur, or you can manually create a new backup by
selecting Back up now.
If you’ve created a backup before, but want to make a new, full backup
rather than updating the old one, select Create new, full backup, and then
follow the steps in the wizard.

Save documents online
You may want to save your files in the cloud allowing you to access and share
them anytime and a simply way. You will be able to work on your documents
offline and any changes you make will sync when you are back on the Internet.
Google Drive is one of the top tools for storing files online or in the cloud (it offers
15GB of total storage for free).
 Sign in to the Google site and create an account with username and
password;
 If you have a Google email account (gmail), you don't need to create
another one;
 Enter the site and enter your login details;
 After setting the options you can start using.

Another tool is the Microsoft OneDrive.
To save documents/files online with OneDrive, log in to Office (see
OneDrive.com).
 Go to File > Save As, and then pick OneDrive to save documents directly
from programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
 If you haven’t signed in, do that now by clicking Sign In.
 Or if you haven’t signed up for a Microsoft account, click Sign up.
 After you sign up or sign in, save your document to OneDrive.

How to copy a webpage?
How to save a webpage?

How to copy text from a webpage?
Select the text and then right-click on it and click copy. Then you can open a
Word document, right-click on the blank document and click “Paste”, then save
the document. You can also paste the text using the Word toolbar and click the
"Paste" icon.

How to save text from a webpage?
To save it you can click on “File”(top left of the screen) and then “Save As”,
then name the file,choose where you want to save it and click “Save”.

How to copy and save an image from a webpage?
You shouldright click on the image. If you choose to save the image directly,
click “Save image as…” and the image below will appear.

Then, you should give the image filea name, select where you want to save it,
and click the save button.

If you choose to copy the image you should click on “Copy Image” and you
shouldopen a Word document or other document where you want to place
the image. To do this, you must right-click To save, you can click on "File" and
then on "Save As", then name the file, choose where you want to save it and
click "Save".
To save, you can click on
"File“, then on "Save As", then
name the file, choose where
you want to save it and click
"Save".

3.2. Organise and process data in a
structured environment.
Classifyinformation methodically using files and folders to retrieve them easily.
You can create folders directly on your Desktop or open Windows Explorer and
create folders within other folders on your computer.
In both situations, the procedure is the same and you should go to the place
where you want to create a folder.
For Desktop, move the mouse pointer over the Show Desktop button (located on
the far right of the taskbar) and left-click.
For the Windows Explorer, locate the icon on the taskbar, move the mouse
pointer over icon, and left-click. Then, go to the folder you want as described in
step using Windows Explorer.

Finally, and assuming you are already in the desired folder, click on an empty icon
zone (the pointer cannot be over file or folder icons) with the right mouse button.
An options menu will appear where you should move the mouse pointer over the
"New" option, which will bring up a new options menu in which you should move the
mouse to the "Folder" option ending the procedure by clicking with the left mouse
button on this option.
If the procedure was successful, then a folder icon with a blue background text box
will appear, indicating that you can name the folder.
In this step, you should name the folder created using the keyboard. When you
have finished typing the name press the Enter.
3.2. Organise and process data in a
structured environment.

 Back up and restore your PC. Microsoft. Retrieved 23 July 2019, from
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17127/windows-back-up-restore
 Evaluating Sources: The CRAAP Test.Benedictine University Library. Retrieved 24 July 2019,
from https://researchguides.ben.edu/source-evaluation
 Glossário da Sociedade da Informação. (2019). Associação para a Promoção e
Desenvolvimento da Sociedade da Informação. Retrieved 26 August 2019, from
http://apdsi.pt/glossario/
 Peixoto, P. COMO PESQUISAR INFORMAÇÃO NA INTERNET?. Retrieved 24 July 2019, from
http://www4.fe.uc.pt/fontes/pesquisa_na_Internet/pesquisar/como_pesquisar.htm
 Using Office for the web in OneDrive. Microsoft. Retrieved 23 July 2019, from
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/using-office-for-the-web-in-onedrive-dc62cfd4-120f-
4dc8-b3a6-7aec6c26b55d
 Utilizar funcionalidades básicas do Sistema Operativo Windows. REDE TIC e Sociedade.
Retrieved 24 July 2019, from http://www.ticsociedade.pt/conceitosinformatica6
Sources

Module No. 1 – Information Processing

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