You won’t find a step that says evaluate a source based on
what “my group believes” or “who tweeted the most” or
“how much I dislike a source.”

 2012:

Maybe it is the heat of the political campaign season. The ads, debates, robocalls, and the talking (screaming?) heads on television have reinforced the importance of being information literate.   I am again reminded that study skills go beyond the classroom. They are life skills.  If we are not able to distinguish fact from fiction in what we hear, see, and read then we are in for a long political season.

2016:

Not only must we determine whether accurate information has been presented, we need to pay more attention to the source of the information. Source evaluation requires understanding bias, scope, depth, and background of a source.

2018:

Do we live in a post-fact world?

In the half-dozen years that have passed since my first quote above, you could make the argument we have not made much progress with information literacy. There appears to be more yelling, less verifying, and increased tribalism.  When we get caught up in “us, good” and “them, bad” it becomes difficult to have considered and collaborative conversation about what is and is not accurate.

Video Recommendation of the Week:

Look at this brief video I shot in the campus library.  Yes, the location might seem a bit “historical.” Still, pay attention to the four basic steps for considering information.  You won’t find a step that says evaluate a source based on what “my group believes” or “who tweeted the most” or “how much I dislike a source.”

For more about community building and sustainability,
look for my new book due out the beginning of 2019.
More information to come.

Make it an inspiring and grateful week and H.T.R.B. as needed.

For information about and to order my most recent book, Stories about Teaching, Learning, and Resilience: No Need to be an Island, click here. A few colleges and one state-wide agency have adopted it for training and coaching purposes. Contact me if you and your team are interested in doing the same.

The paperback price on Amazon is now $14.99 and the Kindle version stands at $5.99. Consider it for a faculty orientation or a mentoring program. The accompanying videos would serve to stimulate community-building conversations at the beginning of a meeting.

My podcasts: The Growth and Resilience Network® (http://stevepiscitelli.com/media-broadcast/podcast).

My programs and webinars: website (http://stevepiscitelli.com/programs/what-i-do) and (http://stevepiscitelli.com/programs/webinars).

Pearson Education publishes my student textbooks for life success—Choices for College Success (3^rd edition) and Study Skills: Do I Really Need This Stuff? (3^rd edition).

(c) 2018. Steve Piscitelli. All rights reserved.