To provide access or not to? - that is the question

One small reflection on Jenkins, H., Clinton, K., Purushotma, R., Robison, A. J., & Weigel, M. (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. Available http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF

We in schools are placed in a tricky situation.  We are bounded by duty-of-care considerations and can see that dangers of allowing access to social networking sites.  If a student was cyber bullied because they posted their contact details on a site in school time and on a school computer, who’s at fault?  What if the bully was doing the bullying using the school issued iPad and on the school Wifi?  Should the school take responsibility? 

 

Yet, social networking is developing into a necessary part of education to completely cut all student access to social networking is to hinder their educational opportunities and learning.  

A tricky road to navigate.

OLJ task - Mandated digital citizenry

Watch the video Did You Know 4.0 carefully a second time, and identify five (5) examples of 'shifts' or trends that can have an impact on how individuals behave as a digital citizens. Then outline (in @ 400 words) how you believe these behaviours can impact on the need for, and development of, information policy in organisations to address these behaviours.

5 statistics from the year the video was made:

1.    90% of emails sent daily were spam
2. 95% of all songs downloaded were not paid for.
3. 17% of US large companies disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies.
4. Barack Obama raised over $55 million purely through online social networking.
5. Iranian election disputes on Twitter were bumped by news of Michael Jackson’s death. 

Why do we need information policies in organisations?  

With information and communication now so ridiculously accessible, the semi-controlling barriers that restricted behaviours have either been removed or dramatically reduced: what once could be hidden or contained is now open for all to see, comment on and forward. This much easier way to communicate comes with a flip side: a more efficient way to get sent things we don’t want. With 90% of emails sent daily being spam, is there a responsibility to think before sending or even think before forwarding? 

With this increase in communication, behaviours and their consequences, both positive and negative, have been magnified spectacularly. With the barriers to accessing information severely reduced or gone, we are more dependent on individuals to police themselves in terms of moral standards, ethics and basic good behaviour. And it turns out many of us don’t: in the year the video was made, 95% of all songs downloaded were not paid for. 

It seems obvious that not everyone understands the easy availability of what is said online.  Issues, secrets or even gossip previously contained within walls or earshot can now be viewed by thousands quickly and easily. If you post, you will be seen. Secrets will get out and the audience may include your employers and your customers. It seems many either just don’t have the standards or the realisation to appreciate that what you put online can affect the company and your employment prospects. 17% of US large companies have disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies. 

Information policies need to set out ethical boundaries, procedures and protocols, because it’s obvious the general population won’t.  

Physical participation in the world is no longer necessary for an impact to be felt. Barack Obama raised over $55million purely through online social networking. A person does not need to leave their desk or workplace to fund a political campaign or go shopping.  Do employers want their workers to be doing such things at work? What about resources and time at work – are these just for company use?  Is it acceptable for an employee to use a company computer or Wifi to check a personal website, send personal emails, or go shopping?  How about during break times?

Boundaries have become blurred. It is possible to continue working when not at work physically, so when does work finish?  We can access work files from locations other than work, while on the move, and at home.  So when do we stop working?  Is it OK for bosses to expect work to be done after hours or on holidays, just because we can?  

Information policies need to clearly outline expectations and etiquette regarding company time and resources. 

Even the processes that determine importance and worth have changed. Iranian election disputes on Twitter were bumped by news of Michael Jackson’s death.  Obviously the Iranian election disputes have longer ranging consequences but the pubic now determines what is ‘news’.

Information polices are needed because what is popular may not necessarily be what we should be paying attention to.  Additionally, if your information policy does not include a presence on social media, you may never enter the consciousness of many actual and potential customers.

Social Networking: not for all

I started my research for my Project assignment.  I asked a principal of a primary school about the use of social media at her school and in her library.  She gave some interesting feedback.  She said her school does not use social media and is extremely reluctant to do so.  One major concern for her is that she already spends a lot of her time sorting out disputes and squabbles between parents.  Usually this can be done with a level of privacy and retains the dignity and reputation of all involved, especially when the comments may be made in anger, off the cuff, with humour, or when one party does not have all the information. 

However this level of privacy and protection is removed when a comment is posted to social media.  The comment is out there for all to see and although it can be retracted, the damage may be done.  I personally had issues with a parent that took 6 months to sort through.  I maintained my professionalism and distance.  I dread to think what might have happened had she put comments on a school Facebook page and how much longer the debacle could have gone on for.

Another comment the principal made was the fact social media can be time-consuming.  It demands updating, sometimes daily or even hourly.  She pointed out quite rightly that no-one working in primary school education had the time to sit there and respond to comments, queries or posts.  Plus she was not prepared to ask or pay any of her staff to do so. 

If you get involved in social media in education, you had better be prepared to have the time to dedicate to it, or a very good plan to manage it. 

Hmm, food for thought. 

Second Life – found some advantages

Just did a tutorial on Second Life and to my great surprise got quite lost in the experience.  My frustration of previous visits where I was alone and had no idea what I was doing or even how to do anything, has been allayed. With Carole’s patient instruction I learnt how to chat, send private messages, move, sit, stand and even had a go relating with interactive ‘stuff’ like power points and web pages. Feeling like I could ask any question I wanted was great too, no matter how silly.  And seeing the difficulties other avatars had meant I didn’t feel foolish when I flew into a tree or pushed people out of the way or got stuck facing a  wall with no way to turn around. I can easily see how this can be so attractive. 

The You Tube from Northern Beaches Christian School in Sydney showed me quite clearly the 3D spaces are being used for quite legitimate and pedagogically valuable means.  The narrator quite rightly points out that 3D space is just a space.  It’s how you use the space that proves its worth.  His students are using those higher order thinking skills that we as teachers strive to get happening, and they are doing it almost independently while using their own initiative: pay attention teachers!

Students are designing and building virtual buildings with items to sell. One is an art gallery with pieces of student art that change weekly.

One class is building a Maths labyrinth.  Each week there is another room or area to unlock, can only be unlocked by solving a maths problem.

Ever had trouble getting kids to pair up sensibly and hold decent, pedagogical conversations?  In a “classroom” space students are given a ‘seat’ then instantly find themselves paired up and alone with 1 other student.  They discuss a topic as a timer runs, when timer runs out they are instantly paired with another student and the conversation continues.  Every comment is marked by the teacher.  So everything the student says is recorded, viewed, and graded by the teacher – no slacking off here! And this gives you some definite data for that all elusive “Speaking and listening” mark on the report card.

There is a virtual radio station where the playlist is made up of student pieces or interviews or the school bands. 

Students chat in French while on a dance floor – psychological barriers seem to be down while dancing!

It gives students a forum to publish, celebrate their work, audio, visual, text.  It is NOT A GAME but a space. A space targeting specific skills in controlled environment and being used to encourage higher order skills in students.

One comment from Carole in the tutorial was that SL is still in its infancy.  Although it has some really great stuff and attractions, it’s not yet ready for or hugely beneficial for many libraries.  But this area will indisputable grow and develop and as it gets easier to interact, as new features get added, it will lower those barriers.

Crowd-sourcing

The concept of crowd-sourcing has grabbed my interest. Its an example of the shift towards a user-centred institution that libraries have labelled 'Library 2.0'. I like the idea that users are given the ability to 'tag' items. Why ask the visitors? Because cataloguing and keywords are set up by and for the institution, not the visitor. Librarians were able to find resources easily because they speak fluent 'librarian'. In the past the expectation was that visitors will come to the librarian for a translation. However now visitors want to find things on their own terms - and crowd-sourcing seems a very logical way to do it.

However I did notice that libraries need to be quite large or run tagging for a long period of time in order to get any useful benefit from this.

Library 2.0 reflections

One thing that struck me while reading about Library 2.0 was that the professional conversations around Library 2.0 are still very much developing an idea about what Library 2.0 is going to be.  The article by Casey and Savastinuk (2006) bluntly pointed out that the majority of libraries are not ready either for such a shift in thinking or the adoption of new technologies.  To my surprise Library 2.0 does not necessarily mean adopting the latest IT ‘thing’, and even having current technology does not automatically mean Library 2.0 status is achieved: “Even older, traditional services can be Library 2.0 if criteria are met.” (Casey and Savastinuk, 2006).  Thankfully Library 2.0 seems to be more about a change in attitude from expecting students to fit in with how the library does things, to serving the users and meeting them at the point of need. I have experienced two such  user-centred libraries at the State Library of Queensland and the one at Brisbane Square. I enjoyed my time there immensely: there must be merit in Library 2.0.  

Casey, M. and Savastinuk, L. (2006) Service for the next-generation library. In Library Journal.  Retrieved 14^th December 2012 from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html

OLJ Task: A-Z of social networking for libraries

The Task:

READ the post A to Z of Social Networking for Libraries (22 January, 2010) on the Social Networking for Libraries blog.

Consider this advice in terms of a library and information agency that you know (as an employee or user). Select advice from five (5) letters of this A-Z list and consider how these may be applied to this library to help it embrace a Library 2.0 ethos. Write up your findings as a post.

My Response:

Background

My school is P-12 on two campuses with nearly 1000 students. There is an eLearning coordinator, Library Assistants and IT staff but no Teacher Librarian. There is no use of Web 2.0 technology by the library.

N – Ning

With teacher-student interaction on social media being so heavily discouraged and frowned upon at our school, using Ning to create a safe and contained social networking site specifically for our school library would be a way the library could safely venture into social media while staying within school policy.

M- Mobile, Y-Youth. 

Our school is going through the process of purchasing iPads for every teaching staff member, every student from Yrs 7-12, and class sets below year 7.  A very simple idea would be to use the iPads as links to a library social networking site. The current library staff could team up with the IT staff and our eLearning coordinator (as we do not have a Teacher Librarian) to create a library app.  If this were advertised through the school newsletter and free, it could be downloaded not only on school iPads but staff and parent phones or other mobile devices. This would enlarge the library’s presence digitally and advance their use of Web 2.0. It would simultaneously connect with the older students in the middle to senior school: Y-Youth.

R-Reference

There would be many common questions, especially from staff, that could be complied into a “Frequently Asked Questions” section on social media. Our eLearning Coordinator could include ideas for iPad use and examples of what other teachers or year levels are doing.

K-Koha

A frequent email to the Library Assistant is one that asks what do we have in the library around this topic, is it any good, is it available, if not who has it, and can we have it please?  If the library catalogue were available online using a programme that includes social media, staff could not only find out what was available but get reviews and opinions on various resources from teachers who have actually used these resources: how well did this work?  Does anyone know any good resources for push and pull forces?  Can I use the metre ruler set on Tuesday please?

Concluding thoughts

Although my school has avoided social media, these suggestions are achievable in the school considering the technology currently available and the experience of the staff.  I would personally like to see some sort of adoption of social media.  The reading I did in Module 4 (Andy Burkhardt’s post Four Reasons Libraries Should be onSocial Media (August 25, 2009) gave me more reasons why this needs to be dealt with at my school. 

1.    Communication

2.    Respond to positive and negative feedback.  No, the school can’t control what is said but at least our voice is in there.

3.    Marketing/Advertising – it’s just another way of getting the library noticed.

4.    Understand you users better – library staff can’t possibly know everything, something may surprise us.

 

Burkhardt, A. (2009). Four reasons libraries should be on social meida.  In Information Tyrannasaur. Retrieved 3^rd December from http://andyburkhardt.com/2009/08/25/four-reasons-libraries-should-be-on-social-media/

 

OLJ task: An evaluation of ASU Library's use of social media

How well does ASU Library's use of social media achieve the 4C's of social media:

1. collaboration
2. conversation
3. community
4. content creation?

ASU library’s use of the Library Minute and the Library Channel suite would certainly strike up conversation and build community, and these 2C’s are the strongest of the 4. The use of clever humour in the Library Minute, such as a movie reference, makes the viewer emotionally engage and think positively about the library.  It also potentially makes it a talking point and while students were talking about the movie quip hopefully you would also talk about the videos’ content.  

This conversation would be critical to overcome the potential barriers to students finding and viewing these videos. Students would have to find the right place to click and then be bothered to click. Admittedly this is a small amount of searching but it could be enough to stop students viewing the videos and becoming part of the Library 2.0 culture.  However if it was mentioned by another student, either how funny it was or the good tips they got from it, then not only is community built but students enter the Library 2.0 world. The links to social media such as the library Facebook page, and Twitter account, certainly allow users to meet online. 

There is little to suggest collaboration would be facilitated on thelibrarychannel.  This could be achieved though the social media links on the home page, but a quick check saw that it was mainly a form of communication with the library staff.  Collaboration could be possible between the student and librarian in terms of searching for and filtering resources.  Content creation is also an area that does not score highly. The website is mainly a closed site for editing by library staff and viewing by users.  It is a marvellous resource but seems to mainly be for viewing not for contributing to or editing.

Facebook so far

So how is my experience going with Facebook so far? 

Well I can see how it is fostering the sharing of thoughts between all us INF506ers.  However the organisation of the page leaves something to be desired.  Topics don't seem to be organised in any logical order - Module 5 appears before Module 4 - and there seem to be random posts in bigger writing that don't fit where they appear.  The order of the topics seems to change every so often meaning the place where you found Assignment 2 stuff last time is not where it is now.  Plus you usually have to trawl through a whole bunch of stuff before you get to some topics right at the bottom. 

Hmm, so am I impressed with Facebook?  Weeeeell, I'm not ruling it out but for educational purposes, not yet.