Information literacy seems to have many definitions. Some definitions that classmates have blogged about involve the term “mastery”. I have often wondered what this term means. Is it being able to use the technology in a consistent manner, is it knowing every little feature and every nuance of the program, or is it being competent enough to teach others how to use it? Since I don’t know the answer to this question, I tend to lean more towards other definitions of information literacy.
The University of Calgary has a good post about information literacy. It provides several definitions of what this literacy could mean and points out that different people have different definitions. For some, it simple means keeping up with the pace of technology. For others the definition is more complex. “Information literacy entails finding, evaluating, using, and subsequently communicating knowledge. The person must desire to know; must use analytic skills to formulate questions; must identify research methodologies; and must utilize critical skills for evaluation. In addition, the person must be able to search for answers to those questions in increasingly complex and diverse ways. Information literacy, then, involves a complex set of skills that allow us to express, explore, question, and understand the flow of ideas among individuals and groups in a vastly changing technological environment.” (http://people.ucalgary.ca/~ahayden/literacy.htm). The reason that I like this definition is that it goes beyond the connected self. It is not just about personal interests and keeping up with technology to use as an individual. Rather, it is about looking at a wide variety of resources, evaluating what is effective for the task at hand, putting it into practice and then sharing that knowledge with others. I mentioned collaboration yesterday and I think that that is a key component with information literacy. It is about sharing valuable knowledge with others in a timely fashion. I do think, however, it is better to focus in on a few resources that you can learn and implement really well rather than being a “Jack of all trades and a master of none”.
Yes, the idea of mastery, in the digital age, is problematic. For example, I might have learned a feature, or a work-around yesterday, and had an opportunity to show it to a colleague today, that solves a problem and allows my colleague to move ahead. I certainly haven’t mastered the application, but I have provided current expertise to support a colleague. Perhaps the social and cultural ability to collaborate is also a form of information literacy. I think we need to continue to discuss what literacy means and how it is being applied to categorize diverse aspects of learning: social, media, digital, information, technological, etc.