Key understandings in teaching about information?

            In an era of the overabundance of information, it is useful to conceptualize not only what it means to know or to learn but also how we teach about information. Bruce's principle of informed learning provides a foundation for teaching about information.  Bruce (2008) developed the Seven Faces of Informed Learning as a means of describing the information-use experiences of professionals and discipline experts. The Seven Faces of Informed Learning are "wisdom, extension, knowledge construction, process, control, sources and information awareness" (Bruce, 2008, p.40). This author proposes that "as we use information differently, information appears or presents itself to us differently" and that information "engages with and transforms us" (Bruce, 2008, p.53).  Information from this perspective is seen as being subjective, and is highly influenced by the individual.

            Bruce's principle of the Seven Faces of Learning indicates that information is not only subjective but presents itself in different ways. When we experience information as transformational, it is "an integral part of ourselves" and involves our "beliefs, values, and attitudes" (Bruce, 2008, p.53). Information experienced as subjective involves a "focus of reflection" and enhances our knowledge base (Bruce, 2008, p.53). Information that is objective and contextualized "presents itself as part of an external environment, and knowledge is required to access it" (Bruce, 2008, p.54).  And information that is objective and decontextualized is primarily about "technology and sources" (Bruce, 2008, p.54). The implications of the Seven Faces of Learning for teaching about information are significant. Information is experienced and can be engaged with in different ways. Technologies that afford different ways of experiencing and engaging with information should be emphasized.

            The advent of Web 2.0 technologies has greatly impacted the information seeking process, and necessitates the need for teaching about information. These Web 2.0 technologies are characterized by user-generated content and high user participation. Bruce's principle of informed learning and the ACRL information literacy standards couple together quite nicely and reflect this same theme of user-centeredness. Both principles indicate that there is a relational dynamic between information and the learner. Information is not static in this paradigm, but is evolving and builds upon previous experience.

Sources:

Association of College & Research Libraries (2000). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Chicago, Illinois: American Library Association.

Bruce, C. (2008). Informed learning. American Library Association.

Information Literacy vs. "Scanning, satisficing, and muddling through"...

I will be premising my reflection and response to the LIBR 250 guiding question this week on information literacy standards developed by the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL). The emergence of a society in which there is an overabundance of information has been the genesis for a discussion regarding information literacy. According to the Association of College & Research Libraries (2000), an individual in an academic setting is considered information literate when they "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information". Many theorists have acknowledged the need for information literacy competency standards, and time and energy continues to be devoted to defining information literacy and pursuant standards. This blog will argue that some of the time devoted to definitions and standards would be better utilized if it was directed at the challenging the engrained information user's sense of not needing to be information literate.

When conceptualizing information literacy standards, it is essential to acknowledge the inherent ambiguities in this term. This is because it encompasses such expansive concepts as "information" and "literacy". Despite this, I would argue that information literacy is predicated on metacognition about information and literacy. It is really the ability to have awareness throughout the information-seeking process, and the ability to recalibrate when necessary. It is fundamentally the ability to actively engage in information encountered in the information-seeking process, and to be able to synthesize disparate sources of information into a coherent framework. And it is critical to develop a sensitivity towards the ethical, legal, and financial dimensions of information.

A major unstated bias regarding the discussion of information literacy standards in higher education is that this movement overlooks the fact that many users don't feel the need to develop a critical awareness of their information-seeking process. Actual research demonstrates this point. In the seminal "Don't Make Me Think", the leading Web usability analyst Steve Krug argues that the information-seeking process on the Web is markedly different from that prior to the Information Age. Krug (2006) demonstrates through ground-breaking usability research that the process of information seeking on the Web can be categorized as "scanning, satisficing, and muddling through". Simply put, many users do not feel compelled to develop a methodical information-seeking process that incorporates information literacy standards. And it seems to this blogger that overcoming this engrained user sense of "scanning, satisficing, and muddling through" is where more energy should be devoted in this discussion.

References

Association of College & Research Libraries (2000). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Chicago, Illinois: American Library Association.

Krug, S. (2006). Don't make me think. Berkeley, California: New Riders.