Media and Information Literacy
Media and Information Literacy
Media and Information Literacy
Literacy
Message can be classified by purpose:
⚫To inform
⚫To persuade
⚫To entertain
Purpose of Communication
Media – is the means of coomunication that
reaches or influences people, such as
radio and television, newspapers, and
magazine
Mass Media – same as media but with goal
of reaching much larger numbers people
Mass Media
⚫Promote shallow values
⚫They often misinform people
⚫That they encourage people to consume
so much that the environment is
threatened.
⚫Social observers worry that people are
being bombarded by too much
information.
Data vs Information
⚫as a set of skills, which requires an
individual to
⚫recognize when information is needed and
have the ability to locate, evaluate, and
use effectively the needed information.
Information Literacy
⚫Determines the nature and extent of
information needed.
⚫Accesses the needed information
effectively and efficiently.
⚫Evaluates information and its sources
critically and incorporates selected
information into his or her knowledge
base and value system.
Importance of an information
literate
⚫Uses information effectively to accomplish
a specific purpose.
⚫Understands many of the economic, legal,
and social issues surrounding the use of
information, and accesses and uses
information ethically and legally.
Importance of an information
literate
⚫ we are surrounded by a growing ocean of
information in all formats.
⚫ not all information is created equal: some is
authoritative, current, reliable, but some is
biased, out of date, misleading, and false.
⚫ the amount of information available is going
to keep increasing.
⚫ the types of technology used to access,
manipulate, and create information will
likewise expand.
Information Source
Types of Information Sources
- Primary
- Secondary
- Tertiary
Information Source
Primary
Primary sources are original materials on which other
research is based. This is information before it has
been analysed, interpreted, commented upon, spun or
repackaged. They are usually the first formal
appearance of results in physical, print or electronic
format. They represent original thinking, unedited,
firsthand, access to words, images, or objects by
persons directly involved in an activity or event or
speaking directly for a group.
Information Source
Primary
Examples include:
• Artifacts (e.g. coins, plant specimens, fossils,
furniture, tools, clothing, all from the time under
study)
• Audio recordings (e.g. radio programs)
• Diaries
• Internet communications on email, list serves
• Interviews (e.g., oral histories, telephone, e-mail)
• Journal articles published in peer-reviewed
publications
• Letters
Information Source
Primary
• Newspaper articles written at the time
• Original Documents (i.e. birth certificate, will,
marriage license, trial transcript)
Information Source
Secondary
Secondary sources are less easily defined than
primary sources. Generally, they are accounts written
after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. They are
interpretations and evaluations of primary sources
written significantly after events by parties not directly
involved but who have special expertise. They may
provide historical context or critical perspectives.
Secondary sources are thus not evidence, but rather
commentary on and discussion of evidence. However,
what some define as a secondary source, others
define as a tertiary source.
Information Source
Secondary
Examples include:
• Bibliographies (also considered tertiary)
• Biographical works
• Commentaries, criticisms
• Dictionaries, Encyclopedias (also considered
tertiary)
• Textbooks (also considered tertiary)
• Web site (also considered primary)
Information Source
Tertiary
Tertiary sources consist of information which is a
distillation and collection of primary and secondary
sources. They are twice removed from the original
source and their main purpose is to list, summarise or
simply repackage ideas or other information.
Information Source
Categories of information sources
Books
Information Source
Categories of information sources
Periodicals
Information Source
Categories of information sources
Databases
Information Source
Categories of information sources
The Internet
Information Source
Categories of information sources
Bibliographies
These are publications that consist of a list of books, articles and other works
on a particular topic. Sometimes bibliographies are annotated, that is they
include brief abstracts summarising the important features of the works
Information Source
Categories of information sources
Abstracts
An abstract is a brief synopsis or summary of the most important points that the
author makes in the paper. It is a highly condensed version of the paper itself.
After reading the abstract, the reader knows the main points that the authors
have to make. The reader can then evaluate the significance of the paper and
then decide whether or not she or he wishes to read the full paper.
Information Source
Categories of information sources
Indexes
Indexes are a finding guide to the contents of particular journals. They provide
subject, author, and/or title indexing to a particular set of periodicals and give a
full citation for each article. The citation includes the title of the periodical, date,
volume, pages, as well as the author and title of the article. Some indexes
include abstracts
Information Source
Categories of information sources
Theses and Dissertations
Information Source