Information and Media Literacy by Eliza Swenson

WHAT COMPETENCIES DO STUDENTS NEED TO BECOME INFO AND MEDIA LITERATE AND WHY?

swenseli000 — 2024-08-07 22:00:46 UTC

Media and Technology have become a fantastic and quick resource for everyone and anyone to get information,... however, with everyone in the world having easy access to put information online, it's important for us to know 1. How and where to find information. 2. How to evaluate information and discern fact from fiction, and 3. Curate good information. In a world becoming increasingly media and technology focused these skill will be essential not only to school based learning, but for learning and gathering information of any kind.

EXAMPLE 2

swenseli000 — 2024-08-07 22:01:20 UTC

I was shown this film in the 4th grade on the holiday previously called "Columbus day", now "Indigenous peoples day". While this film is not completely inaccurate, it tends to have biased views on the historical figure as well as a lack of information in order to paint the story in a good light. The film avoids telling the parts of Columbus's history that are not so heroic. History is one subject where digital literacy is extremely important because history tends to be recorded with bias. It's important to teach history from multiple perspectives in order to get closer to giving an accurate account of the event.

#1 KNOW HOW TO FIND INFORMATION

swenseli000 — 2024-08-07 22:02:21 UTC

Its easy to find information but knowing where to find good information, and know the self guiding steps to knowing which information to find, is essential. The best place to start is with the first 3 steps of "The Big 6"

The Big 6 teaches technology literacy for students of all ages from all over. The first three can be helpful in the area of finding information.

1. Task Definition ( What info do you need?)

1.1 Define the information problem
1.2 Identify information needed

2. Information Seeking Strategies ( What sources do I have available)

2.1 Determine all possible sources
2.2 Select the best sources

3. Location and Access (Where can I access those sources and find more)

3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)
3.2 Find information within sources.

With these steps you will be right on track to successful research. Its important to know how to get started when looking for information and following these steps will most likely lead you to looking in places with accurate and valuable information, rather than content that is misleading and biased.

#2 KNOW HOW TO EVALUATE INFORMATION

swenseli000 — 2024-08-07 22:02:30 UTC

Being able to identify false information is something a lot of us are probably wishing our grandparents learned before getting social media. Perhaps its too late for them to learn but its never too late for us! So how DO you know if something is true? The first step is to always QUESTION.

Who is writing this, what is their motive and credibility, What are other sources saying, When was this information uploaded, are there multiple perspective provided, factual evidence sourced? Asking these questions will lead you to action, examples of good actions to take are given by Julia Cario, a digital literacy educator.

Verify and refute online information

Investigate author credentials
Detect bias and stance
Negotiate multiple perspectives

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/evaluating-quality-of-online-info-julie-coiro

These may seem like excessive steps, but they will keep you above all the fake news, save you from the embarrassment of being just another fake news spreader, and help you always know how to find truth.

#3 KNOW HOW TO CURATE INFORMATION

swenseli000 — 2024-08-07 22:02:37 UTC

Once you have found good information, don't lose it, curate it! Curating means gathering and pulling information together in an organized fashion so you can use it effectively! There are many resources out there to help you do this.. here are a few!

-Google keep

-Flipboard

-Wakelet

Resources like these allow you to save and organize information at anytime and anywhere, as well as share it with others!

THE REAL FACTS

swenseli000 — 2024-08-07 22:02:50 UTC

There is no scientific evidence that show teaching to someones learning styles benefits learning
(link above)
Preferences for learning do not mean you learn better a certain way, it means you find one form of learning more enjoyable and entertaining. The learning styles are preferences, not something scientifically proven about the way our brain receives information.
https://www.stcidlsig.org/are-vark-and-other-learning-styles-a-legitimate-pedagogical-theory/#:~:text=Many%20research%20studies%20conducted%20over,VARK%20were%20not%20scientifically%20sound.

WHY YOU MIGHT FALL FOR IT

swenseli000 — 2024-08-07 22:03:52 UTC

The PDF is a tricky one, here are reason you might have fallen for this mis-information,

- It is easy to believe because it is a common misconception that you have either heard about, or even been taught. It's easy to believe something you have already heard about. Make sure you are double checking your facts regularly if you plan on making a claim.

-It's author is a University. Anything with University in the title, and we will tend to believe it, but just like we talked about in the last paragraph, information can change as time passes and its good to not rely so heavily on titles with other backup evidence.

How you can avoid falling for it again

-Check the date: The document with this information was dated 2004, look for information with more current dates

-Actively check resources with opposing claims: Look up pros and cons, multiple articles and find common denominators.

-Look for and evaluate sources: Are there any? Are they valid? Are those quoted, qualified to make those claims?

"...We need a sustained K-12 media literacy program—something to teach kids not only how to use the media but how the media uses them. Kids need to know how particular messages get crafted and why, what devices are used to hold their attention and what ideas are leftout. In a culture where media is pervasive and invasive, kids need to think critically about what they see, hear and read. No child’s education can be complete without this.” -FCC Commissioner Michael Copps

swenseli000 — 2024-08-07 22:04:18 UTC

swenseli000 — 2024-08-07 23:02:19 UTC

swenseli000 — 2024-08-07 23:16:00 UTC

swenseli000 — 2024-08-08 01:15:31 UTC

EXAMPLE 1

swenseli000 — 2024-08-08 01:28:54 UTC

The idea of "Learning styles" has been around since Aristotle, and became more prominent in the 70s and 80s. While there are different styles of teaching and favorable ways to learn, the idea that there are 4 specific learning styles, in which every student will have a specific style of learning has been in recent years debunked. There is no scientific proof to these 4 types of learning and the "VARK"(a test you can take to find your type of learning) which this article encourages. This type of mis-information about learning is common, as it was taught and continues to be taught mistakenly even now.

IDENTIFY REAL EXAMPLES OF FALSE INFORMATION

swenseli000 — 2024-08-08 01:47:07 UTC

IDENTIFY REAL EXAMPLES OF FALSE INFORMATION

swenseli000 — 2024-08-08 01:47:44 UTC

THE REAL FACTS

swenseli000 — 2024-08-08 02:38:11 UTC

WHY YOU MIGHT FALL FOR IT

swenseli000 — 2024-08-08 02:38:22 UTC

Here are reason you might have fallen for this mis-information,

- A common teaching error in history, you were taught with Bias. You were most likely taught these things by teachers in the past. It's easy to believe something you have already heard about. Make sure you are double checking your facts regularly if you plan on making a claim.

How you can avoid falling for it again

-Check the date: The film with this information was dated 1991, look for information with more current dates as information changes.

-Ask yourself if information is leaning in one direction.

-Actively check resources with opposing claims: Look up pros and cons, multiple articles and find common denominators.

-Look for and evaluate sources: Are there any? Are they valid? Are those quoted, qualified to make those claims?