Catalysts for change:
information fluency, Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and the new education culture
From this article I learned what educators need to
know about information fluency and its relationship to the massive
online-communication/sharing of web-based sources of information and how
educators provide their support to current students to reach acceptable level of
“information fluency” achieved in their academic careers.
After careful assessment I learned the definition of information fluency –
defined as the acquisition of three primary skills: (1) basic information
technology skills, (2) information literacy skills, and (3) critical thinking
skills. The article examined the new education culture, and generation classifications mainly (1) “NetGeners” and (2) “Beyond NetGeners”. The message are the
concepts and tool used as a catalyst for change are “connectedness”
“participatory environments” & “distributed cognition.” All of the above
mentioned catalysts for change, in combination with new media
developments, such as the latest video and imaging technologies, cell phones,
and PDAs, give people more control over the digital files they want. The end result of this technology change is that individuals today have more control over their time and more self-power
and choices in meeting their informational needs. In conclusion, I
learned that technology changes quickly therefore, having a basic understanding
of how information is created; how information is communicated; and what’s
needed to manage, evaluate, synthesize and present information is required.
Credibility of
content and the future of research, learning, and publishing in the digital
environment
The messages drawn from Wittenberg (2007), reflect the need for publishers and librarians to understand the ways in which this generation of learners find and
evaluate information, and the environment in which these students work. By
focusing on these needs, I learned the role of information professionals in
this new environment. The lesson learned from this article are that “credibility” is
undergoing a rapid change in the current digital environment. It is unclear on who
will create new models or will the libraries and scholarly publishers step
up to propose new mechanisms, or will users establish systems for assessing
credibility on their own? I learned from this article that library and publishing
communities relied on students’ collaboration and community-based trust in
designing new scholarly and educational resources, aiming to put them in a stronger position going forward. The message described was the change in mindset
within the established library and publishing communities and professionals in
these fields and their need to initiate conversations with new players and
partners for example developers of web-based social communities, commercial search
engines, manufacturers of electronic devices, and students who will become advisors and collaborators. I saw the need to go forward with the librarians and publishers and the need to adopt new perspective such
as leading innovation by responding to the preferences and analyse the needs of younger
users. I was able to see the communication between peers and see users as partners as leaders in innovation because they understand the
new ways in which people can engage in research, communicate, and learn.
Wikipedia and the meaning of truth
After careful consideration of the article on Wikipedia I was able to draw the following main points. One major problem noted in Wikipedia’s epistemology is its traditional notion of accuracy. I have learned that Wikipedia is a community-written encyclopaedia which has redefined the word truth Garfinkel (2008). After careful evaluation of Wikipedia's articles I conclude they
are the first or second-ranked results for internet searches and people are
linking to Wikipedia articles a lot. This means that the emphasis of content
and truth in these articles really matters. Another message discussed in the
article is Wikipedia's articles can't be trusted, because they are written and
edited by volunteers who have never been vetted but studies have found that the
articles are remarkably accurate. The reason is that Wikipedia's community of
more than seven million registered users has organically evolved a set of
policies and procedures for removing untruths and inaccuracies. In essence Wikipedia is the most widely read
online reference on the planet, it is the standard of truth that most people are
implicitly using and its advantages outweighs its disadvantages.
References
Garfinkel, S.
(2008). Wikipedia and the meaning of truth. Technology
Review, 111(6), 84-86.
Lorenzo, G.
(2007). Catalysts for change: information fluency, Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and
the new education culture, (March). Retrieved from
http://www.edpath.com/images/IFReport2.pdf
