Promoting Ethical Literacy in Youth - ALA 2011

Promoting Ethical Literacy in Youth How Librarians Can Partner with Parents and Teachers

Michael Zimmer, PhDAssistant Professor, School of Information Studies

Co-Director, Center for Information Policy ResearchUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

www.MichaelZimmer.org

Michael Zimmer | ALA Annual 2011

Promoting Ethical Literacy

Ethical dilemmas facing youth

Role of literacy standards & codes

Opportunities for new forms of education & intervention

Challenges ahead


Ethical Dilemmas

Traditional ethical dilemmas abound for today’s youth “I need a shortcut to complete an assignment” “Defend my awkward classmate, or join the bullying?” “Spreading a rumor, or a secret, about a friend” “Do I steal the CD?” “Sneak a peek at the adult magazine?”

What happens when we introduce digitally-networked technologies…


Digital Ethical Dilemmas

“I need a shortcut to complete an assignment” Use of Sparknotes Essays-for-sale websites Cut-paste from online sources Wikipedia

Renewed ethical concerns Plagiarism, responsibility Trust & bias of information sources User-generated content, collaboration



“Defend my awkward classmate, or join the bullying?” Much easier to engage in bullying via instant message,

texting, Facebook walls Things can be said via technology that you wouldn’t F2F Doesn’t stop once you leave the playground; doesn’t

disappear as time passes Anonymity

Renewed ethical concerns Friendship Teasing vs. Harm



“Spreading a rumor, or secret, about a friend” Spread faster, farther with Facebook or MySpace Access to more sensitive information – and images

Not always intentional Harder to “take back” Anonymity

Renewed ethical concerns Friendship & sharing Gossip


Digital Ethical Dilemmas “Do I steal the CD?”

Greater opportunities to obtain access to content without paying or authorization P2P downloading of music Copyright-protected content on BitTorrent “Breaking” encryption or DRM to access & share Login/Password sharing

Renewed ethical concerns Theft & Ownership Intellectual Property & Fair Use Information Access vs. Control



“Sneak a peek at the adult magazine?” Greater opportunities to view restricted material, or

engage in risky behavior online Online pornography Webcam chat, sexting Fear of online predators

Renewed ethical concerns Playfulness & exploration vs. taboo Freedom of expression Trust vs. surveillance



New twists and turns on traditional ethical concerns Cheating & plagiarism Bias and trust in information sources Property, theft Friendship, teasing, gossip Sharing, privacy, and surveillance

Some of these addressed in existing standards & codes, others need different approaches to achieve literacy


Literacy Standards: ACRL

#3: The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system

#5: The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally

Helps address bias, plagiarism, copyright, netiquette But vague, and is college too late?


Literacy Standards: AASL 21st

#1: Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources

by identifying misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, and point of view or bias.

Maintain a critical stance by questioning the validity and accuracy of all information.

Respect copyright/ intellectual property rights of creators and producers.

Follow ethical and legal guidelines in gathering and using information.

Helps address bias, copyright, ethics broadly


Literacy Standards: AASL 21st

#3: Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society. Use information and technology ethically and responsibly. Show social responsibility… Use information and knowledge in the service of

democratic values Respect the principles of intellectual freedom

Helps support collaboration, responsibility, freedom of expression


Ethical Codes: ALA

II: We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources

III: We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.

IV: We respect intellectual property rights and advocate balance between the interests of information users and rights holders.

Helps teach privacy, freedom of expression, property rights


Where are we?

We have literacy standards at multiple educational levels that touch on many of the core ethical concerns Mostly concerned with plagiarism, copyright, bias

We have professional codes and statements of rights that touch on additional ethical concerns Address privacy, intellectual freedom, respect

But are institutionalized mentions of ethical issues sufficient for reaching youth & attaining literacy?


New Forms of Literacy Education

Talking and listening to youth Discover their unique perspectives on privacy, property,

information sharing & exchange Need to shape ethical lessons & examples accordingly

Ensure ethics are integrated into all literacy-related educational activities Specifically address ethical questions related to each

learning outcome Add ethical components to computer literacy courses,

information literacy sessions, special projects


New Forms of Literacy Education

Reach youth through information technology Engage the technology, don’t build fear of it Create ways to teach ethics through the active use of

Facebook, Wikipedia

Turn all information interactions into “ethical teaching moments” Game nights could include discussion of cheating YouTube video contests could address copyright Searching Google can present lessons on bias, free

speech, censorship


Challenges Ahead

Need to ensure parents & librarians obtain necessary ethical training themselves

Need to foreground ethics and make it interesting without nagging, preaching

Need to trust youth, and give them the tools to make good ethical decisions

None of this is easy…

Promoting Ethical Literacy in Youth How Librarians Can Partner with Parents and Teachers

Michael Zimmer, PhDAssistant Professor, School of Information Studies

Co-Director, Center for Information Policy ResearchUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

www.MichaelZimmer.org