Tag: Reflection

ETL504- Module 2.1: Organisation Theory cont.

Activity and Reflection

Think about the school library. How does the library contribute to the success of the school? Consider the educational outcomes that the school is trying to provide according to the Australian Curriculum General Capabilities and Priority Areas. Add your thoughts to your notes and experiment with print or digital maps to try and put the library where you think it should be in the school structure (physical and hierarchical, i.e. communication and people).

My first step was to locate the most recent School Plan (2018-2020) and confirm that the three areas of strategic direction being targeted for the length of this plan is:

  1. Success
  2. Engagement
  3. Connections

Under each of these, there have been target areas assigned for different members of the school. Below, I have considered how the library can impact on each of these areas and if it is currently contributing as much as possible towards the School Plan.

Learning: developing learning culture, wellbeing & curriculum
After a reorganisation of the library last term, introduction of new furniture and expectations, I feel that the students’ attitude towards coming to library has changed. I am seeing more enthusiasm and engagement. Additionally, the increased use of technology to share information and conduct lessons in the past few weeks has added to the development a positive learning culture and increased student wellbeing. Having been situated within the library since the start of the year, I have been able to integrate Science, STEM, information research and library skills with strong links to the NSW curriculum.

Teaching: effective classroom practice, data skills and use, professional standards & learning and developing
Since taking on the role of TL I have been required to develop behaviour management strategies specific to the library and including the use of devices and technology. This has entailed engaging with online resources, specialised study, discussion with my principal and trial and error to what works most effectively to manage student behaviour and increase work ethic in the library. With the development of cross-curricular units to be taught in the library, I have been required to refresh my understanding of certain professional standards and establish a clear and consistent collection of data to record and report student behaviours and engagement to CTs. Additionally, I have been included in ongoing professional learning and development contributing to whole school wellbeing and hosted PD days in my library space.

Leading: educational leadership, school planning and reporting, school resources & management practice and processes
This is the area in which I have just entered as I have been required to source new resources for students in the senior fiction section- our library has been overrun by mould! This was tricky as I had yet to establish specific selection criteria, other than to replace senior fiction genre physical texts that may interest the current and future cohorts in the school. AS a result, some of the texts I collected are more suitable for 7-9 aged students. On a positive, I intend to establish a Year 6 only section in my office for those extended readers using those advanced texts.
Currently, as the teacher resources have been left to fall into a complete and utter mess, I have not been able to stocktake them to determine what I have and what we need. They sit unloved in a room out the back, waiting for me to engage with them and discover what treasures have been hoarded over the years.
I am now learning about the need for management practices and processes to be implemented, in writing to pass on to future librarians. As I had no such documents, it has taken some time to settle into TL duties and get a handle on all that encompasses. It is a lot to come to grips with and this is likely the area I will be concentrating on most over the next twelve months.

Below is an example, using draw.io, thate xplains my current schools heirarchy as of present.

(Excuse the blurrrrrrr)

Currently, at my small school, in my role as TL (and only being there 2 days a week) I can often feel quite isolated from other staff as their communication system is somewhat lacking and everyone is so busy with the daily running of the school. Being a small school, everyone has multiple roles and not enough hours in the day.

Overall, I don’t think it is a terrible structure and, in a small school, it works well that everyone has additional duties, rather than dumping it on just one person. With some adjustments to communication habits, I feel like the TL could be included more equally in the everyday running of the school.

Kokemuller’s (2017) classification of a Professional organisation would probably best suit my school as some staff have been in place for more than twenty years and are struggling to update their working knowledge on curriculum and pedagogy. At the same time, other staff have different levels of knowledge and have previously been given autonomy over the teaching and learning in their classroom. As a result, some become defensive when questioned about their style, choices and documentation.
It is important that I recognise here, that my principal is working to change the structure of our organisation to become more of a hybrid of Entrepreneurial and Innovative styles. She regularly encourages staff to take on tasks that interest them and consider sharing, teaching and planning in new and different ways.

References

Jilliby Public School (n.d.). 2018-2020 School Plan. https://jilliby-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/about-our-school/school-planning-and-reporting.html

Kokemuller, N. (2017). Mintzberg’s five types of organizational structure. Hearst Newspapers: Small business. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/mintzbergs-five-types-organizational-structure-60119.html

 

ETL504- Module 2: Organisation theory

Activity and reflection

Go to the CSU Library and explore the library site. How does this library change information sources to information resources? Note down 5 items in your notes.

Having searched up ‘draw.io’, the results provide numerous tips and hints as to whether or not each source will be a useful resource.

1)The search bar and detailed abilities (subject code, articles etc) allows easy access to grouped or selected information sources. This changes a collection of information into a collection related to your specific search terms and needs.

2)Source type: newspaper article, online article and so on. Allows you to determine if this type of resource is appropriate to use for your needs/task.

3) Reference information allows you to check up on its relevance and reliability. Also allows you to determine context of publishing, is it too old? This means it is an out-dated source of information.

4) Quote from text allows you to determine if the subject matter is relevant and if the writing style is appropriate for your needs/task.

5) Peer Reviewed icon- determines reliability and relevance depending on if it has or has not been used and reviewed by fellow academics.

Managing the info era

Special section: The capitalist century. “In the Knowledge-based economy, workers will be valued for their ability to create, judge, imagine and build relationships.”

How does the content of Colvin’s article relate the school libraries? In point form, note down your thoughts on your blog.

Colvin (2000) points out that ‘humans…haven’t evolved significantly in 20,000 years’ and for a long time were using an outdated and irrelevant management model, as established by Taylor. The same could be said of libraries. For a long time, there was no forward movement within the sphere of school (and general) libraries. Despite the changes in technology, social opinion and lifestyles, libraries remained the place where books were shelved and librarians shushed people being too loud.

Colvin (2000) acknowledges that people ‘still very much need interaction, recognition, and relationships’ and that managers now need to concentrate on ‘what really attracts and motivates the best knowledge workers, the value of teams, organizing by projects, using infotech wisely, the flattening of hierarchies…’. This can seem contradictory, as he goes on to highlight the changing nature of workplaces in that people are capable of working from anwyhere at any time nowadays, and are not restricted to 9-5 office building jobs. However, good managers must continue to foster building relationships and business communities despite space and time complications.

Additionally, the suggestion that the removal of managers (and staff) who do not ‘live’ the company values is novel in that it demonstrates companies placing a higher value on operational cohesiveness, staff wellbeing and company morals, rather than money and numbers. This suggestion is in line with the increasing awareness of staff, suppliers and customers who are requiring ethical responsibility from the companies in which they engage with (McAvoy, 2016; Ebbers, 2017/2018)

In a similar way, Teacher Librarians (TLs) have always operated on a slightly different space-time level to Classroom Teachers (CTs). TLs would come at an assigned time of day to retrieve the students and take them to another space, the library. This could, and still often does, result in a disconnect from the CT cohort as, often, CTs have little idea of what it takes to run a library and what happens within that space during the hour or so that TLs have their students. Misconceptions about workload, job roles and student achievements abound when CTs consider the library space.

With the development of technology and the increased popularity of team-teaching, it is possible to integrate TLs and the library into whole-school environments with the right management. However, we cannot ‘we tinker around the edges’ (Colvin, 2000) with the redisgn of TL roles and library as a concept. We MUST think of something completely new, consider things we have not, previously.

One concept that has arisen is the removal of school libraries and the integration of skills building into CT roles. Although I don’t agree with this concept, this is the kind of radical change we need to consider- Why should TLs be relegated to one place in the school? Could there be another way to store physical copies? Can we open students awareness of digital resources further? Is it possible develop whole-school programming that integrates the use of the library in lessons other than RFF or library skills? Can teachers bring their classes to the library to teach a lesson? Can TLs and CTs team teach units in different spaces to encourage a transfer of knowledge and a development of awareness that learning does not only happen in one space?

There is not one good answer and, even when good ideas arrise, they will look different in different schools. Colvin (2000) explains that management should be considered an organism, rather than a machine, which means it can grow and adapt when necessary, rather than become stuck in the same old rotaiton of cogs and sprockets.

References

Colvin, G. (2000). Managing in the info era. Fortune, 141(5). http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/03/06/275231/index.htm?iid=sr-link1.

Ebbers, A. M. (2017/2018). Modelling the way. The Journal of Government Financial Management, (66)4, 4. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/2279850707?accountid=10344

McAvoy, K. (2016, February 15). Ethical sourcing: Do consumers and companies really care? Spend Matters. https://spendmatters.com/2016/02/15/ethical-sourcing-do-consumers-and-companies-really-care/

 

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 Module 5- OLJ Task 13: Information trends

OLJ Task 13: Information trends

Watch the video and identify five (5) examples of ‘shifts’ or trends that can have an impact on how individuals behave as a digital citizens. Then outline (in around 400 words) how you believe these behaviours can impact on the need for, and development of, information policy in organisations to address these behaviours. You may wish to explore these from either a user/customer perspective or employee/employer perspective, or a combination of both, and you may wish to consider this task within the specific context of your own library and/or organisation, or you can address this task in general terms.

Word count: 434

1) 28% of 18-24s use social media as their main source of news

2) 54% of Facebook users only use their mobile to access the platform

3) 88% of Facebook ad revenue and 86% of Twitter ad revenue comes from mobile ads

4) 95 million photos and videos are posted on Instagram every day

5) 3 billion snaps are sent out each day

 

How can these behaviours impact on the need for, and development of, information policy in organisations to address these behaviours?

Di Gangi, Johnston, Worrell & Thompson (2018) discuss what can go wrong in social media and, from the above list, two things that stand out to me are the risk of over-sharing on social media in an effort to compete with the enormous amounts of content being produced each day and unreliable user-generated content.

As the sheer amount of content posted each day continues to increase, it is important that organisations do not become obsessed with producing meaningless posts to ‘keep up’ with others. Instead, it is important that social media is making positive, lasting impacts on the community and contributing to goals and targets as part of the social media strategy (King, 2015). Developing policy on the type of content and the brand of the organisation is vital to developing a cohesive social media strategy (Rathore, 2017).

Di Gangi, et.al. (2018) warn against the risk of decreased productivity of staff due to preoccupation with social media platforms in the name of work. To prevent this, information policy should include guidelines as to how long and how many posts should be published over a time period and who should be involved to ensure continued staff efficiency in other areas and reduce staff distraction. Additionally, specifying who is involved (manager, committee members etc.) allows for monitoring of post content to ensure that the organisation and brand is being represented in the best light (Di Gangi, et. al., 2018; Rathore, 2017).

With such a high percentage of 18-24s utilising social media as their main source of news there is a risk that unmonitored posts may contain incorrect information, which is then distributed and circulated as fact. This could lead to reputation damage for various parties and infringement of copyright and other laws (Di Gangi, et.al., 2018; Meese & Hagedorn, 2019). As such, the development of factual accuracy in information policies is essential to preventing the spreading of misinformation. For example, implementing fact checking and publishing procedures prior to posting can prevent miswritten facts and avoid implying offence.

Knowing that such a large percentage of revenue is driven by mobile phone usage and advertisement, and that a large number of social media users only use their mobiles to access different platforms, content must be developed to be suitable, specifically, for mobile devices (Rathore, 2017; Adner & Kapoor, 2016). It should be considered on an individual basis, whether or not organisations require paid social media advertising. Bunker (2017), explains in her case study that the ‘Seed Library’ did not utilise paid advertising, but instead relied upon existing and developing networking connections across social media and in the local community with successful outcomes.

References

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

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.

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

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

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

Rathore, S. (2017, August 22). 7 Key steps in creating an effective social media marketing strategy. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/7-key-steps-creating-effective-social-media-marketing-strategy

INF506 Module 4- OLJ Task 11: PLN adoption

OLJ Task 11: PLN adoption

Based on Utecht’s 5 stages of PLN adoption, identify which stage you currently see yourself experiencing and how this impacts on your personal and working lives. Also identify any ‘gaps’ in your existing PLN (ie. areas which you feel you would like to develop further/in the future). Write around 400 words.

 

word count: 407

After examining Utecht’s (2008) 5 stages of PLN adoption, I would say I am currently somewhere between Stage 4 Perspective and Stage 5 Balance. I usually tend to fall back into Stage 3 Know it all, during the holiday period to ‘catch up’ on everything I have been too busy to do during the school terms. Eventually, though, I realise I am in over my head and taking on so much information at once is not actually benefitting me or developing my understanding on a topic. Also, it takes away from a lot of time spent with family and friends, something that teaching already does throughout the school year and so I have decided to use my holidays to focus on one thing at a time, for example, university, rather than cramming in multiple PLN courses by online providers, as I was doing previously. I am also focussing more on developing my personal creativity over the next 39 weeks via a challenge started on January 1 in an effort to disconnect from work and develop skills, hobbies and relaxation time outside of work. Hopefully, this challenge will also provide me the opportunity to connect with other creative minds in the local community and start to develop ties that keep me grounded.

Gaps

Reading and Writing

I would like to refresh my knowledge on the infants reading and writing strategies as well as find a refresher course for Focus on Reading- a course I completed many years ago and have not had the opportunity to use since. From memory it was very useful and I would like to have the tools to take on a full time class if and when necessary.

Science

I also plan on developing my Science toolkit this year as I have taken on Science RFF one day a week across multiple stages. My goal is to make these very short periods of time engaging and rewarding for students so that they come in quickly, settle and are excited to learn for that one hour.

 

References

Utecht, J. (2008). Stages of PLN adoption. Retrieved from http://www.thethinkingstick.com/stages-of-pln-adoption/

 

INF506 Module 2- OLJ Task 3: Reflections on the impact of change

OLJ Task 3: Reflections on the impact of change

After exploring the resources… choose two ways that you see social media has impacted on an organisation you are familiar with. This could be a business, an institution or a government department. Identify the organisation and write 400 words explaining and analysing the impact.

Word count: 361

Department of Education and Training (DET), NSW Government (https://education.nsw.gov.au/) and NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) (https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/understanding-the-curriculum/curriculum-syllabuses-NSW)

1) Curriculum changes- the curriculum has been altered multiple times in its existence. More recently, with the development of new technologies and increasingly prominent use of social media in developed countries, NESA has addressed social media in its standards for senior students:

‘respond to social media texts, for example contribute to a class blog, comment on a social media post’ (Year 11-12, English, English Life Skills, Outcome 6)

This would suggest that the government is recognising that social media is large influence predicted to be a part of students lives beyond their education. By acknowledging social media as a tool for students to develop competencies in, NESA and the DET has begun to address a sometimes outdated curriculum in an effort to provide students with relevant life skills. This acknowledgement of social media, from my experience is beginning to filter into the lower years with ‘cyber safety’ being a large focus in education due to the saturation of personal hand-held devices and access to laptops and therefore, the internet. This has resulted in staff needing to be up-to-date on relevant cyber safety and social media information in an effort to help prepare and protect students, some as young as five, who are now accessing multiple platforms online.

2)The DET has established a Social Media page on their website (https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/social-media) detailing which departments use which platforms, including links for the public to follow. I think that this is a very positive step, allowing the public to access caches of information, previous conversations and immediate announcements.

Additionally, the DET has developed a specific ‘Social Media Policy’ and ‘Social Media Toolkit’ to support staff development of professional social media accounts, provide guidelines for expectations and behaviours and to provide avenues for complaint or issues that arise either via social media or as a result of social media in schools. By establishing itself on these social media platforms, it has provided the world an example of  what the DET considered acceptable conduct online, and can be held to account should this conduct be breached by employees of the DET.

References

Department of Education and Training (DET). Social media policy, implementation procedures, November, 2018. Retrieved from https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/associated-documents/social-media-procedures.pdf

Department of Education and Training (DET). (2019) Social media. Retrieved from https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/social-media

Department of Education and Training (DET). (2019) Social media toolkit- education week 2019. Retrieved from https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/education-week/teacher-toolkit/communications-toolkit/social-media-toolkit

INF506 Module 1- OLJ task 1: Social Media and Society – Journal Article Analysis

OLJ task 1: Social Media and Society – Journal Article Analysis

Access this journal, Social Media and Society, and read one article from the current issue that appeals to your interests. In a blog post, provide a brief description and an analysis of the article of your choice. Do you agree with the authors? If not – why not? (350-400 words).

Word count: 382

Description and Analysis: Using social media networks to engage men in conversations on masculinity and suicide: Content analysis of Man Up Facebook campaign data.

This article used content analysis on social media responses to determine the impact of Facebook’s ‘Man Up’ campaign, encouraging men to speak up about their emotional health and wellbeing. The research was carried out as the program was being released as a three-part television series and onto social media. The authors collected posts and comments of people’s reactions to investigate the responses being voiced. The authors of this paper helped design the program and were attempting to determine whether social media can be used as part of health campaigns to open dialogue and awareness about complex social and mental health issues and potentially change attitudes.

Schlichthorst, King, Phelps and Pirkis (2019) predicted that ‘A population-based multi-level health promotion intervention that takes advantage of a variety of communication channels… is expected to be most effective’. Their use of social media as a second, but equally important platform in their campaign allowed space for conversations to start up following the television release. They recognised that, after such a potentially uncomfortable, relevant and often taboo subject being aired, the public required a safe space in which to share their opinions, stories and feelings. Luckily, most of social media responded positively to both the campaign and the responses of others to it. I think this was a clever way of reaching an increasingly tech-savvy audience and supporting their original release material. Additionally, by establishing this campaign in social media domains, they have allowed viewers to access and respond to the information presented at their own time and pace.

The authors examined ‘masculine norms’ and stereotypes common to most Western areas, resolving that, perhaps, we should be more open minded and broaden our narrow definition of ‘masculinity’. By addressing these ‘norms’ directly, they asked viewers to question their own, often ingrained beliefs and broaden their own expectations. They started conversations about ‘masculinity’ and what it is to be ‘a man’ in todays world.

Schlichthorst et. al. (2019) also discussed the benefits of information and health sharing on social media, explaining that visible conversations happening resulted in expanded ‘conversation circles’ and more information getting out there. Notably, they recognised that social media has the potential for harm as well as good but shared positive facts, reiterating that social media has also helped combat feelings of suicide and stigma.

References

Schlichthorst , M., King, K., Phelps, A. & Pirkis, J. (2019) Using social media networks to engage men in conversations on masculinity and suicide: Content analysis of Man Up Facebook campaign data. Social media & society, Sage Journals. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119880019

 

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

ETL401 Week 9/10

Module 5

Reflective Practice: What are your thoughts after reading about the term literacy? Write a definition and add it to your notes.

Initially, I thought ‘literacy’ was a very simple concept: reading and writing. Then I pout on my Teacher hat and added speaking and listening. Fitzgerald (2019) then points out the necessity of ‘understanding’, an idea that can often be overlooked in the assessment of student literacy skills. In the end, and in an ideal world, fully literate students would be confident and capable in all these areas. At the same time, they should be able to apply these skills across all forms of media in all situations.

Reflective Practice: Your thoughts: Do new formats and delivery modes or multi-modal resources require users to have different literacy skills to make meaning or is this just an extension of the traditional literacy definition (in the reading)?

Of course. It is important that the traditional definition of literacy considered when it comes to developing literacy skills, but it is equally important to be aware that time have changed since education was established and the occurrence of technological advances, for example, have led to developments in related language and meaning. Students must be familiar with multimodal texts and various formats and delivery methods to be considered successfully literate.

Reflective Practice: Your thoughts: Discussions of information literacy in this module are diverse and interesting.  In your journal (Thinkspace), reflect on what you can take from the discussion of information literacy to your IL role in school.

Firstly, from the readings and discussions, I am able to admit that my school is in desperate need of choosing one IL model and embedding it into the teaching and learning for successful outcomes.

I like that Fitzgerald (2019) draws links between IL in different environments, creating the opportunity to transfer knowledge across careers, which is something we are all trying to get out students to do automatically.

Skills V Learning: I think both arguments have merit but, like most things in life- everything in moderation. I think each school and each student cohort will have to have these methods applied individually depending on context and educators need to be flexible enough to acknowledge and work within this mindset.

5.3a Information Literacy Model

After finding it impossible to open either reading directly, I went a round-about way and found the below document for Bonanno’s (2014) F-10 inquiry skills scope and sequence, and F-10 core skills and tools.

Link: https://eduwebinar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/curriculum_mapping.pdf

As I have previously said in my reflective practices (https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/bivathome/) my very small school is in need of identifying and embedding an IL model that can be taught across the grades. Bonanno (2014) has done much of the hard work for teachers by integrating the work of Kulthau, Maniotes and Caspari (2012) into the Australian Curriculum content descriptors (AC, 2019), as well as compiling a resource list to support this scope and sequence.

This would be an excellent place for a school, such as mine, to begin as it gives very simple, clearly laid out expectations for each stage of education. This would make integrating this IL model into programs and units already on the go. Additionally, after a few years of consistent application, each teacher could identify the expected abilities of the students based on the scope and sequence eg. in Year 3 critical/creative thinking should have been introduced in F-2, giving a sound basic understanding, meaning the Year 3 teacher can delve more deeply into familiar content and expand student thinking confident in the knowledge that this concept is something the students have come across previously.

5.3b Guided Inquiry

What advantages, challenges and/or disadvantages do you see for a teacher librarian wishing to implement a GI approach?

As Fitzgerald (2019), in her research states, there seems to be little guidance for staff on how to implement the inquiry-heavy new Australian Curriculum. Utilising Guided Inquiry (GI) is one way to potentially allow students to methodically develop inquiry skills that can be transferred to all areas of education. I think it is a great way to expand student thinking while providing them with the skills needed to develop critical and creative thinking as well as the technical research skills needed. However, a TL working alone in a school of staff may find this transition into Inquiry Learning (IL) difficult without support, which is why I think it is important that staff decided, as a majority, which IL model to follow and how GI is to be introduced and taught to students. Also, developing new GI units could eat up a lot of TL time and so it is important collaboration makes this shift in thinking, teaching and learning, as easy and impact-less on staff workload, as possible.

 

5.4a Information Literacy

The Journal site was down when I went to access the article so, while it looked very interesting, I was unable to delve deeper so the following answers are based, mostly off of my own ideas and other readings.

  • How might the TL help the school move towards integrated information literacy instruction?

First, establishing your schools ‘literacy’ definition, as well as the decision on which IL model you will be working with, is vital. The TL, being out of class and around the school on RFF can meet with multiple teachers to lead this discussion and make suggestions. By tkaing on this lead role, TLs have the opportunity to reaffirm the importance of library in literacy adn of their position in schools, which can sometimes be an isolating one.

  • What challenges lie in the way of such instruction?

Even in a small school, ensuring the complete understanding and agreement of all staff is often a difficult one. Miscommunication in the learning phase of ILs can cause different staff to alter the IL model in a way that other staff are not. It is important to keep the IL model as uniform as possible across the grades to ensure a flow-on effect in following years.

Also, having been a classroom teacher, it is difficult to cram in one more topic/unit/program/project/assessment into an already packed curriculum, let alone the brain that holds all of it together. TLs may meet some resistance in over-worked teachers, but persistence, positivity and support might just win them over. Additionally, integrating IL into lessons does not have to be a huge deal- looking at the work of Kulthau, Maniotes and Caspari (2012), most of the work has been done for you and there are additional resources available to support IL and related learning.

  • How teacher librarians and teachers might encourage students to transfer information literacy skills and practices from one subject to another?

The transfer of information can be the most difficult part of IL. Fitzgerald (2019) explains that one-off IL lessons during RFF ‘are not as effective as they might be, because students fail to relate the lessons’ to other areas within school. If staff are regularly and consistently using the same language and scaffolds across the school, it takes a smaller leap for students to make the connection that the information skills developed in the classroom or library can be utilised in both these areas and more. Additionally, by sharing programs and collaborating, staff will have a general idea of what has already been introduced or worked on in other areas of the schools and be able to draw specific links to those lessons or tasks and highlight the transferrability of skills for students.

5.4b Convergence

  • Has the school in which you work (or know best) developed an information literacy policy?

Currently, at my school, each staff member is working independently on their IL models and there is no set policy that I am aware of. At other schools I have worked at, the upper stages have been more focussed on IL and developing the associated skills and familiarity with scaffolds. I like that Kulthau, Maniotes and Caspari (2012) and Bonanno (2014) start integrating IL and GI early into their scaffold so students become familiar with the terminology and concepts prior to asking them to utilise them independently.

  • How is information literacy approached in your school or experience?

Being a small school, staff are teaching to 2-3 stages and so each unit of work must be adapted accordingly. As such, most teachers have their own way of doing things which leaves gaps, inconsistencies and complications for the next/replacement teacher.

  • How is digital citizenship approached in your school or experience?

As far as I am aware, the previous TL at my school did some RFF lessons on digital citizenship, using the esafety.gov online resources- Hector’s World (https://www.esafety.gov.au/education-resources/classroom-resources/hectors-world). I have seen these resources used at multiple schools, though in some, CTs also get involved to make the learning relevant for their classroom as well as library time.

  • How can a transliteracy approach expand the teaching role of the TL beyond the traditional information literacy paradigm?

Define:

‘What is Transliteracy?

Transliteracy is the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks.’ Newman, Ipri, Molaro,  Cassaroti, & Wilkinson (2010)- https://librariesandtransliteracy.wordpress.com/what-is-transliteracy/.

By developing a transliteracy approach, TLs are remaining relevant and providing the opportunity for students to develop relevant skills that can be transferred to a real-world context. I think one of the main challenges for librarians today is to remain relevant in a highly digitised world, particularly when most students now grow up with a digital device in their hands.

Reference

(Australian Curriculum (AC) (2019)  http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au) Unsure how to reference a web page like this…

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

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

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

Newman, B., Ipri, T., Molaro, A., Cassaroti, G., & Wilkinson, L. (2010). What is Transliteracy? Libraries and Transliteracy. Retrieved 29 March 2015, from https://librariesandtransliteracy.wordpress.com/what-is-transliteracy/

 

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!

😉