• Your responses to your classmates must be substantive. Share ideas, explore differences, and think critically about your classmates’ posts. Bring in information from your textbook, classroom resources or other credible sources that you find to contribute to the discussion. You are invited to share relevant audio, video, or images in your responses. You must cite and reference any sources you use, even in your responses to your classmates.

PEER RESPONSE:

 Hello Class,

Below is my response to this week’s discussion assignment.

Explain your understanding of information literacy. Choose three example concepts or skills from Module 1 of your course textbook and explain how these concepts illustrate your understanding. Be sure to cite your course textbook.

The text states that “information literacy is the ability to identify a need for information and successfully locate, evaluate, and use that information ethically and legally for a determined purpose” (Von Winckelmann, 2015, 1.1). Three concepts or skills that help explain my understanding of information literacy are being able to effectively implement the essential functions listed below:

1. Critical Thinking – is the objective analysis and evaluation of facts to form a judgment. It requires the utilization of specific skill sets to determine the value of a source of information; analysis, evaluation, inference, interpretation, explanation, and self-regulation. Information literate individuals use critical thinking skills when absorbing information by evaluating credible sources for accuracy and fairness. (Von Winckelmann, 2015, 1.2).
2. Creative Thinking – is a way of looking at problems, circumstance, or situations from a
   a fresh perspective, engaging the information, imaginatively, for ideas stimulated by both an unstructured process such as brainstorming, and by lateral thinking, a structured process.
   Thinking creatively requires that you keep an open mind as you explore a wider range of possibilities. Creative thinking can be stimulated both by an unstructured process such as brainstorming and by a structured process such as lateral  (Von Winckelmann, 2015, 1.2).
3. Problem Solving – is the process of defining and determining the cause of a problem; effectively working through an issue or question to find a viable solution; identifying, prioritizing, and implementing an alternative solution is the problem-solving process.
   People who are information literate are able to effectively use credible information to solve problems. (Von Winckelmann, 2015, 1.2).

Explain how these concepts apply to you as a college student. Why do students need to learn information literacy? Explain why these concepts apply to your personal or professional life and how you will apply them.

According to the roadmap to success guide, these concepts will increase my chances of achieving good grades and will expand my learning capacity, academically, personally, and professionally. Information literacy will enable me to more efficiently manage time and balance obligations in my academic, professional, and personal life to avoid overwhelm and burnout on my journey to success.
Proficiency with these concepts will help me identify potential threats and misleading, or outdated, information that could jeopardize the credibility of my research, assignments, and work. It will help me maintain my integrity and reputation, as well as, protect me from possible legal ramifications and other negative consequences, both academically and professionally. Finally, these vital concepts will enable me to find the answers that I need when seeking information, albeit researching a class assignment, job searching, or just seeking helpful advice on a plethora of other subject matters.

References:

Von Winckelmann, S. (2015). Information literacy in the digital age [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/