Course Description
Course Description
Information literacy is a crucial skill for modern life. Also called media or digital literacy, information literacy is a broad term comprising six interconnected foundations and four competencies that define information literate learners. These include: inquiry, inclusion, collaboration, curation, exploration, and engagement as well as thinking, sharing, creating, and growing (AASL, 2017).
An earlier document produced by AASL’s (2009) noted,
To succeed in our rapid‐paced, global society, our learners must develop a high level of skills, attitudes and responsibilities. All learners must be able to access high‐quality information from diverse perspectives, make sense of it to draw their own conclusions or create new knowledge, and share their knowledge with others (p. 5).
This course is designed in accordance with the AASL & ISTE standards for information literacy to help you integrate the elements of information literacy into your daily classroom teachings.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Understand authority and it's connection to media.
Use the CAARP method to critically evaluate materials;
Understand how proper research and evaluation methods skills transfer to other areas of learners' lives;
Recognize ethical and legal issues related to data and privacy;
Refine curricula to align with information literacy standards;
Feel more confident about guiding students towards information literacy expectations.
Learners must use a fully charged laptop;
We will use several online tools for this course. All tools are free and you will not be required to purchase any resource.
This course will meet four or five times over the course of the school year during PD days. Each assignment will be due for the next class, so you have ample time to complete each task.
First Session (Module 1): August 28
Other sessions (Modules 2, 3, 4): Dates TBD
Topics:
What is Information Literacy?
Terminology
Main Information Literacy Players
The Standards
The Concept of Authority
Critical evaluation: CRAAP Test & CAARP Test
Review:
Watch
Think
Practice
Tasks:
Topics:
Understanding & evaluating Fake News
How we use media . . . and how it uses us.
Fake News Terminology
Beyond headlines & images
DIG Method for images
Review:
Watch
Think
Practice
Tasks:
Watch Crash Course: Navigating Digital Information
Read select chapters from Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers by Michael A. Caulfield (linked in Module 2 Tasks)
Topics:
Using & Creating Information
Information has value
Copyright, Fair Dealing, and Plagiarism
Terminology
Creating and using information ethically
*Surprise*
Research as Digital citizenship
Your Data is big business
Review:
Watch
Think
Practice
Tasks:
Read Privacy & Student Data: Companion Learning Tools & complete the discussion questions.
Topics:
Digital Footprint & Digital Permanence
Forever is a long time
Being mean online
Improving students' digital experience and awareness
Skills & Dispositions
Empowering yourself and your learners
Review:
Watch
Think
Practice
Tasks:
ISTE Standards: Skills learners need to thrive in work and life
ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education
University of Saskatchewan Information Literacy Instructional Toolkit
Teaching Students to SIFT through News and Information
AASL. (2009). STANDARDS FOR THE 21st‑CENTURY LEARNER IN ACTION. Retrieved from https://www.epsnj.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=7770&dataid=32216&FileName=AASL%2021ST%20C%20learner.pdf
BBC. (January 2019). Facebook paid teenagers to mine device data. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47053656
Canadian Intellectual Property Office. A guide to copyright. Retrieved https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr02281.html.
Chisholm, Alexandria. "Digital Shred Workshop." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2020. http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/berks/digitalshred.
Common Sense Media (2019). Teaching Digital Citizens in Today's World: Research and Insights Behind the Common Sense K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum. Retrieved https://d1e2bohyu2u2w9.cloudfront.net/education/sites/default/files/tlr_component/common_sense_education_digital_citizenship_research_backgrounder.pdf.
Ecker, U. K. H., Lewandowsky, S., Chang, E. P., & Pillai, R. (2014). The effects of subtle misinformation in news headlines. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 20(4), 323–335. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000028 Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ullrich_Ecker/publication/264428502_The_Effects_of_Subtle_Misinformation_in_News_Headlines/links/53df3d1b0cf2cfac99295eb5.pdf
The Merk Manual. (2019). Adolescent Development. Retrieved from https://www.merckmanuals.com/en-ca/professional/pediatrics/growth-and-development/adolescent-development.
MIT Tech Review. (2017). Big Data Poses Special Risks for Children, Says UNICEF. Retrieved from https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/10/27/241782/big-data-poses-special-risks-for-children-says-unicef/.
Montgomery, K.C., Chester, J., and Milosevic, T. (Nov. 2017). Children’s Privacy in the Big Data Era: Research Opportunities. Pediatrics 140 (Supplement 2) S117-S121; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-1758O. Retrieved from https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/140/Supplement_2/S117.
PEW Research. (2018). Teens’ Social Media Habits and Experiences. Retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/11/28/teens-social-media-habits-and-experiences/.
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, DOI: 10.1080/1051144X.2018.1564604. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1051144X.2018.1564604?casa_token=uu1hAxc04_wAAAAA:3lCd1g6Upx-QItOpBZCd6WwM6r9swWrY6oVu0pzz5_rFHkpQ_GQCw0KupATqYdZ_uwez2OJxCqvO4U4
Wilkinson, Lane. (August 5, 2014). Does information have value? Retrieved from https://senseandreference.wordpress.com/2014/08/05/does-information-have-value/.
Personal research for masters thesis (available upon completion).