Tag: discussion

ETL401

2.5 TL in the Information landscape

Louise

As I began to reflect on module 2 and all it encompasses about the information environment, I came across a fascinating article in a SCIS Issue of their Connections publication (2017) in which Elizabeth Hutchinson sites an interesting diagram that nicely summarises the information landscape (Secker & Coogan, 2011, p. 6) and how it links to and overlaps with a variety of literacies.  

Image Credit

When reflecting upon this image, it is clear that information literacy is at the heart of the literacy landscape (Hutchinson, 2017, p. 9), where critical thinking and evaluation lay firmly at the centre. 

As a teacher librarian, we need to be flexible in our approach to new technologies as it is so complex and continually evolving at an exponential rate. We need to have an understanding of our learners and how they navigate the curriculum and head towards an ever-changing world. As leaders of the information landscape, we need to be adaptive and innovative, while ensuring the inclusivity of our learners and remaining relevant. As Hutchinson (2017) points out, we need to realise the power of being advocates for our profession and keep the conversation going about resources in the library. This is important to upskill and support both our colleagues and students for the future…ensuring our future as TL’s. 

References

Secker, J & Coogan, E 2011, A new curriculum for information literacy: executive summary, accessed 5 February 2016, http://ccfil.pbworks.com/f/Executive_summary.pdf. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.

Hutchinson, E. (2017). Navigating the information landscape through collaboration. SCIS https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-101/navigating-the-information-landscape-through-collaboration/ 

ETL401

2.1 Thinking about information – Is it overload?

Louise

Information

I found the whole concept of thinking about information interesting. I particularly connected to the PowerPoint slides and my current state of affairs in my family…choosing a high school for my daughter. Our state of chaos!

Gliding through the slideshow, I began to ponder the first statement on page 2, Learning is about knowledge. One cannot exist without the other.

But information systems have their limitations. (page 3). For two weeks in a row, my husband, daughter and I have explored 2 local high schools at their open days. “They’re like chalk and cheese really,” was a comment from my husband today. We began to weigh up the pros and cons of each and discovered that although from our point of view one clearly outweighed the other in the facilities and subject offerings, our daughter was sold on the simpler school. 

This all came down to the information hierarchy as seen on page 4 and ultimately decisions can be made more clearly with both knowledge and experience. The decision will eventually, I believe, come down to the Community of Practise. Our daughter is primarily interested in the “assembly” of like-minded people. The school she continues to favour, although with what my husband and I perceived as having inferior facilities, is closer to home, most of her friends will attend, it is smaller (which she prefers), and it made her feel more comfortable. 

I found the linking of this personal experience to what I have learnt in this section, gave me perspective about why she wants to go to the high school of her choice (and not necessarily her parents choice. It has shown me why it is important to her to go to a school where shared backgrounds, common purposes and social interactions are also pivotal in dynamic learning.

We are on our way to wisdom, just hope we don’t hit “information overload”.

Resources

Wideman, R.M. (2008). The Information Hierarchy. [Powerpoint slides]