Information Literacy (Blog #2)
Information literacy requires being able to locate and evaluate various sources to fulfill an information need. For many people, that means using technology or media of some kind. Reading through The Big6 (Eisenberg & Berkowitz, 1990), I recognized it as something I had both taught and used myself, while not knowing it had a formal name. I think we assume most people are information literate, but it appears to be the opposite many times. Information seeking is much more involved than typing a keyword or question into Google.
In some ways, technology has complicated the quest for information. Clay Johnson alluded to this in The Liturgists podcast episode. With the advent of the internet, and especially social media, the amount of mis-, dis-, and mal-information has increased dramatically (Gungor & Science Mike, 2017). Locating credible sources and evaluating the information takes many more steps than it did when we could simply pull a reference book from the library shelf. Joyce Valenza (2016) listed a dozen items to consider when looking at the legitimacy of a news article. That is time consuming and many people do not want to be bothered with a lengthy process.
Valenza’s news literacy article also explores a Stanford University study about how well middle, high and college students were able to discern and analyze information they came in contact with on a regular basis. The results were disappointing, to say the least. It also tells us something about digital natives. Just because a person is digitally literate, does not mean they can use technology effectively for information seeking. It must be intentionally taught.
The Framework for 21st Century Learning (Battelle for Kids, 2019), the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (ACRL, 2016), and the Common Sense Education Digital Citizenship Curriculum (Common Sense Media, 2020) aim to do just that. All three of these documents contain overlapping ideas and highlight the importance of critical thinking in a multitude of areas. I was particularly drawn to Common Sense Education’s infographic for the “6 Core Topics of Digital Citizenship”. Under each topic is a “we” statement that is easy to understand even for the youngest learners.
The first statement resonated even for me: “We find balance in our digital lives.” Looking at the curriculum overview, the topic is revisited in every grade level from kindergarten to twelfth grade, from different angles. It is a challenging issue in this time of constantly being bombarded by screens. How many of us still need to find that balance as adults?
Although much of The Liturgists podcast (2017) did not contain new information for me, it also reminded me of some things to think about in reference to balance and well-being. Johnson spoke about the emotional responses that can occur to certain articles or pieces of information. If we feel ourselves getting angry about something, we need to either dive deeper into the content to make sure the rage is justified, or step away from it altogether. I have found myself doing the latter several times in the past few years.
I am a sensitive person in general, and sometimes the inundation of upsetting news affects me to the point of overwhelm. The summer of 2020 was a particularly daunting one, as I am sure it was for many. I got most of my daily news from Twitter, and between the pandemic and the George Floyd aftermath, I had to limit my information intake for a while. I used to watch NBC Nightly News, but stopped once my son became old enough to understand what they were saying. There is so much I am not ready to discuss with him yet.
Currently, I find myself mindlessly scrolling on social media for longer than I would like to admit. I have a side business that I frequently read about, as well as keep up with my friends and what they have going on. I have joined some librarian groups that help me feel like I am not just filling myself with junk. I have gotten back into reading local news more frequently, as I think that is important for myself as a person and a librarian to know what is happening in my community. I know I have a lot to change in my diet!
As for the ideal librarian information diet, I think it should be a wide variety of things. Keeping up with local and national current events is important, but it is also imperative to know ourselves and what is too much. Reading library journals and book reviews on a regular basis is a wonderful way to ensure we are keeping up with the latest research and trends. Having at least a peripheral knowledge of what is going on in entertainment is also key, in my opinion, in working with students, because it helps build relationships and we can anticipate resources they may ask about.
References
Association of College & Research Libraries. (2016, January 11). Framework for information literacy for higher education. https://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/infolit/framework1.pdf
Battelle for Kids. (2019). Framework for 21st century learning. https://static.battelleforkids.org/documents/p21/P21_Framework_Brief.pdf
Common Sense Media. (2020). Digital citizenship curriculum overview. https://www.commonsense.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2020-09/2020-digitalcitizenshipcurriculum-overview-final-release.pdf
Eisenberg, M. & Berkowitz, R. (1990). Information problem solving: The Big Six skills approach to library and information skills instruction. Ablex.
Gungor, M. & Science Mike. (Hosts). (2017, March 7). Fake news and media literacy [Audio podcast episode]. In The Liturgists. https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy81NmVhMWU3OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/aHR0cDovL3BvZGNhc3QudGhlbGl0dXJnaXN0cy5jb20vZS9tZWRpYS1saXRlcmFjeS0xNDg4ODkyNDg1Lw?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjg-dDOnN7yAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQEg&hl=en
Valenza, J. (2016, November 26). Truth, truthiness, triangulation: A news literacy toolkit for a “post-truth” world. School Library Journal. https://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2016/11/26/truth-truthiness-triangulation-and-the-librarian-way-a-news-literacy-toolkit-for-a-post-truth-world/
Hi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with your statement “Just because a person is digitally literate, does not mean they can use technology effectively for information seeking. It must be intentionally taught.” I teach high school computer courses and although the kids are very adept at learning new programs, software, and navigating technology it seems that they struggle more with information literacy than those of us that did not grow up with this level of technology. One lesson that I do with my kids every year is “Ban DHMO.” We look at the website http://bandhmo.org/ and I have the students answer some questions about it. Most answer the questions on the worksheet without further researching dihydrogen monoxide. I can count on one hand the number of students that have figured it out that it is water before we debrief. We talk about how the facts listed about DHMO are technically true but presented in a way that is distorted and misleading to readers. I also have to spend a lot of time on the fact that google is not a source it is just a search engine that delivers results from an index and that it is up to them to evaluate the results. I think it boils down to what you were saying, we can’t assume that being tech savvy means having digital literacy / information literacy skills and that those must be intentionally taught.
I like the Common Sense Media Infographic you shared and I agree digital balance is such a struggle. Many of my students really struggle to put their phones away. I jokingly tell them at the beginning of class that it is “time to put your babies down for a nap and send them off to bookbag daycare!” I also struggle to find balance in my digital life. I spend a lot of time behind a screen at work, then doing work for my classes, and I find myself relaxing by scrolling on my phone rather than reading a book or magazine. I am trying to be more intentional about having no tech time so that my girls can see me model a balanced relationship with technology. I also find myself getting upset regarding news and events that I have no control over. It is a struggle between staying informed and letting go of things I can’t control.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. Your posts always offer so much good information and thought provoking ideas.
Lauren Jordan
Thank you for sharing the "Ban DHMO" site! What a perfect example of how things can be misconstrued for certain purposes. It can be hard to discern at times. I have been making strides towards more "green/clean" living through skincare and cleaning products the past couple of years. One of the hardest parts has been trying to find 100% factual information because so many have their own slant, just like what you shared.
DeleteI feel your struggle with staying on your phone rather than picking up a book and trying to be a role model. Maybe we can be accountability partners lol :-) I often think to myself: "How did I spend my time before I had a smartphone?!"
Tiffany, I like that you touched on the "6 Core Topics for Digital Citizenship" infographic and pointed out that they were "we" statements. As someone wanting to work in a school library, this graphic can be extremely helpful in closing the misinformation school age kids have with finding relevant and accurate sources. I agree that students, of all ages, struggle with finding reputable sources. I did a research project with my 5th graders last year, and demonstrated how to research information, and still so many of them continued to copy down whatever the first result was on Google. We have to start teaching students from day one what proper information and digital literacy looks like so they grow up to be informed citizens and contribute factually to conversations.
ReplyDeleteMegan LaSane
Hey Megan!
DeleteI also like that the "we" makes it more of a community feel, like we are all working on this together. No one has to be alone in their struggle.
I love when you said students should eventually be able to "contribute factually to conversations," emphasis on factually! I think that is a lot of what is missing in the current climate. People contribute based on emotion and feeling, rather than fact. What an important thing to remember. Thank you!
Hello! Thank you for sharing! I agree, information literacy is not as common as some people might assume in our digital age. My own parents are great examples! My father thinks a person (me usually) can type something into Google and Presto! The exact information needed is magically presented as if the device can read minds. We all know that is simply not true.
ReplyDeleteIn our culture of instant gratification, most people are not seeking information only to involve themselves in a cyclical process of verifying the trustworthiness of the information (even if we all should). As Valenza points out, this is true of teenagers specifically, but I find a huge number of adults practice “it’s on the Internet and it looks pretty official, so it’s ok” mentality. In regard to teaching information literacy abilities and traits, I like the common sense education model / infographic. It is very kid friendly (colorful, simple language, and concise). I could definitely envision myself placing a common sense poster in the library (or classroom) for a quick reference.
"It's on the internet and looks pretty official, so it's ok." YEP. I think that is the attitude of the majority of people, teens and adults alike!
DeleteThe same things that draw you to the Common Sense infographic drew me to it as well. I love the conciseness of it!
Everyone uses technology in some capacity at some point in their day. As the usage increases, there’s a greater need to be digitally literate and find balance. I agree, teaching students how to be digitally literate and effectively use technology must be done through intentional teaching. The Common Sense Education Curriculum (Common Sense Media, 2020), has been a great resource for teaching my eighth students about digital citizenship. The lessons are interactive and solicit students’ responses based on their experiences. Discussions get students to think about how they use technology, especially social media sites. In thinking about their future and how it is affected by their digital footprints, some of them have minimized the frequency and content of their posts on social media sites.
ReplyDeleteI think that many people use the Big6 model without knowing its name as you mentioned. It is the most logical way to solve not just information problems, but all problems. Like the Big6 Skill Overview document states, “help students to work smarter, not faster” (Eisenberg & Berkowitz, n.d.). I found some really great resources on this site: https://thebig6.org/resources-2.
Librarians must be and stay informed of the vast changing world of the internet, how it affects patrons, and be information, technology, and digital/media literate.
References
Common Sense Education. (n.d.). Digital citizenship. Retrieved January 26, 2023, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship.
Eisenberg, M. & Berkowitz, R. (n.d.). Big6 Skills Overview. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59a303936a49631dd51f9a7d/t/5b92bf5e03ce644e10c18005/1536343902416/big6+skills+overview.pdf
Hi Wendy!
DeleteThank you so much for sharing your experiences using the Common Sense curriculum. It is wonderful to know that it is as effective as it appears to be. I feel like it would even teach me a thing or two!
I think it's interesting that you thought the media literacy tools used in The Liturgists podcast were time-consuming; I actually thought they were fairly condensed and useful! I've taught middle school ELA for several years now, and I found their tools similar to what I teach my kids (and in fact, I plan on incorporating some of their tools the next time I teach credible/non-credible sources to my kids). To be fair, the wider umbrella of media and information literacy is fairly intimidating and broad. I do think that a comprehensive evaluation of media and information takes a long time, but I think once you learn the broader skills, you can condense them down and do "quick and dirty" evaluations on the fly when you don't have more time. I enjoyed your post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Rachel!
DeleteI think it seemed like a lot because I wrote down each point he made and there ended up being a dozen or so. But I'm sure they could be condensed and combined, as you mentioned! Do you have a particular method/style that you currently use with your students?
I agree with your statement about when you read about the Big6 "I recognized it as something I had both taught and used myself, while not knowing it had a formal name." I took a class last semester when I needed to to a collaboration with another teacher (as the librarian) and used the Big6. As I read through the different infographics and information about Big6 I realized I did many of the things in my teaching already. I don't know about you, but this gave me a big sign of relief in feeling like I was doing something in the right way. I am also someone who feels overwhelmed by the information on social media, or the internet in general, and tend not to look/read it.
ReplyDeleteHi Megan!
DeleteYes, I do get a sigh of relief knowing that I've already been doing something helpful. There are times when I think I have SO MUCH more to learn about being a librarian, so I rejoice any time I find something I already know how to do LOL.