My daughter enjoys putting things together; puzzles, blocks, Legos, and really anything that has parts and pieces. My favorite to watch is when she is working on her Minnie Mouse Lego house; it’s simplistic (she is only three years old), but to see how the individual pieces become a cohesive structure that her tiny self is able to build always leaves me with a sense of pride. Information literacy, technology, and digital/media may appear to be individual pieces, after all they do have distinct characteristics. However, they are like the Minnie Mouse house my daughter constructs; when the pieces fit together, everything makes more sense. Additionally, the process is something to be proud of; sometimes it takes time, mistakes, and repetition, but the end result is worth it. For our students and ourselves, it is worth teaching and spending time on information literacy, technology use, and digital/media literacy. The process may be time-consuming, but when the pieces all fit together, all stakeholders will have a greater sense of pride in the end result: a more educated, more informed, and more discerning citizenry.
What are Information Literacy, Technology, and Digital/Media?
There are many definitions of information literacy available online. Common Sense Media’s definition, like the one the Association of College and Research Libraries cites in their Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, begins by describing information literacy as an “ability” (Common Sense Media, n.d; Association of College & Research Libraries, 2015). This ability is further explicated by Common Sense Media as being able “to identify, find, evaluate, and use information effectively” (Common Sense Media, n.d). Information literacy, however, is just one component of the skills students living in today's world need; media/digial literacy is another important facet. Within the P21 Framework for 21st Century Learning, media literacy is explained as the analysis of various forms of media (their messages, purposes, and accessibility), as well as the creation of media and digital content (Partnership for 21st Century Learning [P21], 2015, p. 5). Technology is a tool that can make information literacy and media literacy more organized, more efficient, and more productive (P21, 2015, p. 5). In the P21 vision, information literacy, technology, and digital/media are all three within the category of “Information, Media, and Technology Skills” (P21, 2015 p. 5).Therefore, although each of these three concepts are different in terms of how they can be described and defined, they work in conjunction with one another and should not be used or learned in isolation.
Our Hope for the Future
The Liturgists Podcast on Fake News & Media Literacy reminded me of how important it is that educators like myself and like school librarians spend quality time teaching students information and media literacy in our technology-driven world. It also reminded me of an interaction I had with a few students this past week. Students at the middle school where I teach are not allowed to have their phones out during the day, but as soon as the dismissal bell rings, the phones appear. While standing in the hallway during afternoon duty this week, a couple of students came to tell me about the death of a celebrity. They showed me the story on their phone, but I could tell by their sly smiles, something was not right, and sure enough, they were showing me fake news. Although I should not be surprised, I was when one of the students said “yeah it’s fake news.” I was surprised, not that they were accessing fake news, but that they actually knew what it was! I do a fairly lengthy research unit, and this is one area we discuss, but we have not gotten to that unit yet. This interaction thus showed me how pervasive the term "fake news" has become to the point that eleven-years-olds are casually throwing it around. It also showed me that we HAVE to be vigilant about teaching information and media literacy.
At one point in the Fake News & Media Literacy podcast, one of the podcast’s contributors recalls a conversation with a librarian regarding his book; one of his takeaways from that interaction was that librarians are “the hope for our species” (Gungor, 2017). I chuckled at this comment, but it has a great deal of truth to it; although, I would amend this statement to include all educators, not just librarians. Those of us in education see firsthand how our students are engrossed in using their technological devices and are influenced heavily by digital media. As an adult it can be easy to succumb to clickbait, become enthralled in a story that may not even be real, and become overwhelmed by the vast amount of information available, thus one can imagine the grave impact this digital world can have on young people. They NEED a compass to point them in the right direction, and educators can provide them with a compass and the skills to read that compass.
Technology pervades our students' lives, information surrounds them, and digital/media content often consumes them. Each entity can be a benefit or a hindrance to their education and their future, thus educators must show students how to be information and media literate as they use technology for both everyday and academic purposes. Showing students how these areas apply to and impact their daily lives is integral to supporting their social/emotional health and creating an informed and discerning public.
Information Diet: Personal and Professional
As Clay Johnson mentions in the Fake News & Media Literacy podcast, a healthy information diet is not as easy to distinguish as a healthy physical diet (Gungor, 2017). Am I having too much “junk food” in my information diet or am I filling myself with information that is hearty and good for me? This is something I have not given much thought to previously, and it is not something that is overtly visible. Most of my diet would be healthy; I watch and read local news multiple times a day, I enjoy viewing the Nightly News, and I often read articles on NEWSELA (a news site for students). However, I do indulge daily as well in social media. I often succumb to reading articles based on their sensationalized headlines that come across my social media feed, and I tend to read comments from those posts as well. I usually do not leave those reads feeling better; it is like eating too many sweets: I enjoy it for a time, but then I regret spending the “bad calories” on that item.
Librarians and educators need to stay abreast of current information both good and bad while making sure they are not succumbing to an abunance of bad calories. Most students are getting their information from social media, thus I do think that a healthy diet for a librarian includes being aware of current sensationalized stories. For example, not long ago there was a great deal of social media hype about WWIII. I was at first surprised when several students asked me about there being a WWIII; it seemed a bit dramatic to me. However, I later realized that WWIII hashtags, memes, and other digital content were spreading rapidly on social media. Had I known this earlier, I would have been better equipped to field the questions. In addition to being aware of the “junk” that is out there, librarians can also benefit from immersing themselves in healthy information calories and continually practicing what they are teaching. Critically looking at websites, checking article sources, and cross referencing information are tasks librarians should not just teach, but also do in order to keep in shape. Although I would not consider myself completely out of shape or unhealthy in my information diet, I will certainly be more aware moving forward to ensure I am exercising my mind and consuming healthy information calories.
Resources
Since we cannot use the Liturgists’ catchy, but colorful rap song to help students remember how to discern fake news, there is another tool that I have found helpful. It is called the ABCD’s of Evaluating Sources. You can find a video introducing them here. I also created a document a few years ago that I have my students use as they evaluate websites to use for their research. You can access a copy here.
References
Association of College and Research Libraries. (2015). Framework for information literacy for higher education. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/files/issues/ infolit/framework.pdf
Common Sense Media. (n.d). Information literacy. Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/information-literacy
Partnership for 21st Century Learning. (2015). P21 framework definitions. Retrived from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED519462.pdf
Hi Katelyn,
ReplyDeleteI like your comparison of the components of media, technology, and information literacy being each being distinctive, but making up the parts of a cohesive whole.
My media diet is very much like yours: some local and national news, with a some social media clicks mixed in. I think your point about WWIII is interesting, needing to know about what is trending even if it is not necessarily true. I think an ideal media diet goes back to triangulation and balance. Exploring many perspectives on an issue and then assessing what is credible is a healthy, albeit time consuming, process.
I wanted to touch upon topic of local news also. Clay Johnson made a great point in the podcast that one should focus on making change and being aware of issues at a local level. Several years ago, my students did a PBL assignment based upon a CNN article that focused on local beehives collapsing after pesticides were sprayed. It was very meaningful for the students to read about places they knew and to realize they could help raise awareness to help their local community. Since I have come to the library, I haven't incorporated local news much, but I especially see the older students gravitating toward our local newspaper. I think this might be a good avenue to explore in the future.
Shelley Christ Ward
Thank you for your comment! I completely agree about the benefits of local news. I love when I can find stories that are literally "close to home" for my students. I wish I had the time to do this more often, but I do try to keep my lessons current based on what is happening in the world. I feel like I did a better job a few years ago before I became a mom; now time is such an issue!
DeleteHi Katelyn,
ReplyDeleteI loved the symbolism that you used in your blog post. I am a visual person so thought it was a great way to look at the concepts. I love how you described how information literacy, media, and technology go together like the legos your daughter builds her house with. They can stand alone but together they build something great. I agree that all educators should teach their students about these skills not just librarians. Although I know teachers get busy with content so I look forward to supporting teachers by teaching the students. But I also think it is important to teach the teachers about the steps to improve seeking information and spotting fake news. I liked the use of the symbolism of the compass. We need to be the compass to get the students and teachers in the right direction. But also allow them to develop their own specifications for how they organize and use information.