Abstract
In 1989, the American Library Association issued its Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report, which was essentially a call-to-arms outlining the necessity of teaching our young people to be information savvy in an information-rich society. This chapter, written from the perspective of two librarians, will argue that a quicker pedagogical revision is needed for teaching undergraduates the concepts of credibility of information created in an era of computer mediated communication. Reviewing some of the major developments that have altered the understanding of credible information, this chapter encourages educators to adopt new approaches to teaching students about the credibility of CMC-generated sources.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Blogs: A blog (a portmanteau of Web log) is a Website where entries are written in chronological order and displayed in reverse chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.
Peer Reviewed: Peer review (known as refereeing in some academic fields) is a process of subjecting an author’s scholarly work or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the field.
Web 2.0: Web 2.0, a phrase coined by O’Reilly Media in 2004, refers to a perceived or proposed second generation of Internet-based services—such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies—that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users.
Blogs: A blog (a portmanteau of Web log) is a Website where entries are written in chronological order and displayed in reverse chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.
Information Literacy: Several conceptions and definitions of information literacy have become prevalent. One conception defines information literacy in terms of a set of competencies that an informed citizen of an information society ought to possess to participate intelligently and actively in that society. The American Library Association’s (ALA) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy, Final Report states that, “To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (1989).
Wikis: A wiki is a type of Web site that allows the visitors themselves to easily add, remove, and otherwise edit and change some available content, sometimes without the need for registration. This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for collaborative authoring.
Peer Reviewed: Peer review (known as refereeing in some academic fields) is a process of subjecting an author’s scholarly work or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the field.
Credibility: the objective and subjective components of the believability of a source or message. Traditionally, credibility is composed of two primary dimensions: trustworthiness and expertise, which have both objective and subjective components.
Wikis: A wiki is a type of Web site that allows the visitors themselves to easily add, remove, and otherwise edit and change some available content, sometimes without the need for registration. This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for collaborative authoring.
Participatory Culture: Participatory culture can be characterized as including low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, support for creating and sharing one’s intellectual property with others, a belief that one’s contributions matter, and a sense of social connection to others in the culture.
Credibility: the objective and subjective components of the believability of a source or message. Traditionally, credibility is composed of two primary dimensions: trustworthiness and expertise, which have both objective and subjective components.
Web 2.0: Web 2.0, a phrase coined by O’Reilly Media in 2004, refers to a perceived or proposed second generation of Internet-based services—such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies—that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users.
Information Literacy: Several conceptions and definitions of information literacy have become prevalent. One conception defines information literacy in terms of a set of competencies that an informed citizen of an information society ought to possess to participate intelligently and actively in that society. The American Library Association’s (ALA) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy, Final Report states that, “To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (1989).
Participatory Culture: Participatory culture can be characterized as including low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, support for creating and sharing one’s intellectual property with others, a belief that one’s contributions matter, and a sense of social connection to others in the culture.