"Becoming an Academic: Information Literacy" Supplemental Content: Actionable Steps

Actionable Steps: 

1. Select one of the following information literacy skills that you would like to learn more about. Using the internet and/or the Snow College Library resources, learn more about the skill. Create a five-slide presentation with the information you learned on the skill you chose. Be sure to cite all the sources you used in your presentation.
   • • Critical thinking
     • Media literacy
     • Digital literacy
     • News literacy
     • Algorithmic literacy
     • Ethical reasoning
     • Civic engagement
     • Research Skills
2. Set aside 15 minutes a day for five days to find information on a topic that you know nothing about. Keep a journal of your efforts and what you find. Each day use one of the following different access point to access information about your topic:
   1. 1. Ask a person(s) about the topic you are researching. Note: The person you ask need not be an expert on the topic, but, if you can find an expert, that is preferred.
      2. Use an internet search to find information on your topic.
      3. Use the Snow College Library SingleSearch database (Links to an external site.) (Note: SingleSearch database is the orange search box) to find a print or electronic book on your topic.
      4. Visit worldcat.org (Links to an external site.) to find a book on your topic. Worldcat is the largest online library database that searches worldwide participating library collections for books, dvds, electronic books and more.
      5. Find a magazine, newspaper or academic journal article about your topic using the worldwide web.
      6. Find a magazine, newspaper or academic journal article about your topic using the Snow College Library SingleSearch (Links to an external site.) Note: SingleSearch database is the orange search box.
3. Using a current event or headline find three different news sources that are also reporting on the same information. How are the three different sources reporting the same information? Do the sources share the same quotes, images or videos or did they choose different reporting elements? Write down everything you notice that is the same and different in reporting elements.
4. Find a story, meme or report that is deemed false by one of the following fact-check websites: Snopes (Links to an external site.), PolitiFact, (Links to an external site.) FactCheck (Links to an external site.), OpenSecrets,  (Links to an external site.)AFP Fact Check (Links to an external site.), etc. On the fact-checking website, study the false information and the original source. Then, write down three actions readers could take to identify similar false information. Present your findings to the class, and as a class, create a master list of actions readers can take to identify misinformation online.
5. Choose one of the following news outlets to research using Wikipedia: The New York Times, FOX, MSNBC, OAN, CNN, The Washington Post, NPR, Huffington Post, and the Associated Press. Using Canva Links to an external site. or another freely available graphic design software, create an infographic of sources that are trustworthy, biased, or based on conspiracy and misinformation. 
6.  (Links to an external siYou work for the ABC Information Company. This company maintains a professional blog that reviews websites. As part of your job, you are required to evaluate one website a week and write a blog that focuses on the trustworthiness of the website. Your supervisor assigns you to use the SIFT method to evaluate one of the following websites for the blog: Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division  (Links to an external site.), Aluminum Foil Detector Beanie (Links to an external site.) , Dog Island (Links to an external site.), Ova Prima Foundation (Links to an external site.), Ninja Burger (Links to an external site.) or this YouTube videoGoogle Bikes. (Links to an external site.)For the evaluation, your supervisor wants you to include the following:
   • • A brief summary of the website contents
     • Who wrote or manages the website (if available)
     • 2-3 other websites that establish the information in the original website is credible or is misinformation
     • Why you would or would not recommend this website to others
7. Keep an information journal for 7 days. Each day record one significant interaction you had with information, why you accessed the information and how it affected your day or life. Use the example journal format below as a model for your journal. At the end of your 7 days, look for patterns to your information access. How do you consistently access information (digital, print, verbal) Why do you access information? How are you effectively using the information you access

Example of an information journal: 

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
What I did	Checked my Snow College App for important school notifications	Called my dad on my cell phone.	Checked Canvas for upcoming assignments	Used the library website to find a scholarly article about whirling disease in fish.	Talked to my professor about an upcoming assignment I didn't understand.	Gathered with a group of peers from my communication class to study for an upcoming exam.	Listened to a podcast on what it means to be information literate.
Access point	Digital	Personal Interaction	Digital	Digital	Personal Interaction	Personal Interaction; print materials; digital	Digital
Why I needed the information.	to see if there were any events on campus.	Needed to find out how to fix a flat tire.	Can’t miss assignments or my grades will drop and my GPA will drop, too.	Assignment in ENGL 1010	To understand the assignment so I could get a better grade.	To do well on the exam	Personal interest
How did the information affect my day? Consider physical, emotional, financial, psychological, social and other effects	The Badger Den had a free breakfast, so, I attended the event and got free food.	Got my flat tire fixed.	I found out I had a quiz due in two days. This gave me time to study for the quiz and hopefully get a good grade.	Found some interesting articles about my topic, written by professional researchers.	Reassured me that I was on the right track with the assignment. Helped calm my anxiety and answer questions I had.	Increased my memory retention; provided confidence that I can pass the test	Improved my ability to self-improve and seek out learning on my own. Helped me evaluate skills I already have and ones I want to learn more about.

 

Resources: 

Ideas for these actionable steps were derived from this blog:

Emilly. "Help students to evaluate information online with SIFT (Links to an external site.)." Read it, Write it, Learn it, https://www.readitwriteitlearnit.com/post/help-students-to-evaluate-information-online-with-sift Links to an external site.. Accessed 5 Jan. 2022.