Information Fluent Students: Information Fluent Students: Best PracticesBest Practices

Shirley McDonald

January 26, 2008

Information Literacy/FluencyInformation Literacy/Fluency

Information literacy – ability to recognize an information need and to locate, evaluate and effectively use the information.

Information fluency – ability to combine information literacy and technology skills with critical thinking skills to solve an information need in legal and ethical ways; presenting this information in the most effective manner.

Real-life exampleReal-life example

Choosing the best checking account optionGather info about banks’ optionsEvaluate which options are best for youUse the information to find the best deal

More than accessing information on the Web; creating a Wiki or Blog or Webpage

Vital to success in a competitive job market

*UCF Information Fluency Initiative: Information Fluency Questions and Answers

http://if.ucf.edu/ifaq.php

Associated Colleges of the South ModelAssociated Colleges of the South Modelfor Information Fluencyfor Information Fluency

•Xavier University - http://www.xavier.edu/library/education/information_fluency.cfm

Annette Lamb’s Model of Annette Lamb’s Model of Information FluencyInformation Fluency

My Model My Model

See Handout

Purpose of studyPurpose of study

To explore the interactions between school library media specialists and teachers as they used technology in a secondary school setting in an effort to discover the best practices for producing information fluent students.

– McDonald, Shirley B. (2006). The role of technology in the interactions between secondary school library media specialists and teachers. (Doctoral dissertation, Louisiana State University, 2006). Dissertation Abstracts International.

Research QuestionsResearch QuestionsWhat are the interactions of school library

media specialists and teachers associated with the use of information technology?

What is the contextual climate of the interactions?

What are the ways that technology is being used to teach information fluency to students?

MethodologyMethodology Part 1 - a survey of school library media

specialists who were members of Louisiana Association for School Librarians and working in a secondary school setting

Part 2 - case study of three exemplary Louisiana school library media centers, including a survey of core content area teachers. – Magnet school– Private, parochial school– Public school with high level of economically

disadvantaged students

Summary – no surprises!Summary – no surprises!

        School library media specialists consider themselves as educators first

        School library media specialists are leaders and visionaries who model lifelong learning

        School library media specialists are committed to acquiring, utilizing, and promoting new technologies,

        School library media specialists consider technology as one of the tools to teach information fluency, although an increasingly important one.

Making a DifferenceMaking a DifferenceThere was a shared belief among them that

they could make a difference in their schools by actively contributing to the process of teaching and learning.

Producing information fluent students requires collaboration between teachers, administrators, and school library media specialists - and this requires work on the part of the SLMS.

Findings - SLMSFindings - SLMS

The school library media centers were busy.

More often, collaboration was informal rather than planned departmental or curriculum meetings, and much of it centered on technology.

Technology as a ToolTechnology as a Tool School library media specialists were committed to using

technology as one tool to improve the critical thinking and information literacy skills of their students.

SLMS were committed to acquiring, utilizing, and promoting the use of new technologies, involved in grant writing opportunities and “wish lists” to donors.

All were willing to provide training to their teachers not only on technology skills, but also on integration of technology into their lessons so that students would learn to locate, utilize, evaluate, and present information.

Continuing EdContinuing EdSLMS attended workshops, retreats, and

presentations at conferences to learn of technological advances and methods of integrating technology into the classroom.

This finding supports that of a technology survey (Brewer & Milam, 2005) by School Library Journal, which reports that 84% of library media specialists train teachers in technology-related skills

Working with StudentsWorking with StudentsThe SLMS:

– provided continuous individual and whole group assistance

- required students to evaluate their information sources for validity, reliability, and accuracy, especially those sources found on the Internet.

– required students to first search for sources from the print collection, then from the reference databases, and finally from the Internet (reinforcing the necessity of evaluation of content).

Uses of Technology for Information Uses of Technology for Information Fluency Fluency

Use of electronic reference databases Internet: research, effective searching skills,

WebQuests, scavenger hunts, pathfinders Word Processing, desktop publishing, Powerpoint Reading Management Programs Citation of sources OPAC Instructional programs – SkillsTutor, etc. Teacher webpages Emailing

Teachers’ PerspectiveTeachers’ PerspectiveEnglish classes scheduled class visits more

often than other subject areas. (Information fluency should be interdisciplinary!)

Majority felt that technology had a positive impact on the interactions between school library media specialists and teachers and on student information fluency skills.

Teachers’ PerspectiveTeachers’ PerspectiveSLMS expertise make them the “final word

in what technology we can use to teach our students more effectively.”

“Helpful technological sources/resources provided by the school library media specialists increased the number of collaborations.”

“Technology is already the primary tool needed to access information.”

Teachers’ PerspectiveTeachers’ Perspective Computer literacy skills are necessary for students to

be successful in school, in college, and in life after school.

Teachers most often had their students use the library technology to conduct research, followed by use of productivity tools such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Other purposes mentioned were scientific or math software, tutorials, and personal use.

Wireless Labs and Information Wireless Labs and Information Fluency Fluency

“I probably have less physical contact with the librarians because we use the wireless laptops in class.”

“We do not have a need to go to the library as often.”

“I need both the technical expertise and the information literacy skills of the librarian.”

SLMS were apprehensive that teachers were not trained enough in teaching information skills (“we are the experts”).

Technology and Information Technology and Information ResearchResearch

A common thread throughout all the comments was that technology skills were incorporated into almost all research assignments, or as one respondent said, “everyday, hands-on.”

“Every project involves information literacy skills.”

Collaboration and TechnologyCollaboration and Technology

When asked to rank the importance of librarian/teacher collaboration in the use of technology to teach information fluency skills, SLMS in my survey overwhelmingly rated collaboration as “very important” (32%) or “extremely important” (54%).

SLMS and CollaborationsSLMS and Collaborations

“When teachers collaborate with us, the students do better with assignments.”

“Teachers welcome my help, but there is not much time to do so.”

“I have had much more success in volunteering to assist in the projects they already have planned.”

Collaboration PitfallsCollaboration Pitfalls

“Too many teachers feel that Google searches can provide all the research information students need.”

“Teachers do not feel the need to plan when they can just bring their students to the library to ‘do research.’”

Not enough time for teachers or for SLMSTechnology phobia

Increasing Collaboration to Teach Increasing Collaboration to Teach Information FluencyInformation Fluency

Public relations (getting message to faculty)Staff developmentAllotted time for planningAdministrative supportMandatory projects for all content areasProfessional development of SLMSLeadership of school library media

specialists.

Increasing Collaboration…Increasing Collaboration…

“Continue banging on their doors…Telling them about new information and volunteering to help.”

“Constantly making teachers aware of how we can help them (and sneaking in the idea of using technology to the reluctant) is probably the most important thing we do.”

Increasing Collaboration…Increasing Collaboration…Mini-workshops at faculty meetings Library orientation for faculty (especially

for new teachers). “Librarians have to cultivate their

relationships with administrators and encourage and educate them so that they will require this integration.”

SLJ’s 2006 Tech Survey•1,696 media specialists from 49 states

•65 percent boast a library Web page.

•77 percent of respondents, every school computer is connected to the Internet via DSL or cable, while 54 percent boast wireless connectivity.

SLJ: Technology ActivitiesSLJ: Technology Activities School Library Journal’s Technology Survey

(Brewer & Milam, 2005) reports that most of the technology activities of school library media specialists “directly impact student achievement” (p. 5) by – training students to use technology resources to locate

information, – providing technology training to both students and

teachers, – collaborating with teachers to integrate information literacy

and National Educational Technology Standards.

SLJ: Technology ActivitiesSLJ: Technology Activities

School Library Journal’s Technology Survey (Brewer & Milam, 2005) reports that most of the technology activities of school library media specialists “directly impact student achievement” (p. 5) by – training students to use technology resources to

locate information, – providing technology training to both students

and teachers, – collaborating with teachers to integrate

information literacy and National Educational Technology Standards.

SLJ: Top ActivitySLJ: Top Activity

What's No. 1? Training students to locate information using electronic resources, according to more than 90 percent of our respondents

85 percent say that they also train teachers in this regard, and in turn, teachers spread this knowledge among their classes.

Steps of the Research Steps of the Research ProcessProcess

Table 20. Technology in the Steps of the Research Process, Louisiana Model (in percentages)

  Strongly Disagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

Defining/Focusing 3 3 27 41 27

Selecting Tools and Resources 3 5 13 27 51

Extracting and Recording Information 3 5 15 38 35

Processing Information 3 11 19 38 30

Organizing Information 3 5 27 32 32

Presenting Findings 0 0 8 38 54

Evaluating Efforts 5 11 38 19 25

RecommendationsRecommendationsPrincipal support of a school library media

program is crucial (Hartzell, 2003; Lindsay, 2004).

School library media specialists must self promote their programs.

Collaboration with teachers requires time, so school library media specialists and teachers should be given time to plan collaboratively.

RecommendationsRecommendations

SLMS should actively promote the integration of technology into the information fluency curriculum.

Continuing education is a necessity in a profession that utilizes such rapidly changing resources.

Information Lit ModelsInformation Lit Models

Research Models– http://www.indianalearns.org/infolitinvestRM.asp

Louisiana Model– http://www.doe.state.la.us/lde/uploads/4211.pdf

Big 6– http://www.big6.com/showarticle.php?id=89

Comparison of Information Literacy Research Models– http://www.big6.com/showarticle.php?id=87

Info Lit in All DisciplinesInfo Lit in All Disciplines

Wikis and Collaborative Writing Article– http://eduscapes.com/hightech/spaces/

collaborative/wikiTL.pdf

Technology as a Tool– http://www.big6.com/showarticle.php?id=144

Big 6 Chart– http://www.big6.com/showarticle.php?id=40

Information Fluency Best Information Fluency Best PracticesPractices

Information Age Inquiry– http://virtualinquiry.com/specialist/existing.htm

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy– http://wizard.imsa.edu/

Lesson PlansLesson PlansWebQuest on Evaluation of Websites

– http://www.culver.org/students/academics/library/webquests/intro.html

Big 6http://www.big6.com/showcategory.php?cid=19Library Instruction.com

http://www.libraryinstruction.com/lessons.htmlDiscovery Education– http://school.discoveryeducation.com/

lessonplans/

Information Fluency WebsitesInformation Fluency WebsitesNoodletools

– www.noodletools.com

PC Magazine’s 100 Best Websites– http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2168282,

00.asp

21st Century Information Fluency:– http://21cif.imsa.edu/rkit/newRkit/evaluation.htm

l

Alan November’s Infolit Resources– http://www.anovember.com/Default.aspx?

tabid=160

Ultimate in Information Ultimate in Information LiteracyLiteracy

“For some students, and in certain schools, this may be many students, the only library skill that they should have to acquire is an awareness imprinted indelibly and happily upon them, that the library is a friendly place where the librarians are eager to help.”

Frances Henne

Share Your Best PracticesShare Your Best Practices

(See handout for best practices from the dissertation study and from Blanche Woolls’ presentation at AASL for ideas from others.)

Let’s Continue the ListLet’s Continue the ListSend me your best practices for creating information

fluent students. I will compile them and send the compilation to you.

Contact info: shirley.mcdonald@lpsb.org shirleymcdonald@bellsouth.net

Work: 225-667-3481 Home: 225-664-7428

Works CitedWorks Cited Ascione, Laura. (2006) “Study: Ed tech has proven effective.” eSchool News Online. Retrieved on October 3, 2006 from http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=6600.

Associated Colleges of the South (2000). ACS information fluency project. Associated Colleges of the South. Retrieved on August 21, 2005, from: http://www.colleges.org/techcenter/if/reports/if_yr1_report.pdf.

Lamb, A. (2004b). The learning keystone. Paper presented at the meeting of the National Educational Computing Conference. New Orleans, LA.

Loertscher, D. & Achterman, D. (2003). Increasing academic achievement through the library media center: A guide for teachers. 2nd edition. Salt Lake City, UT: Hi Willow Research and Publishing.

Louisiana State Department of Education. (2004). Guidelines for library media programs in Louisiana schools. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State Department of Education.

Poggione, M. (2005). Education services: Information fluency programs. Xavier University Library. Retrieved on August 16, 2005, from http://www.xavier.edu/library/education/information_fluency.cfm.