INFO LIT:

What is it?

Mickey Angel T. Cortez. November 4, 2020

Let us tackle the first piece of the bigger picture by establishing the term literacy, which is the ability to read and write. Surely, you have that ability; otherwise, you will fail to get accepted into your college/university.

Information literacy, though, might be a different case. It refers to the skill set required for efficient finding, retrieval, analysis, and utilization of information. In a traditional sense, information literacy entails the concept of library searching, as demonstrated by the infographic below. However, we will mainly tackle information literacy online for the sake of relevance.

Here is a contextualized definition of Information Literacy from UNESCO:

(UNESCO, 2013, "Information Literacy"

section, par. 3)

Concepts such as critical thinking, metacognitive processes, and procedural knowledge are involved with Information literacy (Koltay, 2011). To expound, click the left and right arrows from this slider to reveal the traits of an information literate individual according to OU LIbraries:

“In a digital world, information literacy requires users to have the skills to use information and communication technologies and their applications to access and create information. For example, the ability to navigate in cyberspace and negotiate hypertext multimedia documents requires both the technical skills to use the Internet as well as the literacy skills to interpret the information.”

Information Literacy is one of the seven elements of digital literacies defined by Jisc, a United Kingdom-based organization that formulate solutions and initiate digital-related discourses in higher education and research. Therefore, it is not sufficient that you are capable of using tools to access and navigate the digital realm. You should also be efficient in finding information, critical of its evaluation and interpretation, and aware of the possible implications and consequences of the information and content you wish to share online.

Image Source: Infographics Hunter (2017)

Image Source: Jisc (2018)

Able to determine the scope and limitation of the required information

In addition, what I define as an information literate individual is one who can spot memes and content which reflect fake news and information disorders and hence do not click the share button upon reading them. If these abilities resonate with you, then they increase the probability that you'll thrive in distance learning. If they don’t, fret not; the term “abilities” implies that they can be learned through time. The journey does not end at being literate, but how literate you can be in dealing with information. In other words, InfoLit is a dynamic skill that you will continuously acquire over the years of learning. The succeeding activities and sections below will be your guide.

Learning Outcomes

Learners will be able to define and grasp the concepts of information literacy in the context of the digital world.
Learners will be able to assess whether they have the traits of an information literate individual.
Learners will be aware of the five components of information literacy and enumerate how they can be applied to academics and lifestyles.
Learners will find be able to list down the significance and benefits of information literacy in their lives.

ACTIVITY 1

5 Components of Information Literacy

10-30 MINS

Watch the video and answer the ff. questions:

How does each component of information literacy contribute to success in college and university?
How about in real life?
Think of more academic and real-world examples for each component of information literacy that you can apply to your roles as a student and a producer and consumer of information.

Video Source: Seminole State Library (2014)

Watch the video and answer the ff. questions:

Why do we need information literacy in our lives?
What are the benefits of being an information literate individual?
Explain the Six Concepts of Information Literacy in plain English.

Video Source: Modern Librarian Memoirs (2014)

ACTIVITY 2

Reflection on Information Literacy

10-30 MINS

References

Infographics Hunter. (2017). Educational infographic: The ABCs of Information Literacy Infographic. In Infographic Now. Retrieved from https://infographicnow.com/educational/educational-infographic-the-abcs-of-information-literacy-infographic-e-learning-infographics-2/
Jisc. (2018). Developing digital literacies. In Jisc. https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/developing-digital-literacies
Koltay, T. (2011). The media and the literacies: media literacy, information literacy, digital literacy. Media, Culture & Society, 33(2), 211–221. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443710393382
UNESCO. (2013). Information literacy | United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved August 11, 2020, from www.unesco.org website: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/access-to-knowledge/information-literacy/
Modern Librarian Memoirs. (2017). What is Information Literacy? [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbe6xBibOL4&t=7s
Seminole State Library. (2014). 5 Components of Information Literacy [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ronp6Iue9w