In the 21st century, it is important to be able to research and make wise decisions based on reliable information. In fact, employers have high expectations regarding their employees' abilities to research. As discussed in the Post Your Introduction forum, due to the overwhelming amount of information available, researching and locating reliable sources to guide decision-making can be very challenging. Let's examine in this discussion the challenges of research and how developing information literacy skills can help.
Prepare: Read Chapter 1 of your textbook to learn more about information literacy. Next, read the "At Sea in a Deluge of Data" article from the Chronicle of Higher Education. Finally, read the "How College Students Find and Use Information" blog post to access an infographic detailing some statistics about the experience of researching. Having trouble accessing and reading the infographic above? As an alternative, you may alternatively explore the article, "Truth Be Told: How College Students Evaluate and Use Information in the Digital Age", which served as a reference for the infographic.
Reflect: Consider your reaction to the information in the infographic and identify areas that you connected with the most. Based on the article and Chapter 1 of your text, consider how information literacy skills can impact being a critical consumer of information.
Write: With Chapter 1 of the textbook, the article, and the infographic you explored in mind, answer the following questions in your discussion post:
Which statistics from the infographic did you identify with most? Why?
Based on the information you read in Chapter 1 of your textbook and the "At Sea in a Deluge of Data" article, how would you define information literacy?
How can improving your information literacy skills help you in being a critical consumer of information and in the ongoing pursuit of knowledge throughout your life?
To maximize the opportunity for vigorous discussion, you must post to this discussion on at least three separate daysof the week, and your posts must total at least 600 words as you address the questions noted above. Your first post must be completed by Day 3 (Thursday), and the remainder of your posts must be completed by Day 7 (Monday). You must answer all aspects of the prompt at some point during the week.
Guided Response: You must reply to at least one classmate. As you reply to your classmates, attempt to extend the conversation by examining their claims or arguments in more depth or by responding to the posts that they make to you. Keep the discussion on target and try to analyze things in as much detail as you can. For instance, you might consider sharing additional ways that information literacy skills can help them be critical consumers of information. Discuss similarities in how you and your classmates connected with the infographic or article.