Information Literacy: Its role in Scholarship, Practice and Leadership
Ryan C. Jones
Doctoral Learner
University of Phoenix
School of Advanced Studies
Information Literacy: Its role in Scholarship, Practice and Leadership
In today’s rapidly-changing world of technology, being information literate is nearly as important as being literate in the fields of reading and writing. Individuals must be able to be in control of their own ability to gain information and use that information effectively. However, not everyone is information literate, not so much by choice as by circumstance. This directly affects an individual’s ability to succeed. However, information literacy is now easier to achieve for all individuals, who can see it in many aspects of their lives.
Information literacy can be defined as “the ability to identify what information is needed, understand how the information is organized, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information.” (Information Literacy, para. 1)
Fortunately in today’s society, technology has given students added access to information and everyone, regardless of social or economic status, has a better opportunity to use information today than the previous generations. It all begins in education. Schools are beginning to focus heavily of bringing resources to students, introducing them to what is available to them. Students are learning at a young age that information, content that only a decade ago would be out of the reach of children, now is no more than a few clicks away on a computer. And teachers and administrators also are included in the mix of those benefiting from advancement in information literacy. The ability to have instant access to records, accounts, real-time happenings and other valuable resources leads to more effective education and more efficient learning. In an article responding to another in its field,...