I heard it again just the other day, a teacher expressing “I don’t give my students screen time at school because I feel like they get enough screen time at home”. If this argument was applied to reading and writing, what would we be doing at school? As the internet and digital resources become more accessible and prevalent in the world outside of schools, we are doing our students an injustice by ignoring their existence as a teaching tool and an important part of information literacy. We also know that if students are left to make their own choices about what to learn with no direction, they don’t always make the best choices. So, if we know students are using internet resources but not giving them any direction, advice or suggesting new tools to use, they are simply going to use the same ones continuously. Students need exposure and instruction using both print and electronic resources to learn how to use similar skills across genres, sources, and formats in order to be successful life-long learners. 
Reading, writing and composition are the forms of communication that students are taught first and now teachers need to acknowledge that the internet and digital resources are going to be more and more important in the years to come. I like how Riedling states, “The Internet is not really a source of information, but rather a means of communication—the ‘ultimate’ communication Network”(2013, p.116) and if teachers think of it as another form of communication that students need to learn, maybe teaching digital literacy will gain more attention. Students need the basic information literacy skills to start but then need to be taught how to apply those skills to digital resources. In addition, I agree that “Much of the information accessed digitally is of variable quality and many students lack skills that are necessary for them to evaluate the information”(UBC, LIBE 467, Lesson 1, 2020). Yes, it is true that most children by the time they are intermediate students will have exposure to technology and may be more proficient that many adults (hence the digital divide) (Riedling, p. 138); however, many, if not all, of these students know only a limited scope of what to do with the device(s). For example, most students know how to use a search engine and I would argue that the majority think that Google is the only one. In addition, when using a search engine, most students simply choose the first few results, not really analyzing the source of the information. Students need to be taught digital and media literacy to critically analyze the search results in order to access appropriate resources for their task.
It is apparent that “An information literate citizen analyzes information critically in all its formats and in all media contexts”(UBC, LIBE 467, Lesson 2, 2020) and I assert that visual literacy is an often-ignored but very essential part of information literacy. In another library course, I researched visual literacy and how it influences digital and media literacy. There was one article I found with a strategy that I would like to try which is the DIG (Digital Image Guide) method.
Found from the UBC library here:
This method was formulated to use at the University level but I think it would be beneficial to teach in Elementary now because students are becoming avid technology and internet users at younger ages than before. The DIG method is a series of questions, similar to the CRAAP test for literature, that students use to evaluate digital images. The author compares the digital-visual examination to how students are taught to read literature in that “The questions…created from this assimilation were then organized according to the steps of critical reading: analyzing, interpreting, evaluating and comprehending” (Thompson, 2019). The main focus of these lessons is for students to be able to determine the difference between what the article defines as “shallow and deep images”: “shallow images, are what we might think of as ‘typical’ internet images:… Shallow images are mostly innocuous because they do not purport to do more than entertain” (Thompson, 2019) whereas “Deep images require more interrogation because they are created and posted online to perform different roles and fulfil different intentions: to inform, to mislead, to persuade and/or to sell” (Thompson, 2019). Therefore, students first determine if images are shallow or deep and then if the images are deep, the students decide the intention of the images. Overall, the article argues that “Grounding a lesson or module with visuals reinforces the idea that since communication is now more visually-oriented, especially within the context of new digital technologies and social media platforms, the same critical sensibility that we routinely apply to text-based communications can, and should be, applied to visual mediums” (Thompson, 2019).
In addition to the Thompson article, the video “The power to tell the difference: visual literacy in a visual age” by Don Levy discusses how teaching visual literacy aids in media literacy by creating critical thinking skills. Levy concludes that “In a world surrounded by images, visual literacy requires critical thinking and awareness” (Levy. 2015) because if visuals are guiding our perceptions, then we need to be aware and have “the power to tell the difference” between fact and fiction in media. Levy states, “The dark side of our new reality is the more convincing the imagery the gap between fact and fiction blurs” (Levy, 2015) because “…we know that not every use of visuals is a force for good. The dark side can be blinding. There is a difference between escapist entertainment and losing our connection to the world” (Levy, 2015).
It is a difficult job for the Teacher Librarian to convince classroom teachers that “screen time” is not always negative. Students need to be taught how to use digital resources productively; they are not going to learn it without direct instruction. As “Achieving Information Literacy” states, “The major learning outcome for the school library program is to develop students who are information literate”(Asselin et. Al., 2003, p.4). Students should be able to apply the same techniques learned for reading and writing to become digitally literate. In my experience, the classroom teacher may be on the lower side of the digital divide (pre-1977) and/or uncomfortable using technology so it is good that “Research clearly indicates that the development of student competence in information literacy skills is most effective when integrated with classroom instruction through collaborative program planning and teaching by the teacher-librarian and the classroom teacher”(Asselin et. Al., 2003,p.7). I am going to use this information the next time I try to convince a classroom teacher to do a project integrating technology. Also, I like the list of outcomes in “Achieving Information literacy” especially Outcome 4: “Students will use information critically to evaluate the relevance, authenticity, and validity of information and its source”(Asselin et. Al., p.13) because students should be able to evaluate a resource in any format. Students need to be taught the proper purpose for all types of resources because “It is vital to know when to turn to print resources, when to use the Web, and when to avoid them all in favor of consulting an expert in the field”(Riedling, 2013, p.113). Students need to be given proper instruction for how to productively use digital resources at school in order to know the full potential of the resource, how to apply the resource and become fully information literate citizens.
Works Cited:
Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D., (Eds). (2003). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian School Library Association & The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada.
Free SVG. (2020). Computer Geek [Image]. Retrieved from https://freesvg.org/computer-geek
Levy, D. [TEDxABQSalon]. (2015, April 16). The Power to Tell the Difference: Visual Literacy in a Visual Age. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f09ybYDJoSE
Riedling, A. (2013). Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips, (Third Ed.). Santa Barbara, CA.: Linworth, an Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Thompson, D.S. (2019). Teaching Students to Critically Read Digital Images: a Visual Literacy Approach Using the DIG Method. Journal of Visual Literacy, 38(1-2), 110-119. https://www-tandfonline.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/full/10.1080/1051144X.2018.1564604#.XPXxeFQ1Us4.gmail
UBC. (Winter 2020). “Lesson 1: Information Literacy and Reference Services in Schools“. Theme 1: The foundation of reference services in LIBE 467. Canvas Online Classroom.
UBC. (Winter 2020).“Lesson 2: The Reference Process and Information Skills“. Theme 1: The foundation of reference services in LIBE 467. Canvas Online Classroom.
Well done reflection blog post that captures a lot of our common experiences and new awareness of skills, abilities and reference services that are important for Teacher-Librarians to provide and teach. Much of this post is centered around goals and opportunities for T-Ls and Library programs to re-assert ourselves as central to our schools and the needs of our 21st century communities and societies. Good use of evidence, connections to our course text and threaded with real world actual experiences to help inform and describe some of the challenges we all face. Very helpful and insightful blog.
I really enjoyed reading this and love that you start with a premise and then work to debunk it. I also find it surprising that teachers would limit screen time, given the reasons you examined so thoroughly. Great ideas on visual and digital literacy – two important elements of information literacy. And I also like how you made links to another course you took in the program.
Hi Catherine,
I realize that I am a bit late to the party here, but I must say that I found myself nodding along to your post. I often hear the same line about how “students enough screen time at home” in reference to iPad usage. I am of the opinion that the fact that many of our students get so much unstructured screen time at home is precisely why we need to model and support more productive uses of technology in the classroom. Trying to categorize the devices we use for learning as tools of creation as well as consumption has been a big theme for me.
I also appreciate what you have shared regarding visual literacy. I am going to need to dig in a little more. This DIG method seems very interesting.