Policies and Procedures

Part 3: Reflection

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(Altmann, 2017)

As I begin to formulate my final post for this subject and complete my degree, I find myself being quite reflective. It is both rewarding and satisfying that I am finishing this course with INF506 as it is a timely reminder that I am an information professional and have a responsibility to lead my community. When I first embarked on this learning journey, I remember being exposed to the multiple hats that a teacher librarian wears. Such hats demonstrate the role’s diversity and complexity. It is through this subject that I have discovered yet another element of and layer to this role. I have learnt that as an informational professional one needs to be open and responsive to the environment, trends and innovations of the time for a library to be relevant and to successfully meet the needs of its users.

In this new age of information, Leonhard’s (2016) film on change discusses the new way of working is to embrace technology rather than becoming it. It questions and challenges how one will discover opportunities and respond to one of the most transformational times in human history. I believe that a major influence causing such transformations in society is technology. As mentioned in my Facebook Activity 2 post, studying 25 years ago and studying presently are vastly different processes which highlight just how much of an impact technology has had on the way society and people operate (O’Keefe 2022a). Westcott (2022) and Vitnall (2022) discuss how mobile technology has made it very easy to access and search for information and how as a society we have become very reliant on such technologies. Mundy’s (2022) post examines social media and the impact it can have on organisations when utilising it as a tool to market, interact and communicate with its users. It is clear that technology plays an important role in a society that is data rich, data reliant and data driven (Marin et al., 2021). Although accessed, used and created for different purposes technology’s influence is positive and one that has allowed society to evolve over time. It is almost hard to consider where we would be without it.

Social media is a product of such change and a widespread tool used by over 4.2 billion people (Kemp 2021). Through this subject I have discovered that there are many and varied platforms that could serve a purpose for informational professionals. My eyes have been opened to new possibilities and the potential of social media networks. As an alternative path to connect, communicate, create, share and interact with information (Nisar et al., 2019) I can see community social media sites like Instagram, Facebook and even Tik Tok being beneficial and relevant to students, parents and the wider community. These platforms can promote, enhance engagement, encourage collaboration and provide a quality service. While not limited to, the likes of Twitter, Linkedin and blogs offer more professional conversations, development and networking.

This subject has expanded my Professional Learning Networks (PLNs). I am now using social media sites to inform practice, connect and build relationships with other informational professionals. As outlined in my OLJ Post 9, I expressed the need to reconsider my PLNs and how I engage with them to find that balance (O’Keefe, 2022c). Becoming more active rather than being a passive reader will help develop my PLNs. Moving forward I reflect on Seewald’s (2022) words of wisdom of recognising that one cannot take everything on board at once. Being more selective so that circumstance and purpose are the focus will enhance my learning, understanding and connections.

While social media presents many opportunities Module 5 reinforced that privacy across such systems is a potential challenge in this space. Due to the design of such networks with user generated content being produced, two-way communication and the sheer volume of users, privacy and the protection and security of information are essential (Crocco et al., 2020). Therefore, careful consideration needs to be awarded to the designing and development as well as the maintenance of such sites. Social media policies and procedures need to be in place to ensure that a safe, relevant and a successful environment is created.

Not only are privacy and security a concern so too is the ethical use and distribution of information. Research suggests that there is a misalignment between the law and social media practices when content is being distributed and consumed (Meese & Hagedom, 2019). As an informational professional one of the key responsibilities is to ensure that ethical use of information is understood and developed. Similarly, the teaching of digital literacy on how to access, search and use information is integral. Building an awareness of one’s digital identify is equally as important.

In my first OLJ post, I began by writing that I had recently decided to have a break from social media (O’Keefe, 2022b). What I can now see is that decision was rather ignorant on my part. Although personally I may not wish to delve into this world as much as I have in the past, the professional benefits have been explored and identified. However, with that said what occurs behind the scenes when utilising these platforms is still concerning. Pondering the question posed in Module 6, ‘Where will your journey take you?’, I would like to think that in terms of social media I will not ignore but rather embrace the opportunities it presents. In so doing, this will lead to the development of active and evolving policies and procedures to ensure a secure environment is established. I believe education is key in order to equip users with the skills and competencies to interact with such mediums. As a professional I hope to continue to evolve, create, adopt and collaborate to become a teacher librarian who is relevant and who strives to remain current in providing an excellent service that meets the needs of its users.

References

Altmann, G. (2017). [polaroid social media icons]. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/icon-polaroid-blogger-rss-app-2486501/

Crocco, M. S., Segall, A., Halvorsen, A. -L., Stamm, A., & Jacobsen, R. (2020). “It’s not like they’re selling your data to dangerous people”: Internet privacy, teens and (non-) controversial public issues. Journal of Social Studies Research, 44(1), 21-33.

Kemp, S. (2021, January 27). Digital 2021: The latest insights into the ‘state of digital’. We are Social. https://wearesocial.com/uk/blog/2021/01/digital-2021-the-latest-insights-into-the-state-of-digital/

Leonhard, G. [Gerd Leonhard]. (2016, May 11). Digital transformation: Are you ready for exponential change? Futurist keynote speaker Gerd Leonhard [Video]. You Tube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ystdF6jN7hc

Marin, V. I., Carpenter, J. P., & Tur, G. (2021). Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of social media data privacy policies. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(2), 519-535. https:/doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13035

Meese, J., & Hagedorn, J. (2019). Mundane content on social media: Creation, circulation and the copyright problem. Social Media + Society, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119839190

Mundy, K. [kendall.mundy]. (2022, March 25). OLJ task 4: Reflections on the impact of change. Journalling Through My Masters of Education. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kendall/2022/03/25/olj-task-4-reflections-on-the-impact-of-change/

Nisar, T. M., Prabhakar, G., & Strakova, L. (2019). Social media information benefits, knowledge management and smart organizations. Journal of Business Research, 94, 264-272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.05.005

O’Keefe, A. [Alison O’Keefe]. (2022a, March 6). It actually blows my mind to see how far technology has evolved in the last 20 something years. [Comment on the Facebook post Facebook Activity 2]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/263092359252292

O’Keefe, A. [AOK]. (2022b, February 25). OLJ task 1 (module 1) Social media and society journal task analysis. Reflections. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/aok1/2022/02/25/olj-task-1-social-media-and-society-journal-task-analysis/

O’Keefe, A. [AOK]. (2022c, April 20). OLJ task 9 (module 3) PLN adoption. Reflections. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/aok1/2022/04/20/olj-task-9-module-3-pln-adoption/

Seewald, A. [angela.seewald]. OLJ post 9: PLN adoption (module 3). Seoul Learning. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/angseewald/2022/05/02/olj-post-9-pln-adoption-module-3/

Vitnall, J. [jye_vitnell]. (2022, March 19). OLJ task 3: Mobile exploration. Reading is what? Fundamental! My learning and reflective journey to becoming a teacher librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jyesjourney/2022/03/19/olj-task-3-mobile-exploration/

Wescott, R. [rachaelwestcott]. (2022, May 12). Surfing the web.  INF506 Reflective Journal. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/inf506reflectivejournal/2022/05/12/surfing-the-web/

Part 2: Extended Post

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Social Media and Privacy

(Winkler, 2020)

Introduction

The evolution of web technologies has transformed how the internet is used. It has moved from a one-way street, where you could only search for and read information, to being utilised for communication, a product of user generated content, data sharing and society building (Salim et al., 2022). The web environment has dramatically changed since the introduction of Web 2.0 tools, applications and web services including social media. This has allowed two-way communication and users being able to contribute content. As a result of such changes there is a growing concern regarding the privacy of sensitive information of users.

Social Media and Privacy

Privacy is defined as the need for protection, security and the control of who has access to personal information (Kramer & Schawel, 2020). The risk of privacy loss in social networking is almost unavoidable due to the large number of users (Cho et al., 2020). Many people have a strong motivation to protect their privacy and perceive their information as private property (Kramer & Schawel, 2020). Whilst there may be rules in place to control the distribution of such information, the balancing of self-disclosure (behaviour) and motivation for privacy (attitude) needs to be equal to help protect oneself. Building an awareness about limiting the amount of personal information shared on online environments and the possible repercussions of what is shared is essential. Respecting the private data of others through web presence and interactions (Hernández-Martín et al., 2021) is as equally as important as having strong social media policies in place that target both privacy and the use of technology.

The very nature of social media platforms is to share thoughts, knowledge and information with online networks. Many people utilise social media daily (Kemp, 2021) to maintain social relationships (Kramer & Schawel, 2020). It offers a fast way to interact and publish personal information such as age, relationship status and points of view with other users through the creation of profiles as well as the exchange of words, videos and photos. It is through this generated content that sets of data and digital trails are created and in fact can cause a threat to the privacy of one’s information (Crocco, et al., 2020). The sharing of this type of user generated data (private information), referred to as self-disclosure, has the potential to be collected, analysed and shared by service providers with third party organisations or other persons for various purposes such as advertising, research or business (Marino, 2021). Also known as data mining, this can be very harmful causing data privacy to be breached.

Implications for schools and libraries

We live in a society that is data rich, data reliant and data driven (Marin et al., 2021). The adoption of social media platforms is being utilised as a powerful tool to provoke change and promote connectivity, interaction and collaboration in educational organisations (Giannikas, 2020; Manca, 2020). As schools and school libraries continue to embrace social media to market, connect and inform (Akwang, 2021), data privacy has become a major concern. As a teacher librarian it is very important that I ensure appropriate policies, guidelines and practices are in place at a school and individual level. Such measures will go towards protecting the privacy of our users as well as ensuring a safe and transparent environment is established (Liew, 2022). It is also essential that we educate students, staff and the wider community about information and digital literacy to equip them with the skills to be digitally competent thus ensuring the safety of all (Pangrazio & Selwyn, 2019). This can occur on many levels. Educating students, staff and parents about appropriate information that can be shared, using security settings when interacting on social media platforms, finding credible and reliable information, and the ability to spot when something isn’t quite right are integral components of digital citizenship. Etiquette as well is an important part of digital literacy and a very important part of digital competence.

In order to prepare future generations, proficiency in digital competence is necessary (Marin et al., 2021). Early education is the key. Research suggests that many pre-adolescents are ignorant and unaware of what occurs behind the scenes of the platforms they are utilising (Crocco, et al. 2020). Exposure to the competence of protecting personal data and digital content does not occur only when starting to interact on social media. Instead, seeds can be planted as soon as people become of school age or start interacting with the web environment. In my Year 1 library lessons we currently focus on a unit of work that explores, “How can I stay safe online?” The very topic of keeping your personal information private is explained through the adventures of fictitious sea animals. Similarly, with the increase of fake news and misinformation, my Year 5 class focusses on evaluating information online to find credible and reliable sources for their research. Although this is not directly related to social media usage and privacy, it provides some foundational understanding.

Disseminating information on this topic should not be left to teacher librarians alone. The ICT General Capabilities in which these topics fall is the responsibility of all teachers. A whole school approach is required. Monk’s (2021) research suggests that school-based intervention strategies to help prevent harm from young people’s image sharing, should enable them to develop positive social norms and employ defined expectations of appropriate behaviours when online. It also recommends instilling moral and social reasoning skills along with the ability to make wise decisions.

Conclusion

In order to promote the positive use of social media and protect the privacy of its users not only do schools need to have proactive policies and procedures in place but they also need to be supported by a committed leadership team to develop a safe and positive school culture. Educating, building an awareness, and implementing strategies to enhance the digital literacy and competencies amongst the staff, students and the community about technology use, will aid in enabling a safer environment in which they interact and communicate.

References

Akwang, N. E. (2021). A study of librarians’ perceptions and adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in academic libraries in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(2), 102299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102299

Cho, H., Li, P., & Goh, Z. H. (2020). Privacy risks, emotions, and social media: A coping model of online privacy. ACM Transaction on Computer-human Interaction, 27(6), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1145%2F3412367

Crocco, M. S., Segall, A., Halvorsen, A. -L., Stamm, A., & Jacobsen, R. (2020). “It’s not like they’re selling your data to dangerous people”: Internet privacy, teens and (non-) controversial public issues. Journal of Social Studies Research, 44(1), 21-33.

Giannikas, C. (2020). Facebook in tertiary education: The impact of social media in e-Learning. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 17(1), 23-36. https://doi.org//10.53761/1.17.1.3

Hernández-Martín, A., Martín-del-Pozo, M., & Iglesias-Rodríguez, A. (2021). Pre-adolescents’ digital competences in the area of safety. Does frequency of social media use mean safer and more knowledgeable digital usage? Education and Information Technologies, 26(1), 1043-1067. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10302-4

Kemp, S. (2021, January 27). Digital 2021: The latest insights into the ‘state of digital’. We are Social. https://wearesocial.com/uk/blog/2021/01/digital-2021-the-latest-insights-into-the-state-of-digital/

Kramer, N. C., & Schawel, J. (2020). Mastering the challenge of balancing self-disclosure and privacy in social media. Current Opinion in Psychology, 31, 67-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.08.003

Liew, C. L. (2022). Let’s talk about risks: A pillar framework for social media risk management in memory institutions. Online Information Review, 46(2), 375-390. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-08-2020-0380

Manca, S. (2020). Snapping, pinning, liking, or texting: investigating social media in higher education beyond facebook. The Internet and Higher Education, 44(January), 100707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2019.100707

Marin, V. I., Carpenter, J. P., & Tur, G. (2021). Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of social media data privacy policies. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(2), 519-535. https:/doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13035

Marino, B. (2021). Privacy concerns and the prevalence of third-party tracking cookies on ARL library homepages. Reference Services Review, 49(2), 115-131. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-03-2021-0009

Monks, H., Barnes, A., Cross, D., & McKee, H. (2019). A qualitative exploration of electronic image sharing among young people: Navigating the issues of conformity, trust, intention, and reputation. Health Education & Behavior, 46(2_suppl), 106S-113S. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198119873921

Pangrazio, L., & Selwyn, N. (2019). ‘Personal data literacies’: A critical literacies approach to enhancing understandings of personal digital data. New Media & Society, 21(2), 419-437. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818799523

Salim, S., Turnbull, B., & Moustafa, N. (2022). Data analytics of social media 3.0: Privacy protection perspectives for integrating social media and Internet of Things (SM-IoT) systems. Ad Hoc Networks, 128. https://doi.org//10.1016/j.adhoc.2022.102786

Winkler, M. (2020). [Privacy policy]. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/photos/privacy-policy-dsgvo-5243225/

OLJ Task 15 (Module 5) Managing your digital identity

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Based on your reading of the items from the above list, think about online identity in relation to both individuals and organisations: What is important in terms of how we present and manage those identities online? What can we share with the online world and what should we keep private? Post a 350 word summary of important issues around online identity to your learning journal.

The impressions we leave in the digital environment

(Innovman inno, 2013)

Being a regular beach goer, as I walk along the beach, I often find myself observing the many different footprints along the way. Impressions of different shapes, sizes, depths and impact of where we have been, are easily erased with every wave that hits the shore. Our digital footprint, however, does not disappear so easily. In fact, every time we click, post or interact on a digital device, a data trace or shadow is created, stored and collected about us (Me and my shadow, n.d.). Therefore, it is very important for both individuals and organisations to consider, through one’s activity, what digital footprint is being created and what identity does one want to create.

In education, on an individual level, I believe that information professionals have a responsibility to educate students and the community about digital identity especially when using social media. Growing up in a digital age, time stamped life logs are being created and impacting how one defines themselves and how others perceive you (Brandtzaeg & Chaparro-Dominguez, 2020). Educating and creating a personal awareness amongst students and the community will hopefully impact online behaviours and the way one presents themselves.

Same can be said about organisations when on social media. Impressions are left with every interaction. Organisations need to be clear in their purpose and carefully consider what digital information is being presented to the public. With the amount of misinformation and fake news out there, being informed and ensuring accurate information is being delivered will not only impact your identity but also your reputation. It is so important that the general presentation, including spelling and structure, conveys professionalism. Choosing when to post and not to post is also an element that can shape one’s digital identity.

Not only is the content or the story that is being told a concern for one’s digital identity but so too is the security. With the increasing rate at which people are accessing and creating digital data it is very important that sensitive data is protected. Feher (2019) raises the point that your online self is unsafe if your digital identity is vulnerable. Therefore, understanding the privacy terms and conditions of the platforms used and ensuring your privacy settings are set correctly along with regular software updates, strong passwords and connecting securely are ways to manage your data. This will help maintain your digital identity. Information professionals need to ensure there are policies in place to assist with this.

References

Brandtzaeg, P. B., & Chaparro-Domínguez, M.-Á. (2020). From youthful experimentation to professional identity: Understanding identity transition in social media. Young, 28(2), 157-174. https://doi-org/10.1177/1103308819834386

Feher, K. (2019). Digital identity and the online self: Footprint strategies – An exploratory and comparative research study. Journal of Information Science, 47(2), 192-205.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551519879702

Innovman inno. (2013). Digital-Footprint [image]. Flickr. https://tinyurl.com/cnzm55j8

Me and my shadow. (n.d.). Take control of your data. https://myshadow.org/

Ordering Policies and Procedures

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Accountability is fundamental in any organisation, system or facility.  School libraries are no exception.  After reading Chapter 4 of A Manual for Developing Policies and Procedures in Australian School Library Resource Centres it is clear that and Ordering policy does not exist however we do have and follow Ordering Procedures.  In my current school anyone can complete a electronic purchase order to request a resource. Being such a large school, a P-12 college, we have many different people that are responsible for and are able to authorise the purchase orders.  A teacher librarian and other Head of Departments can authorise anything up to the value of  $500 but anything over that needs to be authorised by a member of Leadership.   A part of the purchase order is to assign a department that is responsible for the resource and ultimately which budget it will be coming from. Often, although the Head of Departments can authorise, they do turn to the Teacher Librarian to complete the purchasing. Once the purchase order has been approved by the appropriate person the order can then be placed. A new concept that our school is still getting use to is ensuring that all non perishable orders, no matter which department it has been purchased from, comes to the library upon arrival so that it can be checked and accessioned into our Library Management System.  This is a practise that we are trying to make a routine as accountability, as well as the worth of resource and being able to locate and find resources at all times is extremely important.  Until this is achieved, the teacher librarian having a full record that can be compared to the finance department is not possible or happening within my school.  The teacher librarian does work in close consultation with the finance department, who will send on all invoices and purchase orders once complete.  The finance department regularly update all departments of the current expenditure and the amount remaining in the budget.

Cooney et al. (2017).  A manual for developing policies and procedures in australian school library resource centres. 2nd Edition  Retrieved from https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Policies/policies-procedures-manual_ed2.pdf