Literacy not literally

17Feb10

Not unlike access to information, information literacy is a bread-and-butter issue for librarians. But how do teachers and other professionals define and engage literacy promotion in their classrooms? Teachers Heidi Clark and Anita Bramhoff begin the conversation in their video in What Does it Mean to be Literate in the 21st Century? (Disclaimer as Heidi is my friend)

One of the teachers talked about being to be able to understand the world, and about connecting with people. I had never heard the concept of social literacy before. I know about media literacy, numeracy and technological literacy as part of a set of skills needed to navigate our complex world. I would have liked to see more discussion about the different channels of communication, but maybe that is for a sequel? I think that Heidi and Anita made great strides by making a video instead of a PowerPoint slide or some other print based presentation. I am waiting for judges and lawyers to catch up to the video revolution.

Although multiple facets of literacy are discussed, it all comes down to helping people or kids evaluate and interpret information. There are tons of resources on the Internet and I chose 2 interest groups at the Canadian Libraries Association (CLA) as launch pads for your further exploration into this topic.

– Brenda

Getting involved

Information Literacy Interest Group with CLA

Action for Literacy with CLA