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The Metaliteracy Learning Collaborative includes Trudi Jacobson, Tom Mackey, and Kelsey O'Brien..

Sneak Peak #2 into Metaliteracy in Practice

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As promised, we are posting chapter previews, written by the authors, for the forthcoming book Metaliteracy in Practice, due out in late 2015 or early 2016 from ALA Neal-Schuman.

Chapter 2:

The Politics of Information: Students as Creators in a Metaliteracy Context

Lauren Wallis, Christopher Newport University

Andrew Battista, New York University

The recent revision of the Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education opens a space for students to reflect on their position within an inherently political imbroglio of information, both in traditional scholarly formats and in open online spaces. When students visit the library, it is often at the behest of their professors, who expect that librarians will tell them how to find peer-reviewed journals. Meanwhile, the Framework, with its grounding in metaliteracy, encourages knowledge practices and dispositions in which students see their own encounters with information as opportunities to question authority, challenge expertise, and recognize the merit of nontraditional forms of evidence.

As the Framework was being revised, and as discussions of metaliteracy as a guiding principle for information literacy pedagogy emerged, we taught a one-credit class called The Politics of Information. In this class, we asked several questions: Who creates information? What information gets produced and circulated, and what information does not?  Who has access to information, and how can the dissemination of information be an instrument of social control, inside and outside of the academy? As we taught, we realized that our core teaching moves—to destabilize authority and to encourage students to create digital products and reflect metacognitively on their learning experience—dovetail with the goals of metaliteracy.

We are excited that our chapter, “The Politics of Information: Students as Creators in a Metaliteracy Context,” is included in the forthcoming Metaliteracy in Practice volume. Our chapter makes the connections between the learning outcomes in The Politics of Information course and metaliteracy explicit. We began with the idea that information is a social construct, not a static, amorphous entity that reifies academic authority. We hope that this chapter, along with the others in the volume, offers concrete ways to adopt the goals of metaliteracy into the information literacy classroom.

Sneak Peaks into the Forthcoming Book Metaliteracy in Practice

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As we mentioned in our post of June 14, the manuscript of Metaliteracy in Practice has been delivered to our editors, ALA Neal-Schuman, with publication expected in late 2015 or early 2016. The volume includes nine chapters, whose authors explore a wide range of teaching situations and opportunities where metaliteracy provides a structural and pedagogical framework.

We thought that brief overviews of some of the content might interest you.  Over the next month or two we will feature these sneak peaks, written by chapter authors, as blog posts. We hope they will whet your appetite!

Chapter 4:

Where Collections and Metaliteracy Meet: Incorporating Library-Owned Platforms into Open and Collaborative Library Instruction

Amanda Scull

Keene State College, New Hampshire

Many of the ways in which librarians provide instruction are dependent upon libraries’ subscription content, namely databases and online journals. Yet in a time when our budgets are decreasing and the cost of those resources increases annually, librarians should consider shifting their focus to library-owned platforms that support local content creation. This focus on institutionally created content housed on library platforms requires a shift in the way we define “collections.” However, this approach allows librarians to innovate and adapt their instruction in ways that engage students with collaboration, varied content, and the literacies demanded of today’s scholars and workforce.

This chapter focuses on the use of institutional repositories and LibGuides as two platforms through which librarians can both teach and develop content. There are many ways to connect the metaliteracy objectives to instruction through these platforms, as they are ideal places for encouraging students to collaborate and participate in the scholarly conversation. Practical examples of how librarians are already using these platforms at colleges and universities are provided, as well as suggestions for assessment and mapping to the metaliteracy goals and objectives and ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.

Presentation on MOOCs and Badges at SUNY CIT

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The Metaliteracy Learning Collaborative presented on the culmination of their work over the past year for an Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG) at SUNY’s Conference on Instruction and Technology on May 28th. A panel composed of all eight members of the grant team, including PIs Tom Mackey and Trudi Jacobson and co-PIs Kathleen Stone, Michele Forte, Amy McQuigge, Kelsey O’Brien, Allison Hosier and Jenna Pitera, discussed the development of two MOOCs on two different platforms, both of which were supported by the metaliteracy learning objectives. Designing Innovative Online Learning: An Investigation of Digital Badges Integration with Two MOOC Platforms offered insights about the collaborative development and facilitation of both the Coursera and Canvas MOOCs and the extent to which we were able to integrate the Metaliteracy Badges.

Finished Manuscript of Metaliteracy in Practice

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We have spent the last year editing a book that we just sent to our publishers, ALA Editions, at the beginning of July. Entitled Metaliteracy in Practice, the chapter authors explore a wide range of teaching situations and opportunities where metaliteracy provides a structural and pedagogical framework. It is highly exciting and inspirational to learn about the numerous ways the authors have found metaliteracy to be meaningful to them and their students.

The authors also examine issues relevant to the ACRL Framework in relation to metaliteracy. Both are having a transformative effect on the field of information literacy. The chapter authors show why we need to reframe and reinvent information literacy as a metaliteracy and why a new definition of information literacy was required at this pivotal time in higher education.

In addition to our wonderful chapter authors, we are thrilled that the book’s Foreword has been written by Alison J. Head, Ph.D., Executive Director, Project Information Literacy (PIL), Principal Research Scientist, The Information School, University of Washington, and Faculty Associate, Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University. Alison provides the ideal context for the book that connects to her innovative work with Project Information Literacy (PIL).

We expect the book will be published in late 2015 or early 2016. As soon as the publisher finalizes the copy for their catalog, we’ll add it here.

In the meantime, look for upcoming posts by chapter authors that provide a glimpse into the book’s contents!

Metaliteracy Presentation at COIL Conference in NYC

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Three members of the Metaliteracy Learning Collaborative presented at the 7th SUNY COIL Conference in New York City in March 2015. Tom Mackey, Michele Forte, and Kathleen Stone presented: Empowering Yourself in a Connected World: Designing an Open SUNY Coursera Course for a Global Audience.  This presentation examined our initial observations of the collaboratively developed and facilitated Coursera MOOC Empowering Yourself in a Connected World with a particular emphasis on the global reach of this learning environment. If you attended the conference or just discovered the presentation now, let us know what you think with a reply to this posting!

Registration Now Open for New MOOC, Empowering Yourself as a Digital Citizen

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Our Canvas MOOC, Empowering Yourself as a Digital Citizen, is set to begin on March 23.  This MOOC is based on the Digital Citizen badge in the Metaliteracy Badging System. The course lasts 6 weeks, and at the end of it, participants who have completed their work will earn the Digital Citizen Badge. Registration is limited to 500 in this MOOC, so sign up soon if you are interested. Here’s a video to get a sneak peek.

http://video214.com/play/Lt0WHewZ6wgih3CbJDquwg/s/dark

Another Metaliteracy open learning opportunity is about to begin

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In fall 2013 the Metaliteracy Learning Collaborative hosted a connectivist MOOC, Metaliteracy MOOC, which provided a collaborative learning environment to explore a range of aspects connected with metaliteracy. Over 500 people registered for the course, primarily professionals from information-related fields.

We are delighted to announce that this spring we will offer not one but two x-MOOCs, one on Coursera and one on Canvas. First up is the Coursera MOOC: Metaliteracy: Empowering Yourself in a Connected World. Registration for this first MOOC is now open at Coursera.org and the 10-week course will be begin on February 2, 2015. The second MOOC is being developed in Canvas Network with a particular emphasis on Digital Citizenship and additional details about registration will be forthcoming. These MOOCs are open to all, but we expect that many people who are not information professionals will engage in learning about their active roles in our information age, and how they can contribute to these social spaces as informed digital citizens.  While our original connectivist MOOC was focused on exploring the theory of metaliteracy from multiple perspectives through our collaborative MOOC Talks, both X-MOOCs are designed for learners interested in putting theory into practice through an integrated and collaborative learning experience.

The two new metaliteracy MOOCs are being supported by an Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG) Designing Innovative Online Learning: Integrating a Coursera MOOC with Open SUNY Badging.  Both MOOCs integrate content from our Metaliteracy Digital Badging system and the Canvas Network version will provide opportunities for learners to earn a sharable Digital Citizen badge.

Register now for Empowering Yourself in a Connected World!  Look forward to seeing you in the open course!

Metaliteracy eCourse offered by ALA in January 2015

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Trudi Jacobson and Tom Mackey will co-facilitate a new eCourse for ALA starting on January 5, 2015.  This 4-week course entitled Metaliteracy: Reinventing Information Literacy to Empower Learners is based on their new co-authored book about Metaliteracy.  Detailed information about the eCourse, including learning objectives and the course outline, is also available via the ALA Press Release.  This asynchronous course will feature optional weekly sessions via synchronous web conferencing with both authors.  The course includes video introductions recorded by Trudi and Tom at the TV Studio at SUNY Empire State College: Metaliteracy eCourse Introductory Video

Second SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant Supports Metaliteracy

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A team from Empire State College, SUNY and the University at Albany was awarded a Tier 3 SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG) for 2014-2015. This $60,000 grant, Designing Innovative Online Learning: Integrating a Coursera MOOC with Open SUNY Badging, is funding several initiatives focused on metaliteracy and badging.

As described in the grant proposal, “This project merges two innovative and flexible learning models: a metaliteracy Coursera MOOC open to all SUNY students, and its integration with competency-based badging. This unified approach to learning appeals to students and employers alike, and serves as a robust model to advance Open SUNY.” In addition, the funding will provide the means to develop a community of support for SUNY faculty interested in developing Open SUNY badging initiatives.

The team, led by Trudi Jacobson, Distinguished Librarian at the University at Albany, and Tom Mackey, Interim Vice Provost for Academic Programs at Empire State College, is building upon strengths developed from their 2012-2013 IITG-funded projects. They and members of the Metaliteracy Collaborative developed a connectivist MOOC that was offered in the fall of 2013, and they have created a very rich digital badging system based on the metaliteracy learning objectives.

Additional members of the grant team are Kelsey O’Brien (project director), Jenna Hecker, and Allison Hosier from the University at Albany, and Michele Forte, Kathleen Stone, Amy McQuigge, and Dana Longley from Empire State College.Three graduate students at the University at Albany’s School of Education,, Andrea Beukema, Brandon West, and Carmita Sanchez-Fong, will assist. Samuel Abramovich from the University at Buffalo’s Department of Learning and Instruction will oversee a MOOC-related research study.

Speaking of MOOCs, the team will offer not just one MOOC during spring 2015, but rather two! This came about because Coursera is currently unable to offer the functionality the team needed to integrate the badges with the MOOC. However, due to their high profile in the MOOC arena, and their selection as the platform of choice for SUNY, the team is adapting its original intentions in order to proceed with the planned course.The Coursera MOOC will feature a longer (10-week) learning opportunity that utilizes the high-end videos common to many of the company’s offerings, and will address a range of the metaliteracy learning objectives. Kathleen Stone is overseeing the Coursera component of the grant. This MOOC will begin in February 2015.

The Canvas MOOC will vary in several ways.  It will be shorter, probably 5 weeks, and will start in March. It will focus on one of the four main areas of metaliteracy, Digital Citizen. Those who enroll in this MOOC will be working their way through a shareable badge, one that they can display via Credly.There is great interest in determining what impact the badging will have on student motivation, and what can be learned comparing the two different platforms and courses.

More details about the MOOCs and other grant-funded projects will be posted soon.

 

Call for Chapter Proposals for Metaliteracy in Practice

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We are soliciting chapter proposals for a book entitled Metaliteracy in Practice, to be published in late 2015 or early 2016 by the American Library Association. We would like to include chapters written by academic librarians, disciplinary faculty, administrators, instructional designers, and scholars of emerging literacies about successful educational initiatives and instruction that involve metaliteracy. The editors are particularly interested in ideas that are easily transferable, and that include strong components of student metacognition and empowerment. The book will include innovative case studies from different academic institutions in the U.S. and internationally. Given the relationship between metaliteracy and emerging technologies, we look forward to receiving proposals on a range of cutting edge endeavors surrounding social media and digital learning. We are also interested in the application of the expanded Metaliteracy Learning objectives featured in our current book Metaliteracy: Reinventing Information Literacy to Empower Learners and available here on the Metaliteracy.org blog.

Metaliteracy, which reframes and reinvents traditional conceptions of information literacy, has become increasingly well known since its introduction in Reframing Information Literacy as a Metaliteracy in January 2011 in College & Research Libraries. In fall 2013, a connectivist MOOC on the topic was offered and a Coursera MOOC, which fully integrates with a metaliteracy badging initiative, will be offered in spring 2015. In 2014, Metaliteracy: Reinventing Information to Empower Learners was published by ALA Neal-Schuman, which expanded the model in both theory and practice and featured two chapters that examined specific case studies. This new compendium, Metaliteracy in Practice, will complement the first metaliteracy book with chapters from a wide range of institutional and instructional design settings to meet the needs of librarians and other educators who would like to examine a wide array of practical examples focused on student success and empowerment.

The ongoing ACRL process of developing the new information literacy framework has generated lively debates in the field about a number of the its proposed components, including metaliteracy, demonstrating the timeliness of a volume that is based on innovative case studies from the field.

For accepted chapters, please consider using the following sections and overall organizing structure, if this is appropriate for your content:

Introduction
Related Literature
Institutional or other Associated Context
Disciplinary/Programmatic/Other Perspective
Metaliteracy Case Study
Application of Metaliteracy Learning Objectives
Contribution/Innovation
Assessment of the Instruction/Endeavor
Conclusion

This book will be co-edited by Trudi E. Jacobson, Head of the Information Literacy Department at the University at Albany, and Thomas P. Mackey, Dean of the Center for Distance Learning, SUNY Empire State College.

Please send 1-2 page proposals to Trudi at tjacobson@albany.edu no later than November 3, 2014. We will make our decisions by late November. First drafts of the completed chapters (20-25 pages) will be due on February 16, 2015. Final drafts will be due by April 17, 2015.

If you have any questions about proposal ideas or about the book, please contact Trudi.