Article+Summary+3

== **Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) Skills Curriculum Based on the Big6 Skills Approach to Information Problem-Solving** ==

**Summary:**
After learning about several research problem-solving models, I wanted to know more about the Big6 Information Problem-Solving Model and how it is applied in the classroom, hence why I chose this article. In this article, Eisenberg, Johnson and Berkowitz suggest that students need to learn to become proficient with technology and advocate that technology skills be integrated into the curriculum as opposed to being taught as a separate class. They suggest that we must teach students “to use technology as a tool for organization, communication, research and problem solving” (24). Therefore, the basis of this article is that we need to move away from teaching basic technology skills to teaching “information technology skills” (24). The idea behind this suggests that all learners should be able to evaluate a projects' needs and then be able to use technology to complete the project. In this sense, technology skills become more meaningful because students learn to apply these skills to the learning process. Moreover, the article goes on to say that in order to teach information technology skills proficiently, there must also be collaboration between Teachers and Teacher-Librarians. Eisenberg, Johnson and Berkowitz identify the information technology skills needed for curriculum based on the Big6 Skills Approach saying that “students learn and refine their technology skills when they work on projects that require them to solve problems and make decisions” (25). The first skill of this approach is Task Definition, where students define a problem and identify the types and amount of information needed. The second skill of the Big6 Skills Approach is Information Seeking Strategies in which students “consider all possible information sources and develop a plan to find the sources” (25). Here students will be able to assess the relevance and value of information, as well as identify and evaluate resources. The third skill is Location and Access where students “must locate information from a variety of resources and access specific information found within individual resources” (25). The next skill in the Big6 Skills Approach is Use of Information in which students must evaluate the information they found and determine if it is relevant. The fifth skill is Synthesis where “students must organize and communicate the results of the information problem-solving effort” (26). Students can use various forms of communicating their results such as spreadsheets, charts, tables and graphs or even creating a web page. Finally, the last skill in the Big 6 Skills Approach is Evaluation which “focuses on how well the final product meets the original task (effectiveness) and the process of how well students carried out the information problem-solving process (efficiency)” 26). Overall, I enjoyed reading this article and I found it to be very useful in helping me to understand how to use of the Big6 Information Problem-Solving Model as a way to teach students how to be proficient technology users in a technology rich world.  Eisenberg, M., Johnson, D. & Berkowitz, B. (2010, May/June). Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) Skills Curriculum Based on the Big6 Skills Approach to Information Problem-Solving. //Library Media Connection//, 24-27.