Connecting social technologies with information literacy. Internet Librarian International 2006 Kara Jones Subject Librarian University of Bath, UK

Information Literacy ‘Ultimately, information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organised, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand’ ( ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy, 1989).

Information Literacy Core Standards According to Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework, t he information literate person: Recognises the need for information and determines the nature and extent of the information needed Finds needed information effectively and efficiently Critically evaluates information and the information seeking process Manages information collected or generated Applies prior and new information to construct new concepts or create new understandings Uses information with understanding and acknowledges cultural, ethical, economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information (Bundy, 2004, p. 11)

Themes… Higher order skills emphasised in our IL instruction: Critical thinking Cognitive processes Evaluative skills Information synthesis Problem solving, etc. Move from e-learning to c-learning: Community, communication or collaboration*  learning 2.0!? Themes of personalisation, collaboration and learning to learn* *(Owens et al, 2006, p. 9)

Teaching and Learning Tools Forums Weblogs Wikis Social bookmarking Podcasts RSS Feeds Use as resources and as teaching tools

Weblog features Reflective tools Highlighting a path of progression Strengthening evaluation skills Improving written communication skills Community building Maturing into more ‘scholarly’ platforms

Weblogs and IL Can identify purpose and audience of potential resource Recognises use and importance of primary sources Provide different perspectives outside of immediate community Undertakes critical reflection and journals findings Keeps up to date with blogrolls, RSS feeds and trackbacks

Wiki features Easy to create websites, focus on the content Project development with peer review Group authoring Track a group project (‘Using Wiki in Education’, 2006) Development of ‘communities of practice’ where reflection and feedback are important collaborative processes.

Wikis and IL Conferring with others to identify a research topic or other information need. Recognises that the search process is evolutionary and nonlinear Communicates findings and new understandings Participating in collaborative writing and publication – encourages discourse on topic

Social bookmarking features Organisation and management of information Sharing and dissemination of resources Collaborative discovery Bottom-up rather than top-down classification of information Limitations and benefits of contextual information of folksonomies/ tagging

Social bookmarking and IL Keeps up to date with information sources and investigative tools Information can be acquired by browsing, scanning and monitoring information sources Organises (orders/classifies/stores) information Records pertinent citation information for future reference and retrieval

Social technologies in teaching Characteristics of millennial learners: teamworkers, multi-taskers, 24/7 connected… Community, collaboration and communication – learning as a social process (Owens et al, 2006) Social software can be used to engage millennial learners in ways that work best for them. Social software is usually free and template based, requiring less technical skills and allowing focus on the content.

Teaching and learning strategies Include opportunities for electronic communication and interaction. Include opportunities for experiential and authentic learning activities. Include group activities, allow friends to work together. Set goals and provide frequent feedback. Build in opportunities for community related learning. (Jonas-Dwyer, D & Pospisil, R. 2004)

Works consulted ALA (American Library Association)'s Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report. Washington, DC: American Library Association. Available from: [Accessed: 4 Aug 2006]. Bundy, A (ed) Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework. 2nd ed. Adelaide: Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy. Jonas-Dwyer, D & Pospisil, R “The Millennial effect: Implications for academic development”, HERDSA 2004 Conference Proceedings. [ Accessed: 1 June 2006]. Owens, M., Grant, L, Sayers, S. & K. Facer Social Software and learning. Futurelab: Bristol, UK. [ [Accessed: 14 June 2006]. O’Reilly, Tim ‘What Is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software’. O’Reilly.com [online]. Available from: 20.html?page=2 [Accessed: 8 Jan 2006]. Tomlin, Sarah ‘Science in the web age: The expanding electronic universe’ Nature.com [online]. Available from: [Accessed 5 Dec 2005]. ‘Using Wiki in Education’ The Science of Spectroscopy [Accessed: 20 June 2006].