Tag: Assessment

ETL503- Assessment 2 Part B

The subject ETL503 has confirmed my understanding that the role and nature of the school library collection, and the Teacher Librarian (TL), is continually changing to reflect the current needs of the community (Kasalu & Ojiambo, 2012, p. 25-26) to prepare students for the future (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions [IFLA], 2015, p. 19). This course has confirmed that TLs cannot operate effectively in a vacuum, or hope to develop a ‘living useful policy’ (Saponaro & Evans, 2019, p. 54) or a community-focused collection without the input and support of all stakeholders (Biviano, 2021, November 27).

The defining line between a collection development policy (CDP) and collection management policy (CMP) is more complex and nuanced than my response to Discussion Forum 1 (Biviano, 2021, November 27) suggested. Both documents require planned, intentional focus and the support of stakeholders throughout to create a balanced, relevant collection (ALIA, 2015, p. 61; IFLA, 2017, p. 8; Johnson, 2014, p. 221, 279) that supports students now and into the future. In return, both documents can be used to strategically support funding applications, grants, contribute to the development and strengthening of whole school Strategic Improvement Plans (SIP), streamline resource application, approval and rejection and provide accountability and transparency of actions. Additionally, these documents can be utilised within the library to streamline the collection of data and associated reporting to guide future, user-focussed purchases (Johnson, 2014, p. 325) in a changing information landscape, and develop and implement effective deselection criteria to improve circulation and increase user engagement (Disher, 2014, p. 86-87; Saponaro & Evans, 2019, p. 195-196).

The regular review and assessment of CDPs allows for the updating of policies and processes to align with the school and department values, mission statements and visions (IFLA, 2015, p. 23) and ensures continuous monitoring of format and subject availability in the collection to inform future planning and purchasing (ALIA, 2017, p. 66). Regular revision of these documents helps maintain a relevant collection that meets the needs of 21st century learners and supports staff (Kasalu & Ojiambo, 2012, p. 25-26) as curriculum changes continue to come into effect.

I have learned that an increased collaborative effort with local small school libraries and council library services will provide numerous benefits to stakeholders and offer opportunities for cooperative development of the CDP and CMP (Johnson, 2014, p. 385). Additionally, strengthening these relationships, and those with the wider community, will assist in helping to future-proof the library by incorporating new perspectives, offering access to new and different resource formats and sharing the pressure of the ever-increasing TL load.

I have learned a lot about censorship and, although I was aware of intentional censorship, I was unaware of the possibility of unintentional or covert censorship (Moody, 2005, p. 140). While taboo topics of sexuality, religion and disability may have once been considered unsuitable for school libraries, guidelines state that the exclusion of topics based on biased or prejudiced personal attitudes or beliefs is unacceptable (IFLA, 2015, p. 7; Australian Library and Information Association [ALIA], 2017, p. 12). As such, some of these topics have come into focus when selecting resources for the school library. I am aware that not all communities have developed the same social values and some topics continue to remain controversial (Moody, 2005, p. 142), but, as discussed in the forums (Biviano, 2021, January 3) I believe communication, support from the executive and staff and a sound understanding of the school context and community is vital when negotiating such sensitive issues.

The highly collaborative nature of CDPs (IFLA, 2015, p. 8; ALIA, 2017, p. 11; Saponaro & Evans, 2019, p. 56) is something that, in my small school context, has fallen away, leaving a never-ending cycle of stocktake, weeding and accessioning without thought to the appropriateness of the resources provided through donations, standing orders and teacher classroom requests. The completion of key policy and procedure documents, which can then be presented and ratified by school leaders, is the best way to clearly, effectively communicate collection development issues, such as time management, funding and personnel shortages, with busy school leaders. Additionally, these documents provide stakeholders with a better understanding of resource selection and weeding criteria, allowing for greater transparency in the collection (Disher, 2014, p. 37).

Although I seemed to develop an endless list of must-do tasks throughout this unit, my main priorities going forward for the immediate future are:

–          to develop intentional awareness of covert censorship in action and put in practice assessing resources using the basic selection criteria outlined in this blog post (Biviano, 2021, December 4)

–          to develop key policies and procedures in collaboration with school staff and leaders and to use the CDP and CMP as strategic documents in library planning

–          to expand on the collaborative efforts discussed in this blog post (Biviano, 2021, December 27) with school staff and the wider library services community to support the development of digital and physical collections moving forward

–          to encourage staff to become actively involved in collection mapping and evaluation as discussed in Forum 5.1 (Biviano, 2021, January 2) to ensure a better general understanding of the school collection and to communicate a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the TL and library collection.

 

 References

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). (2017). A manual for developing policies and procedures in Australian school library resource centres. 2nd edition.  https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Policies/policies-procedures-manual_ed2.pdf

Disher, W. (2014). Crash course in collection development, 2nd edition. ABC-CLIO, LLC.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions [IFLA]. (2015). IFLA school library guidelines. 2nd edition.
https://www.ifla.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/assets/school-libraries-resource-centers/publications/ifla-school-library-guidelines.pdf

Johnson, P. (2014). Fundamentals of collection development and policies. American Library Association.

Kasalu, S. & Ojiambo, J. B. (2012, 13 Jan). Application of ICTs in collection development in private university libraries in Kenya. Collection Building, 31(1), 23-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/01604951211199155

Moody, K. (2005). Covert censorship in libraries: a discussion paper. Australian Library Journal May 2005, 54(2), 138-147. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2005.10721741

 Saponaro, M. Z., & Evans, G. E. (2019). Collection management basics, 7th edition. ABC-CLIO, LLC.

 

ETL504- Assessment 2, Part B

I have developed my understanding of different leadership styles, even into the final assessment, throughout this course. The easiest styles for me to understand were distributed leadership (Biviano, 2020, March 16) and transformational leadership (Bales, 2020, March 16) as I have experienced leaders who favoured these styles and some of the benefits of each. I have learned, however, that a school is run on varying styles and cannot be run effectively utilising just one leadership style.

TLs are in the perfect position to lead from the middle (Digital Promise, 2016) as distributive leaders in a transformational environment and it is vital that they lead to maintain relevance in future-facing schools (Biviano, 2020, March 16). Adapting a collaborative approach to teaching and learning as a result of ELT504 (Bales, 2020, April 17), I have begun to develop my distributed leadership skills through offering to help collaborate on ongoing and new programs. In the future, I will begin to carefully implement a servant leadership style to support teachers, without allowing my role or intentions to be taken advantage of (Biviano, 2020, May 23).

Throughout this course, I have been introduced to the SWOT and GAP analysis (Mindtools, 1996-2007), which was recommended for use in the group response to Case Study 4 (Group 8, 2020, May 8). As a result, I have already distributed SWOT analysis’ to staff members at my school to determine their understanding of the library’s role and gather suggestions for improvement and opportunities. This has been invaluable in developing a strategic plan, alongside my principal for the library.

Throughout the case studies, teamwork evolved organically to problem solve and submit work on time. Group 8 was made up of positive, collaborative workers who fell into an easy rhythm after the first group study (Biviano, 2020, May 23). Initial challenges included a hesitance to take over, which delayed a start on Case Study 3, and uncertainty on how to begin. I suggested splitting into pairs and addressing one main topic per pair and other group members took on distributive roles in determining the pairs (Harris, 2010), while an instructional role was utilised in assigning topics (University of Washington, 2015) with the understanding that in the following case study topics would be allocated through expertise (Biviano, 2020, April 17). Assigning topics for this study was necessary to get work started. I would utilise this style of leadership, initially, to support staff in engaging with new information and transition into distributed leadership when looking to develop programs once the core information has been understood.

As part of a collaborative reflection in the discussion boards, it was determined that we need to establish a timetable for future case studies to support timely learning. I found this very useful in Case Study 4 but, it was not utilised in Case Study 5 due to time constraints. This was difficult for me to adapt to and, as such, I missed conversations and feedback and the final product lacked the collaborative construction of previous case studies (Biviano, 2020, May 23).

 

References

Bales, J. (2020, March 14-25). Module 2: Week 2: Primary [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2 ETL504. https://interact2.csu.edu.au

Bales, J. (April 15-May 23). Module 4: Week 6: Primary [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2 ETL504. https://interact2.csu.edu.au

Digital Promise (2016). The new librarian: Leaders in the digital age. SCIS Connections. https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-96/the-new-librarian-leaders-in-the-digital-age/

Group 8. (May 15, 2020). COVID Case Study 5- Group 8. [Online discussion thread]. Interact 2 ETL504. https://interact2.csu.edu.au

Harris, A. (2014, September 29). Distributed leadership. Teacher Magazine, ACER. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/distributed-leadership

University of Washington. (2015). 4 dimensions of instructional leadership. Center for Educational Leadership. http://info.k-12leadership.org/4-dimensions-of-instructional-leadership

ETL504- Case Study 5: Reflection

Written: May 16, 2020

Published: Mary 23, 2020

Due to an increased work commitment, I was unable to commit as much time as I previously had to this case study. With that said, I focussed on reading each post in the discussion thread and responding in my own post (Group 8, 2020, May 15). Unfortunately, as I was last to post, there was no feedback given on my response, as in previous conversations and I found it made me nervous.

As a group, we chose to write about the current COVID pandemic and any opportunities we have engaged with or missed. I liked this concept because COVID has been such a rapidly evolving event that it has left little time to stop and reflect. I was able to acknowledge the positive and challenging aspects of the pandemic and its impact on my teaching and learning- one of which was a lack of engagement with my university course, unfortunately.

Upon reflection, I realise that I have let my relationship with a difficult staff member stagnate and, as a result, and many other factors, she has closed herself off to working in a truly collaborative sense. Instead, she requires from me a servant role- note not a servant leadership role, as I am not involved with her programming or planning and cannot support her fully without that knoweldge.Jennie (Bales, 2020) pointed out the difference between Servant Leadership and being a servant to teachers, a different which TLs are at risk of failing to identify. Undertsanding the difference now, I intend to keep this in mind when offering support to teachers.

Holly volunteered to post a summary of the discussion thread for the group. At the time, I assumed it would be a simple copy and paste, however, upon reading it, I realised she had synthesised the ideas from the posts, added references and creative an academic summary. It is well written and seems to cover the main points, both positive and negative, from the discussion posts of all group members. Perhaps, if there had been more time, it would have benefited to share the summarised post between members for editing, however, with such a tight time limit, I understand why it was posted straight to the discussion board.

Unfortunately, due to my tardiness in engaging with this task, I did not get to offer my editing and collaborative abilities and, instead, submitted my own work to the group, while providing feedback on their submissions.

 

References

Bales, J. (2020). Meeting 4: Assessment 2. [PowerPoint slides]. CSU Interact2. https://connect.csu.edu.au/p12mlfzsm5pr/

ETL504- Case Study 4: Reflection

Written: May 9, 2020

Published: May 23, 2020

Our second group work activity. I found the group fell into a similar pattern of brainstorming then distribiuting tasks as in the first task, though this time, it was with more confidence. Some people were comfortable vocalising their preferences and strengths, while others were more comfortable agreeing and inserting themselves after the initial discussion, either due to confidence or timing issues.

During this activity, one member of our group was waylaid by life and struggled to commit to the task, and so, contacted Jennie, who sat in on our discussions ready to support if necessary. She seemed pleased by our communication and the distribution of responsibilities.

All members contributed with thoughtful discussion points and then seperated to work on their topics and wiki pages seperately, as chosen by individuals based on strengths and interests. Some members took the time to review each post priot to publishing for editting, referencing and fact checking.

Linda established a review thread after the task to help coordinate reflections amongst the group. I, myself, did not contribute aside from agreeing to details of Case Study 5, as I was overwhelmed by the ongoing COVID changes and what it meant for my work. With that said, I can see that there was thoughtful reflection and suggestions made with future collaboration in mind. The members questioned whether we have been working as self-distributing leaders of collaborative instructional leads, with arguments for both. Personally, I would consider our main leadership style to be self-distributive, as we are taking on tasks based on experience, rather than allocation (Harris, 2010). Additionally, there has been a trust developed amongst members that the quality of work produced will be high and submitted in a timely fashion.

I am anxious about Case Study 5 as it is due very soon after Case STudy 4 and, shortly after, Assessment 2 is due. Adding this to the impact of COVID and a recently increased workload, I will attempt to engage with the group regularly and prioritise the case study in order to complete it. However, I would like to take on more of a servant leadership role in supporting the others in providing resources, timely feedback and editting, rather than offering a whole contribution (Burkus, 2010).

References

Burkus, D. (2010, April 1). Servant leadership theory. https://davidburkus.com/2010/04/servant-leadership-theory/

Harris, A. (2014, September 29). Distributed leadership. Teacher Magazine, ACER.  https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/distributed-leadership

INF506- Assessment 3: Evaluation & Reflection

Evaluative Statement

Your evaluation of the use of social networking/media in the professional environment will demonstrate your understanding of the concepts studied this session. You should give a concise overview of the challenges and opportunities as well as the issues that may be encountered by an information professional working in this environment.

Word count: 772

Technology has become a normalised part of society (Dijck, 2018) and although some reports suggest that SM growth seems to have plateaued in developed countries (Pouschter, Bishop & Chwe, 2018), there is no denying that SM platforms continue to impact day-to-day life. With the development of Web 2.0 and social media (SM) platforms, allowing for multi-way communication (Schwerdtfeger, 2013), professionals continue to network by sharing content, collaborating and creating a community. It is imperative that all information professionals, therefore, understand and are aware of a variety of SM platforms, uses, programs and practices, as well as the ethical, social, cultural and technical aspects of the SM environment. I will be evaluating the usefulness and challenges of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, specifically, as Assessment 2 provided me the opportunity to utilise these in a professional sense.

The development of SM as a driving force behind commerce, communication and even education is predicted to continue to influence determination of organisation success in the future (Chen, 2019; Barnhart, 2020). Capitalising on the SM phenomenon, organisations have invested resources into developing successful SM marketing strategies and user-friendly applications, allowing for ease of user access (Adner & Kapoor, 2016) in an effort to develop connections with communities and improve audience awareness (Barnhart, 2020). By developing SM strategies and policies (Hebblewhite, 2017) and opening lines of immediate communication with their audiences (Chen, 2019) organisations have cultivated communities of ‘influencers’ who can share posts about their products and services (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2019).

The ongoing development of SM commerce has opened paths for new and developing job opportunities in fields that did not exist before, such as application developers, social influencers, social media managers (Nisar, Prabhakar & Strakova, 2019) and policy makers (Hibblewhite, 2017). Additionally, the development of analytical tools on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have allowed organisations to collect information and track and manage performance improvements (Barnhart, 2020; Nisar et.al., 2019) and successfully connect and maintain relationships with audiences (Chen, 2019, King, 2015). Use of this tool can allow organisations to adjust their profiles to suit their branding, allowing for a cohesive ‘voice’ across all SM platforms and helping develop relationships with their targeted community (Bunker, 2017).

As the sheer amount of content posted each day continues to increase, particularly in relation to visual images on Instagram, concerns have arisen in areas such as intellectual policy and copyright licensing, resulting in the redevelopment of Creative Commons licensing to protect creators, companies and institutions online (CCA, 2013). Privacy and the disclosure of personal information has also been reviewed recently with an increased demand for notification of the use of ‘cookies’ on websites and a push to privatise the gathered information (Shankland, 2020), which is currently used to tailor advertising on most SM platforms. For example, Instagram has a disclosure policy identifying exactly what their cookies are and what they are used for. Organisations must be aware of the risks involved in not being complaint with both copyright and privacy regulations, as they are held to account by law (Big Commerce Essentials, n.d.) and ensure that all staff members are aware of procedures, limitations and policies in place to protect against accidental breach of law.

While SM has developed to easily disseminate information, the development of SM policies is vital to avoid posting incorrect information that could, potentially, lead to reputation damage, legal liability or even a loss in profits (Hebblewhite, 2017). There is an increasing awareness of ‘fake news’ in SM with academic studies invested in uncovering how to ‘undo’ fake news cognitively (De Keersmaecker & Roets, 2017) and libraries investigating how to educate their students on spotting false information (Holmes, 2018). With 28% of 18-24 year old’s using SM as their only source of news (Social Media College, 2018), it is important organisations create genuine and informed posts in order to develop trust in the community and positive relationships (King, 2015).

Although there are undoubtable risks involved in using social media for business, there is no question that it is a useful tool, coupled with inclusive, aware policy, that can help boost business sales, market awareness and act as a networking platform to connect with audience and community. With 17.9 billion people purchasing goods via e-commerce (We Are Social Ltd., 2019) last year, it is reasonable to suggest that SM, with its ongoing development of analytic tools, business accounts and tailored advertising, will play a key role in the continued growth of e-commerce in the future. As such, it is important that information professionals be aware of both the challenges and opportunities involved with SM platforms in order to best manage their organisations SM presence.

 

 

 

Reflective Statement

Your personal reflection will document your development as a social networker as a result of studying INF506, and the implications for your development as an information professional.

Word count: 773

Critical reflection is recommended to assimilate new information and improve professional practice (Attard & Armour, 2006) and throughout INF506, I have had the opportunity to reflect on my understanding of social media (SM), networking and how these can be used in a professional sense. I have immerses myself in multiple SM platforms, theories and tools and have been able to link them to an educational context. On reflection, I would like to adapt my broad strokes definition of ‘social networking’ in Assessment 1 to:

‘Active engagement with Web 2.0 and social media platforms to form professional contacts, share information and develop resources.’

My expectations for this course included developing expertise in mainstream SM platforms and encountering new platforms, both of which were achieved throughout the learning modules, readings and assessments. I now know what other schools are using and which platforms work best for them as a result of discussions on the INF506 Facebook page and peer blogs on CSU Thinkspace. I have come to realise that not all SM platforms work for every organisation and trial and error is completely acceptable. Reflection on these discussions has helped begin my SM strategy planning for my school library.

I was confident in navigating Facebook and Instagram at the beginning of this course, however, I was completely unprepared for the detailed analytics involved with business accounts. Utilising Facebook for communication in the INF506 group and sharing resources was an excellent way to further familiarise myself with the platform and gather develop relationships with peers. I have learned that Facebook can be utilised for professional development, education and communication, which can then be documented to record staff and student progress. Additionally, the analytics allow monitoring of individuals access and contributions to the profile, which would be useful in determining student engagement and involvement.

I found it much easier to develop content on Instagram than any other platform as I am a highly visual person. I feel that targeting a visual audience will result in greater involvement, without relying on large amounts of text or links to follow.  Instagram would be best used in an educational library environment to share new and notable books, highlight authors and promote library events to students and parents. Again, involvement with this profile could be tracked using their provided analytics.

I also developed a Twitter account for the same assessment but remain sceptical of its value in education as the statistics say most users are outside of my target demographic (We Are Social Ltd., 2019; Social Media College, 2018) and, although images and short clips can be uploaded, I did not like the layout or the fact that most posts required a link to other platforms for more information.

Developing the idea of a brand across multiple platforms throughout Assessment 2 allowed me to understand how successful SM organisations connect with audiences and develop communities (King, 2018; Bunker, 2017) that result in increased positive market exposure. The idea that each platform can present the same information in different ways was intriguing to me and I realised that, of the three platforms I had chosen to use, none were identical in their layout or purpose. All three reached different audiences who were interested in different forms of media. I was intrigued to learn that each post needed to be tailored to each specific platform to achieve maximum exposure and spent some time on discovering the best scaffold for each profile.

Finally, the most important thing I learned throughout INF506 was that the development of SM policy is vital in establishing any SM strategy. Hebblewhite (2017) discusses some of the areas of risk for organisations who do not establish policy early on, including staffing organisation, over-saturation and privacy and copyright regulations. It is clear that any omissions or accidental breaches of copyright or privacy legislation is taken very seriously, with further pushes to privatise ‘cookies’ that can tailor advertising experiences to the individual (Shankland, 2020). In an educational environment, privacy of information means the use of any SM platform must be considered carefully and policy must be developed to protect and monitor staff, students and the education organisation. It is not enough to understand privacy in a generic sense, staff in all organisations involved with SM must be aware of documents such as Creative Commons and what it means for their development of posts and interactions online.

INF506 was an eye-opening subject that has helped me to better understand social media and its uses. It is my responsibility, now, to pass this understanding, as it continues to develop, onto fellow staff members and continue my own journey to become an informed information professional.

References

Adner, R., & Kapoor, R. (2016). Right tech, wrong time. Harvard Business Review, 94(11), 60-67.

Attard, K. & Armour, K. (2006). Reflecting on reflection: a case study of one teacher’s early-career professional learning. Physical education and sport pedagogy, 11(3), 209-229 DOI: 10.1080/17408980600986264

Barnhart, B. (2020, January 06). The most important social media trends to know for 2020 [blog post]. Retrieved from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-trends/

Big Commerce Essentials. (n.d.). What are online business laws? Available from https://www.bigcommerce.com.au/ecommerce-answers/what-are-online-business-laws/

Bunker, L. (2017). Picking a platform and finding a voice. In S. W. H. Young & D. Rossmann (Eds.), Using Social Media to Build Library Communities : A LITA Guide. Blue Ridge Summit, UNITED STATES: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

CCA- Creative Commons, Australia. (2013). About the licenses. Available from https://creativecommons.org.au/learn/licences/

Chen, J. (2019, January 18). 7 social media trends to watch in 2019 [blog post]. Available from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-trends/

De keersmaecker, J., & Roets, A. (2017). ‘Fake news’: Incorrect, but hard to correct. The role of cognitive ability on the impact of false information on social impressions. Intelligence, 65(1), 107-110. doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2017.10.005

Di Gangi, P. M., Johnston, A. C., Worrell, J. L., & Thompson, S. C. (2018). What could possibly go wrong? A multi-panel Delphi study of organizational social media risk. Information Systems Frontiers, 20(5), 1097-1116. doi: 10.1007/s10796-016-9714-2

Hebblewhite, N. (2017). Implementing an effective social media policy. Governance Directions, 69(3), 167-169.

Influencer Marketing Hub (2019, February 01) What is an influencer? [blog post] Retrieved from https://influencermarketinghub.com/what-is-an-influencer/

Holmes, R. (2018, April 10). How libraries are reinventing themselves to fight fake news. [blog post] Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanholmes/2018/04/10/how-libraries-are-reinventing-themselves-to-fight-fake-news/#751cbde8fd16

King, D. L. (2015). Analytics, goals, and strategy for social media. Library Technology Reports, 51(1), 26-32.

King, D.L. (2018). Innovation & Education: Central role of libraries in our digital communities. Retrieved from https://www.davidleeking.com/innovation-education-central-role-of-libraries-in-our-digital-communities-cildc/

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

Poushter, J., Bishop, C. & Chwe, H. (2018, June 19). Social media use continues to rise in developing countries but plateaus across developed ones. Pew Research Center.  Available from https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2018/06/19/social-media-use-continues-to-rise-in-developing-countries-but-plateaus-across-developed-ones/

Schwerdtfeger, P. (2013, March 17). What is Web 2.0? What is social media? What comes next?  Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iStkxcK6_vY&feature=youtu.be

Shankland, S. (2020, January 14). Google Chrome’s privacy changes will hit the web later this year. CNET. Retrieved from https://www.cnet.com/news/google-chromes-privacy-changes-will-hit-the-web-later-this-year/

Social Media College. (2018, May 30). Social media revolution, 2018. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qpcdywb6Hw&feature=emb_title

Van Dijck, J. (2018). Introduction. In J. Van Dijck (Ed.), The Platform Society.  Retrieved from Oxford Scolarship Online.

We Are Social Ltd. (2019) Digital in 2019 Australia. Available from https://wearesocial.com/au/digital-2019-australia?mc_cid=2627112634&mc_eid=632bbf90f7

 

INF506 Assessment 2 (Appendices removed)

Scenario

‘You own a small bookshop. You would like to attract more interest from the local community. Design and develop a social networking community that would allow you to do this.’

Biv’s Bookstore is a small, locally owned store that has been in the community for over 25 years. The store has previously had no social media (SM) presence of its own and is hoping to use its SM launch to advertise its 25 year grand re-opening.

Aim

To use SM to attract more interest from and develop better connectivity with the local community to develop more interest in the store and improve sales.

Stakeholders

To determine the stakeholders (Barbara, 2017), the PESTLE tool was chosen (Stakeholder analysis and management, n.d.) (Appendices 1.1). Three major stakeholders were identified; staff, patrons and the wider community (Appendices 1.2). While staff and patrons are the immediate stakeholders in terms of business and profit, the wider community, including neighbouring shops, council, community groups and local residents are vital stakeholders to be considered in this strategy proposal in that they provide an opportunity for further interest in the store. These parties could potentially become Blockers or Opponents if not addressed appropriately, or even Followers or Advocates depending on the success of the SM strategy (Stakeholder analysis and management, n.d.).

Stakeholder Needs

Each stakeholder requires different considerations for this strategy to succeed but the major factors will be communication and transparency (Chen, 2019).

Management and retail staff

It is important that store staff feel a sense of excitement or ownership over a new initiative to ensure engagement and increase chances of success (Half, n.d.). By developing a project management team, staff are given the chance to invest in the projects success as well as demonstrate and receive credit for skills previously unidentified eg photography, social media expertise etc.

For those staff not directly involved with the project, regular communication meetings will be held to share progress and expectations of store staff in promoting SM platforms (see below timeline).

Regular clientele

Current customers will need to be made aware of the developing community and its benefits. As the large majority of current clients are elderly, staff will need to support the use of SM platforms and even devices in-store and online. While this will initially be part of all staff roles, it would be useful to have a tech-support role assigned to someone in the project team. Awareness of the new community can be promoted by word-of-mouth and by hand-outs or business cards displaying SM platform icons, usernames, hashtags and HQ code for easy access (Cole, 2016).

Target clientele (parents of young children & teen audiences)

The targeted new clientele needs to be made aware of the new community across all SM platforms. Again, use of word-of-mouth and hand-out/card strategies will work for the immediate community. Online, it will be useful to follow similar accounts (Civitello, 2018), including libraries and community groups to place Biv’s Books in viewable range of potential customers. Awareness can also be raised by following authors, illustrators and publishers whose books are stocked in Biv’s Books. Finally, by featuring books on each platform targeted for the chosen audience, using hashtags to attract attention and offering staff and client reviews of different books should increase engagement of targeted audiences.

Community groups

Developing the awareness of community groups can be established by liking or following their pages online and by also speaking with organisers face-to-face and leaving business cards or hand-outs. By co-organising or supporting community events physically and online via SM platforms, community engagement should increase as many SM viewers prefer to interact with socially minded companies (Smith, 2012; Joo, Choi & Bayek, 2018). Attending community meetings and offering the use of a community space can also increase community group awareness and connections with the store.

Platforms

Instagram, Facebook & Twitter

These platforms were chosen as they are some of the most commonly used SM platforms (Williams, 2018), easily accessible and easy to use (Adner & Kapoor, 2016). While Youtube is one of the highest used SM platforms in America today (Pew Research Centre, 2019), it was not a practical choice for the business. Instead, Facebook proved to be a consistently high contender, Instagrams’ popularity has grown over the past few years (Alfonzo, 2019) and while Twitter is more widely used by academic and professional demographics (Pew Research Centre, 2018, Statista, 2019).

To ensure increased connectivity, all three platforms have been linked together on each page so readers can access, follow and enjoy each page more easily. The same photographic logo was used across the platforms as can clearly be seen in Appendices 3.1-3.3, as was the development of similar hashtags and usernames to ensure easy recognition of the brand despite varying tones (Civitello, 2018).

Targeted Audiences

Instagram

According to Pew Research Centre (2018), Instagram is used most commonly by 51% of people aged between 18-29 and 39% of people in high school and below to gather news and information, making it second only to Snapchat as a trusted SM platform. It is for this reason that this program is targeting teenagers and young adults to increase their interaction with the store and SM. The content will be targeted at this younger audience through posting popular teen and young adult texts with eye-catching, attractive cover designs to capitalise on the high-visual appeal of this platform.

Facebook

Facebook attracts more users between the ages of 30-49 (Pew Research Centre, 2018), a demographic that is likely to already have children (Australian Institute of Families, n.d.) and so this platform has been targeted towards parents with young children. By featuring attractive children’s books with bright colours and staff reviews, offering targeted specials in this genre and connecting with community groups who specifically support various types of family units, I hope to increase the awareness and engagement of this demographic.

Twitter

Twitter attracts a similar demographic to Facebook, with 42% of 30-49 year old users accessing it for news and information, but a further 35% of college students and 41% of people with advanced college degrees rely on it as a trusted information source (Pew Research Centre, 2018). As such, and assuming that this demographic is made up of academics and professionals, the targeted audience is professional adults with an interest in reading for pleasure.

Why not email?

While Smith (2012) suggests that Millennials prefer advertising via email, the above three platforms were chosen over email communication because they are three of largest SM platforms in the world at this point in time, meaning they are three of the most accessed applications on smart devices, allowing for immediate and easy usage. Additionally, each possesses the capability for viewers to contact the page managers directly with comments, questions or complaints without the need for email accounts or additional windows (Ogechi, n.d.).

Risks and Strategies

Butow, et. Al. (2018) point out that although the above platforms are becoming more and more popular, there is a risk of oversaturation and content being lost amongst the masses. It is therefore, necessary to develop a comprehensive SM plan to ensure the success and individuality of the pages, as demonstrated below.

Cullins, Jarvey and Gardner (2018) discuss the dangers of image licensing online and that incorrectly credited or used images can result in enormous fines or account closure. As an immediate necessity, I would investigate Creative Commons and the related legislation in order to protect the store and the SM platforms (Appendices 4).

Timeline

First (1 month) Soon (2-3 months)
·        Project summary:

§  Identify aim

§  Identify stakeholders- stakeholder analysis

§  Determine project leader/s and support staff

§  Investigate publishing permissions and processes

·        Research book shops on various platforms and compare what works and what doesn’t

·        Develop holding statements to use across all platforms eg Closed due to…

·        Review platform analytics at end of month

·        Develop written timeline for SM development

·        Determine tone, theme and content for EACH platform

·        Determine linking element for branding across platforms; logo/colouring/layout/hashtag?

·        Create a content calendar-new release dates, sale dates or promotions/events

·        Experiment with content during this time to determine style/s receiving most activity

 ·        Review analytic data from each platform at the end of each month

·        Review and add to written timeline for SM development

·        Begin to develop detailed content strategy with aim in mind- new-look store, relaunch and 25 year anniversary content

·        Add to content calendar

·        Connect with community groups on SM to discuss partnership events- invite to 25 year relaunch
Later (6-9 months) Eventually (10-12 months and onwards)
·        Continue to review analytic data at the end of each month and record any high-achieving posts

·        Adapt content strategy depending on audience response

·        Review SM timeline and add/adapt depending on achievements/setbacks

·        Invite the community to offer suggestions on new stock/interested topics/who they would like to see more of in the store

·        Invite community members and staff to contribute book reviews and stories about the 25 years prior (memories).

 ·        Approach local authors to offer reading space for promotions- livestream portions or collect questions from the public for author to answer

·        Encourage staff to provide reviews on books within the store-livestream/photos/tweets

Creating the sites

Butow, Herman and Walker (2018) provide a detailed explanation on how to establish Instagram as a driving force behind business. By applying these concepts to SM as a whole, I aim to establish a professional, accessible and attractive SM presence across multiple platforms.

In an effort to keep the platform content simple and consistent, I chose to post the same content across all platforms to begin with. This was done by manually posting on Twitter then setting up the same post on my phone for Instagram, which also linked to the BivsBooks Facebook account. By posting to Facebook and Instagram at the same time, I was able to reduce the time spent on developing and sharing content. I did not like the Share option for Twitter on the other platforms as it is only sharing a link and does not include images or videos.

The ‘Business’ style profile of Facebook was chosen to separate the page from the ‘Standard’ pages used as personal pages. Additionally, it allows for readers to view and contribute reviews, events and community connections in clearly defined sections of the page, rather than trying to crowd them all together.

For inspiration on content, I researched similar accounts across all three platforms and collected data on the types of posts each account used, their varying sizes and analysed the more successful methods of communication, e.g. posts with images versus posts with links (Appendices 2). I was able to determine which methods already in use would be suitable for experimentation on the chosen platforms (see commentary in red, Appendices 2). I also researched academic articles on social media marketing and found that posts with images and invitations to respond to posts increases the interaction rate of a page while posts with a higher number of hashtags were accessed more often (Lies & Fuss, 2019). As a result, I adjusted the content on the platforms to reflect their target audiences, e.g. Facebook is targeting parents of young children (Appendices 3.1b) while Instagram directly targets a teen audience (Appendices 3.3a).

Marketing

By tying the SM launch with the 25 year relaunch and redesign of the store, there rises opportunity for complete rebranding, which is something that can be utilised across all platforms, including SM. By ensuring a consistent flow of information across all platforms, the store provides viewers with a familiar, recognisable brand, no matter the context (Civitello, 2018) and personalised content at targeted audiences should increase the interact of those audiences with the corresponding platforms (Smith, 2012). Additionally, by linking the rebranding with the grand opening, the business is provided with an interest piece or event to gain further interest from the local community (Appendices 3.1a & 3.2a).

Studies have found that sharing or posting about community events (Joo, Choi & Bayek, 2018), posting positive emotional messages on social media (Lies & Fuss, 2019) and purchases that support or help others (Smith, 2012) elicit the most engagement from users. As part of the content calendar, I intend to schedule regular uplifting images or messages and announcements about community involved events (Appendices 3.1b). This also provides an opportunity for further connections to develop between the store and targeted local community groups.

Civitello (2018) suggests examining and specifically determining who you ‘follow’ on SM as this can influence your audiences likelihood of following similar or the same groups, and vice-cersa for audiences of other accounts. Appendices 3.1c and 3.3b demonstrate the types of accounts Bivs_Books has followed in an effort to create links with the online community. Appendices 3.1b demonstrates two posts that make contact with the community in different ways; the first offers a discount in-store in return for SM likes, follows and attention, the second brings to the attention of the audience an issue in the community and an avenue for donation, from which the page does not profit at all, except for in gaining traffic.

Issues

Creating a Professional Facebook page was quite simple, as I could do it directly from my personal profile. Unfortunately, Instagram proved to be more difficult. I was required to create a new Instagram account, after much searching, then convert it to a Professional Account and attach it to my Instagram App as a secondary account. Additionally, Instagram offers to connect the new Professional Account to Facebook but each time I tried this, when I went to Facebook, the attached page appeared as an error. After much perseverance, I was able to link the two.

Like Instagram, I was required to create a new account on Twitter and then link it to my original account. The difficulty here is that I also had to create a new email account as mine was already linked with an account and cannot hold more than one account. One way around that is to enter your mobile number, so long as it is not already linked to your personal account. Also, I investigated becoming ‘verified’ on Twitter as it seems that most genuine businesses have the little blue badge, however, a notice on Twitters Help pages says they are no longer accepting any new applications, I suspect due to an overwhelming number of current applications.

In trying to create a branding across all platforms, I had difficulty in lining up the Usernames across platforms as ‘BivsBooks’ was taken on Twitter and ‘Bivs_Books’ was disallowed on Facebook due to the underscore. As such, I settled on ‘Bivs_Books’ for Twitter and Instagram while the Facebook page is recognised as ‘BivsBooks’.

Evaluation Strategies

As seen in the Timeline, there are multiple opportunities for evaluation of SM platforms and content strategies via analytic analysis to support and enrich the business (Half, n.d.). Utilising the analytical tools on each platform, regular assessment by owner, project leader/s and project team will determine the success rate of each platform in a) increasing community group engagement and involvement and b) how well it has engaged with its targeted audience, e.g. the number of followers attracted in certain demographics. Eventually, SM platforms will also be assessed as a whole in how they are impacting sales and foot traffic.

References

Adner, R. & Kapoor, R. (2016) Right tech, wrong time. Harvard Business Review, 94(11), 60-67. Retrieved from: http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=118866680&site=ehost-live

Alfonzo, P. (2019) Chapter 4. Instagram in the library. Library Technology Reports, 55(2), 33-44. Retrieved from: https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/2186951579?accountid=10344

Barbara, A. (2017) Getting started. In The no-nonsense guide to project management. 49-70. Fecat. dio: 10.29085/9781783302055.003

Butow, E., Herman, J. & Walker, C. (2018) Instagram for business for dummies. Retrieved from: https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/instagram-for-business/9781119439813/03_9781119439813-intro.xhtml

Chen, J. (2019) 7 social media trends to watch in 2019 [blog post]. Retrieved from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-trends/

Civitello, A. (2018) Seven steps to smarter social. Public Libraries, 57(3), 11-12. Retrieved from: http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=130352885&site=ehost-live

Cole, L. (2016) Bibliotech as the re-imagined public library: Where will it find you? Paper presented at: IFLAWLIC2016-Columbus,OH, Connections. Collaboration. Community. in Session 213- Metropolitan Libraries.

Cullins, A., Jarvey, N. & Gardner, C. (2018) Who owns that Instagram pic? Hollywood Reporter, 424(6), 42-42 Retrieved from:  http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=127898883&site=ehost-live

Half, R. (n.d.) Employee engagement strategies. Retrieved from: https://www.roberthalf.com.au/management-advice/team/employee-engagement

Joo, S., Choi, N. & Baek, T. H. (2018) Library marketing via social media: the relationships between Facebook content and user engagement in public libraries. Online Information Review. Retrieved from: https://www-emerald-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/insight/content/doi/10.1108/OIR-10-2017-0288/full/html

Lies, J. & Fuss, S. (2019) Factors influencing the success of social media posts: A quantative analysis of over 60 million Facebook posts. Journal of digital and social media marketing, 7(2), 137-147. Retrieved from: https://www-ingentaconnect-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/content/hsp/jdsmm/2019/00000007/00000002/art00006

Ogechi, A. (n.d.) Contemporary issues in social media marketing. Social Media Marketing. Retrieved from: https://www-taylorfrancis-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/books/e/9781315563312/chapters/10.4324/9781315563312-21

Pew research centre (2019). Social media fact sheet. Retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/

Smith, K. T. (2012) Longitudinal study of digital marketing strategies targeting Millennials. Journal of consumer marketing, 29(2). Retrieved from: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/07363761211206339/full/html

Stakeholder analysis and management. (n.d.). Stakeholder analysis toolkit. Retrieved from: https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/media/mmuacuk/content/documents/bit/Stakeholder-analysis-toolkit-v3.pdf

Statista. (2019) Global social networks ranked by number of users 2019. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com.statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-numbers-of-users/

Williams, M. L. (2018) The adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in academic libraries: A comparative exploration. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1177/0961000618788725

INF506 Module 2- OLJ Task 2: The influence of technology on society

OLJ Task 2: The influence of technology on society

“…summarise in 400 words what you know and think about the influence of technology on society in general and specifically on organisations. What are some of the main points organisations have to consider that they may not have had to consider in the past?”

Word count: 347

I believe technology has had a great impact on society and the running and actions of organisations. It is difficult to move anywhere in the modern world without encountering some form of developed technology, whether it be in the form of mobile phones, laptop computers, electronic cash registers or moving billboard advertisements. Developing technology continues to mould the shape of our social and business ecosystems.

First, with the development of technology, organisations have gained immediate and impactful access to individuals via television advertising and the internet. A focus on product and company ‘branding’ (Harper, 2015) or how organisations are ‘seen’ has developed to saturate social media and television advertising and production. This will have increased sales, demand for product and transactions, as well as providing immediate avenues for review and feedback on products/services. Additionally, technology has allowed for the development of global connections and ‘interorganisational partnerships’ (Rathi, Given & Forcier, 2014) that were previously impossible due to time and distance.

Technology and the laws that have come to support its prolific use and development, provides the public with easy access to company policies and decisions in organisations. As such, all organisations are being ethically monitored, challenged and held accountable for their impact on the environment and the social ecosystems in which they operate (Livermore, 2012) in real time.

Organisations now need to consider all of these aspects, plus the development of staff specialist knowledge to best access and utilise these technological resources. It has been found that while the purchase of new technology is carefully considered, the training needed by staff to understand this technology is often underestimated (Gaimon, Ozkan & Napoleon, 2011).

Some organisations are a direct result of developments in technology (the internet led to Facebook, Instagram & Google) and have continued to value and promote technology innovation within their workplace, establishing tech-friendly office spaces, work environments and mentalities (Waber, Magnolfi & Lindsay, 2014). These, and other organisations, must consider what it means to maintain relevance in a constantly changing ecosystem (Adner & Kapoor, 2016) and how to compete with new technologies as they develop.

References

Adner & Kapoor. (2016). Right tech, wrong time. Harvard Business Review, Nov 2016, (94) 11. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_37900_1&content_id=_3129974_1&mode=reset

Gaimon, C., Ozkan, G. & Napoleon, K. (2011). Dynamic resource capabilities: managing workforce knowledge with a technology upgrade. Organization Science, 2011 (22) 6.

Harper, F. (2015). Success in programming how to gain recognition, power, and influence through personal branding. 1st Edition. Berkley, CA. ISBN: 1-4842-0001-2

Livermore, C. R. (2012). E-Politics and Organizational Implications of the Internet: Power, Influence, and Social Change. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-0966-2

Rathi, D, Given, L. M. & Forcier, E. (2 Sept. 2014) Interorganisational partnerships and knowledge sharing: the perspective of non-profit organisations (NPOs). Journal of knowledge management. ISSN: 1367-3270

Waber, Magnolfi & Lindsay. (2014). Workspaces that move people. Harvard Business Review, Oct 2014. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2014/10/workspaces-that-move-people

INF506 Assessment item 1: OLJ creation and first entry

INF506 Assessment item 1: OLJ creation

1. Define what social networking means to you in a professional sense

The online Cambridge Dictionary (2019) provides two definitions for ‘social networking’

“1) The use of websites and other internet services to communicate with other people and make friends

2) The activity of sharing information and communicating with groups of people using the internet, especially through websites that are specially designed for this purpose”

When I think of ‘social networking’, I automatically have an image in mind of a physical conference with numerous professionals in suits with pens, perhaps a more traditional view.

Combining these ideas, taking into account the age of technology in which we live today, I would have to say that professional social networking is:

The act of communicating with others by engaging in internet-based environments, to form professional contacts, using these links to share information, ask questions and develop programs and abilities. Social networking also provides the opportunity for engaging new audiences, advertising and developing products and promoting events.

As time goes on, I am sure I will adapt my definition as my understanding expands.

2. List what social networking technologies and sites you already use (for personal, work and study purposes)

Currently, I use Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Weebly in my personal life. I also use Yammer, Interact2, SkoolBag, ClassCover and Seek.com professionally. I have a Twitter account but have not used it regularly for some time.

3. Describe what you expect to learn from completing INF506

I would expect to come across some new social media platforms and perhaps gain some specialist experience in the more mainstream platforms while developing ideas on how to integrate them into the school environment. I would like to find out how other schools are using social media to engage the community and which platforms they prefer. I would also like to come up with a plan to employ in my school environment in the coming year.

 Reference List

Social networking (2019) In Cambridge Dictionary: English Dictionary. Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/social-networking

 

ETL401 Assessment 3, Part C: Reflective practice

ETL401 Assessment 3,

Part C: Reflective practice

 

My understanding of Information Literacy (IL)

Prior to this course, I had no way to define ‘information literacy’. To me, ‘literate’ meant a measured ability to read, write and comprehend. Fitzgerald (2019) provided multiple suggestions in Module 2 and Module 5, resulting in reconsideration on my part to include focus on ‘understanding’ rather than ‘comprehension’ with the addition of the need for ‘transferability’ (Fitzgerald, 2019), across formats, delivery methods and modes’- a concept I was aware of from experience, but had no name for (ETL401 Week 9/10, Biviano, 2019).

Fitzgerald (2019) provided multiple definitions of ‘information literacy’ throughout the course. The one that rang most true to me was ‘a continuum of skills, behaviours, approaches and values that is so deeply entwined with the uses of information as to be a fundamental element of learning, scholarship and research. It is the defining characteristic of the discerning scholar, the informed and judicious citizen, and the autonomous learner.’ (ANCIL, definition of information literacy, 2018). I believe that learning is a wholistic activity and cannot be conducted in an isolated environment (Kulthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2012), as such, it is important to consider information literacy as an integrated continuum of learning that can be transferred to any area and made useful.

In both Module 2 & 5, Fitzgerald (2019) admits that there are multiple definitions used around the world for both literacy and information literacy. Difficulties will arise in schools when staff are operating under varying understandings of those terms and so it is important to be on good communicative terms with staff and, particularly principals (Discussion forum 3.3, Biviano, 2019).

These readings opened my eyes to the fact that my school needs to invest in one uniform IL model that will benefit our students to better support student learning. By establishing a uniform approach, we will be able to, theoretically, improve literacy and increase student IL skills. Additionally, collaboration is key to establishing a successful and impactful IL model (Discussion forum 3.3, Fitzgerald, 2019).

My understanding of IL models

Again, I had never heard of ‘IL models’ prior to this course. As the learning progressed, I realised, however, that I had utilised these models in the past at different schools with varying levels of success without knowing their name. As such, I was more confident when investigating the different models. Bonanno (2014) provides a useful tool for schools beginning the IL model journey, in that a lot of the work has been done by integrating the work of Kulthau et. al. (2012) into the Australian Curriculum content descriptors (AC, 2019) (Discussion forum 5.3a, Biviano, 2019). With that said, for Assessment 3, Part A & B, I chose the model most familiar to my school, the DEC’s Information Process (ISP) (2015) as I have found some vague elements of this process in our schools current programming.

My understanding of the TL role in inquiry learning

In the first assessment, we were asked to explain our understanding of TLs in schools (ETL401-Assessment 1, Part B, Biviano, 2019). I found it difficult to sequentially order my thoughts as the TL role seemed enormous. In short, I determined that the role of TL it is complicated but based most of my understandings on personal experience, the use and maintenance of physical resources and the development of IT skills (ETL401-Assessment 1, Part B, Biviano, 2019).

It was a very broad understanding with little academic research to support my statements. With that said, Herring (2007), Purcell (2010) and Lamb (2011) all agree that TLs have a multifaceted, complicated, underestimated role in most schools (Discussion forum 3.2, Biviano, 2019). Additionally, TLs must prioritise goals to develop 21st century skills in learners to provide them the necessary abilities to survive outside of school (Tucker, 2014).

I believe, from my own experiences and from the module readings and discussions, TLs are in the unique position of power to initiate true collaboration (Monteil-Overall, 2005; Langford, 2008) to provide support to staff in lowering assessment and planning workloads (Discussion forum 4.2, Biviano, 2019), support and develop the normalisation of technology (Lee, 2013) and create relevant, rich and engaging lessons targeted towards specific cohorts (AITSL, 2014).

 

 

References (Part C)

A New Curriculum For Information Literacy (ANCIL) (2011). ANCIL definition of information literacy. Retrieved from https://infolit.org.uk/definitions-models/

Australian Curriculum (AC) (2019)  http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au

Biviano, N. (2019, July, 21) ETL401-Assessment 1, Part B [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/bivathome/2019/07/21/elt401-assessment-item-1-part-b/

Biviano, N. (2019, September, 14) ETL401 Week 9/10 [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/bivathome/2019/09/14/etl401-week-9-10/

Biviano, N (2019, September, 3) Re: Discussion forum 3.2: The role of the teacher librarian [Discussion comment]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/bivathome/2019/07/21/elt401-assessment-item-1-part-b/

Biviano, N (2019, September, 3) Re: Discussion forum 3.3: The principal and the teacher librarian [Discussion comment]. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_42381_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_78884_1&forum_id=_162832_1&message_id=_2333980_1

Biviano, N (2019, September, 14) Re: Discussion forum 4.2: The challenges [Discussion comment]. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_42381_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_78884_1&forum_id=_162833_1&message_id=_2333996_1

Biviano, N (2019, September, 14) Re: Discussion forum 5.3a: Information literacy models [Discussion comment]. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_42381_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_78884_1&forum_id=_162834_1&message_id=_2334001_1

Biviano, N (2019, September, 14) Re: Discussion forum 5.4b: Convergence [Discussion comment]. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_42381_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_78884_1&forum_id=_162834_1&message_id=_2334007_1

Bonanno, K. (2014) F-10 inquiry skills scope and sequence, and F-10 core skills and tools. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899464_1

Department of Education (DE),School Libraries, Learning systems, State of New South Wales (2015). Information skills in the school: engaging learners in constructing knowledge. Available at https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/infoskills.pdf

Fitzgerald, L. (2019). The Information Environment. In ETL401: Introduction to Teacher Librarianship, [Module 2]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899398_1&mode=reset

Fitzgerald, L. (2019). The role of the teacher librarian (TL). In ETL401: Information literacy, [Module 5]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899464_1

Fitzgerald, L. (2019, September, 23) Re: Discussion forum 3.3: The principal and the teacher librarian [Discussion comment]. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_42381_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_78884_1&forum_id=_162832_1&message_id=_2333980_1

Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S. Ferguson (Ed.) Libraries in the twenty-first century: charting new directions in information (p. 27-42). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University. In ETL401: Introduction to teacher librarianship, [Module 3]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899459_1

Kulthau, C.C, Maniotes, L. K. and Caspari, A. K. (2012). Guided inquiry design: A framework for inquiry in your school. Retrieved from Fitzgerald, L. (2019). The role of the teacher librarian (TL). In ETL401: Introduction to teacher librarianship, [Module 5]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899464_1

Lamb, A. (2011). Bursting with potential: Mixing a media specialist’s palette. Techtrends: Linking research & practice to improve learning, 55(4), 27-36. In ETL401: Introduction to teacher librarianship, [Module 3]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899459_1

Langford, L. (2008). Collaboration: Force or forced, Part 2, 27/1, 31-37. In ETL401: Introduction to teacher librarianship, [Module 4]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899464_1

Lee, M. (2013). Digital normalisation, school evolution and BYOT positioning in the school library. Retrieved from https://www.asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/ACCESS/Access-Commentaries/access-27-4-commentary.pdf

Montiel-Overall (2005). Toward a theory of collaboration for teachers and librarians, School library media research 8/1-31 In ETL401: Introduction to teacher librarianship, [Module 3]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899459_1

Purcell, M. (2010). All librarians do is check out books right? A look at the roles of the school library media specialist. Library media connection 29(3), 30-33. In ETL401: Introduction to teacher librarianship, [Module 3]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899459_1

The Australian School Library Association (2015) Evidence guide for teacher librarians in the proficient career stage : Australian professional standards for teachers retrieved from https://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/AITSL%20Standards%20for%20teacher%20librarian%20practice%202014.pdf

Tucker, M. S. (2012). Tucker’s lens: On 21st century skills. In ETL401: Introduction to teacher librarianship, [Module 4]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899464_1

EER500 Week 10

Finally had time to sit down and pick through some EER500 readings in prep for the last assignment.

I think this assignment is too big for my brain. Lucky there is this handy blog here to hold my musings as they progress.

Chapter 9: structured interviewing

My intention in Assessment 3- Research Proposal is to utilise some form of interview process, although I am currently torn between structured or semi-structured interviews and am considering doing a variation of both in my proposed project. I think is important to use this tool as it is the most commonly used method of data collection in social research for a reason.

After reading this chapter, I can say that there is a place for both forms of interview and find myself leaning towards a mixed methodology approach as I would like to marry together both qualitative and quantitative data in my investigation regarding ‘the perceived impact of students with emotional behaviour disorder and trauma backgrounds on the self-efficacy and workload of New South Wales mainstream primary school teachers‘.

By choosing this topic (pending approval from the almighty!) I will be looking at two areas of percieved impact of EBD and trauma students on:

1)the self-efficacy levels of their teachers

2) and the workload adopted by their teachers as a result of supporting these students

This will then link back around to the impact on teacher self-efficacy.

I am thinking, by utilising, initially, a structured interview, with the inclusion of questions involving the Likert scale (do you think your EBD and/or trauma student has impacted your self-efficacy and workload: Strongly agree, Agree, Undecided, Disagree, Strongly Disagree), I will be able to take a broad look at the mind-set and feelings of teachers supporting these students. From there, utilising semi-structured interviews with open ended questions might provide more detail on specific outstanding data from the initial survey.

One of my concerns is that the nature of this topic might embarrass some staff members or lead to unintentional social desirability bias- few people want to admit if or when they are struggling with something and this is a topic that can potentially be affected by social pressure to be ‘just fine’. In some ways, establishing a face-to-face interview may entice staff to be open with the interviewer and establish rapport, however, as Bryman (2012) warns, it may also lead to interviewer attributes impacting respondents’ replies. As a result it could be worthwhile utilising telephone or computer technology to assist in research.

 

Chapter 10: Self-completion Questionnaires

In an effort to the remove potential bias related to face-to-face and voice-contact interviews, I would consider using self-completion questionnaires to survey teachers of EBD and trauma students as participants are sometimes more likely to give honest feedback, particularly when said questionnaires are anonymous. A slight problem is that these questionnaires need to be simple, short and to the point without room for variance in answers. That said, they could still be useful in the initial stages of research.

I am considering the use of self-completing questionnaires to determine the context of each teacher eg How many st in your school/class? Age/Year/Gender, How many EBD/trauma students in your school/class? Ethnic backgrounds consisting of; Aboriginal, Anglo-saxon etc etc.
Additionally, I would consider investigating how much formal training staff have been given to support EBD/trauma students using bracket ranges to help understand the additional time spent training for these students (adding to workload) and the comparison between trained and untrained teachers and their perceived self-efficacy.

I liked the concept of diaries as recording tools and, although I admit, as a teacher, I would have to really focus to use them, I could see the tool being useful in tracking effects on things such as confidence, optimism and believing in your own ability to achieve. I would use this to track the teachers perceived self-efficacy through the day and maybe even offer space for reflection at the end. I am unsure whether I would specifically ID the presence of EBD or trauma children or ask staff to briefly tick-box who was in the room at the time of recording eg whole class, small group of students, EBD/trauma student/s, other staff etc.

References

Bryman, A. (2016). Social Research Methods (4th Edition).
Available from https://www.researchgate.net

 

With that overloading my brain, I will take a break and find myself some food!

Good luck fellow students, last assessment for this course- we are nearly there!

😉