Adjunct Lecturer Kristen Mattson will present "Information Literacy in Today's World: A Pandemic, Fake News, and Elections," on April 14 as part of the Follett Community Webinar Series. In her talk, Mattson will examine how (and why) information can be misleading and suggest strategies and resources for educators to use when teaching information.
"Information literacy is more important than ever. We are constantly bombarded with content in the forms of written word, video, audio, chart, graph and even meme. Our brains must do a lot of heavy lifting to sort through it all and determine just which pieces of information are of value. My webinar will allow participants to walk away with practical, teachable content and strategies to use and share with others," Mattson said.
Mattson is a high school library media center director in Aurora, Illinois, where she partners with teachers to integrate digital literacy, research skills, creation, and innovation into the classroom. As part of a Future Ready school district, she has embraced the Future Ready Librarians framework to transform her school's library space and practices. At the iSchool, Mattson teaches courses on digital citizenship and media literacy for youth. She is the author of Digital Citizenship in Action: Empowering Students to Engage in Online Communities (International Society for Technology in Education, 2017) and contributing author of International Handbook of Media Literacy Education (Routledge, 2017). She earned her EdD in curriculum and instruction leadership, MS in instructional design and technology, and BS in elementary and middle school teaching from Northern Illinois University.