"She Was an Analog Girl, In a Digital World..."

Discussion Topic for Two Weeks: We are bombarded daily with information from the media, newspapers, magazines, radio, and the World Wide Web. Is all information equal? Is it accurate, worthy of our attention? How do you decide which information to take in and which to discard? What is information literacy? How will you teach your students about information literacy?

When speaking about information delivered via the web, things completely take a different turn. The other 3 (or 4 if you include television) have traditionally been how we have gotten our information. Even with those we have had the obligation to sift through it to get to what is legitimate. The internet gives us "real time" info. Now that we carry mobile devices and various electronic gadgetry, we can always be updated. Ultimately, in my opinion I think information that is pertinent to the individual, especially if it's critical in nature, should be the information that is taken in and evaluated. Information literacy at this point would simply boil down to one's ability to have the clearest knowledge of an occurrence, event or happening, that would give them a positive outcome first hand. For example... if there was information that the government was providing assistance with student loans to teachers, one who teaches would pursue this information and investigate what sources may be applicable to them. Once they find a credible contact and are able to obtain assistance, then the outcome is positive. What I would say and instruct my students to do is, invest time in internet research, but also, have dialogue with others who are doing the same research and compare notes. What can be found from this is that sometimes individuals gravitate to information that is tailored to who they are as an individual. If we are able to discern the "spin" given to pieces of information, then it allows us to make better assessments of our sources. With this in consideration, our mindset has to accommodate a new medium in which we receive information. As technology evolves, it would be safe to predict that the printed word will become a thing of the past and digital information will be the new source that we acquire knowledge. It would be the closest thing to speaking to an expert first hand.