UNESCO "TRAINING-THE-TRAINERS IN INFORMATION LITERACY WORKSHOP"
4 - 6, November 2008, Alexandria, Egypt
First Announcement and Call for Participants
The UNESCO "Training-The-Trainers in Information Literacy Workshop" is a workshop hosted by the Bibliotheca Alexandria (BA), Alexandria, Egypt and will take place on the 4th of November 2008 and will continue until the 6th. The workshop is organized and sponsored by the UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP) in collaboration with the BA, and with the gracious assistance of the Petroleum Institute (Abu Dhabi, UAE), Elsevier, DocInfo-Lims, and EBSCO Publishing. The main objective of this Workshop is to provide Information Literacy instructors with specialized, authoritative, comprehensive and up-to-date training knowledge, and bring them together to discuss and share information on current issues, theories, teaching and learning approaches and methods, and professional “best practices” regarding Information Literacy education and training.
Every individual and organization in today’s Global Information Society needs to master various kinds of critical 21st Century skills and competencies. None is more important than Lifelong Learning and Information Literacy. Fluency in those skills will enable people and institutions to succeed in a constantly changing, challenging, and highly competitive world.
Information Literacy is a set of skills that embrace the entire life cycle of knowing how to define one’s information needs, then to find, evaluate, and communicate and effectively use the retrieved information. Information Literacy is, in turn, the keystone to Lifelong Learning. An information literate individual is a self-directed individual capable of knowing how to learn throughout his/her entire lifespan. Librarians, educators and other information professionals play a central role in equipping individuals with information literacy skills, as well as providing them with opportunities to strengthen and keep current these skills. Therefore, training librarians, educators, archivists, curators, and other professionals in Information Literacy concepts and practices is crucially important to every nation, its institutions, and other elements of its society, both public and private.
Main topics of the Workshop could include the following:
- Explaining the concept, and importance of Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning,
- Explaining how Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning are "twin" concepts that are ideally counter-dependent,
- Illustrating Information Literacy models, programmes and standards that have been developed and tested,
- Sharing "Best Practices" Information Literacy examples,
- Developing a course syllabus for teaching Information Literacy,
- Amplifying a "Needs Analysis,"
- Describing the characteristics of learners (i.e. learning styles)
- Sharing training content and materials development ideas,
- Discussing Information Literacy teaching methods and techniques, and
- Listing effective Information Literacy evaluation techniques,
- Integrating Information Literacy into curricula.
Sessions will include class exercises and small group work, and will be facilitated by expert presenters. Participants will be expected, and strongly encouraged, to contribute to the discussions guided by expert presenters.
Who Should Attend?
School and university librarians, teachers and faculty, school principals and other administrators who are involved and/or in charge of developing and delivering information literacy instruction and pedagogical development are invited to apply. At least 50 participants are expected to register to the workshop mainly from the Middle East and North Africa. A Certificate of Completion will be awarded to workshop participants who successfully complete the workshop.
The workshop will target the various professional groups that have responsibilities for education and training, and who in turn deal with groups which will benefit from information literacy programmes. Participants will be introduced to issues involved in developing information literacy training programmes. In an effort to bring together a representative group from the Middle East, people from the aforementioned groups will be invited to participate. It is strongly recommended that interested participants who desire to apply to the workshop should register online before 20 October 2008. http://www.bibalex.org/TTTWorkshop/Registration/Registration.aspx
Applicants will be placed on a list after their application is received, and will be notified whether their candidacy for the workshop has been accepted or not. Participants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodations.
We look forward to your participation in the Workshop.
With kind regards
Amira Hegazy
Workshop Coordinator
Instructional Services Unit
Library Sector
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Chatby, Alexandria 21526, Egypt
Tel: +(203) 4839999 Ext. 1841
Fax : +(203) 4820460
E-mail: amira.hegazy@bibalex.org
website: www.bibalex.org