Protected: IL plan & reflective practice
on Author: noniharrison
on The Complex Nature of Defining a Complex Concept
on Defining Literacy and Changing Literacy Needs.
Put simply, literacy is the ability to read, write, speak and understand in a variety of contexts and with a variety of modes. Literacy encompasses more than the basics of comprehension. It has evolved to include a complex array of skills needed to better understand the information world we live in. When Gee (1991) defines literacy, he first explores the concepts of discourse and the patterns of learning and acquisition. He posits that acquisition is a more powerful tool to understanding than learning, which can become a separate, compartmentalised process in a classroom (Gee, 1991, p. 5-6). This explanation resonates strongly with me, as I find distinct connections between this and the importance of information literacy models in schools. Rather than learning a model out of context, it is crucial that a model is demonstrated by the teaching team and that the model is a distinct part of the information seeking and use journey. Gee (1991) suggests that literacy is the “control of secondary uses of language” (p. 8). This implies that literacy occurs in the realms outside of basic oral skills, as it involves both written and oral language in a range of environments. Gee (2010) goes on to explain, “literacy is mastered through acquisition, not learning, that is, it requires exposure to models in natural, meaningful, and functional settings, and teaching is not liable to be very successful – it may even initially get in the way” (p. 8). This supports my earlier assertion that these concepts greatly relate to the importance of embedding information literacy models in schools. Warlick (2005) supports this perspective, as he proposes the redefining and integrating of literacy into schools assists teachers in planning effective curriculum and better equips students for their futures. Furthermore, Warlick (2005) posits if “information is changing, then our sense of what it means to be literate must also change” (para. 6). Cope and Kalantzis (2009), speak of a need for educators and learners to expand their repertoire to respond to the changing landscape of literacy. It seems that users may require a combination of new literacy skills and also an extension of the traditional literacy skills to respond to and work with new formats and modes of delivery. Kalantzis and Cope (2015) also suggest a need to respond to new hybrid literacies and multimodalities (p. 17). Accordingly, Armstrong and Warlick (2004) identify the challenge and importance of emphasising literacy skills that reflect the current information environment. Students still require fundamental literacy skills; however, they are much more involved than they once were due to the changing information landscape. Being literate has developed from the three R’s (reading, writing, arithmetic) to the 4 E’s (expose, employ, express, and ethics on the Internet). For example, students can no longer take validity and credibility for granted. Students must be critical information users and employ effective strategies to navigate and use information. Warlick (2005) is critical of current education trends such as a key focus on integrating technology into schools. Instead, Warlick stresses the importance of integrating contemporary literacies into education, so as to equip students with the skills needed to navigate all aspects of their information world. It can be seen that literacy is an ever-important concept to grapple and should be a focus for schools in developing their students’ capacities as 21st Century learners.
References
Armstrong, S., & Warlick, D. (2004). The new literacy: The 3Rs evolve into the 4Es. Technology & Learning, 25(2), 20-20,22,24,26,28. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au
Cope, B. & Kalantzis, M. (2009). Multiliteracies: New literacies, new learning. Pedagogies: An international journal 4(3), 164-195. doi: 10.1080/15544800903076044
Gee, J. P. (1991). What is literacy? In C. Mitchell & K. Weiler (Eds.), Rewriting literacy: Culture and the discourse of the other (pp. 3-11). New York: Bergin & Garvey.
Kalantzis, M. & Cope, B. (2015). Regimes of literacy. In M. Hamilton, R. Heydon, K. Hibbert & R. Stooke (Eds.), Negotiating spaces for literacy learning: Multimodality and governmentality (pp. 15-24). London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Academic.
Warlick, D. (2005, March/April). The new literacy. Administrator Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=263&print=1
[Forum Reflection: Module 5.1]
Standards for Teacher Librarians
on ATSIL Standards and Australian School Library Association (2015) Evidence guide for teacher librarians in the proficient career stage.
Ways in which I could use one of the Evidence guides:
- Incorporate the practical strategies into my TL practice and into the library environment.
- Ensure I am meeting the ATSIL Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
Use the standards as a guide to:
- Better engage with students and staff
- Develop programs or strengthen existing programs and/or procedures to enhance teaching and learning experiences
- Increase accessibility of information for all students and their needs
- Engage in PD opportunities
- Develop my annual professional plans and ensure they align to the standards
- Develop units of work and lessons
- Develop policy relating to information retrieval and use
- Engage and collaborate with the school community and other curriculum areas
- Be a visible and valuable entity within the school community
As Karen Bonanno stated in her keynote address, these standards can be used develop a five-finger plan to success (CSU-SIS Learning Centre, 2011). Ultimately, TLs need to ensure their programs and services are relevant and in alignment with the necessary standards. These strategies will help to assist in promoting the library and TLs and to ensure TLs are meeting the same standards as required by all teachers nationwide.
Reference
CSU-SIS Learning Centre (Poster). (2011, October 23). ASLA 2011. Karen Bonanno, keynote speaker: A profession at the tipping point: Time to change the game plan [Video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/31003940
[Forum Reflection: Module 3.1]
Reflection: Are school librarians an endangered species?
on 
Reference
CSU-SIS Learning Centre (Poster). (2011, October 23). ASLA 2011. Karen Bonanno, keynote speaker: A profession at the tipping point: Time to change the game plan [Video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/31003940
Reflection: You Can’t Hack a Paperback
on I stumbled across this clip from The Gruen Transfer’s The Pitch segment while I was reading about digital texts and the reliability of online sources. It would be a great clip to show student’s about reliability of sources and perhaps a good segway into discussion about Wikipedia.
Reference
The Gruen Transfer (Creator). GruenHQ (Poster). (2013, August 8). The Pitch: Paper books (you can’t hack a paperback: protect history) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oktfUnqaVbA&list=PLOTfjwMQy3l9bFokGV3mvsa3C2h7SitBZ&index=11
Information Society
on 
It’s important to understand the broader information landscape, as changes occur at a rapid rate. These changes take the form of developments in information, technology, and the users. Floridi (2007) describes the information landscape as an infosphere. The ease and increased access to information (frictionless infosphere) means people will have no right to ignore information, they will share a vast common knowledge which will develop over time, and experience an increase in accountability (Floridi, 2007). It is important to understand that this changing landscape will affect all aspects of our lives in a similar way that the industrial revolution affected the lives of those living during the 18th century. All aspects of information in our lives will change including the devices that deliver the information to us. This reontologisation means that as we come to live in an infosphere our lives will become increasingly synchronised, delocalised and correlated (Floridi, 2007). Ultimately, we will live in a space and time that we can no longer log out of. Floridi (2007) goes on to explain that older generations will be the last to remember the world when it could be both offline and online. This means, as TLs, our students and future learning spaces will become increasingly connected. We are already experiencing an environment where we log-on but no off. Our students, and at times ourselves, are connected informational organisms (inforgs), as they spend “more time connected than sleeping” (Floridi, 2007, p.63).
The implications of this mean that, as a TL, I will need to be flexible and up-to-date with the modes and devices which deliver information. With the developing infosphere, modes of communication, the amount of information available, and modes of interaction are simultaneously going through a phase of reengineering. My responsibility as an information specialist is to work with these changes to better support my students and staff in their acquisition of information and transference of knowledge. On a final, and specific note, I can already see that in relation to the cultural definition of the information society there will be a need to upskill our students in digital reading and meaning making; particularly, with the changes in delivery of NAPLAN.
References
Floridi, L. (2007). A Look into the Future Impact of ICT on Our Lives. Information Society, 23(1), 59-64. doi:10.1080/01972240601059094
Webster, F. (2014). Theories of the Information Society. Florence: Taylor and Francis. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=1656811
[Forum Reflection: Module 2.2]
Reflection: Availability and Access
on 
On the other hand, having ready access to information 24/7 can have detrimental effects. It becomes difficult to “switch off” and disconnect from the world of technology and communication. Therefore, it can negatively affect the user’s work-life balance, which in my case includes study-work-life balance. Just as I have been writing this reflection I have received nine emails (a combination of personal and work-related), one university announcement (no emails as of yet, which is unusual), and a number of alerts or notifications. Compared to other days of the week, this is relatively quiet. This may be due to Monday being my day off work, so my colleagues and Head of Department are very conscious not to have any work-related communication with me on these days unless absolutely necessary. Another negative affect can be the difficulty in navigating through so much information to find the most relevant source. It can also be difficult and time consuming to assess the credibility, accuracy and reliability of a source.
These all have ramifications for me and my capacity to study this subject. Some aspects of being part of a connected world will assist me in my studies, while other aspects can affect my productivity and the effectiveness in which I complete the course. I will need to use discernment when accessing online resources and I will need to set clear guidelines and goals when completing my study, so as not to get caught down the rabbit hole which is 24/7 access to information.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2016). Household use of information technology, Australia: 2014-15 (cat. No. 8146.0). Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8146.0
Reflection: Digital Information
on 
A great video that explains the deep and dark webs:
LEMMiNO (Creator). (2016, July 2). The dark side of the web [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUP0tx7Ib2w
Internet2: Internet2 is a research collective based in the United States, which works to solve the problems of technology and the internet in the current realm and develop the technologies and internet of the future. It is a consortium of research and education organisations which develops major innovations in the digital world. It is a collection of high performance networks that allow interaction which is not possible on the internet (The Regents of the University of Michigan, 2016).
References
BrightPlanet. (2014). Clearing up confusion: Deep web vs. dark web. Retrieved from https://brightplanet.com/2014/03/clearing-confusion-deep-web-vs-dark-web/
The Regents of the University of Michigan. (2016). Internet2. Retrieved from http://its.umich.edu/enterprise/wifi-networks/researchers/internet2
Reflection: Artificial Intelligence
on I think the phrase “the tool is directing the user” means that new developments in technology have created easier navigation for the user. AI predicts how people might want or need to use technology in the digital environment; thus, completing some of the task or thinking for the user. This may range from simple tools such as spell check to more complex tools such as a search engine. Microsoft has recently released two major updates for Office, which incorporate the use of AI. This includes a huge improvement to the way in which the spell check works by including suggestions to reduce wordiness and correct word choice errors and the ability to cite with more ease, as the program predicts the most appropriate citation for certain references (Lopez, 2016). These tools direct the path the user takes rather than the user directing the path. A look at Google’s Inside Search interactive story gives an overview of how the search engine works and how algorithms have enhanced the results people receive when searching. This may enhance results but it hasn’t necessarily enhanced people’s skills of searching. Is AI doing the hard thinking for us?
Google have recently introduced another AI element to their search tool. According to Wired senior staff writer, Cade Metz, this new approach is called deep learning and it is revolutionising the way in which people interact with technology (2016). Many forms of technology, programs and/or software were once reserved for those in positions of authority or the very tech savvy. Nowadays these technologies are more user-friendly than ever. Google has developed this new way of enhancing their search results by building neural nets, which is more sophisticated than the algorithms built by their human employees. With this embedded AI in search engines, the user loses some control over the path they take and their results but according to Metz “Google believes, the benefits outweigh that sacrifice” (2016).
Google’s self-learning AI is the next level of this technology. Deep Mind has developed AI technology for general use in a range of contexts.
ColdFusion TV (Creator). ColdFusion (Poster). (2016, May 1). Google’s deep mind explained! – Self learning A.I [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnUYcTuZJpM
References
Lopez, N. (2016). Microsoft is using AI to give Office spell-check on steroids and much more. Retrieved from https://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2016/07/26/microsoft-using-ai-give-office-spell-check-steroids-much/#.tnw_6tIHxXab
Metz, C. (2016). AI is transforming Google Search: The rest of the web is next. Wired. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2016/02/ai-is-changing-the-technology-behind-google-searches/
Reflection: Information Theory
on What is information?
I have not ever considered this question to be so complex. To me, information had always been messages, facts, data, words, symbols and insight needed to develop understanding about a particular thing or to inform and make a decision or draw a conclusion. I generally see this definition as still relevant but I can also see there are other aspects to information that can add to my understanding of this term. Case examines Bateson’s definition of information and concludes that “information is whatever appears significant to a human being” (2006, p.40). So, information exists or has the potential to exist in everything but, crucially, someone must be engage with it for it to be information. It is not information until someone engages with it. Case’s example, “if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to see it, then it conveys no information”, is an effective way of describing information as a broader concept rather than a stagnant definition. As it is so broad, it is difficult to pinpoint one true definition. I agree that information as a concept is a more suitable explanation, as information is different for a variety of professions and people. Much like language and the meaning of messages, I agree with Cornelius in that information is also a social construct, which adds to a person’s understanding and interpretation of a situation or their world (2004). The values and lived experiences that people bring to interpret information and develop understanding effect the existence and meaning of information.
I can clearly see how Buckland’s three categories of information, information-as-process, information-as-knowledge and information-as-thing, relate to the role of a TL and how a TL can use and address these senses of information (Case, 2006, p.44). I think information in these forms exists within school libraries. I feel that students often take in information passively (so, is it information in this instance? Maybe just to teacher or instructor who sees the purpose). As TLs, we need to use strategies to develop the skills of our students and other staff members, to actively engage with information in a critical and useful way.
References
Case, D. O. (2006). Looking for Information: A Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs, and Behavior. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=283968
Cornelius, I. (2004). Information and its philosophy. Library Trends, 52(3), 377-386.