Defining Information Literacy

I am looking at the pearltrees on defining ICT and have just realized how complicated and how multifaceted this topic is.  There are not only a lot of definitions out there, the requirements to be literate goes beyond being able to use the devices or programs. On a wider scale it means to be able to be a full participant in the global community.  The benefits can be social, economic and creative.

We not only have to be able to access and use a variety of digital sources by using devices such as a computer, mobile device, but need to be able to use a variety of digital applications. Understanding media and content with a critical eye is another part of the definition of being competent with technology.  Finally a literate person would also have the capability to create something new with the learned technology.

I have limited abilities with technology, so as far as my connected self would be to learn more about getting connected myself and then look at the tools students can use to accomplish the tasks they are sent into do in the library.  Getting connected is only one aspect of becoming literate.  However, it is the one aspect of the definition of ICT literacy that colleagues recognize as someone who is literate.  Comments such as “You’re really good with this technology stuff” are common.

In a semester high school, most teachers do not want to give you (TL) much time to do any explaining.  It always has to be brief.  They want the students to get on with the project.  So it is important to have a dialog with teachers explaining how they can integrate technology into their projects.  Most do not want to be the person who teaches it, so the best scenario is when the TL can facilitate the technical aspect of the project.  However, in the end, the classroom teachers have to carry the major responsibility to help students evaluate their content with an analytical eye.

I like this definition of digital literacy and how it is broken down into elements.

Digital Literacy is “the interest, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, create and communicate with others”.

Basic elements of this definition include:

• Participation (like learning anything new, there are students who will be challenged and not want to fully participate)
• Access (we always need to address this because not every student will have their own computer)
• Integration (as far as the library is concerned, not every teacher brings their class into the library)
• Analysis (higher level thinking is definitely important, it may be one of the last things to happen to be “literate”
• Evaluation (students need to self evaluate more)
• Management (if you lack the hardware or even have the hardware, management will be challenging)
• Creation (important aspect, to create new knowledge or a way of looking at things differently)
• Communication (not much goes beyond the classroom)
• Empowerment (does this come when everything else comes together?)

“Digital literacy includes, but goes beyond, simple technology skills. Just as traditional literacy goes beyond comprehension to include the more complex skills of composition and analysis, digital literacy includes a deeper understanding of, and ultimately the ability to create a wide range of content with various digital tools.”