Information Literacy

"Facts" vs Knowledge

A fact is a bit of information that is known, verified where the verification process can be repeated multiple times and the outcome remains the same

Knowledge is a collection of facts, and beliefs that create an overall practical understanding of a subject

In a perfect world, only real facts would make it into our knowledge bank, however false information can make its way in and damage overall knowledge of a subject.

In a study by the American Press Institute (2015), Millennials who regularly consume news are likely to do so through a social media platform. However, even though on this graph it appears Facebook is used the most, according to this study Millennials are likely to use at least 3 different social media types to get their news, in addition to Googling stories for more in-depth coverage.

Reading vs Critical Thinking

There is a distinct difference in reading and critically thinking while reading. Critical Thinking is imperative to higher learning.

A Critical thinker is more likely to:

• recognize every article as a unique text to a unique author
• be aware of their own bias as well as author's potential bias and how that shapes the article
• approach controversial issues with an open mind
• does not see things in "black & white" but rather recognizes all the other possibilities
• not be offended by a view that may contradict their own personal beliefs

Passive (non-critical) thinkers would be more likely to:

• see things as "black & white" or "yes and no" without going into the subtleties 
• fail to see the connection to other materials
• not gain knowledge about the subject matter they are reading on
• maintain a simplistic view of the world