information literacy in the global community dr. basil d. martin, ii coordinator of information...
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Information Literacy in the Global Community
Dr. Basil D. Martin, IICoordinator of Information Literacy Instruction
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
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Introduction
• In this increasingly global world of information, students must be taught to seek diverse perspectives, gather and use information ethically, and use social tools responsibly and safely. Today’s student also needs to develop information skills that will enable them to use technology as an important tool for learning, both now and in the future.
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Definition of Information Literacy
• Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information” (ACRL.org ).
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International Definition of Information Literacy
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adheres to the definition of information literacy as defined by the Alexandria Proclamation of 2005, which states, “Information literacy empowers people in all walks of life to seek, evaluate, use and create information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational and educational goals”(UNESCO, 2009).
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Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning
• Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning.
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An information literate individual is able to:
• Determine the extent of information needed• Access the needed information effectively and efficiently• Evaluate information and its sources critically• Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base• Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose• Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the
use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally
"Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education," American Library Association, September 01, 2006.http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm (Accessed
November 5, 2009)
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Christy Stevens & Patricia Campbell (2006) state:
• “Information literacy (IL) is directly linked to global citizenship in that IL instruction focuses on the competencies that enable individuals to better understand their world and the role their choices and actions have in shaping the world. As such, IL has the potential to enhance social capital. By fostering the information literacy skills and habits of mind that are foundational for lifelong learning, students develop an increased awareness and understanding of themselves as members of the global community.”
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Eve Stoddard & Grant Cornwell (2003) write:
• “Geocitizens…need to seek points of view globally; hence, critical thinking becomes the project of triangulating the sources, clearly identifying the contradictions and incommensurabilities, building a reconciled narrative to the extent possible”.
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Media Literacy as defined by the Center for Media Literacy:
• “Media Literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create media in a variety of forms.”
• Media literacy helps students acquire an empowering set of “navigational” skills which include the ability to:
• Access information from a variety of sources.• Analyze and explore how messages are "constructed" whether print, verbal, visual
or multi-media.• Evaluate media's explicit and implicit messages against one's own ethical, moral
and/or democratic principles.• Express or create their own messages using a variety of media tools.• Participate in a global media culture.
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Key to Global Literacy
• Students and educators now have greater access than ever to instant information about events happening around the world and issues that are important to people in other countries.
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News and Global Literacy
• Global News has many qualities that make it ideal for use as a teaching tool for Global Literacy.
1. It’s accessible2. Its’ timeliness and online access3. It’s intellectually accessible4. It’s linguistically accessible
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International news published in the United States
• Is focused overwhelmingly on:• Natural disaster• War• Terrorism• Famine• Disease• Other devastating events
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News articles published in their country of origin
• Have some unique characteristics:• Foster identification• Human interest component• Cultural reporting (music, dance, literature, film,
theatre, and storytelling – which is arguably what defines what it is to be human) • Differing perspectives on global issues and problems
(divergent perspectives)
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News articles published in other countries:
• Can allow students to de-center their own ways of seeing the world in order to understand issues and events from different perspectives, including those that have been traditionally marginalized.
• Can expose students to many global perspectives so they can then analyze, synthesize and integrate them into their own understanding of issues and concepts.
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Major Newspaper databases
• LEXIS-NEXIS• Newspaper Source• Google News• Global NewsBank
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Capabilities of online databases
• Allow searching news by topic.• Allow searching across a broad spectrum of
news sources.• Students can read several articles on a
particular issue, compare and contrast them, and put together an account of the issue that is a synthesis of different perspectives.
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Some examples
1. A Nigerian news source reported that the Nigerian Congress declared that dealing with urbanization was a major priority. According to Nigerian urban planning scholars, cities must be made more livable in order to deal with growing urban violence and disease.
2. The Korea Herald reported that China’s rapid urbanization and economic development had contributed to pollution in that country and its’ neighbors, prompting Asian media officials to meet in Beijing to discuss sustainable development in China and the role of media in development and environment protection.
3. A French news agency reported researchers’ warnings that urbanization and transportation have resulted in “biotic homogenization” meaning that almost all plants and animals will live almost everywhere, but there will be fewer species overall. The world’s dominant species will take over in every area of the world, resulting in much less biodiversity.
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More examples
4. The Accra Daily Mail, a Ghanaian newspaper, reported on the U.N. Secretary General ’s views that lack of public services such as education, health services, water, and sanitation are the main reasons why informal settlements occur in cities, and that convictions and demolitions are not the answer to the problems brought on by urbanization.
5. A Chinese news agency reported that the World Bank provided a $180 million loan to build infrastructure in China’s rural southwest, where mountainous topography and inadequate water supply have stalled the urbanization process.
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Some similar themes were addressed in the articles
• The effects of urbanization on living conditions for the poor.
• The interplay of environmental problems and urbanization.
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Some differences
• The different ways in which the problems of urbanization play in other places around the world.
• For example, in the United States, urbanization is seen as a phenomenon that occurred largely in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with the current stage of migration being from the cities to the suburbs.
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Conclusion
• Students can benefit greatly from digital access to news resources because access to news from many countries exposes students to information about global events and issues from perspectives of people from other parts of the world. International news sources are important in helping students to develop a global perspective on an issue instead of relying on a framework of how a particular issue is discussed in the local context.
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Carlson Library Facilities
Rena M. Carlson Library840 Wood Street
Clarion, Pennsylvania 16214
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Future Key Library Services
• Increased Information Literacy Support• Increased Electronic Resources• Enhanced Distance/Virtual
Education Services
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Thank You
Contact Information:Dr. Basil D. Martin IICoordinator of Information Literacy Instruction112 Carlson LibraryClarion University of PennsylvaniaPhone: 814-393-2303Email: [email protected]