Final Thoughts

I would first like to thank my teachers and fellow students for making this semester such a great experience. I was initially worried about how a fully online course would work out, but now I see that distance learning has great potential.

We have covered many topics and asked many important questions.  The answers to many of these questions are still being developed as technologies continue to emerge, and as the world adapts to the changes in communication and access of information.  Understanding what it means to be literate in today's world also means an understanding of the different mediums that transfer information. Older ideas of literacy has changed from books and newspapers, to telephone, radio, and TV, to the newer platforms of social media, open, and closed source technologies, blogs, and the huge influence of smart phones.

It is no longer necessary to go to a library to find information. Most of us can do it straight from our phones. The important idea now is to make sense of the expansive amount of data that exists, separating out what is useless, unneeded, or just plain wrong, and finding what is useful and relevant.

It is also important that we use and proceed with this information in an ethical manor. We are now integrally connected with one another, and simply treating others as you would like to be treated will make the world a much better place.

I see the internet moving in a direction that requires collaborative efforts.  The potential of open-source resources can only be reached when we are working efficiently with others.  This will promote innovation, and in turn a better world for everyone.  Better education and understanding of the world is the key to making this work.

I have been able to take a lot out of these classes. They have given me the idea to expand my tutoring business from my local environment, to a distance learning environment with the ability to reach a much larger audience.  My goal is to create a learning platform that keeps the communication value of face-to-face interactions, and adds valuable learning resources to stimulate, engage, and created enjoyment within the learning experience. I am looking forward to see what else I will learn as I continue through the program, as well as implementing ideas into my own educational platform. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" Nelson Mandela.

Information Literacy Guide:

Understanding information and thriving in an emerging world

What is information literacy?

According to businessdictionary.com it is the "ability to define problems in terms of their information needs, and to apply a systematic approach to search, locate, apply, and synthesize the information and evaluate the entire process in terms of effectiveness and efficiency".

What is transliteracy?

According to www.transliteracy.com it is "the ability to read, write, and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film to digital social networks.

Why is this important?

According to Moore's law our rate of processing information is doubling every two years.  There is more information then we know what to do with.  Learning new information is good, but right now it is more important that we make sense of the information we already have.  As educators it is important that we give our students the skills necessary to navigate across informational mediums and effectively extract needed information.

Relevancy of the printed book.

With new mediums of information emerging it is important to remember why it is still relevant to read a book.  Reading develops your vocabulary, spelling, grammar, memory, imagination, comprehension and focus/attention span.  It also develops your analytic mind as well as your ability to tell stories (Rich, 2008).

  

Emergence of the Website

We use search engines to "surf" the web, because if you do not stay on top of the information you are likely to drown in it.  Search engines help our ability to filter out irrelevant material and single in on what we are looking for.  Once we find a website it is important to determine the quality of information.  Is it an authoritative source? Does it have .org, .edu, or .gov showing what kind of site it is?  Is it a personal site like a blogg?  Who is the author, or publisher of the site?  Does the site have current information?  Websites are amazing research tools, but it is important to ask these questions and play the role of the skeptic when reviewing the information. 

Social Websites

Social websites are great networking tools.  It allows you to connect with people with similar interests from around the world.  You can share ideas, videos, documents, pictures, and any other information that can be digitized.  It is important for these sites effectiveness to develop ethical social skills.  Cyber-bullying, scams, and misinformation have negative impacts on the social community and lead to a corruption of the networking system.  You should always tweet others as you would like to be tweeted.

Survival Skills

While navigating these new literacies it is important to have a basic understanding of how to use a computer, how to effectively browse and search the internet, and how to effectively communicate using email, discussion forums, instant messaging, and using a webcam.  It is also important to have word processing skills, including typing, using tools such as font and graphs, citing materials, saving work, navigating folders, attaching documents and printing hard copies (Diglitny.com,2011).  Other skills include the ability to search across and use different mediums of information, using ethical behavior to make the internet a positive environment, and developing collaborative skills to share ideas, work on projects, and build online communities.  

What's Next?

The basic idea behind information literacy is to become self empowered.  The information literate person has the wealth of the world's information at their fingertips.  Effectively navigating, absorbing, and using this information will empower you to reach your goals and aspirations.  While embarking on your quest for knowledge remember that knowledge speaks, while wisdom listens (Hendrix,n/d).  

References

 

Digital Literacy Advisory Committee. (2011). Digital literacy skill sets for New Yorkers. Retrieved from http://diglitny.org/pdfs/diglit-skill-set.pdf

Hendrix, J. (n/d). 

Moore's Law. (n/d). In Wikipedia. Retrieved December 13, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law

Murcko, T. (2013). Information Literacy. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/information-literacy.html

Rich M. (2008). The future of reading: Literacy Debate: Online R U really reading? Retrieved from. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1379520650-kkVwy+mwMjILeTUPofZSVw 

Thomas, S. (2013). Transliteracy Research Group Archive 2006-2013. Retrieved from http://transliteracyresearch.wordpress.com/original-definition-of-transliteracy/