ISCI 761- Blog 2- Information Literacy, Technology, and Digital/Media

 

Connections: What is Information Literacy and How Do Technology and Digital Media connect?

Based on the P21 Framework Definitions from the P21 Partnership for 21st Century Learning, information literacy is how we access, evaluate, use, and manage information.  Media literacy consists of analyzing media in order to understand how media messages can be perceived and interpreted, as well as creating appropriate media products.  Technology literacy is how we use the tools effectively to "research, organize, evaluate, and communicate information."   Framework suggests, "information literacy as an overarching set of abilities in which students are consumers and creators of information who can participate successfully in collaborative spaces."  As we prepare students for higher education, we must, as educators and facilitators of knowledge, understand that

 
"Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning."

(Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education)

Image: Media and Information Literacy

Source: Council of Europe, 2024

After listening to the Liturgists Fake News & Media Literacy Podcast I really began to think more about how as a school librarian, I will teach students to understand what information is, what it is not, and how to analyze and decipher all of the information and media presented to them in our tech-driven world.   Although the podcast was an hour long, it was a fun listen and I really loved the song they came up with to remember what things to look for when determining if what they are reading is "fake news" or not (too bad I won't be able to use that catchy song in the school library! 😆).  It was interesting to think how the term "fake news" has evolved over the last 5-10 years and it seems that it is becoming more increasingly hard to decipher as AI functions are now added to the mix.  What was once "fake news" was someone sharing false information in hopes people will share it and generate excitement and advertisement.  Now "fake news" takes on different forms or meanings as news media bias comes under attack.  "The fact that there is a fight about what fake news is, is something to notice in itself." (The Liturgists Podcast, 2017) 

"and now here we are in a world where a term like alternative facts can be uttered in full sincerity." 

-The Liturgists Podcast

Here are several books I have used in the library setting to talk to students about this topic of fake news.

Two Truths and a Lie by Ammi Joan Paquette

Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts by Joyce Grant

Killer Underwear Invasion: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation, & Conspiracy Theories 

by Elise Gravel

The podcast is full of information that you and I, as school librarians and media specialists, can use to help our students navigate "what is truth? " (The Liturgists Podcast, 2017)   We must teach our students how to discern what is fake news and what is real news, and also how to spot bias in the news and media.  The Liturgists Podcast gave us a list of several things we can do to spot fake news such as look to see if the article names the author, where was it published, is there an editorial review board that holds the author accountable, look for a date of publication, are sources named, and is it well written?  I loved the tips shared and hope to make a chart or bookmark of some sort to share in the school library.

"So the way we want to counter media bias is one, to view all media with skepticism, and two, to cross check with other media that has different biases."

-The Liturgists Podcast

In closing, we must consume a healthy, balanced information and media diet.  Just as you would not eat  a diet consisting of entirely junk food, we must not consume all of our information from one source, especially one that is serving us "junk".  We should aim to eat a well balanced diet consisting of a variety of foods, we too, must think about the information we are taking in and aim to fill our minds with information from credible sources from a variety of media and news outlets, creating a well-balanced diet of information.  School librarians should work hard to remain neutral when digesting information and serving it to our patrons as well.  The Liturgist Podcast really had me stop and think about what I view and take in on a daily basis.  I do not watch much national news-- CNN or Fox News, nor do I read much from The New Yorker or similar newspapers or magazines.  I rely mostly on local news, which was the suggestion from the podcasters.  However, I did stop and reflect on what I view on social media such as Facebook.  This can be a dangerous place to discover your news, especially if it is your only source of news information.  The podcasters warn against news and information that creates anger or fear, and this was a helpful tip to take away.  We must be mindful of the choices we are making and strive to be consumers of positive, helpful, and healthy information.  In turn, we can be a positive influence to those around us.  

How can we focus on our local community and make an impact on those around us?

Citations:

"Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education", American Library Association, February 9, 2015
https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework (Accessed June 20, 2024)

The Liturgists Podcast: Fake News & Media Literacy, Mar. 7, 2017.

ISCI 761- Blog 1-AASL and ISTE Standards

The Standards: Guiding Librarians and Learners

While I was reading through this week's required reading, Knowledge Quest, Journeying with the AASL Standards Volume 47 Number 5, one idea, or common theme, that really continued to pop up was that many librarians had confusion and questions involving the new AASL standards when they were first introduced.  This was really comforting to me as a graduate student and a new school librarian because the standards are a bit overwhelming.  My personal opinion is that they are overwhelming because there are so many to learn and understand.  I think it will be easier to adopt and adapt, though, as a new librarian coming in because I do not know the old standards and the changes and additions that were made.  Having been a teacher for 17 years, I have experience implementing standards as well as adapting to new standards, so this is not a new task to me, although it is a tedious one. Additionally, in one of the articles written by Laura Hicks, Maryland's Journey Towards New State School Library Standards, the point was made that they were comparing the National School Library Standards to the College and Career Ready Standards as well as other state standards.  This brought another question to mind, what stage is South Carolina in adopting statewide School Library Standards? I know previously there have not been any state specific library standards.  Often it is left up to the individual districts to determine how and what will be taught in the school libraries.  The AASL and ISTE standards provide librarians a framework and guide as they develop curriculum and programming within the school library.

The basic framework for the AASL standards is that is focuses on the learner, the librarian, and the school library.  There are six shared foundations in the AASL Standards Framework: Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage.  The ISTE Standards are also separated by student, educator, educator leader, and coach.  While these ISTE standards focus primarily on the use of technology and digital tools to facilitate learning, they contain many of the same elements as the AASL Standards such as thinking critically, collaborating, and creativity and design.  The most helpful tool I found was the crosswalk that compares the two standards side by side.  AASL and ISTE Crosswalk Courtney Lewis states in her article, Collaborating to Communicate Librarian Reading Groups and Understanding  Standards, the importance of using the crosswalk to use familiar language to other stakeholders, such as administrators, when discussing what librarians can do and the importance of what we do in our schools, "comparing and contrasting our standards to the ISTE Standards for Students as well as the ISTE Standards for Educators, can be a way of explaining the equivalencies between ISTE standards familiar to the administrator and the AASL frameworks for learners and school librarians. Comparing one or two areas of the Shared Foundations in a discussion with your administrator shows how aligned the ISTE/ AASL standards are under “Inquire” and emphasizes the importance of inquiry throughout the curriculum. The number of empty boxes on the ISTE side of the crosswalk under “Include” can demonstrate school librarians’ emphasis on issues of diversity and inclusivity in our work (AASL 2018b)." 

Image: AASL and ISTE Standards Crosswalk

As a school librarian in South Carolina, I would love to see a crosswalk that compares the National School Library Standards to the SC State Standards, specifically the new ELA standards.  I looked for something that was already created with no luck yet.  What resources have you found for implementing standards in South Carolina School Libraries?

Citations:

Hicks, L. (2019). Maryland's Journey Towards New State School Library Standards. Knowledge Quest, 

            47(5), 74-79.

Lewis, C. L. (2019). Collaborating to Communicate: Librarian Reading Groups and Understanding Standards. Knowledge Quest, 47(5), 36–43.

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