Information technology has increasingly become a part of our everyday lives and workplaces. Not only is information technology pervasive, but it is ever changing. How can individuals cope? Being Fluent with Information Technology, a report published in 1999, is an attempt to answer the question: “What should everyone know about information technology in order to use it more effectively now and in the future (Committee on Information Technology Literacy, p. 2)?”

In 1997, the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the National Research Council formed a committee chaired by Dr. Larry Snyder, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington to study the subject of information technology literacy. The committee, which considered input from a range of computer and information professionals, decided to use the term fluency rather than literacy noting that “fluency connotes the ability to reformulate knowledge, to express oneself creatively and appropriately, and to produce and generate information (rather than simply to comprehend it) (Committee on Information Technology Literacy, p. viii). The committee”s report, Being Fluent with Information Technology, considers information technology from a comprehensive perspective.

FITness

Fluency with Information Technology, or FITness, “requires that persons understand information technology broadly enough to be able to apply it to their everyday lives, to recognize when information technology would assist or impede the achievement of a goal, and to continually adapt to the changes in and advancement of information technology (Committee on Information Technology Literacy, p. 15).” FITness requires knowledge in three areas:

• Intellectual capabilities – having the ability to solve problems by reasoning, test possible solutions, anticipate and adapt to change, and troubleshoot.
• Fundamental concepts – knowing about computers and information systems, being aware of how they work and how they impact society.
• Contemporary skills – being able to manage a personal computer and use common software applications such as e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.

Each of these areas contains ten suggested elements which experts identified as the top ten capabilities, concepts and skills needed for FITness. By integrating these capabilities, concepts, and skills, a person should be able to solve problems and apply technology appropriately. However, due to the evolutionary nature of information technology, FITness cannot be considered as a goal to reach only once, rather it needs to be a commitment to lifelong learning.

Implementation

The committee chose to focus on implementation at the college level since colleges and universities already have existing models for such efforts and would likely have an existing information technology infrastructure. Possibilities for implementation include offering courses that focus on FITness or infusing information technology projects throughout the curriculum. A number of sample projects are described in the report.

The University of Washington used the report as the basis for a new course co-developed by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Information School. Now offered every term to undergraduate students, Fluency with Information Technology (CSE100/INFO100), is a course designed to develop fluency through lectures, lab work, and by involving students in a number of projects. One such project, “Website of Misinformation” requires students to create a Web page featuring a photograph that they have altered accompanied by text that provides information about the altered photograph. Students are encouraged to make their Web pages believable and to field test these pages with other students to determine if the desired affect has been achieved. Among the objectives for the assignment are:

• To design and implement a Web site using HTML
• To manipulate a photograph in PhotoShop
• To experience first hand the ease with which “misinformation” can be made available online
• To become aware of and systematically explore the “cues” that users may use to assess the content of a Web site
• To conduct user testing to evaluate your Web site
• To reflect on the challenges for misinformation online
• Ultimately, to become an appropriately cautious user of online information (Snyder, 2001).

Students completing this project would use all three components of fluency; problem-solving, creating a Web page, and learning about the societal impact of technology.

The Big6™ Connection

How can students use the Big6 to develop FITness? As an information problem-solving process, the Big6 provides students with a roadmap for developing their problem-solving abilities. Following is an analysis of the project described above which requires students to find a photograph to be altered, alter it, create a Web page on which to display it and provide text about the photograph that is believable.

• Big6 #1: Task Definition: Find a photograph to alter and then provide believable text about the photograph.
• Big6 #2: Information Seeking Strategies: Search news Web sites such as CNN, NBC, Associated Press, and browse through magazines to find text.
• Big6 #3: Location & Access: Find a photograph and text currently associated with it.
• Big6 #4: Use of Information: View the photograph and read the current text that is associated with the photograph or other text about that topic.
• Big6 #5: Synthesis: Use PhotoShop to alter the photograph and compose fictional but believable text to accompany the photograph. Prior to composing the text, analyze the current information available about the topic to think of something that will be believable. Put together the Web page featuring the altered photograph and the text.
• Big6 #6: Evaluation: Test the Web page to determine if the website is believable. Think about the process used to complete the assignment. What did you do well? What would you change?

Conclusion

Being Fluent with Information Technology points out, not all individuals are capable of achieving FITness but all are capable of achieving some level of FITness. As we work with students to develop their information problem-solving capabilities, we are developing the building blocks for FITness.

Note: Being Fluent with Information Technology is available for purchase from the National Academy Press or may be read online for free.

Bibliography

• Committee on Information Technology Literacy. (1999). Being fluent with information technology. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
• Snyder, L. (2001). “Web of misinformation.” (14 July 2001). [On-line]. http://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/100/CurrentQtr/labs/Project1.htm

Biographical information

Kathy Spitzer, Big6 eNewsletter editor, is also a library media specialist at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. Kathy has been at Cicero-North Syracuse High School for the past five years and was previously a library media specialist at North Syracuse Junior High School.

Kathy earned an M.L.S. from the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University in 1991.

E-mail: kspitzer@twcny.rr.com