Information and Digital Literacy
20 years ago, in education, the word "literacy" had to do with a student's ability to read or to write. Now, the word "literacy" has several different connotations depending on the word proceeding it. Now we have phrases like "information literacy" and "media literacy" and literacy no longer means a student's ability to read and write but now it is a student's ability to process and evaluate information. Teaching literacy has now morphed from just teaching students how to read into teaching students how to evaluate information to determine if that information is true.
So what has happened in the last 20 years that has caused this shift? The answer is the internet, social media, and a lack of oversight. Because of information being easily accessible and easily published on a variety of platforms with very low accountability (this means anyone can say anything they want without reprisals) we now have the problem of "fake news," misinformation (information that is unintentionally inaccurate or false), and disinformation (information that is intentionally meant to mislead).
As the librarian, it is our job to teach information literacy, technology literacy, and media literacy. We have to teach our students how to navigate in this new frontier of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation. We have to teach our students not only how to find information but how to find credible information. How to determine if something is trustworthy. Students can no longer rely on what they read on news sites or on the internet because there has been such an influx of self-published information. Teaching students technology literacy means teaching them how to use and manage technology in a safe a responsible way. This includes how to use technology to access information. Teaching information literacy means teaching students to realize when information is needed, how to find it, and how to evaluate it for trustworthiness. Teaching media or digital literacy means teaching students how to decode media messages, evaluate them for credibility and biases, and how to use them to make sound decisions. All three of these literacies are needed to navigate the digital world.
So how do we teach students to use these skills to navigate technology responsibly? According to a podcast by The Liturgists, we have to teach them how to evaluate news. We do this by giving them a framework through which to evaluate sources. The first step in evaluating sources is to look at the author- is the author listed on the article? This lends credibility to the article because it gives us the name of the expert who wrote the article. The second thing we should look for is where is the article published? Is it on a reputable site? Do they print retractions if information proves to be incorrect? Is there a way that readers can hold them accountable for misinformation? The third thing to look for is the date of publication. Was this article published awhile ago? Has it withstood the test of time? The fourth thing to look for is if there are specific sources cited. Does it reference a specific study or use the name of a well known expert? This adds to the credibility of the piece. Fifth, is the article well written with few mistakes? And finally, does the article make me angry or afraid? Any writing that specifically targets a strong emotion from me is suspect and should be further evaluated for biases.
Another frame work for evaluating is news is true or not can be found in this video of Damaso Reyes. He is one of the directors at The News Literacy Project that teaches children how to evaluate information.
Another frame work for evaluating is news is true or not can be found in this vid
n. All
But teaching students how to evaluate information on their own is not enough. We must be able to put these skills into practice ourselves. As the expert, it is a librarian's job to be able to guide others to finding the truth and to do that, we need to be able to utilize the same skills. We need to be evaluating our own information diets. While I do not spend a lot of time looking for information, I often find my self scrolling through articles on social media. As such, I have had to spend time really evaluating the credibility of what I am reading. So often it does not fit into the framework that I have for truth. So before I share any of that information, I always find that I need to do a little extra research
References
Gungor, M. (Host). (2017, March 7). Fake news & media literacy. [Audio podcast episode]. In The Liturgists Podcast. Apple. https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/fake-news-media-literacy/id903433534?i=1000382332635
Reyes, D. (2018, January 8). Five ways to spot fake news. [Video]. The News Literacy Project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7eCB2F89K8.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI agree that, as librarians, we are perfectly positioned to teach and reinforce information literacy. However, I think educators, particularly those at the middle/high level like myself, push various skills in different boxes and assign them to specific individuals. For example, we push writing instruction into the job of an English teacher and graphing into the job of science and math teachers. Information literacy and research is one that is easily pushed onto librarians.
I would say, especially after reviewing the AASL standards again in this class and looking over the Big6, that information literacy can be taught by every adult in the building. Furthermore, it needs to be a continued process once students graduate.
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI think you did an excellent job conveying that school librarians are not just teaching reading literacy, but that we are teaching to all of the literacies especially digital. I agree with you that apart of teaching digital literacy is to how we can assist students with the right tools to know if a source is true and accurate.