Campus Conversations, an online professional development series on key topics relating to online education in the face of rapidly changing technology, kicked off the 2021-22 academic year with a presentation by Mike Caulfield. This event was cohosted by University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska Online.
In his presentation, Attention is the Scarcity: Information Literacy in the New Information Economy, Caulfield guided a discussion covering digital literacy practices in education, during an epidemic of disinformation. Using his SIFT methodology, he demonstrated how short investigative techniques around source and claim-checking can result in radically improved outcomes for students and citizens navigating information online. Please contact online@nebraska.edu if you would like to view a recording of the presentation.
More about the Presenter:
Mike Caulfield, Director of Blended and Networked Learning at Washington State University Vancouver is an early believer in the idea of civic digital literacies. His SIFT model, a practical approach to quick source and claim investigation, encourages readers to take a minute or two to seek out basic information about sources and claims before they engage more deeply with media and, if necessary, to move on to better material. It is based on research of Sam Wineburg and his own experiences helping faculty to teach critical consumption in the classroom.
His work, Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers, won the Merlot Award for best open learning resource in the ICT category and he was a runner-up in the Rita Allen/RTI International Misinformation Solutions Award (2018).
Mike is also known for his use of collaborative technology in the classroom and worked with wiki inventor Ward Cunningham from 2014-2016 on the use of federated wiki in education. His 2015 essay "The Garden and the Stream" is credited with launching the digital gardens movement. He was an early proponent of the use of Open Educational Resources and worked for MIT as the first director of community outreach for the OpenCourseWare Consortium in the mid-2000s. His work has been covered by The New York Times, the Chronicle of Higher Education, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the MIT Technology Review.
More about Campus Conversations:
Campus Conversations is an online professional development series focused on key topics related to education in the face of rapidly changing technology. The event takes place multiple times throughout the academic year and features nationally recognized speakers to share information about topics of interest to those involved in online learning. These events are offered free of charge to University of Nebraska faculty and staff.