Information Literacy
By Chris Stuchko, M.Ed
@chrisstuchko
Special Education Teacher, Emmaus High School (Emmaus, Pa.)
If it is on the Internet, then it must be true … right?
Well, for our students at all levels, this is a common misconception that is only growing murkier day by day. As they are bombarded with claims of “fake news,” “propaganda,” and “no-spin zones,” how is it that we can help this generation of digital natives know what they can believe when most times they think the first answer from a Google search is the correct one?
In order to explain and define information literacy, one of Common Sense Media’s eight topics for Digital Citizenship, take this challenge below from the perspective of a high school, middle school, or even elementary student.
Type this example question into your search bar: Who owns the New York Jets?
This screenshot below is the Knowledge Graph generated by Google.
For a student, think of how confusing this answer is: a picture of Tom Brady, the 5-time winning Super Bowl champion for the New England Patriots, along a text blurb that mentions Woody Johnson is indeed the actually owner of the Jets. If you scroll down the links provided from the search, you can see that all of them after the Wikipedia page link for the Jets list Tom Brady as the owner. For a generation that believes Google knows all, in this case, it surely does not.
So what does this mean for us as educators, administrators, parents and concerned adults of this new digital age?
Begin this discussion with a definition of information literacy, which Common Sense Education states as, “ability to identify, find, evaluate, and use information effectively. From effective search strategies to evaluation techniques, students learn how to evaluate the quality, credibility, and validity of websites, and give proper credit.”
Remember that all students need to be instructed on what is a good source on the Internet. Just because they can take pictures of their lunch and post on Snapchat doesn’t mean they know how to use technology in an educational sense.
Learn the best ways to search and gather information to help our students. Gone are the days of sitting in a library and attempting to find the right book from stacks and stacks to gather information.
Take the opportunity for teachable moments when students do searches. The skills of information literacy will long outlive the random fact you may be asking a student to find.
Design research questions/topics so they can’t be “Google searched.” If we ask students to apply knowledge, it will eliminate their dependence to type every question into a Google search bar.
While all Patriots fans out there surely feel that Tom Brady does indeed own the N.Y. Jets, it is not the fact-based answer that can build a knowledge base. As the expectations of our students to learn and drive their knowledge independently increases, it is critical that we help them in the beginning steps of determining what is a touchdown or an incomplete pass.
Chris Stuchko is in his 13th year of teaching and 35th year of learning. He has worked with students across all grades and subject areas at the high school level. He is currently serving on several committees at his school related to digital citizenship, technology, and 21st century learning.