The topics of information literacy, technology, and digital/media are always popular among library/media specialist discussion. Information literacy is being about to find and understand information, no matter what that information may be or how you find it. Technology is used more abundantly now within libraries than ever before. Material can be found digitally and through other media forms. However, for a student to be information literate they must be able to use technology and multiple forms of media to retrieve the information they need.
When looking through the P21 framework and definitions, I was able to see that this framework is designed to develop a productive member of society. The framework reminded me of the Profile of a South Carolina Graduate. All of these documents were created to remind educators that we are helping create the next generation to lead our country. They need a content rich environment, but also the soft skills to be able to function in everyday life. At the high school where I work, these are buzz words. Quite often we here that students are intelligent and can pass any test put before them, but often do not have the soft skills and endurance to perform on a job. These are the skills the P21 framework is focusing on, along with academics.
As far as an information diet goes, I had never really thought about my diet. Clay Johnson states, “You have to be a conscious consumer of information.” I am very guilty of spending way too much time browsing Facebook, looking at information that I know has no real merit. However, I continue to browse. Johnson continues by telling up to “turn on your mindful brain.” This is great advice, not only for our information diet, but for our everyday lives. If we can teach students to turn on their mindful brains and make logical decisions, then they will have no problem with the 21st century skills in the P21 framework and the Profile of a South Carolina Graduate. The real question is now does this become a normal everyday practice for students (or adults)? I think we can begin by introducing students to some of those big questions discussed during the Fake News and Media Literacy podcast.
- Where was this published?
- Do they accept letters to the editor?
- Who owns this company?
- When was this published?
- Do they cite specific sources?
- Is the article well-written?
- Does anything in the piece make me angry or afraid?
- Is the article one sided?
Framework for 21st century learning. Retrieved from https://blackboard.sc.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?cmd=view&content_id=_12634683_1&course_id=_1046806_1.
Gunger, M. (2017) Fake news & media literacy. The Liturgists. [podcast] Retrieved from http://www.theliturgists.com/podcast/2017/3/7/fake-news-media-literacy.
P21 framework definitions. Retrieved from https://blackboard.sc.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?cmd=view&content_id=_12634684_1&course_id=_1046806_1.
761 Informational Technology in the School Library 
I, too, am guilty of spending way too much time on Facebook! However, when I am on Facebook and I come across a “news” article, I love to do further research on that article to see if it is accurate and credible or if it is “fake news”. I’ve turned this into a game that I introduced to my students, and they now love to see if a source is “a keeper or a faker”. It is also very concerning to see how many articles are “fakers”, as my students would say.
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Kaitlin,
I also used Facebook as a lesson on how to research “fake news” with my students. I showed them the meme about how many spiders we eat each night and then had student research to prove if the meme was correct or not. It was a great learning experience for them. I love your idea of “a keeper or a faker.” My high school students will think that’s funny!
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Hi Erin,
I liked your blogpost and your thoughtful conclusions about serious issues we face as librarians, whether in school or in public or in academic libraries (or dual). I admired your dedication to the post, and your interest in the work, which can be hard to find and is very encouraging to see in anyone in any profession. I do wonder how we address the majority of South Carolina students. Most can’t read, or if they they definitely aren’t on their reading levels, and definitely are not up to par with any course they are taking or task they are required to do. While I won’t actually leave this up to you to decide, your post has given me a lot of food for thought for future posts of my own–Matthew
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Matthew,
This is a daily struggle. It is hard to find material that both covers the content well enough and is at an appropriate reading level for the average high school student. Recently I have tried to vary the reading level of the text I have purchased for the library, but still wonder if that’s the ‘right’ thing to do. Our school initiative for this is high progress literacy and teaching students to use the whole text to learn. I do believe this is helping our students, but still worry about students who may be falling behind. I’m not sure what the answer is, but would love some insight as to what others think about this issue.
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As a member of the literary community I have pushed publishers and agents to get books made for young adults or new adults that are written by middle-grade writers. It’s so important they have books that they can understand but also relate to. I would hate too condescends to a 16 year old boy by suggesting he read Junie B Jones b/c that’s the only thing he can deal with
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Good Evening Erin,
I agree with you, facebook can be very addicting. I actually had to use facebook to teach my parents about the fake vs real news. Everyday I would get a call about a celebrity that died, but it was actually a hoax. I have to admit that sometimes I am mislead by the information before actually doing the research to find the truth. Social media has a way of making articles sound believable. Thanks for sharing this idea, I hope you don’t mind me stealing it and using it for my students. 🙂 . Also, I can imagine that it is even more challenging to find content that is interesting to high school children being that they aren’t on their reading levels, and some are not interested in studying educational topics.
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I also enjoyed the Liturgists podcast and the information they presented regarding evaluation of news sources. You mentioned the question, “Does anything in the piece make me angry or afraid?” I was especially interested when Clay Johnson stated that “fear, disgust, and anger” sells ads. What a powerful reminder that all our news sources have to compete financially, and most will resort to manipulating our emotions.
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Erin,
The conscious decision to make smart choices about one’s information diet can be a hard habit to develop. We have so much media and information constantly thrown at us makes it difficult to remain mindful – and that is what the sources are counting on. Much of media and platforms are designed to keep us from making a decision. For example when watching something on Netflix you have to push a button to stop a new movie or episode form starting once one has completed. If you do nothing you are launched into a binge session where escape requires effort. It is comparable to choosing a convenient but unhealthy fast-food meal over a home-cooked one which requires time and effort to prepare. It is easy to let other decide what information you consume and that is why so many have a bad information diet.
Thank you,
M. McCabe Rentz
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