DIGITAL INFORMATION LITERACY & TECHNOLOGICAL FLUENCY/ Course outline

Rationale for Information Literacy

Information literacy fluency is a set of abilities that has two principle components, namely the input and the output of information. •	The first component requires individuals to absorb information - “to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.” •	The second component is the representation or production of information. This is the ability to quickly, efficiently, effectively and economically (3e’s) communicate large amounts of complex knowledge, information and data.

Information literacy is increasingly important in the present-day environment of incremental and relentless technological change, and proliferating information resources. As a consequence of the growing complexity learners are often confronted and overwhelmed by the diverse technologies and systems for accessing information on a global scale.

Information is no longer only available through libraries in printed form, but also through the internet. Connecting learners to a large array of special interest organizations, digital repositories and online forums world wide that are changing and evolving rapidly.

In addition, to the growing supply of information from reliable sources, is the stream of information in unfiltered formats; such as multi-media (visual, audio and textual) and social media. This raises questions about its authenticity, validity, and reliability, and poses new challenges for individuals to evaluate and understand it. The uncertain quality and expanding quantity of information pose large challenges for society. Therefore, information literacy will also focus on navigating and coordinating today’s complex information ecosystems.

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.

Rationale for Information Technology

Information technology is related to information literacy, but has broader implications for the individual, educational institutions and society. The World Wide Web (WWW) and computer technology are only 25-40 years old. Before Information Communication Technology (ICT) only the rich and powerful could quickly communicate on a global scale, while others waited weeks or months to send and receive small packets of information. Today, most people can cheaply and instantaneously connect with anyone, anywhere, at any time. In order to extract the full potential for communicating and collaborating effectively, efficiently and economically additional competencies are required.

The rationale for introducing students to virtual classroom collaboration is that in working life a diverse array of collaborative tools have become instrumental in compressing space and time, thus changing work practices. Many of these work practices were carried across constraints of time, geography and cultures. Consequently students need to acquire 21st competencies to communicate and exchange complex ideas, instructions, and plans etc. which foster authentic communication.

Whether the effect is positive or negative the effects are far reaching and cannot be overemphasized. Information technology skills enable an individual to use computers, software applications, databases, and other technologies to achieve a wide variety of academic, work-related, and personal goals. These innovations are resonating throughout society, and will continue to change how we interact, think and behave.

Increasingly, information technology skills are interwoven with, and support, information literacy. The concept of “fluency” with information technology delineates several distinctions useful in understanding relationships among information literacy, computer literacy, and broader technological competence. Fluency with technology focuses on a deeper understanding that underlie the concepts of technology, applied problem-solving and critical thinking. Fluency with information technology (FIT) requires that persons understand technology broadly enough to be able to apply it productively at work and in their everyday lives, to recognize when information technology would assist or impede the achievement of a goal, and to continually adapt to these advancements in technology.

Fluency with information technology therefore necessitates a deeper, more essential understanding and mastery of information technology for information processing, communication, and problem solving than does computer literacy as traditionally defined.

Such an ambitious goal eclipses the current objectives of the computer literacy syllabus, which has traditionally focused only on imparting immediately useful skills. Fluency contains literacy, but adds problem solving, reasoning, complexity management and other higher level thinking processes, as well as broader coverage of technological topics that prepare students to keep pace with the ever-advancing technology. The result is a curriculum constructed from equal parts of application proficiency, timeless knowledge, and thinking.

Information Technology Fluency is a powerful tool for connecting students with peers not only from other Caribbean islands, but also the rest of the world. Thereby breaking down the constrains inherent to living on islands, such as; geographic distance, time factors and cultural anomalies. Virtual collaboration may not perfectly replicate a traditional campus experience, but by providing students with communication skill sets, a methodology for interaction, and critical problem-solving abilities, it is possible to broaden one’s horizons. Thus creating a venu for adopting and adapting new behaviours, creating a more holistic body of knowledge, the formation of new attitudes, and a different concept of self.

Course Description The first part of this course, learner is invited to develop an awareness and understanding of the opportunities which information literacy and technology has to offer. As learners progress further along the research process they will discover the possibility of deciding which features of information literacy and technology are best suited to their individual needs. This course is designed for learners to becoming fluent and at ease with information, rather than overwhelmed by vast amounts of information. This means will have to ability to: concisely articulate information need, locate relevant information, evaluate the information using specific criteria, and effectively communicate their newfound understanding. A distinctive feature of this course is a range of Web 2.0 MultiMedia applications to develop and communicate information, knowledge and data, and to receive feedback from peers and instructors. Such tools as; synchronize and asynchronous bulletin boards, forums, mind mapping, timelines, digital posters, infographics, video and audio, a host of smart phone applications, and much more. Course Objectives Information literacy and technology is a key component of, and contributor to, lifelong learning. Which most accreditation associations now consider as a key outcome for college students.

For students not on traditional campuses, information is available primarily through television networks and distributed learning technologies. Which permit teaching and learning to occur when the teacher and the student are not in the same place at the same time. The challenge for promoting fluency in information literacy and technology in all distance education courses is to develop a comparable range of experiences in learning as are offered on traditional campuses. The key ingredient of the traditional campus experience is social networking and collaboration, a process which sharpens or enhances acquired knowledge and skills, but most importantly it is a means for stimulating and deepening attitudes.

The aim of Information Literacy and Technology courses at undergraduate and graduate in the Open Campus program in Social Sciences is to promote active study and learning in a virtual collaborative learning environment. This means providing strategies, methods and resources that replicate effective student interactions found in face-to-face traditional campus.

From the theoretical perspective, we propose a design methodology of three phases (initiating, forming and performing) -  that establishes a conceptual framework for understanding virtual collaborative learning;  the formation of guidelines for modelling collaborative teaching and learning in all courses in the Social Science Program;  and the development of diverse pedagogical and didactic models of cooperation. In particular, we will promote the processes involved in virtual collaborative learning, especially why, when and how virtual interaction mediates the intelligent construction, management and dissemination of knowledge. Due to the lack of a paradigm, there is no definitive approach yet to the design of sound virtual collaborative learning methodologies. To that end, this approach brings new expectations and requires changes in attitudes and reward structures for both the learners and the teachers, such as new roles, new pedagogic and didactic methods, and technological and training which supports learners to build up collaborative social networks and develop critical thinking skills.

Incorporating information literacy across curricula, in all programs and services, and throughout the administrative life of the university, requires the collaborative efforts of faculty, librarians, and administrators. Through lectures and by leading discussions, faculty establishes the context for learning. Faculty also inspire students to explore the unknown, offer guidance on how best to fulfill information needs, and monitor students’ progress. Academic librarians coordinate the evaluation and selection of intellectual resources for programs and services; organize, and maintain collections and many points of access to information; and provide instruction to students and faculty who seek information. Administrators create opportunities for collaboration and staff development among faculty, librarians, and other professionals who initiate information literacy programs, lead in planning and budgeting for those programs, and provide ongoing resources to sustain them. Course resources: The Information Literacy User’s Guide ( download text book as pdf document - 159 pages ) Library Sciences (a web portal for supplemental readings and assignments) Unesco’s Oneline Media and Information Literacy Course for Youth A Resource Center (links to knowledge, information & data centers world-wide) Information Literacy (fluency) and Technology learning falls into four broad domains. Behavioral, what students should be able to do upon successful completion of learning activities Cognitive, what students should know upon successful completion of learning activities —comprehension, organization, application, evaluation. Affective, changes in learners’ emotions or attitudes through engagement with learning activities Metacognitive what learners think about their own thinking—a reflective understanding of how and why they learn, what they do and do not know, their preconceptions, and how to continue to learn. These learning objectives recognize that literate “learners,” as they are called here, must learn continually, given the constantly and rapidly evolving information landscape. Instructors and learners can meet these objectives in a variety of ways, depending on the learning context, and choosing from a suite of learning activities. The summary of competencies in section competencies is conceived broadly, so as to remain scalable, reproducible, and accessible in a range of contexts.