Location
Regnier Center 146
Start Date
2-8-2012 2:00 PM
Description
Managing Information has become a buzz-word in objectives and courses, but how does this differ from "Library Instruction?" In an age where students are expected to demonstrate their familiarity with a topic through assessments other than a term paper, Information Literacy becomes more than learning traditional library skills. Library instruction typically involves showing students how to find peer reviewed articles for an academic paper. However, students are writing fewer papers and demonstrating their competence through their use of a growing array of social media; including discussion boards, mashups, and Skype. Acceptable sources have moved from merely published peer-reviewed scholarly documents to the new primary documents of blogs, tweets and even Facebook as well as a growing number of Creative Commons publications and digital archives. In addition, the granularity of these info-bits make it increasingly difficult for students to find a context within which to draw the pieces together, and their false sense of expertise further complicates relearning inadequate search strategies. Consequently, students are entering a seemingly familiar environment that works far differently from their expectations. A few examples illustrate this point: When contributing to a discussion board or writing a reflective journal, use of a blog from 9/11 survivors provides a valuable primary source. Tweets sent during the Arab spring illustrate the sense of chaos participants experienced. When Skyping, students need to find credible information in a timely fashion to support their opinions. Incorporating first hand observations from blogs can provide appropriate insight to more academic discussions, such as using blogs from a veterans’ forum in a literary discussion of “The Things They Carried.” As assignments move away from the traditional academic paper, students will still need to find credible sources to support their ideas. Through focusing on methods to locate and evaluate the broader range of information on the Web, students can gain a clearer sense of putting credible information into context to make their point on the Web, through a paper, or in-person.
Managing Information: Lessons for the 21st Century
Regnier Center 146
Managing Information has become a buzz-word in objectives and courses, but how does this differ from "Library Instruction?" In an age where students are expected to demonstrate their familiarity with a topic through assessments other than a term paper, Information Literacy becomes more than learning traditional library skills. Library instruction typically involves showing students how to find peer reviewed articles for an academic paper. However, students are writing fewer papers and demonstrating their competence through their use of a growing array of social media; including discussion boards, mashups, and Skype. Acceptable sources have moved from merely published peer-reviewed scholarly documents to the new primary documents of blogs, tweets and even Facebook as well as a growing number of Creative Commons publications and digital archives. In addition, the granularity of these info-bits make it increasingly difficult for students to find a context within which to draw the pieces together, and their false sense of expertise further complicates relearning inadequate search strategies. Consequently, students are entering a seemingly familiar environment that works far differently from their expectations. A few examples illustrate this point: When contributing to a discussion board or writing a reflective journal, use of a blog from 9/11 survivors provides a valuable primary source. Tweets sent during the Arab spring illustrate the sense of chaos participants experienced. When Skyping, students need to find credible information in a timely fashion to support their opinions. Incorporating first hand observations from blogs can provide appropriate insight to more academic discussions, such as using blogs from a veterans’ forum in a literary discussion of “The Things They Carried.” As assignments move away from the traditional academic paper, students will still need to find credible sources to support their ideas. Through focusing on methods to locate and evaluate the broader range of information on the Web, students can gain a clearer sense of putting credible information into context to make their point on the Web, through a paper, or in-person.