In my experience information literacy is something that is assumed knowledge in schools. Teachers are experts at teaching content and skills specific to their subject area, there really is not enough time left to explicitly teach information literacy. Digital citizenship is usually approached from a legal point of view and covers aspects of sexting, cyberbullying and plagiarism as the need arises.
One problem with new media is the amount of information readily available on the Internet which is very easy plagiarise. High school teachers are in the position where they need to teach students relevant information skills to avoid a culture of copy and pasting (O’Connell, Change has arrived at an iSchool library near you, 2012). A school wide approach to working ethically in digital environments would be beneficial to students. We are living in a world where knowledge is everywhere and sorting through the overload of information in constantly changing online environments requires active participation.
The concept of transliteracy is relatively new in the library world (Ipri, 2010). It explores the concept of being literate across a range of formats, including print and digital materials. The idea is that skills are transferable and can be used as a toolkit regardless of the technology being used to access information. With the advent of social media, to be transliterate means to bring together reading, writing, social and cultural skills on a variety of media. The nature of social media means that users participate in networks with like-minded people and organisations partner with others to develop innovative ideas (Ipri, 2010).
Libraries can become a conduit for this new construction of knowledge. By allowing library users to interact with content, like adding tags or commenting on photographs, the concept of an information expert changes (Ipri, 2010). For example, the memories and experiences people hold can be valued and recorded alongside historical material. It changes the notion of printed text holding more authority than digital text, instead considering all written texts to hold equal value regardless of the media.
The modern school library must now adapt to cope with a change in the information literacy paradigm. Students require skills that keep them connected in a digital world, with access to technology anywhere and at any time (O’Connell, Learning without Frontiers: School libraries and meta-literacy in action, 2012). According to Judy O’Connell, the three areas of influence in school libraries are information fluency, digital citizenship and digital storytelling. Teacher librarians must adapt the way in which students are taught to a constructivist approach which puts students at the centre of their own learning. Through leadership, teacher librarians will remain at the forefront of technical innovations and what it means to be literate in the 21st century.
Reference List
Ipri, T. (2010). Introducing transliteracy: What does it mean to academic libraries? College & Research Libraries News 71(10), 532-567.
O’Connell, J. (2012). Change has arrived at an iSchool library near you. In P. Godwin, & J. Parker (Ed.), Information literacy beyond 2.0. London: Facet Publishing, UK.
O’Connell, J. (2012). Learning without Frontiers: School libraries and meta-literacy in action. Access 26(1), 4-7.
