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• 9/18/2009 12:57 PM Eliza wrote:
  I totally agree with you about personal empowerment when it comes to literacy. My biggest question is this, "is there something like information overload when it comes to literacy?"
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  1. 9/18/2009 7:46 PM Akosua wrote:
     

     Thank you for your comments. Considering the amount of information available in print, on television and online, one could easily be ‘overloaded’ with information. The Oxford dictionary defines literacy as the ability to read and write. There are several pros and cons to being a literate person. However, I believe that the pros outweigh the cons. Although information overload can lead to misinformation, illiteracy could also lead to the lack of information. I don’t know about you, but I find myself making better decisions when I am well-versed on a subject or issue. In my opinion, we will be in a position to decipher between accurate and inaccurate information if we educate ourselves.

     Experience has taught me that each age group handles information overload differently. When exposing children or teenagers to literacy, we need to be careful about the kind of material or knowledge that we are providing them. This is because this age group might not be in a position to distinguish between good or bad information. Therefore, although literacy benefits society, not all information may be beneficial to all of society. However, since information literacy enhances an individual’s ability to understand and appreciate his or her surroundings, I would rather know too much than not to know at all.

     
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• 9/21/2009 1:31 PM Linda Tavel wrote:
  In an article by Melissa Campbell(2009), discussing information, knowledge and wisdom in the 21st Century, challenges are that today's students may be technologically competent but this does not necessarily beget knowledge and wisdom as these students may be prorusing social networking sites and not seeking research information and knowledge. Students have to be taught to evaluate information for accuracy and validity to be able to incorporate this information into knowledge and wisdom. Teachers are challenged by the vast information provided globally via the internet and with that challenge drives the need to develop innovative models of teaching, and assimilating information into knowledge and wisdom.
  
  Campbell,M. (2009,Sept,7). Information, Knowledge and Wisdom: Collaborations between Librarians and Faculty in a Digital Age, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, (19),22,p.8-10. Retrieved on September 21, 2009 from UoP electronic library database ProQuest.
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  1. 9/22/2009 5:15 AM Akosua wrote:
     

     You are right. The time that we spend browsing on the Internet does not necessarily indicate that we are learning or being productive. On one of the late night shows, the host said that Youtube, Twitter and Facebook were merging into one ‘time wasting’ entity called Youtwitface. Although I laughed at the joke, I could visualize how an individual could spend several hours on a social networking site without acquiring any substantive knowledge. That is not to say that, our social networking sites do not offer any value. When utilized properly, one can acquire relevant information from such sites.
     According to Zabel (2004), information literacy must occur throughout a student’s academic career. Therefore, the onus is on teachers, mentors and parents to guide the youth on ways to obtain knowledge. I believe that as we mature in life, we find ourselves in the position to make better decisions. Thus, with guidance, we can all improve our literacy skills.

     Reference

     Zabel, D. (2004, January). A reaction to "information literacy and higher education".

     Journal of Academic Librarianship , 30(1), 17-21.

     
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• 5/11/2011 3:58 PM maul wrote:
  I want to express my admiration to your website. Sorry for my english.
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