Crap Detection

“Every man should have a built-in automatic crap detector operating inside him.”
Ernest Hemingway, 1954

"Crap detection” as dubbed by Howard Rheingold, is the learner's ability to determine if presented information has merit. Learning to be a critical consumer of information involves determining the information's relevance, authenticity, currency, and bias. In Wired magazine, Clive Thompson discusses Why Kids Can’t Search. Thompson strewed that critical search inability stems from lack of missed opportunities to judge information.

The good news? Teacher-librarians are ready to help students become information literate. Google searching tips, curation of relevant, authentic sources, strategies for evaluating information, and detecting crap will help develop critical thinkers and learners.

Mike Eisenberg on Information Literacy

I had the great fortune to watch Mike Eisenberg, of the Big 6 fame, present Information Literacy.
He provides an interesting twist to the parable of the man and the fish. In an information literate environment, teacher-librarians should provide assistance for finding, using, and evaluating resources about fishing. By providing students with the skills for obtaining information relevant to their search, rather than a teacher-direct introduction to the content, students can then teach themselves how to fish...and to solve similar, but novel, inquiries.