So now let's hear from some experts in this field to help us
understand how information and digital literacy practices relate
to academic culture and how this can help you in your studies.
[MUSIC]
>> Information that you see is your capacity to find, analyze, comprehend,
evaluate the information you come across, whether that's a quick and
dirty search on Google or if you are digging around in academic databases.
Information literacy is your capacity to take that information that you've found,
work with it in a meaningful way.
>> An example of an understanding around information literacy is that
the value of information is contextual.
So for example, within law, what is a variable document might be something
like a piece of registration or a case law document, a raw report.
But then if you are in medicine for example, it be something like a systematic
review and that might be a very highly valued document in that context.
So another important value around information literacy is understanding
that information is the building up of a conversation between experts.
So over time, there will be a body of knowledge and
that is usually created by that two and fro between experts in the field.
The other aspect of that is understanding that people are not just consumers
of information, even students.
They're also producers of information and at some point they may become an expert
and they can actually contribute to that conversation that's happening on a topic.
[MUSIC]
>> Digital literacy is a really interesting concept.
Back in the early 90s, a guy named Marc Prensky sort of
put this idea out there that we have digital natives and digital immigrants.
And a lot of people born recently are digital natives.
It's a language that you speak.
But we all need to be literate in digital technologies as we go
into a world where the digital frontier is well alert right now.
At university now you can't avoid digital technology.
A lot of your learning is done online.
So digital literacy is making yourself familiar with that new language and
ultimately we all need to be digital natives.
>> Yes, in terms of thinking about digital literacy,
I think it starts with information literacy.
So it's knowing that you need to find some information.
It’s having the skills to be able to find the particular resources to use and
how to search them.
How to find the right kind of information you need to assess it and
effectively use it.
And essentially, digital literacy takes that into another realm because you're
using smartphones and your computer, you're searching the Internet.
So really, I think in that context it's thinking
about what you find online is it relevant?
How you evaluate whose created that source.
So is it a reliable source?
And thinking about the consequences of the information you've found.
So can you use it?
Perhaps what are the implications of using it.
And in terms of an academic environment, that it's relevant to your discipline and
it's of scholarly value, considered of academic quality.
[MUSIC]
>> So to include this idea of information literacy into academic culture,
you've gotta bear in mind that information is at the core of understanding the world.
Information is at the core of defending an argument or making a proposition about how
the world works, whether that's in science or the humanities or whatever your field.
So information literacy is a fundamental part of study at university.
You need to understand,
where are you going to find information to support your point of view?
How are you going to assess that information for reliability?
How do you evaluate it to make sure it's an accurate way of defending what you've
got to say?