Information+Literacy

** Resources **
 * October is Information Literacy Awareness Month **

Project Information (PIL) is a large-scale, national study about early adults and their research habits, conducted in partnership with the University of Washington’s iSchool. The goal of PIL is to understand how early adults conceptualize and operationalize research activities for course work and “everyday life” use and especially how they resolve issues of credibility, authority, relevance, and currency in the digital age. PIL has collected date from over 13,000 “early adults” enrolled in more than 60 community colleges and public and private colleges and universities in the U.S. MediaSmarts is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization for digital and media literacy. Their vision is that children and youth have the critical thinking skills to engage with media as active and informed digital citizens. To achieve this goal MediaSmarts develops and delivers high-quality Canadian-based digital and media literacy resources; provides leadership in advancing digital and media literacy in Canadian schools, homes and communities; and contributes to the development of informed public policy on issues related to the media. Kids on the Net: Critical Thinking Skills for Web Literacy is part of Media Smarts. It is an educational template that examines the development of critical thinking of children ages 5 through 17. Each template includes a brief overview of the social and psychological character traits associated with each age group; an explanation of how these developmental traits may affect children’s interpretations of media and Internet content; types of educational resources that are available online; a description of online issues that may be encountered at each stage of development; and educational strategies to stimulate development, foster critical thinking, and provide positive internet experiences. Includes the full-text journal article entitled “Trust Online: Young Adults’ Evaluation of Web Content” by Eszter Hargittai, Lindsay Fullerton, Ericka Menchen-Trevino, Kristin Yates Thomas of Northwestern University.
 * Project Information Literacy ( **[|**http://projectinfolit.org/**]** ) **
 * Project Information Literacy Infographic ** ( [] )
 * Media Smarts: Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy ** ( [] )
 * Kids on the Net: Critical Thinking Skills for Web Literacy ** ( [] )
 * USC International Journal of Communication ** ( [] )

Author, Sarah Perez puts a down-to-earth spin on the Hargittai et. al. study. She looks at Google, Wikipedia and other sources popular among the “digital natives.” Favorite quote in the article “ Further initiatives that help educate people in this domain are needed, they claim.” ** Phil Bradley’s Website: Making the Net Easier ** ( [] ) Phil Bradley, retired British librarian and internet consultant, provides a list of fake, spoof and parody websites for educators and librarians. His template includes the website’s subject area, description, credibility (as a fake, spoof or parody) and age range. ** Media Literacy Clearinghouse ** ( [] Newly revamped, Frank Baker’s website is a treasure trove of news articles and resources for educators. Check out the link to the article by Superintendent Steven M. Baule that appeared in the //Tech&Learning eNews// about the importance of visual literacy. ** National Forum on International Literacy ** ( [] ) Compilation of news articles, blog posts and general information about information literacy. NFIL’s editorial recognizing Information Literacy Awareness Month is found here []. OELMA is listed as one of 94 information literacy supporters. Article on information literacy as the umbrella literacy is compelling and includes definitions of each literacy ( [] /)
 * “So-called ‘Digital Natives’ Not Media Savvy, New Study Shows” ** ( [] )