EDUC 6816 - Why Information Literacy is Important in a Democratic Society

Three concepts from this video related to the need for Information Literacy in a democratic society:
 
1.) Internet Freedom - A Democracy relies on an informed citizenship who are able to determine their own beliefs...

2.) Digital Activism - .... and act on them. Also necessary to keep a "check" on political power, which can also be done by.....

3.) Political Participation - in which information literacy is critical to determine when information is needed, how to find information, and whether that information is valid and free of bias.

It's important information literacy is taught in schools because students, even the most tech-savy of them, don't necessarily know when additional information is needed. They need to know how to find relevent and valid information. And how to determine bias information, compare it and rate the value of it. I believe education is meant to prepare students to be productive citizens, which includes both the workplace and within their communities. Information literacy is crucial for students to engage in constructive dialogues that results in positive change. 

Without Information Literacy, citizens in established democracies are more likely to fall prey to government repression, and the three concepts stated above will deteriorate. One example the speaker used was how to circumvent the filtering system. He stated any 14 year old in Australia (a democracy) can figure out how to post a YouTube video that is initially blocked by a national filtering system, but in Iran it is a much different story. Information Literacy that the 14 year old boy uses helps keep the filtering system out of Australia, a check on abuses of power in place, and a stronger democracy.

Should Wikipedia be used as an information resource in school? Why or Why not?

Yes! Wikipedia is a great resource for information. Depending on what you are researching, I would even argue that Wikipedia is the best resource for information. It (generally) gives straight forward, easy to understand information that is typically well categorized (and usually correct). It requires users to validate their information with additional references, and if those are lacking, it will tell you so- in plain english - at the top of the page.  It is a great place to start for an overview of a topic. I encourage my students to use the "references" and "external links" section of an article to look deeper into the research topic. In fact, the references cited on a Wikipedia page will usually give you more valid information than a google search would turn up! Wikipedia is a great tool teachers can use to teach their students how, when and why to validate information.

Resources:

TedxTalks (2010, May 31). TEDxSydney - Brett Solomon - Citizen Journalism and the Democratisation of News Coverage. Retrieved May 27, 2013. from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBIKbMSXWfE&feature=youtu.be

6809 - "Digital Media Effects on Conventional Reading and Writing Practices"

From Does Digital Media Make us Bad Writers

Instead, it depends on an old concept: audience.  According to Baron, there is a difference between a grammatically suspect, poorly spelled email to your writing professor and an email sent to a friend.  In one case the quality of writing absolutely matters. In the other, it may not. (Karp)

I think this demonstrates a need for the idea of literacy to change.... students need to learn appropriate context for informal writing and formal writing. I think this is one way that new literacies are important. I freelance video production and one of the first questions I ask is "Who is your Audience?" If the client can't clearly articulate the answer to that question I know there was a lack of thinking about why they want a video created.

The same holds true for when I teach students video production - without a clear understanding of who their audience will be, students struggle with developing their concept. A video about an organized group of teens that created a punk-music scene in Eastern Kentucky would be very different depending on who they determine to be their audience.
Example:  (Audience - how it would effect the video)

• Other teens - The video would be a "highlight reel of all the cool things that happen"

• The parents - The video might include serious interviews with the kids who started it and the adults who supported them by letting them use their space for shows.

• Adults from outside the region - the video might include "scholars" from the region to address stereotypes about "hillbillies" in Kentucky.

 From:  Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?

 Now she regularly reads stories that run as long as 45 Web pages. Many of them have elliptical plots and are sprinkled with spelling and grammatical errors. One of her recent favorites was “My absolutely, perfect normal life ... ARE YOU CRAZY? NOT!,” a story based on the anime series “Beyblade.” (Motoko)

This both excites me and perplexes me. First, it's exciting because kids are writing the fan fiction and they are reading others' writings. That is awesome. But, the mention of spelling and grammatical errors worries me because I think the best grammar learning comes from just reading a lot of good grammar (rather than teaching the correct "rules"). Grammar is something that can effect future workplace success, and can effect your ability to be taken seriously in the public sphere. I'm not sure what the balance is in this case...

Good lesson plans that take into account student online reading habits and interests could help. Here's an idea: teachers could ask students to print out a selection of fan fiction and then ask them to "edit" it. This could include correcting grammatical mistakes and "remixing" the writing for clarity. I think if this was done on a fairly regular basis, the students would start to recognize grammatical errors as they read the fan fiction, but still be able to enjoy the storyline. It could also help encourage them to write more fan fiction (and be grammatically correct). 

I am excited about the way Digital Media is changing how people read and write in the digital age. (This makes me a Web Evangelist - but I don't like that term, so I'm calling myself a Web Enthusiast or maybe Digital Enthusiast!). Communication is evolving, and print text is no longer the primary way information is conveyed...The digital world relies on hyperlinks between chunks of information, with multiple (sometimes contradictory) sources, in many forms (visual, auditory, or text-based), that each need their own consideration of context and reliability. I think this is more in line with how our interactions with others in the real world are vs. a text-based book that has a clear beginning, middle & end. 

Transforming the Way We Learn: Why Digital Literacy is So Important

This blog post presents a theory  that breaks digital literacy into four different categories:

• Language – print and texting, as well as visual, multimedia, and coding literacies.

• Information – search, tagging, and critical thinking/filtering literacies fall into this category

• Connections –social skills and networking, collaboration, digital safety and intercultural awareness.

• (Re)design – remix literacy, encompassing all of the above literacies, but also including an awareness of copyright, fair use and the legal issues surrounding remixes and mashups. (MacQuarrie, 2013)

The post also presents several resources that can help a teacher address each of the four categories. I chose this blog posting as my resource because I think it presents a clear understanding that the importance of digital literacy is being able to evaluate and interpret information critically. Digital Literacy is not about teaching students how to use technology, because that is constantly changing, but about learning why, when and how to use technology as a tool for communication, collaboration and information.

References

Karp, J. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://spotlight.macfound.org/featured-stories/entry/does-digital-media-make-us-bad-writers 

Motoko, R. . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

MacQuarrie, A. (2013, February 04). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://blog.k12.com/educational-technology-and-tools/transforming-way-we-learn-why-digital-literacy-so-important

EDUC 6809 - Introductory Post

Where you are from and what do you do:

Hello! I'm Vanessa. I live in Pocahontas County, but I'm originally from the outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio.  I am an Adult Basic Education/SPOKES Instructor in Pocahontas County.  I help people earn their GED and teach SPOKES- a 10 week academic and job readiness class. 

I am also currently teaching a digital storytelling workshop for middle school students in the evenings. I started my "teaching career" teaching teenagers how to make video and audio documentaries. I love teaching all things digital, but also have a love of all things Math, Social Studies & Science  (Grammar - not so much :P)!

I teach a little bit of everything, and really love it! It's quite perfect for me because I'm interested in many things - this job allows me to pass my curiosity and passion for life-long learning onto my students!

What do you want to get out of the class?

I have always been interested in multi-media and new literacies. I feel very passionate that the idea of "literacy" needs to be expanded.  I want to get out this class new ideas that I can put into practice in my classroom and in digital workshops. I am particularly interested in teacher learning, and hope to discover resources to share with my peers.


YouTube Video - The Essential Elements of Digital Literacy

A cartoon:
 - maybe not exactly what you were looking for, but I kinda like it - so here you go:




References

TedxTalks (2012, March 22). TEDxWarwick - Doug Belshaw - The Essential        Elements of Digital Literacies. Retrieved May 27, 2013. from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yQPoTcZ78&feature=youtu.be

Margmeijers (2008, May 25).  New Literacies for a New Age. Retrieved May 27, 2013. from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hs2YPGTEWGU

EDUC 6816 - Introductory Post

Where you are from and what do you do:

Hello! I'm Vanessa.... I live in Pocahontas County, but I'm originally from the outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio.  I am an Adult Basic Education/SPOKES Instructor in Pocahontas County.  I help people earn their GED, and I teach SPOKES, which is a 10 week academic and job readiness class. 

I also teach the occasional evening workshop for all ages in digital media. Right now, I'm teaching middle school students' digital storytelling using the poem Where I'm From as a model. (Two more weeks to go - Those kids are exhilarating/exhausting!! Hats off to any middle school teachers out there!).

I teach a little bit of everything, and really love it! Its quite perfect for me because I'm interested in so many things - this job allows me to pass my curiosity and passion for life-long learning onto my students! 

What do I want to get out of this class:

I am hoping to get more clarity in distinguishing between new literacy, digital literacy and information literacy. They are all related in a way but I still use them interchangeably.  I'm seeking clarity on the nuances of these terms.

I'm also interested in discovering new resources and creating instructional materials to help with my classes.  And, as always, to just learn more about the (digital) world around me!

What do you think this video has to do with information literacy?

This was  a fascinating video that made a great case for how Web 2.0 differs from its earlier version. I think that it has to do with information literacy because its about how and why information on the web is created and disseminated: For us, and by us - it is US - the collective citizenry of the world (or at least, the lucky, first world US that owns and knows how to use a computer). Its about the revolution of information, which is - because of the capabilities of Web 2.0 -  able to be created by a large expanse of everyday people and not controlled/created by a small group of powerful people.


How do you define Information Literacy? Link to a online resource that supports your definition.

Information literacy is about learning when more information is needed, how to find digital information, determine it's relevance and use that information to create something.

Here's an "official" definition.