Information literacy and social media in the context of South African schools

Abstract

Information communication technologies (ICTs) have changed the workplace, education delivery and information platforms but the fundamentals of working with information have not changed. Learners and students must still investigate, reason, review, analyse and synthesise information regardless of the diversity of the platforms. This article reflects on information literacy and explores the notion of social media in the South African school context. Standards for information literate learners are discussed, as well as the teaching of information literacy in the 21st century, with reference to the Big Process Model. In the South African context the authors look briefly at two important documents namely, the National Guidelines for School Library and Information Services published in April 2012 by the Department of Basic Education (DoE) and the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) that came into effect in January 2011. Neither CAPS nor the National Guidelines mention social media literacy per se, but the authors assume that it is implied under digital literacy, teamwork and communication. It is therefore argued that the diverse learner body and the disparities in digital access complicate information literacy teaching. However, the authors are of the belief that this should not continue to be an excuse for negligence in the teaching of information literacy.