Let's face the cold reality: in the socially networked world, digital natives no longer look to teachers or librarians to guide them. Most rely on peer recommendations, or use other websites to validate the information they have found independently using Google or Wikipedia. Many are more adept at navigating the digital world than we are. Even the way digital natives visually and mentally process digital information differs to previous generations (Lorenzo, 2007, p.3).
Does this make the information professional obsolete? It does if we allow it to. We can throw up our hands, retreat behind our dusty book stacks and bemoan the fact that we are no longer considered the white knights of the information society.
OR we can examine information seeking behaviour in our client base, enter their worlds (or networks), and adjust our methods of operation. Web 2.0 is all about community and content creation - "doing it for themselves". Who better to be the curators of content than information professionals? If we are to call ourselves "information professionals" why would we avoid being part of the most fast-moving and exciting area of the information cycle - i.e. Web 2.0?
Information professionals are best placed to be finding authentic information on the web, and directing our clients to it. Many worthy resources may have actually been sourced or curated by our clients. In this case, we can both share and give credit where it is due - thus forging a better relationship with clients. Our collections have not changed in substance - whether in print or digital form, we are still able to apply our principals of collection development: accuracy, currency and a balanced argument.
Being part of the network, and therefore involved in the online conversation also enables us to push out authentic information and the message of information literacy.
Finding Authentic Information in a Socially Networked World relies on 2 key responses to Web 2.0:
1) Information Professionals must become part of the community of information curators and creators.
2) Information Professionals must respect and capitalise on the value our users can add to the information cycle.
Lorenzo, G. (2007). Catalysts for change: Information fluency, Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and the new education culture. (March). Retrieved October 3, 2011 from Charles Sturt University website http://www.edpath.com/images/IFReport2.pdf
Showing posts with label Interaction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interaction. Show all posts
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Sunday, 7 August 2011
The Lightbulb Moment
It always happens in the wee hours - the answer to a problem, the realisation that you've forgotten to do something crucial, or, in this case, suddenly you can see the wood for the trees!
"The trees" in my case are the various social media tools we have been examining in INF206. Like others in this subject, I have been blinded by logins, interfaces, options, privacy settings, hashtags, friends, teleporting and so on.
And so at about 3am this morning, lying awake musing on how I will cope with the Second Life meeting this week, I realised that INF206 has been the most engaging, stimulating subject I have tackled so far in my academic journey at CSU.
Why? Because the very tools we are studying encourage exactly what I have missed in Distance Learning - a real opportunity to interact with my fellow students and my lecturer. Whilst the subject forums are clearly designed for such interaction, in many ways they fail, with scant entries from either students or lecturers.
The INF206 Facebook page is alive with both academic discussion - links, opinions, and discussions, but this is glued together with personal interaction: encouraging messages from the cohort and Judy.
We dare to Tweet that we're struggling with a task; in return, fellow students tweet "Hang in there", "Me too." Many students fear admitting a lack of understanding on the subject forums - the feeling being that only posts which are thoughtful and that add to the academic discussion (if one actually gets off the ground) should be posted. "Clogging up" the forum with "lesser" conversations doesn't feel right. I love the immediacy of Social Media.
"The Wood" in my analogy is the way in which Social Media tools deliver distance education in a fashion which far better mimic a real classroom - the to and fro of discussions, the development of relationships between the cohort and the lecturer, the quick and straight answers to queries. I'm currently wishing that all CSU subjects could be delivered in this way.
"The trees" in my case are the various social media tools we have been examining in INF206. Like others in this subject, I have been blinded by logins, interfaces, options, privacy settings, hashtags, friends, teleporting and so on.
And so at about 3am this morning, lying awake musing on how I will cope with the Second Life meeting this week, I realised that INF206 has been the most engaging, stimulating subject I have tackled so far in my academic journey at CSU.
Why? Because the very tools we are studying encourage exactly what I have missed in Distance Learning - a real opportunity to interact with my fellow students and my lecturer. Whilst the subject forums are clearly designed for such interaction, in many ways they fail, with scant entries from either students or lecturers.
The INF206 Facebook page is alive with both academic discussion - links, opinions, and discussions, but this is glued together with personal interaction: encouraging messages from the cohort and Judy.
We dare to Tweet that we're struggling with a task; in return, fellow students tweet "Hang in there", "Me too." Many students fear admitting a lack of understanding on the subject forums - the feeling being that only posts which are thoughtful and that add to the academic discussion (if one actually gets off the ground) should be posted. "Clogging up" the forum with "lesser" conversations doesn't feel right. I love the immediacy of Social Media.
"The Wood" in my analogy is the way in which Social Media tools deliver distance education in a fashion which far better mimic a real classroom - the to and fro of discussions, the development of relationships between the cohort and the lecturer, the quick and straight answers to queries. I'm currently wishing that all CSU subjects could be delivered in this way.
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Web 2.0 - a whole new world and a whole new job!
The information presented in module 1 has certainly enlightened me as to what Web 2.0 is - or can be. The main characteristics I noted are:
I especially enjoyed Charlene Li's podcast. I agree that Social Media tools are "re-writing rules of business", and Christopher Barnatt says as much in his YouTube clip - they are "changing the way companies interact".
Li also notes that there is an element of fear regarding Social Media and business - especially within government departments - and I can certainly relate to this caution in my own place of employment in a TAFE library. Giving the customer the power to contribute and direct dialogue means giving up a certain amount of control. I can understand that it's difficult to set the parameters when you're not sure of the direction you're heading.
I also found Kevin Kelly's observations fascinating on a personal level: being a newcomer to Social Media, I am keenly aware of the effect it has on my psyche - how does it define me or add to my sense of self worth? How does NOT using social media define me?
Kevin notes that we can only determine the worth of technology by engaging with it and using it. I'm wondering whether, like the horizontal waterwheel, it just "won't feel right" to me on a personal level. In this early stage, I am overwhelmed by the plethora of information flying back and forth - and wonder how I am to immerse myself without allowing it to invade other parts of my life - my family, my career, my other interests - how does keeping track of my Facebook and Twitter accounts while ensuring I have bookmarked important "stuff" on Delicious not become a full-time occupation? I guess that's the Fear Factor in a personal setting.
Barnatt, C. (2008). Explaining Web 2.0. Explaining Computers March 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BAXvFdMBWw&feature=related
De Rosa, C., Cantrell, J., Havens, A., Hawk, J. & Jenkins, L. (2007). Sharing privacy and trust in our networked world: A report to the OCLC membership. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC. Retrieved July 17, 2010 from http://www.oclc.org/reports/pdfs/sharing.pdf
Kelly, K. (2009). Ethnic Technology. The Technium, March 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2011 from http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2009/03/ethnic_technolo.php
Kelly, K. (2009). Penny thoughts on the Technium. The Technium, December 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2011 from http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2009/12/penny_thoughts_2.php
Li, C. (2009). The impact of Social Media in your organisation. Nodalities Blog: From semantic web to web of data, November 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2011 from http://blogs.talis.com/nodalities/2009/11/charlene-li-the-impact-of-social-media-in-your-organisation.php
- Web 2.0 tools are designed to be interactive
- The content is intended to be shared
- The user/customer becomes part of the tool by becoming a contributor or architect
- More user-friendly interfaces
Li also notes that there is an element of fear regarding Social Media and business - especially within government departments - and I can certainly relate to this caution in my own place of employment in a TAFE library. Giving the customer the power to contribute and direct dialogue means giving up a certain amount of control. I can understand that it's difficult to set the parameters when you're not sure of the direction you're heading.
I also found Kevin Kelly's observations fascinating on a personal level: being a newcomer to Social Media, I am keenly aware of the effect it has on my psyche - how does it define me or add to my sense of self worth? How does NOT using social media define me?
Kevin notes that we can only determine the worth of technology by engaging with it and using it. I'm wondering whether, like the horizontal waterwheel, it just "won't feel right" to me on a personal level. In this early stage, I am overwhelmed by the plethora of information flying back and forth - and wonder how I am to immerse myself without allowing it to invade other parts of my life - my family, my career, my other interests - how does keeping track of my Facebook and Twitter accounts while ensuring I have bookmarked important "stuff" on Delicious not become a full-time occupation? I guess that's the Fear Factor in a personal setting.
Barnatt, C. (2008). Explaining Web 2.0. Explaining Computers March 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BAXvFdMBWw&feature=related
De Rosa, C., Cantrell, J., Havens, A., Hawk, J. & Jenkins, L. (2007). Sharing privacy and trust in our networked world: A report to the OCLC membership. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC. Retrieved July 17, 2010 from http://www.oclc.org/reports/pdfs/sharing.pdf
Kelly, K. (2009). Ethnic Technology. The Technium, March 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2011 from http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2009/03/ethnic_technolo.php
Kelly, K. (2009). Penny thoughts on the Technium. The Technium, December 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2011 from http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2009/12/penny_thoughts_2.php
Li, C. (2009). The impact of Social Media in your organisation. Nodalities Blog: From semantic web to web of data, November 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2011 from http://blogs.talis.com/nodalities/2009/11/charlene-li-the-impact-of-social-media-in-your-organisation.php
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)