Development of a Database Module for Information Literacy Education through the Construction of Collective Knowledge

Abstract

As the result of wide spread of self-exploratory, efficient, and user-friendly personal computers, the major interest of the ICT literacy has been shifting from how to use the computer and connect the network to how to create new value using them. One of the recent interests is the system and the pedagogy to support youngsters to learn how to collaborate on the Web and create the collective knowledge. When students participate in the construction of collective knowledge in class, drawing on contexts such as the real Web, they can develop information literacy that is not limited to operational skills such as using a computer, connecting to the Internet, and searching for information. In this study, we developed the “multidatabase” module to enable ordinary teachers inexperienced in ICT to provide an effective information literacy class. Teachers can use this module in conjunction with study worksheets, which are widely used in school education. We assessed the effectiveness of this module in a fifth grade elementary class, clarifying that, through the use of the “multidatabase,” (1)students can easily participate in the construction of collective knowledge and (2)students’ motivation increases, and results are also achieved in the specific subject area covered.