In response to Max's email re CIBER report on the Google Generation.
From the work we have done, would certainly agree that "little time is
spent in evaluating information, either for relevance, accuracy or
authority" However although this is generally the case there are some
examples of good practice out there.
In response to the report suggested that information skills needed to be
developed during "formative school years" and called for them to be
"really [put] on the agenda"
The Scottish Information Literacy Project is working in precisely these
and other related areas in Scotland. We have petitioned the Scottish
Parliament "to ensure that the national school curriculum recognises the
importance of information literacy as a key lifelong learning skill'
have had discussions with the Curriculum for Excellence team who are
working on a new 3 - 18 years curriculum and are working with Learning
and Teaching Scotland, the lead organisation for curriculum development
in Scotland, who offer support and guidance to teachers, early years
practitioners, schools and education authorities to help improve
achievement for all.
We have developed a draft information literacy framework, with
cross-sector partners linking primary, secondary and tertiary education
to lifelong learning including workplace and adult literacies agendas.
The aim is to produce secondary school leavers with a skill set which
further and higher education can recognise and develop or which can be
applied to the world of work directly. The draft is currently being
piloted and we plan to collect exemplars of good practice to demonstrate
and inform all sectors of education and lifelong learning from
practitioners to officials of the work that is and can be done and can
be replicated and built upon.
Re Debra Hiom's Intute Blog - she comments that
This sort of search behaviour has implications for libraries and online
information services. They need to get to grips with building simpler,
more intuitive systems, presenting users directly with the information
and as the report rightly suggests, move away from "counting hits to
watching users" in order to be able to improve the services offered.
Would agree with Debra that systems need to be intuitive but would
caution "presenting users directly with the information" if this means
spoon feeding people, as people need to be able to find information for
themselves. A lot of the present problems of pupils and students not
evaluating information, either for relevance, accuracy or authority is a
result of pupils being spoon fed information either through teachers
feeling under pressure or teachers not having these skills themselves to
reinforce any information literacy session pupils may have had with a
school librarian or integrate information literacy with their subject.
Our voices all need to be heard on the importance of information
literacy and we need to collaborate on a cross sector basis and with
other professionals and officials in education and lifelong learning.
Christine
Christine Irving BA (Hons), MCLIP, MSc
Research Assistant / Project Officer (part-time)
The Scottish Information Literacy Project
Learner Support
Glasgow Caledonian University
Room RS305, (3rd Floor)
6 Rose Street
Glasgow G3 6RB
Tel: 0141 273 1249
e-mail: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
project website: www.caledonian.ac.uk/ils/
The contents of this e-mail and any attachments are confidential to the
intended recipient at the e-mail address to which it has been addressed.
It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than this addressee,
nor may it be copied in any way. If received in error, please notify
the sender immediately and delete it from your system. The contents of
this message may contain personal views which are not the views or
opinions of Glasgow Caledonian University, unless specifically stated.
________________________________
From: Information literacy and information skills teaching discussion
list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Max McMurdo
Sent: 01 February 2008 11:55
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: CIBER report on the Google Generation
Hi folks,
The CIBER report (UCL), published on 17 January has huge implications
for the teaching of Information Literacy.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/reppres/gg_final_keynot
e_11012008.pdf
<http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/reppres/gg_final_keyno
te_11012008.pdf>
The report was commissioned by JISC and the British Library to
investigate the information behaviour of the Google Generation (those
born after 1993).
Among the findings were that:
"the information literacy of young people has not improved with the
widening access to technology" ... and ... "little time is spent in
evaluating information, either for relevance, accuracy or authority",
the report suggested that information skills needed to be developed
during "formative school years" and called for them to be "really [put]
on the agenda"
Debra Hiom's Intute Blog is useful comment we should be aware of.
http://www.intute.ac.uk/blog/2008/01/17/google-generations-use-of-the-we
b/
<http://www.intute.ac.uk/blog/2008/01/17/google-generations-use-of-the-w
eb/>
Some debate on this mailgroup might be constructive. I find that it
rings true with much of my recent experience.
Max McMurdo
Information Skills Consultant
Department of Adult and Children's Nursing
University of Huddersfield, HD1 3DH
UK
Tel+44(0)1484 473825
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
1 Vision. Our students voted us top new University for student
satisfaction<http://www.hud.ac.uk/images/emails/1vision_footer-b.gif>
This transmission is confidential and may be legally privileged. If you
receive it in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and remove
it from your system. If the content of this e-mail does not relate to
the business of the University of Huddersfield, then we do not endorse
it and will accept no liability.
Email has been scanned for viruses by Altman Technologies' email
management service <http://www.altman.co.uk/emailsystems>
