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).
I couldn't agree more with your statement, "I encourage my students to use the "references" and "external links" section of an article to look deeper into the research topic."
ReplyDeleteWikipedia is a good starting point for research!
It is an interesting way and reason to look at political participation. I've reached my "experienced" time in life with very little political participation. I'm not apathetic towards the democratic process, but cautious. I think the example of the importance that social media played in Obama's election is the sign of a trend to come. This snippets are what people remember, most do not do their own research and therefore alot of misinformation is spread. Improved information literacy might help keep this trend in check for a bit longer.
ReplyDeleteI agree that students need to have more information literacy taught. As a Girl Scout leader, I love to sit and listen to the girls talk. They truly believe everything they read online because it was "on the Internet". Often, I start conversations with them with "I read on the Internet..." then follow up with something completely ridiculous. There's not a badge for "Truth in Internet", but there should be.
ReplyDeleteThere really should be! That's a great idea...
DeleteI think the badge for information literacy in Girls Scouts in a wonderful idea too!
ReplyDeleteIn fact, the MacArthur Foundations and the Mozilla are working on a system in which people can earn "digital badges" that distinguish people as having some kind of "special skill" that goes beyond quantification listed on a typical resume. UC Davis in California and University of Texas in Austin are already exploring the potential of digital badges!