A Librarian's Diet: Do You Know What You're Eating? - BLOG POST #2

A Librarian's Diet:  Do You Know What You're Eating?

In today's digital world, we have access to all the answers of the world within our hands.  We are able to able to locate information, but often lack the critical thinking skills needed to "evaluate and use effectively the needed information" (ALA,nd.)  With the mass amounts of news and data coming to us 24/7, it can be difficult for consumers to be able to determine what is real and trustworthy.  So often, we tend to believe what seems to be a "real story".  This difficulty navigating the information highway isn't just limited to adults, but the children of the 21st century age.  

With the rise of social media and the availability of technology and devices, information is "on the menu" anytime.  But are we questioning what we are "eating"?   It has become so easy just to "devour" whatever information is placed in front of us.  With this ability to access information comes the responsibility of understanding what we are "eating".  How do we ensure that we have a "healthy information diet" and know how to select only the best "fruit", as well as to know what "farm" it came from.  Okay, I feel like I'm over using this analogy, but it makes a clear point of how important it is to question what we take in and "feed" our minds in order to have a "balanced diet". 

In this week's readings, we were introduced to the Big6 and how to solve an information problem or to make a decision.  The steps developed seem to be something that we natural employ in various ways, but this process is meant to provide "life skills". The Big6 integrates information search and use of skills along with technology tools in a systematic process to find, use, apply, and evaluate information for specific needs and tasks" (Big6, nd.).  We were also introduced to the P21 Framework, goes a step further in developing students "essential skills for success in today's world, such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration" (P21, nd).  The P21 Framework takes the core educational classes and gives a "framework" on how to apply key information literacy, media literacy, and critical thinking skills.  Including these steps and frameworks will help prepare students for their futures beyond the classroom and librarians will be key stakeholders in providing these essential skills. 

 

All of this information seems to come together after listening to the Fake News and Media Literacy - A Podcast.  Clay Johnson not only gives insight into how to question information, but says that librarians are "the hope of our species" in relation to one librarian's questioning of creditability and you need to ask a librarian, when it comes to media literacy.  Johnson states in the podcast that we should question everything we read and hear, even the podcast he was giving.  He gives an outline of six steps that will guide students and adults to check that information is credible and "real".  

    Step 1:  Legitimate news will name the author or contributor (accountability)

    Step 2:  Who is the publisher? What is their reputation? Is there an editorial review board?

    Step 3: Check the publication date.  Fake news will often not include a date, but use older news and make it seem "new".

    Step 4: Did they site their sources?  Watch out for phrases like, "People are saying" and "Studies show/say".

    Step 5: Was the article well written? Check for typos, grammar mistakes, the use of all caps.

    Step 6:  Does the article make you feel angry or afraid?  If it touches on your emotions, check it out.  The more you agree, the more you should question.  

These are the skills that teacher librarians can offer classrooms, as well as apply to their own lives.  I have to admit that I also get sucked into online headlines and social media feeds, but this is what will make me a viable resource.  I can relate my own information usage to students.  How do I check out the "news" that I am exposed to daily?  How do I question and check out information before I share it?  While looking through information online, I found this helpful video that would be helpful for teachers and upper middle school/high school students.  It is non-threatening and easy to understand.  It completely supports Clay Johnson's six steps.  

Helping Students Identify Fake News with the Five C's of Critical Consuming

References

Gungor M. (Host). (2017, March 7). Fake News and Media Literacy [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://anchor.fm/the-liturgists-podcast/episodes/Fake-News--Media-Literacy-eutfrm/a-a58d433

Batelle for Kids. (n.d.) Framework for 21st century learning. Retrieved January 26, 2022from http://static.battelleforkids.org/documents/p21/P21_Framework_Brief.pdf

TheBig6.org. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://thebig6.org/

Welcome to ALA's Literacy Clearinghouse. Welcome to ALAs Literacy Clearinghouse. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://literacy.ala.org/information-literacy/

SLIS 761 - AASL/ISTE Standards Blog Post #1

How AASL and ISTE Standards Work Together

Educational standards are not a new concept and have been set by districts and groups to provide continuity and consistency across classrooms and grade levels.  The American Association of School Librarians and the International Society of Technology in Education have developed standards to support the classrooms and schools they serve while providing the road map through the many layers of support they provide.  These standards provide guidelines and evidence to why school libraries and librarians are still a vital and required component of today's, and future, schools.  Even though the language of their standards may be from a different perspective, both groups of standards focus on the importance of collaboration, communication, engagement, and building knowledge across literacy areas. 

When given the ISTE and AASL standards, librarians must look at these resources as partners to reach a common goal, as "adolescents [do not engage] with text in the same way that they had before--and that they never [will] again" (Spiering, 2019, 44-49).  In reading Spiering's article, 'Engaging Adolescent Literacies with the Standards", she focuses on the "multiple literacies that are a part of our students' lived realities of today" (49).  Spiering takes AASL and ISTE Shared Foundations and shows how they support each other, address the standards and how technology "ensure[s] access, the inclusion of diverse perspectives, and engagement in meaningful collaboration-are aligned with the focuses and best practices recommended in the literacy research" (49).  Her article shows in practical form how the AASL standards "help school librarians establish effective school libraries, and provide goals to advance programs and prepare students for college, careers, and life" (AASL, n.d) while the ITSE standards support using technology to "accelerate innovation in teaching and learning, and inspire learners to reach their greatest potential" (ISTE, n.d.).  

The AASL and ISTE standards work well together because they focus on specific aspects of learning.  The AASL standards are geared towards HOW the students learn and the process of learning, where the ISTE standards look at how the tools and technology are used to support the learners process.  Both show similarities in that they look not only at the learner, but the other stakeholders involved in their learning.  The AASL standards focus on the learner, the school librarian, and the library, where the ISTE standards include students, educators, educational leaders, and coaches.  Spiering breaks this down in her article showing how both sets of standards support the common goal of student learning and outcomes by taking a look at the "myriad of ways that young people make sense of text, images, and other media in many different contexts in their everyday and (often) online lives" (46). 

These guidelines, along with student choice and input, are keys to ensuring that the school librarian has the greatest impact on student success while supporting all stakeholders in the "multimodal learning" and "new literacies" of today's classrooms. 

The American Library Association has acknowledged the need to provide "crosswalks" to show how the standards enhance and align with each other. 

Link to ALA News:  

AASL Standards now Crosswalked to ISTE Standards and Future Ready Framework 

Printable/Easy to Read Version:  National School Library Standards Crosswalk with ISTE Standards for Students and Educators

References

American Association of School Librarians [AASL]. (n.d.). Your voice, your                      standards. https://standards.aasl.org/development/

International Society for Technology in Education [ISTE]. (n.d.). About                              ISTE. https://iste.org/about/about-iste

Speiring, J. (2019).  Engaging adolescent literacies with standards.  Knowledge  

       Quest, 47(5)m 44 - 49.