Information Literacy, Technology and Digital Media

No one will deny we are inundated with information from multiple sources every day. As a school librarian one of our major roles is developing information literacy skills in both students and staff. How do we, “Find, use, apply, and evaluate information” (Big6, n.d., p.1)? We consume most of our information through technology and the digital platforms provided (smartphones, computers, tablets, etc.) rather than physical books or newspapers. The ease with which we can access this information provides the opportunity to compare several sources of information more quickly, but are we following a standard process to evaluate this information?

The readings, resources and podcast this week provided several different methods of evaluating information. First, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework (https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework) (2015) presents six frames with which to view information literacy. Within the ACRL framework document, each frame is described along with examples or practices (using verbs such as monitor, assess, articulate) (14) and dispositions of the learners (using descriptors such as open-minded, motivated, aware) (13). I found the addition of the dispositions interesting and reminded me of Carol Kulthau’s research on the information search process.

 

 

More specifically, The Liturgist Podcast recommended five items to consider when consuming information: author, publisher (and existence of an editorial review board), date, cited sources and writing style. The brief rap created to highlight these items is catchy but contains explicit language so would not be useful in a school setting (from minute 28:54 to 30:24)

 

The Liturgist Podcast - Fake News & Media Literacy

Within the school setting, I used the Super3 research process during a collaboration with a fourth-grade teacher (The Big6 org, 1990). The students were taught to plan, do and review while completing a research question about animal adaptations. This simplified Big6 process enabled me to focus on basic research and inquiry with students that had not been exposed to a standardized method of research.

 

With regards to my own information diet, I grew up reading the newspaper at breakfast and watching the nightly news with my family. In fact, one of my earliest memories is asking my parents why there were gorillas in Vietnam, obviously unaware of the term guerilla. As I have moved around the country with my husband and children one of the first things I do in a new town is subscribe to the local newspaper. Unfortunately, I did not do that when we moved to South Carolina two years ago as our previous hometown paper was only published three days a week and did not include much information. As a result, I have felt less connected to this community than others I have lived in. Now, I watch a little local news, more national news and follow news organizations and reporters on twitter.

 

Recently, I have spent extended time with my in-laws and mother. They consume an alarming amount of national news and seldom question the headlines they are reading. On a couple of occasions I have asked if the story sounds true and when they think about it they agree it seems unlikely.

 

As a school librarian it will be important for me to consume news from a variety of sources. In addition to local and national news, reading trade publications and journals for administrators and teachers will allow me to learn about the issues that are important to them.

 

Resources:

Framework for information literacy for higher education. (2015). Chicago:
Association of College & Research Libraries. Retrieved June 23, 2022 from http://www.ala.org/acrl/files/issues/infolit/framework.pdf

 

The Big6 org. 1990. What is the Super3?. https://thebig6.org/thebig6andsuper3-2

 

Big6 Skills Overview. (n.d.).https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59a303936a49631dd51f9a7d/t/5b92bf5e03ce644e10c18005/1536343902416/Big6+Skills+Overview.pdf