In the modern age, the amount of data has been rapidly growing with the development of technology. People are consuming information via digital sources more than from traditional printed papers. However, the quality and credibility of the data on the web are questionable. Therefore, the need for information literacy skills has become more critical. People are using less paper material and prefer research for the information in technological advances making it easier to remember and restore information for further academic studies.
Information literacy is essential for the innovation and development of technology. Children from the young age are taught to use the resources in the right way to ensure that they receive more benefits that drawbacks (Amram et al. 2020).The concept is the key skill that is acquired through reading and processing significant amounts of data and is often taught in liberal arts-related majors. Consequently, liberal arts are essential for innovation and technology development. Gobble (2019) mentioned in the article that liberal arts are necessary for innovation because they help young people learn critical thinking, creativity, and other skills like information literacy. Hence, the concept should not be underestimated and used in the right purposes.
Information literacy skills of mine have evolved throughout learning this module. The class provided information about databases and their use, articles about liberal arts and innovation, IL, and life in the information age. The materials showed that not all resources on the web can be credible. Moreover, the resources explain how to access scholarly peer-reviewed articles through databases (Yavapai College Library, 2011). It has also been found that teaching literacy in the digital sphere is correlated to creating leaders (Held, 2018). This correlation increases the importance of IL skills. The realization of information literacy’s essence, along with its fundamentals, is the knowledge I have acquired. This is a step towards developing and understanding information literacy concepts and its skills.
The most impactful resource in this module was the article written by Gobble. She discusses the article’s significance in the importance of liberal arts and their role in innovation and technology. The resource uses different rhetorical appeals like logos, ethos, and pathos and is convincing. The author persuades the reader that teaching liberal arts to students is as critical as teaching STEM-related majors because innovation is created by combining both. There are also interesting facts, such as “Wadhwa’s research team surveyed 652 chief executives and heads of product engineering at 502 tech firms; less than 40 percent had STEM degrees” (Gobble, 2021, p. 3). It is conventional to think that engineers shall occupy significant head positions in tech companies; nonetheless, Gobble presents an opposing argument. Therefore, this article was impressive and the most impactful of all.
Information literacy skills have a significant effect on my personal career growth. At the university, I continue reading and writing papers using academic language. Processing scholarly resources to produce an academically written report requires a certain level of information literacy, and I understand how to understand the difference between credible and incredible resources. Reliable data helps me in the field of criminology because this profession requires analytical skills that can be developed through information literacy in the modern age.
Information literacy is essential because it correlates to innovation and technology development. The education in this academic area is also necessary for creating leaders in different fields. My information literacy skill has improved because the materials taught fundamentals of these skills necessary for future learning. Moreover, it has been identified that information literacy is vital in pursuing an academic career because this skill allows students to complete university tasks. The most influential article among all resources of this module was the article about why innovation needs liberal arts.
References
Amram, S. B., Aharony, N., & Ilan, J. B. (2020). Information literacy education in primary schools: A case study. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 53(2), 349-264.
Held, T. (2018). Life in the information age. CSU Stanislaus University Library.
Gobble M. M. (2019) Innovation Needs the Liberal Arts. Research Technology Management, 62(2), 51-55.
Yavapai College Library. (2011). What Are Databases and Why You Need Them [Video]. YouTube. Web.