Dear Linda
One of the problems with administrators and other powers-that-be who are not
teachers is their confusion between information literacy and information
communications technology (ICT)which are two totally different areas. One
can be literate in information without being literate in ICT - zillions of
us were before the PC and Internet became so accessible - and one can be
literate in ICT without being information literate - zillions of tekkies and
'computer experts' are.
Another fallacy is that information literacy can be taught in isolation -
you find out because you need to know now, not because you might need to
know in the future. Information is expanding at too great a rate for us to
store it all in our heads!. After doing a lot of research at Masters level
into InfoLit I have written the following definition
If you are information literate, you are able to
know when you have a need for information
find the information you need
evaluate it and use it effectively to meet your needs
and it doesn't really matter if the source is the television guide or a page
on the Internet buried deep within a website. It depends on your need at
the time and that is why a flexible schedule works so well, and failing
that, close so-operation with the classroom teachers so that when the kids
are with you in their fixed time they can still be hooking what they are
learning with you onto the classroom content.
Information literacy is a process and its components can involve working
with digital, visual, print and audio sources and it spans every key
learning area. I teach my teachers how to integrate it into even their
maths lessons.
Whilst being able to open, navigate, copy, paste, create and manipulate, and
save a digital resource (whether it be a CD, an application, or the
Internet) is part of the InfoLit process it should not stand alone as a
separate "subject" just as teaching encyclopaedia skills does not stand
alone.
If you are interested in following through the Aussie slant on InfoLit,
follow the links from the resource Centre page of our school website
...http://www.palmdps.act.edu.au/resource_centre/rc_main.htm Particularly
look at the Outcomes pages and then ask yourself "How do I achieve these
using print resources? " "How do I achieve these using digital resources? "
"Which ones best suit my students' needs at this time for this assignment?"
"What do they need to know to be able to use these resources successfully?"
Remember, it's not necessarily a linear step-by-step process. It depends on
what is happening in the classroom and how you can fit into that. I have
kindergarten doing PowerPoint presentations right now involving using the
digital camera; some of my Year 6 are learning email netiquette for the
first time for a project they are involved in; Year 3/4 are building an
Animal Atlas of the ACT to help us recover from the bushfires. (You can
find a temporary link to The Phoenix Report on the main page of the
website.) I am revamping the entire PDPS site and am adding links to more
pages each day - especially the InfoLit sector. It's my soapbox - or have
you guessed that :>}
I know this does not answer your direct need for a program that can be
superimposed onto what you already do, but perhaps it is an opportunity to
start educating those-who-make-the-decisions about what InfoLit and ICT
really are.
Barbara
Barbara Braxton
Teacher-Librarian
Palmerston District Primary School
PALMERSTON ACT 2913
AUSTRALIA
T. 61 2 6205 6162
F. 61 2 6205 7242
E. barbara@austarmetro.com.au
W. http://www.palmdps.act.edu.au
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