Resources for Learning and Teaching Critical Thinking

[tweetmeme source=”librarianbyday” only_single=false]Critical thinking is a 21st Century Literacy everyone should be familiar with, but how do you learn it? or teach it?

Howard Rheingold and a group of educators have created the Critical Thinking Compendium with resources such as tools which includes a great list of resources to help students (and anyone) evaluate resources they find online.  Definitions are offered on the vocabulary page and  there is even a Diigo Resources page

Introduction to Multimedia Scholarship: Student Handbook

[tweetmeme source=”librarianbyday” only_single=false]The University of Southern California has available online “Introduction to Multimedia Scholarship”. It is

the Companion Handbook for MDA 140, offered in conjunction with the Multimedia in the Core and Multimedia Across the College Programs

The handbook explains the rational behind the course

The Multimedia in the Core program was formally established in April 2006 after a mandate from the University’s Provost Max Nikias in which he announced his desire to offer every student at USC the opportunity to gain skills in multimedia production. The reason behind this mandate is the idea that to be literate in the 21st century requires not only effective skills in reading and writing, but also the ability to use and interpret media effectively. The Multimedia Across the College program expands the opportunities for USC students to gain exposure to multimedia, offering labs in conjunction of a full array of College courses.

It includes five foundational literacies

1. Digital literacy refers to the ability to understand the basic aspects of multimedia tools and software, and covers everything from the protocols for compression, back-up and file naming to definitions of terms (frame rate, dpi, etc.) and basic equipment usage.
2. Network literacy refers to the ability to use networked software for intelligent participation in online communities.
3. Design literacy refers to the ability to use appropriate design principles for multimedia authoring in a specific context, and the ability to control the relationship between form and content.
4. Argumentation focuses on the ability to develop, express and defend a persuasive thesis using media, as well as the ability to use evidence and complex thinking in constructing an argument.
5. Research literacy refers to the ability to perform effective, critical online research; knowledge of academically appropriate protocols for selection, citation and attribution of source materials; and knowledge of fair use and copyright issues.

and ten supplemental literacies

1. Presentation: The ability to understand and articulate basic strategies for effective presentation using multimedia, as well as how to disseminate these materials to a wide audience.
2. Visual literacy: The abilities to convey information visually and to understand and control systems of visual signification.
3. Sonic literacy: The ability to communicate effectively with sound.
4. Interpretation: The ability to use multimedia to enhance a critical interpretation, and the ability to identify and articulate the cultural, historical and ideological contexts of a media object.
5. Annotation: Understanding strategies for critical annotation of text, images and media.
6. Collaboration: The ability to work effectively in a group authoring environment, as well as the ability to lead a team project.
7. Narrative literacy: Knowledge of basic components and genres of narrative, and the ability to deploy elements of narrative in a critical context.
8. Pedagogical literacy: Understanding strategies for creating an effective tool for teaching.
9. Interactivity: The ability to communicate effectively in a non-linear, interactive context, and the ability to design an effective interface or navigational structure.
10. Code literacy: The ability to understand the basics of how code operates, and the ability to write or use basic code.

Clay Shirky Discusses the Emergence of New Literacies

Does the Internet Make You Smarter? – WSJ.com via kwout

Clay Shirky responds to Nicholas Carr’s assertion that “the Internet is making us dumber” with his essay, “Does the Internet Make You Smarter” in the Wall Street Journal. Shirky thoughtfully makes the case that we are living in a transitory period in which new forms of reading and writing are emerging as well as evolving meanings of “literacy.”

Every increase in freedom to create or consume media, from paperback books to YouTube, alarms people accustomed to the restrictions of the old system, convincing them that the new media will make young people stupid. This fear dates back to at least the invention of movable type.

This essay can help educators and librarians better conceptualize the scale of change and provides insights into the paradigm shift we are experiencing in how we define literacy.

Free Webinar Tonight: Transmedia Navigation

from the New Media Literacies network:

Join us on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 7PM–8:30 PM EST for an in-depth panel discussion about Transmedia Navigation led by Henry Jenkins and joined by Mark Warshaw (The Alchemists, LA and Brazil) and Clement Chau (DevTech Research Group, Tufts University). The goal of this session is to help educators better understand about transmedia navigation and the value it can have in learning.

This free webinar, hosted via Elluminate, can be accessed by clicking here. The session will be recorded and archived for those who cannot attend this learning session live.

“Youth Safety on a Living Internet”: Report of the Online Safety and Technology Working Group

OSTWG_Final_Report_060410.pdf via kwout

The “Youth Safety on a Living Internet” report from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s  Online Safety and Working Technology Group, released Friday, June 4, advises that scare tactics related to online safety and blocked access to social networking sites is detrimental and does more harm than good to youth.   The findings of this report bolsters the efforts of librarians and educators to fight restrictive filtering policies that block students’ access to  content that can be used to help youth access, read, write, and interact with multiple forms of media via the web.

According to Larry Magid, Technology Journalist for the Huffington Post and member of this task force:

” What we concluded is that we need to go beyond worrying about predators and pornography and start thinking about young people as active participants – true citizens – in an increasingly interactive online environment where young people are just as likely to create content as they are to consume it.”