INFORUM 2010

We Have Evidence, They are Learning!“ How to Enable Students to Become Media Literate Users of Electronic Information Resources

Author

Heike vom Orde, Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation -IZI-, Germany

Documents to download

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Abstract

“We must prepare young people for living in a world of powerful images, words and sounds.” UNESCO’s statement from 1982 on the importance of promoting media literacy competences is still highly relevant. Media and information literacy education for young people provides a new pedagogy and framework for the essential 21st century survival skill.

But how can librarians and university teachers help young learners to develop the critical-thinking skills to navigate information in all media? What are the lessons learned from teaching students to use electronic information resources for education and science purposes?

Research shows us that in a comprehensive approach to media and information literacy students learn about media and with media:

Learning with media teaches them how to access, use, and communicate with (new) media in productive ways. Learning about media helps them to understand, analyse, and interpret the ideas and concepts they encounter. My poster is a review of what current case studies and best practice tell us about dimensions of competences and skills learned through media and information literacy activities in universities and libraries.

In general university teachers and librarians should support their learners to critically and analytically engage with media. In particular research identifies at least 5 important target dimensions of competences that can be divided into 15 key skills which young people should possess to become media literate and to use electronic information resources in an appropriate way. The didactic focus is on independent learning and higher level thinking according to IFLA’s “Guidelines on Information Literacy on Lifelong Learning”.

These elaborated competences and skills are crucial for becoming successful lifelong learners in a constantly changing world. The presented competence matrix could be helpful to information professionals and teaching staff in universities who start to develop media curricula and who want to promote a systemic approach for user instruction and information literacy.

Author's professional CV

Heike vom Orde; Dipl.-Bibl.; M.A: Graduate Education: M.A. in Psychology and German Literature, Degree in Academic Librarianship Present Title: Head of Documentation Institution: International Central Institute for Youth and Educational Television (an international documentation and research centre on children's, youth and educational TV)

Selected Presentations: IFLA annual conferences 2003 and 2004 (Berlin/Buenos Aires); DGI 2003 (Leipzig); International Symposium for Information Science 2004 (Chur); Internet Librarian International 2005 (London); IASL 2006 (Lisbon); GMW 2006 (Zurich); SIDOC 2007 (Palma de Mallorca); ASpB Conference (Berlin); IASA 2008 (Sydney); IFLA 2009 (Milan)

Standing committee member IFLA information literacy section Co-Author of „Information Literacy – State of the Art-Report Germany“ funded by IFLA and UNESCO