Hapgood

Mike Caulfield's latest web incarnation. Networked Learning, Open Education, and Online Digital Literacy

  • A Short History of CRAAP

    Update: I recently learned that this post has been selected for inclusion in a prestigious ACRL yearly list. Newcomers unfamiliar with our work may want to check out SIFT, our alternative to CRAAP, after reading the article. I reference the history of the so-called “checklist approaches” to online information literacy from time to time, but… Continue reading

  • Introducing SIFT, a Four Moves Acronym

    The Four Moves have undergone some tweaking since I first introduced them in early 2017. The language has shifted, been refined. We’ve come to see that lateral reading is more of a principle underlying at least two of the moves (maybe three). We’ve removed a reference to “go upstream” which was a bit geeky. All… Continue reading

  • Network Heuristics

    There’s a story going around right now about a “reporter” who was following people shorting Tesla stock and allegedly approaching them for information. I won’t go into the whole Elon vs. the Short Sellers history, you don’t need it. Let’s just say that posing as a reporter can be used for ill in a variety… Continue reading

  • Some Preliminary Results On Cynicism and Online Information Literacy

    We (AASCU’s Digital Polarization Initiative) have a large information literacy pilot going on at a dozen institutions right now using our materials. The point is to gain insight into how to improve our instruction, but also to make sure it is working in the way we think it is. Part of that involves formal assessment… Continue reading

  • The Fast and Frugal Needs of the Online Reader

    I’m writing a couple framing documents for some events coming up. This is one that I’m still drafting, but I thought I’d throw the draft up and take any comments. Note that this is already at max length. Also, one site name has been removed in an effort to not attract the trolls. And citations… Continue reading

  • Reviews

    Reviews of Mike Caulfield’s Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers: NPR: “Caulfield has distilled this approach into what he calls “Four moves and a habit,” in a free online textbook that he has published. It’s aimed at college students, but frankly it’s relevant to everyone.” The Chronicle: “The book itself is really, really practical, and I… Continue reading

  • Recognition Is Futile: Why Checklist Approaches to Information Literacy Fail and What To Do About It

    The following is a provocation for #EngageMOOC. Thanks to Bonnie Stewart and the rest of the #EngageMOOC crew for inviting me to contribute. Whooping Cough When I was in my twenties I went to the doctor with a cough I believed was whooping cough due to the tell-tale “whoop” intake of breath that occurred after… Continue reading

  • How “News Literacy” Gets the Web Wrong

    I have a simple web literacy model. When confronted with a dubious claim: Check for previous fact-checking work Go upstream to the source Read laterally That’s it. There’s a couple admonitions in there to check your emotions and think recursively, but these three things — check previous work,  go upstream, read laterally — are the… Continue reading

  • Yes, Digital Literacy. But Which One?

    One of the problems I’ve had for a while with traditional digital literacy programs is that they tend to see digital literacy as a separable skill from domain knowledge. In the metaphor of most educators, there’s a set of digital or information literacy skills, which is sort of like the factory process. And there’s data,… Continue reading