Information and Digital Literacy Together
Information and digital literacy somewhat overlap, and together form technological fluency. To be technologically fluent means you are using critical thinking to find, retrieve, interpret and analyze, manage, and use information in digital and multimedia formats. You are creating new digital and multimedia artifacts based on the information you gather and your engagement with others in communities of practice via online and social networks.
The types of processes that you can utilize as a technological fluent individual include using a variety of computing devices to:
- Define the Problem - Describing the scope of an information problem in a way that facilitates the use of electronic resources to solve it.
- Access Information - Searching, locating, assessing and critically evaluating information found on the web by navigating both linear and nonlinear online spaces.
- Evaluate Information - Deducing information (comparing, contrasting, summarizing) from digital text, graphics, animations, audio, and video.
- Manage Information -Organizing the information you acquire.
- Integrate and Represent Information - Adapting, additional comparing and contrasting, and integrating any combinations of text, graphics, animations, audio, and video from your sources.
- Create - Including and designing new information from your sources (including what you developed during the Integrating and Representing process), crafting your point or argument, and summarizing it.
- Utilize Social Communities - Engaging others (individually and in groups) to accomplish the above processes.
- Communicate - Disseminating your findings in a compelling way.
To be technologically fluent, you need computer skills (such as word processing), understanding of the information technology fundamentals (such as how a computer works), and capabilities (such as problem solving).
Student Dialog - What is Technological Fluency - Revisited
Sage: Hey Jose - Want to see my awesome, new, and entirely self-produced video?
Jose: Oh I suppose. If you must.
Sage: (Sticking tongue out) Very funny. Thanks for your advice, by the way. I did find a great librarian that not only helped me with this project, but also showed me how to better define it and do great web searches - and how to be critical about what I found.
Jose: And for the video?
Sage: The Penn State Media Commons gave me some basic guidelines and really helped me to become somewhat proficient in basic video production. I also met several others in my class doing the exact same thing - so now we can bug each other when we get stuck. Together we figured out a way to organize our files using box.psu.edu so we can share some common resources. I never thought I could do it, but here it is!
Jose: So think about what that means when you interview for a job. You can show that you know how to research a problem correctly and produce more than just a written paper - you can create digital stuff. The world needs people that can do that.
Sage: (Looking around) Are you talking to me, or some hidden audience, O Digital Sage?
Jose: Pwffth! You're the only Sage I see around here. Now show me your video!
