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21st Century Literacies: Resources on the World Wide Web
Media Literacy Multicultural Literacy Visual Literacy
Information Literacy
American
Association of School Librarians National Guidelines &Standards.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/ip_implementation.html
The AASL site contains links to the standards, guidelines and resources to educate and assist school librarians to promote information power for students. The information and materials referenced by this site are taken from or based on the book INFORMATION POWER: Building Partnerships for Learning. The site also contains presentation materials to promote the importance of information power in the schools. While the site is designed for school librarians, classroom educators and administrators will also find this a valuable site for its coverage of information literacy standards and resource guides.
American Association of School Librarians Position Statement on Information Literacy. http://www.ala.org/aasl/positions/ps_infolit.html
The AASL issues position statements on a variety of issues that are key for school librarians. The AASL position paper defines information literacy as "the term being applied to the skills of information problem-solving". The paper identifies the key elements of information literacy and argues that it is critical to integrate these elements into the curriculum. The section of the paper on "Information Problem-Solving Skills" contains specific steps for achieving basic competency. The section on "Information Literacy in Action" contains 8 different examples of how information literacy can be integrated into classroom lessons and activities. The National Forum for Information Literacy, an umbrella group of over 60 organizations, has adopted this position paper. (Bibliography)
Association of College and Research Librarians (ACRL): Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. http://www.ala.org/acrl/ilcomstan.html
This site defines information literacy and its relationship to Information Technology, higher, education, pedagogy, and assessment. It lists five standards and specifically defines each of the performance indicators and outcomes. While the site defines the standards for higher education, the information is applicable to lower grade levels by defining the target skills students need to have to be "information literate".
Association of College and Research Librarians (ACRL): Model Statement of Objectives for Academic Bibliographic Instruction. http://www.ala.org/acrl/guides/msobi.html
This site documents the ACRL's objectives for bibliographic instructions and is designed to provide direction to librarians when reviewing current programs or developing new ones. It is comprised of a set of objectives that describe the processes used when gathering information. The objectives are divided into four broad categories that address how information is identified and defined, structured, intellectually accessed, and physically organized and accessed. This format is intended to serve as a checklist to assess current and proposed programs.
Bellingham Public Schools. "Bellingham Schools Course Outline: Information Literacy and the Net." http://www.bham.wednet.edu/literacy.htm. Bellingham Schools Home Page. Online. Internet. 9 Mar 2000.
British Columbia Ministry of Education, -- Information Technology 8 to 10 and - Information Technology 11 and 12. These sites contain detailed Integrated Resource Packages that document instructional guidelines and strategies along with detailed curriculum by grade level. While the title is "Information Technology", the focus is on the use of technology to solve informational problems to meet the educational goal of information literacy. Each grade level curriculum contains detailed learning outcomes, instructional strategies, assessment strategies, and resources.
Colorado
Standards for Information Literacy with Information Literacy Guidelines.
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/slinfolitindex.htm
This site contains links to the Colorado Information Literacy guidelines and references. The section on "Standards for Information Literacy with Colorado Information Literacy Guidelines" charts the AASL nine IL standards against the applicable Colorado IL guidelines and requisite skills. The "Model Information Literacy Guidelines" expand the Colorado Guidelines by specifying a list of specific skills and activities that demonstrate a student's ability to meet each of the five guidelines. An especially useful resource is the "Information Literacy Rubrics" document that provides a chart for each of the five IL guidelines. Each guideline chart consists of a list of "Target Indicators" and the skill level that a Beginning, Partially Proficient, Proficient, and Advanced student would demonstrate. Searching for "information literacy" on the Colorado "Standards in Action" page returns an extensive list of Information Literacy resources including literacy units for several grade levels.
ISTE
Curriculum Standards -Information Literacy Standards
http://cnets.iste.org/c_standards.htm
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) developed the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) initiative to define national standards for integrating educational uses of technology that facilitate Pre K-12 school improvement. This site lists national standards for various subject curricula including science, math, English language arts and information literacy.
DORIL:
Definition of Information Literacy and Related Terms.
http://nosferatu.cas.usf.edu/lis/il/definitions.html
This site is referenced by many Information Literacy sites for definitions of information literacy, information competence, media literacy, computer literacy, visual literacy, lifelong learning, and resource-based learning.
Electronic
Literacy pre K-12,Montgomery County Public Schools.
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/isa/elit/index.htm
This site focuses on the skills necessary to find and use information in electronic environments. It addresses search strategies, research process models, and web site evaluation. The site also provides electronic literacy curriculum and lesson plans for elementary, middle and secondary grades. The site contains a well-balanced selection of internally developed materials and links to outside resources.
Evaluation
of Internet Information.
http://thorplus.lib.purdue.edu/~techman/eval.html
This site provides, in outline form, a concise description of first, why we need to evaluate information found on the Internet and then, how to evaluate information and sources for reliability and credibility. Focus is on who wrote it, accuracy, author's perspective, and the intended audience. A bonus feature, not always found on evaluation sites, is a set of suggestions for where and how to check the above criteria.
FIT:
Fitness in Information Technology.
http://depts.washington.edu/itlit/
This web site resulted from a summit held at the University of Washington on February 8, 1999 to discuss Information and Technology Literacy. It contains links to summit presentations including Lawrence Snyder's presentation on the National Research Council's report "Being Fluent with Information Technology." This report was authored by the Committee on Information Technology. This report documents why fluency is important, the requirements for fluency, relevant issues, and implementation considerations to achieve fluency.
Managing Information in a Digital Age, Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School. http://www.ues.gseis.ucla.edu/news/informan.html
At UES, the Information Management Curriculum is designed to promote the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to develop effective lifelong information awareness, seeking, management, and presentation strategies. The curriculum is based on seven steps starting with the reason students seek information, progressing through framing and focusing questions, identifying and collecting , evaluating, sense-making, reflecting and refining, to finally using the information. The site contains the curriculum table of contents and directions for obtaining a copy of the complete document.
Maryland Library Association: A Model Statement of Objectives for Bibliographic Instruction. http://research.umbc.edu/~romary/teachingobjectives.htm
This paper identifies four skill objectives that must be met for an individual to be information literate. These objectives parallel the information seeking, selection, and evaluation process. For each of the objectives, specific sets of competencies are listed that the student must be able to perform to successfully retrieve and use information. The objectives and competencies are listed in a succinct form that facilitates their incorporation in learning activities. They could also be used as a checklist to ensure that necessary skills are taught and measured.
National
Forum on Information Literacy: Selected Resources.
http://www.infolit.org/publications/index.html
This site provides an annotated list of books, publications, reports and videos on Information Literacy. National Institute of Literacy. "Teaching and Learning with Internet-based Resources." http://www.nifl.gov/susanc/inthome.htm National Institute of Literacy Home Page. Online. Internet. 23 March 2000.
The
Big6 Skills
http://www.Big6.com
Big6 is a systematic approach to information problem solving useful whenever an individual has an information-oriented problem. This Big6 website includes lesson plans, curriculum, a directory of schools and districts implementing the Big 6, tools that help to teach the Big 6, and directions for joining the electronic discussion group (Listserv).
Nuts and Bolts of Big6T: In Search of Information Literacy.
http://www.kn.AT&T.com/wired/big6/This site belongs to the AT&T Knowledge Network Explorer and is part of their ongoing program to support education in California. The Big6T defines the six broad skill areas necessary for successful information problem-solving --Task Definition, Information Seeking Strategies, Location and Access, Use of Information, Synthesis, and Evaluation. This site describes these steps, provides resources and activities that can be incorporated into classroom activities, and contains a game designed for 5th and 6th graders to reinforce the Big6T .
The Super3
http://academic.wsc.edu/redl/classes/Tami/super3.htmlStart young and work with students as they are forming their ideas about what it takes to complete a task. These three steps are refined from the Big6, and the concept is easier to grasp.
Comparing Models of Information Literacy
http://www.big6.com/showarticle.php?id=87Is there one perfect system for teaching information literacy to students? I think not, and here is a comparison done by the folks at the Big6 to show you some of the alternatives.
Oklahoma
Information Literacy Standards (Acrobat format).
http://sde.state.ok.us/acrob/pass/infolit.pdf
Oklahoma emphasizes the acquisition of information literacy skills across the curriculum. The state uses the nine AASL Information Literacy Standards for student learning as the basis for integrating Information Literacy into all subjects across grade levels. For each standard, two to five measurable skills are defined on three levels - basic, proficient, and exemplary. The site also contains a glossary of terms related to Information Literacy. This document is available as a web page for online viewing . These sites and others can also be reached from the Oklahoma State Department of Education home page by following the links for Curriculum-> Priority Academic Student Skills -> Integrated Curriculum ->Information Literacy
QUICK
http://www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm
As we all know, not all the information on the WWW is created equal. How can you decide which is the best information? Use Quick, a list of eight questions that let you be the judge, picking the best Websites out of the mix. A quiz is also available for teachers to check students' progress.
So
You have to do a Research Project?
http://www.ri.net/schools/East_Greenwich/research.html
Start the year out right by giving 4th to 8th grade students information to help them complete a research project; access tips, worksheets, and resources that help build information literacy skills.
TILT
(Texas Information Literacy Tutorial)
http://tilt.lib.utsystem.edu/
To familiarize a large number of students with fundamental research skills, the Digital Information Literacy Office at the University of Texas at Austin developed this online tutorial. TILT is a Web-based, educational site designed to teach undergraduates fundamental research skills. In each module, students will learn concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 30 minutes to complete.
UC Berkeley Library: Finding Information on the Internet : A Tutorial. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
This site is based on the Internet Workshops offered by the teaching library at Berkeley. This is a very comprehensive site, with valuable resource links as well as how-to information. In addition to information on basic bibliographic knowledge, searching strategies, and resource evaluation, the site contains detailed information on the Internet, web browsers, search engines, and resource citing. The section on search tools contains a comparison of search engines, links, subject directors, and a listing of specialized searchable databases.
Web Research Evaluation Checklist, Information Literacy Program, University of Louisville. http://www.louisville.edu/infoliteracy/evaluate.htm
This site contains a set of questions and caveats to use when evaluating web sites for accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage. In addition to evaluation criteria, there are links to sample sites illustrating each of the five criteria.
About-Face:
who we are.
http://www.about-face.org/who/index.html
"About-Face is a media literacy organization focused on the impact mass media has on the physical, mental and emotional well being of women and girls," and the actions necessary to change the message being sent. This web site is very up-front in its content and message. Content areas includes a gallery of the worst advertising offenders, actions to promote a new model, making changes, and additional resources on a variety of subjects such as body image and women's health.
Center
for Media Literacy Links to Media Literacy Online.
http://www.medialit.org/othersites.html
This organization maintains a list of links to online media literacy organizations and resources. The category "Good Sites for Teachers and Classes" lists a variety of resources including lesson plans, student activities, and PBS videos. Two other categories provide additional links - "Student Productions" and "Commercial Sites with Resources for Teachers and Classes." The CML home page provides additional resource links that may be of interest including a media education crash course available in the Los Angeles area .
Just
Think Foundation: Media Literacy Education.
http://www.justthink.org/index.html
"Just Think" is a non-profit organization focused on promoting media literacy and critical thinking. The organization maintains resources for classroom teachers including a Lesson Bank that contains a collection of detailed lessons with links to online resources that promote media literacy in the context of language arts, social studies, science, etc. These lessons are designed primarily for middle and high school. Educators are invited to submit additional lessons for inclusion in the bank. The organization maintains a list of online media education sites, Links to Think, which includes Media Literacy organizations, projects, and curriculum resources. The organization also develops media education programs that are available for purchase.
Media
Awareness Network - English home page.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/
This Canadian site is designed for educators, parents, and others interested in promoting media literacy. It offers teaching units, student handouts, and resource materials for K-12. There are also three discussion groups - educators, secondary students and younger students with agendas appropriate to each age group.
Media
Literacy Clearinghouse.
http://www.med.sc.edu:1081
This site is an excellent resource for an amazing amount of material on media literacy. Resources include articles, lesson plans, and background information listed under the categories of gender, media literacy, tobacco advertising, commercialism, advertising, television, magazines, newspapers, motion pictures, health/prevention, media literacy resources, propaganda, and the Internet. The section on the Internet deals specifically with Information Literacy. There is also a "Handouts for K12 Educators" section. In addition there is a workshop on assessment and a media literacy listserv.
Media
Literacy Review
http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/mlr/home/index.html
The College of Education at the University of Oregon created this site to support teachers. It contains an exhaustive list of resources divided into 5 sections. The "Teachers Desk" in section A contains links to lesson plans, guides, materials, and standards. Section A also contains a list of 250 organizations and recommended web sites. Section C contains a list of web sites that deal with Media Literacy issues such as advertising, gender, violence, etc.
Project
LOOK SHARP
http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/
Ithaca College's Project Look Sharp promotes the integration of media literacy across grade levels by providing support and resources to teachers. The project promotes 12 principles for integrating media literacy into any classroom and details specific activities for applying these principles at 4 levels - early elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school. Resources include basic concepts, key questions, and links. A key area in the links is "Media Literacy Curriculum Integration". The links in this section are subdivided by subject area and reference lesson plans, projects, activities, print media, etc.
Visual
Literacy
http://vlo.educ.kent.edu/
This module presents essential information about visual literacy, visual images, and the relationship between visual images and instruction. You will find a definition and description of visual literacy as well as a number of activities that encourage practice with instructional visuals.
Visual
Literacy Exercise, Cleveland State University.
http://www.csuohio.edu/history/exercise/vlehome.html
The exercise consists of a series of 15 woodblock prints depicting a variety of Japanese landscapes. The student is asked to view all 15 prints and then answer 3 basic questions about what he/she deduced about the geography and climate of Japan based on the prints. The student is then shown the 15 prints again but this time annotations have been added pointing out significant geographical and climatic features in the scenes. The student is asked to compare what they now know about geography and climate. The exercise takes about 30 minutes to complete. The format and basic ideas could be used with other images in a variety of learning environments. The site also contains teaching notes that include suggestions for classroom adaptation.
On-Line
Visual Literacy Project, Pomona College.
http://www.pomona.edu/Academics/courserelated/classprojects/Visual-lit/intro/intro.html
This site provides a good introduction to the basic elements of visual literacy. Visual literacy is defined and each of the visual elements - dot, line, shape, texture, hue, scale, etc. are illustrated with a small graphic. Clicking on the individual visual element displays a description of the element and how it can be used to communicate with the viewer. The description for each element includes visual examples with commentary, additional links, and references.
Image
Technologies in Education
http://projects.ilt.columbia.edu/edviz/curriculum.html
Of the more than 3,000 languages that exist in the world, only one, according to the author of A Primer of Visual Literacy, Donis A. Dondis, nears universal understanding: visual language. Visual intelligence is crucial to understanding the physical realities of our environment, symbols found in gesture and text, and abstractions of reality, such as those found in works of art. In reading visual messages, the brain comprehends visual information as a whole while unconsciously synchronizing the individual forms that create the whole. It is these forms, or compositional elements, which must be learned to become visually literate. Composition is the arrangement of forms that we read in our surroundings and which are found in every work of art. In reading composition, humans automatically find an equilibrium in forms and organize them into a complete whole. Teaching compositional elements to children allows them to read and better understand the visual messages in their world. There are three levels of visual information that we perceive: physical (what we see - an ant, a building, etc.), perceptual (what we think we see based on the elements), and conceptual (the reading of meaning from the image).
IVLA
- International Visual Literacy Association
http://www.ivla.org/organization/whatis.htm
Benedict, Joel A. and Benedict, Irene A., What is Visual Literacy? Visual literacy as defined by the International Visual Literacy Association is "a group of vision competencies a human being can develop by seeing and at the same time having and integrating other sensory experiences. The development of these competencies is fundamental to normal human learning. When developed, they enable a visually literate person to discriminate and interpret the visual actions, objects, and/or symbols, natural or man-made, that are [encountered] in [the] environment. Through the creative use of these competencies, [we are] able to communicate with others. Through the appreciative use of these competencies, [we are] able to comprehend and enjoy the masterworks of visual communications."
Gorski, Paul. "Toward a Multicultural Approach for Evaluating Educational Web Sites," Multicultural Perspectives 2.3 (December 1999). Available at: http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/multicultural/net/comps/eval.html
Gorski discusses the importance of adopting a multicultural approach for evaluating websites. He begins by summarizing current website evaluation techniques and practices (pointing out their shortcomings in terms of incorporating multicultural issues into the evaluation process) and then presents a new approach consisting of seven categories to consider when evaluating websites from a multicultural perspective. Gorski's insights into the evaluation process can be useful for multicultural literacy instructors as a way to incorporate multicultural sensitivity, particularly when discussing the reliability of information found on the internet.
Multicultural Literacy
http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/multilit.htm
This site includes links to instructional resources, background information, and booklists of multicultural literature. It is part of a larger project entitled The Literacy Web compiled by the University of Connecticut, one of its goals being to "locate ideas for integrating literacy strategies into the classroom." The site includes links to literacy strategies sorted by grade level and type of literacy (early literacy, literacy and technology, media literacy, multicultural literacy, etc.)
Multicultural Readings
and Resources: Providing Windows and Mirrors
http://www.coe.ohio-state.edu/dyford/multicultural.feb200.htm
This site provides extensive bibliographies related to different aspects of multicultural education. It approaches different areas of the core curriculum from a multicultural perspective, including multicultural math, science, social studies, and literature, as well as links to other multicultural resource sites. The variety of resources available points o how multicultural literacy can be incorporated into all segments of the curriculum.
Online Resources for Promoting
Cultural Understanding in the Adult ESL Classroom
http://www.cal.org/ncle/multicultures.htm
This site was compiled by the National Center for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE) to serve as a resource for adult ESL instructors in order to "promote cultural understanding, tolerance, and cross-cultural communication in their adult ESL classrooms." It features a wide variety of materials and collections on teaching tolerance, cultural understanding, and developing instructional resources. The site includes materials for children ESL learners as well as adult ESL learners, which can be modified and applied to work in a K-12 environment.
Ward, Angela. "Literacy in Multicultural Settings: Whose Culture Are We Discussing? An Invited Commentary." Available at Reading Online: http://www.readingonline.org/articles/ward.html
Ward discusses the importance of multicultural education in working toward a more inclusive society and building a "community of caring." She repositions multicultural literacy within a context that "views knowledge of several languages and cultures as a distinguishing mark of the educated person." This essay appears in Reading Online, a peer-reviewed journal, whose mission is to "support professionals as they integrate technology in the classroom, preparing students for a future in which literacy's meaning will continue to evolve and expand." Educators and other members of the general public may contribute to the discussion via the online discussion board.
Additional Resources
The following sites are a just a few of the resources available on the web related to multicultural education. Included among the many types of information found on these sites are lesson plans, bibliographies, essays and articles, book reviews, publishers, and discussion forums, all providing an assortment of resources for implementing multicultural issues into the classroom. These sites can aid teachers in developing a multicultural literacy program by equipping them with the tools for multicultural curriculum transformation.
Diversity & Ethnic Studies:
Recommended Websites & Research Guides
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~savega/divweb2.htm
National Association for
Multicultural Education
http://www.nameorg.org/
Multicultural Education
and Ethnic Groups: Selected Internet Sources
http://www.library.csustan.edu/lboyer/multicultural/main.htm
Multicultural Pavilion
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/multicultural/
Multicultural Supersite
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/education/multi/
USC Center for Multilingual,
Multicultural Research
http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~cmmr/
Other 21st Century Literacies
The
American Association of School Librarians.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/index.html
The AASL web site contains resources related to information literacy, media literacy, the use of technology to solve information problems, and children's use of the Internet. Information Literacy is addressed in the section on National guidelines and Standards. Browsing the section on resources provides an overview of topics addressed by this organization. The section on technology has a valuable link to the ALA's "Libraries and Internet Toolkit" which contains guidelines and resources designed to help librarians manage children's use of the Internet.
Blue
Web'n Learning Sites Library.
http://www.kn.AT&T.com/wired/bluewebn/
Blue Web'n is a searchable database of over 1000 outstanding Internet learning sites -- lesson plans, instructional units, learning activities, and background information -- categorized by subject area, audience, and type. Sites are selected for their quality and usefulness with new sites being added on a regular basis. To find good literacy sites, search using keywords literacy, media, and/or information literacy.
Children's
Partnership.
http://www.childrenspartnership.org/
This organization focuses on identifying and publicizing the needs of children, especially the low-income and underserved. They are particularly concerned with access to the Internet and information technologies. Two areas of particular interest to educators are the publication "Parents Guide to the Information Super-Highway and their new campaign "Young Americans and the Digital Future." State by state statistics have been compiled and made available in the "Young Americans: Toolkit for Action". Copies of their publications and research reports are available online at their site.
ED
Technology Digital Divide.
http://www.ed.gov/Technology/digdiv.html
Government reports show that the "digital divide" continues to grow. This site contains annotated links to key government reports, publications, and web sites addressing this problem.
AT&T/UCLA Initiative for 21st Century Literacies.
http://www.newliteracies.gseis.ucla.edu/
This site describes the AT&T/UCLA 21st Century Literacies joint project designed to evaluate the meaning of literacy in the rapidly changing, technology driven, environment of the 21st century. The initiative addresses three areas - educating the user, improving the information system, and addressing policy issues. Initiative projects supporting each of the three areas are briefly described. A 15-minute video entitled "e-literate?" is available through the web site. This video is designed to introduce "21st century literacies" to young people by highlighting the rapidly changing technologies that are dramatically reshaping how we live our lives. While designed for young people, the video is both entertaining and informative for anyone living in today's world.
University of Minnesota CLA Language Center:Using the Internet for Language Teaching and Learning. http://languagecenter.cla.umn.edu/lc/surfing/InetTandL
This site provides education links for both ESL and foreign language teachers. It contains links for teachers on how to use the web to teach languages and how to select and evaluate sites. It also includes links to more than twenty examples of web-based language activities.
Wilton
Library: Innovative Internet Applications in Libraries.
http://www.wiltonlibrary.org/innovate.html
This site is a collection of links high-lighting innovative library applications on the Internet. Many of these links are specifically for children and teens. The links are divided into 14 categories ranging from "Ages & Stages" to Special Collections & Online Exhibits, Tutorials/Guides, and Virtual Tours. The referenced sites are sites designed by libraries across the US.
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This page was last
updated July 30, 2002 This resource was created to support the AT&T/UCLA Initiative for 21st Century Literacies. Links for this page are maintained by Mary Schrader Lasica, AT&T. |