Literacy Guide

Information Literacy Guide for Secondary School Students

Purpose

To be effective in the 21^st century citizens must develop a level of fluency with technology that exceeds basic computer skills. “Educators must work together to ensure that every American young person has access to the skills and experiences needed to become a full participant, can articulate their understanding of how media shapes perceptions, and has been socialized into the emerging ethical standards that should shape their practices as media makers and participants in online communities.” (Jenkins 2006, pp. 3-4) Therefore, by the time secondary school students graduate they “must acquire a set of intellectual capabilities, conceptual knowledge and contemporary skills associated with information technology.” (CITL 1999, p. 49) This guide outlines the skills students need to participate in today’s digital culture and to succeed in school and the workplace.

Definition

Information literacy is the ability to determine what kind of information is needed to answer a given question, the ability to locate that information, evaluate its authority, use it effectively, and cite it properly. (The New School 2013)

Standards and Objectives

Standard One: Digital Literacy

The ability to access networked computer resources and use them. (Gilster 1997, p.1)

Objectives:

The student should be able to

·         Operate various digital devices such as mobile phones, desktop, laptop, and tablet computers, printers, scanners, mp3 players, cameras, etc.,

·         Use networked digital media to locate information,

·         Use a variety of software applications to create and edit original texts,

·         Protect devices from cyber attacks by using firewalls, anti-virus, etc.,

·         Download and upload data.

Standard Two: Critical Media Literacy

The ability to compose, evaluate, and apply information obtained in a digital environment.

  

Objectives:

The student should be able to

·         Research and verify information,

·         Interpret and determine the legitimacy of information,

·         Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate web content,

·         Apply information to a given task such as creating original texts,

·         Abide by terms and conditions of networks in terms of intellectual property,

·         Respect and properly cite the intellectual property of others.

Standard Three:  Visual Literacy

The ability to understand and produce visual images. (Churchill 2009)

Objectives:

The student should be able to use digital media to:

·         Create original images,

·         Record and create videos,

·         Edit original images and videos or those created by others,

·         Reproduce images and video using various tools, equipment, and/or software,

·         Copy images using simple built-in editing commands and tools.

Standard Four: Cyber Literacy

The ability to actively participate, understand the language, and demonstrate the appropriate behavior of online communities.

Objectives:

The student should be able to

·         Post and respond to blogs and other websites that invite user participation,

·         Interact responsibly and collaborate with members of online communities,

·         Set-up user accounts,

·         Understand how to respond to inappropriate behavior by other users,

·         Protect their privacy in terms of sharing personal information and guarding passwords,

·         Appropriately use the freedoms that the internet affords,

·         Communicate using the vernacular of the digital world.

References

Churchill, Daniel. "New Literacy in the Web 2.0 World." New Literacy in the Web 2.0 World. N.p., 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.slideshare.net/zvezdan/new-literacy-in-the-web-20-world>.

"Collateral Issues." Being Fluent With Information Technology. Comp. Committee on Information Technology Literacy. Washington, DC: National Academy, 1999. 49. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6482&page=49>.

Gilster, Paul. Digital Literacy. New York: Wiley Computer Pub., 1997. Print.

"Information Literacy Guide for The New School Faculty." Definitions, Standards, and Outcomes. The New School, 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://guides.library.newschool.edu/content.php?pid=434947>.

Jenkins, H.J. (2006)., Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. <http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF>