Learn and Discern

We live in a world that is knowledge-based. How do we obtain knowledge? We obtain knowledge through information and there is a ton of it out there. Everyday, more and more information is created by a variety of people and organizations. Information floods our lives through radio, television, billboards, newspapers, magazines, conversations, computers, and even our cell phones. Information is often impossible to avoid, which makes it easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of it all. Often, people just want to find what they seek. Sounds simple enough, but if a person doesn't have the tools to do this, that person can become overwhelmed very quickly as Jeffrey Shaffer describes below:

"The old saying that knowledge is power still holds true, but how does anyone with a thirst for knowledge avoid being drowned by the tsunami of information that crashes over us each day? My fear is that many Americans are sliding into a groove that includes a few topics of personal interest, and everything outside the groove is simply ignored. A recent Nielsen survey of Internet users found that 12 percent of American respondents had never heard of global warming. I'd like to question those people more closely and learn how they decide what information is useful in their lives and what they don't care about." (2007, Jeffrey Shaffer, Christian Science Monitor).

It is difficult for a person who is not information literate to compete in a knowledge-based world. It is vital to know how to evaluate information and turn it into knowledge. My hope is that this site will help.

Lola Gilbert
MISLT (MLS)