_Task:
2B: Write a reflective statement on your development as a social networker as a result of studying INF506, and the implications for your development as an information professional.

_I enrolled in INF506 because I enjoy social networking. It has been a big part of my social life for a number of years since I moved to China. At the time, I believed that I was quite experienced with social media, so I was skeptical about what would be learned. In November, 2011, I participated in the Library 2.011 Worldwide Virtual Conference, and it was because of this conference that I truly began to appreciate the value of social networking for lifelong learning. I re-immersed myself in social media, but this time wearing additional hats. I was already online as myself for social reasons, but I now had a presence as a teacher, librarian, student, and traveler. At the Learning 2.011 conference I learned that there is great value to being yourself both in real and virtual worlds (Stephens, 2011).

This experience, combined with initial INF506 discussions, has persuaded me to become vigilant about using social media responsibly, particularly as a representative of the information industry. I have encountered an overwhelming amount of learning opportunities. In efforts to stay productively connected, but maintain balance (Utecht, 2008) in my life, I follow in the experience of Novak (2011), knowing that not every single Tweet or post must be read, but that I can pick and choose my experiences.

Participating in INF506 has also helped me to better understand the theories and purposes (and power) of social media. As I stated in my first blog post, I “worked with students on blogs since about 2005 when I started using blogmeister.com with third graders” (Taylor-Weber, 2011, November 23). However, I didn’t have a full understanding of the theory behind the technology. “Using technology without purpose is like painting a wall without actually choosing the colour you are going to use. Your wall may have a shiny new finish, but it might not work effectively with anything else in your house” (Keenan, 2011). I have now experienced the power of social learning, and that sharing and contributing productively is one of the essential skills for 21st-century learners (American Association of School Librarians, 2007). Web 2.0 tools facilitate this shifting of instructional practices by providing the technology necessary to implement the 4C’s of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity (Wagner, 2011).

The creation of my social media project was a valuable learning experience. While I have worked with a variety of social media tools before, this experience gave me a chance to examine their functions, and how technology brings people together. For example, some tools allow users to share their creations and/or ideas and solicit feedback (e.g. bookmark, image, and video sharing sites, or blogs). Some allow users to connect to each other and form a community around a common interest (e.g. social networks). Others allow content to be collaboratively created (e.g. Google Docs, wikis). Different tools have different social purposes (Uden & Eardley, 2010, pp. 578-580), and are changing rapidly, so whatever the educational needs are, there is likely to be a solution. However, we may be approaching a point where it is common to explore new media without knowing exactly what the educational purpose is. Some project designs focus on this explorational process (Wysocki, 2009), and allow for the flexibility that is often needed in technological environments.

Creating my PLN, however, has had the greatest impact on my social networking skills as an information professional. By connecting to other professionals in and around the information industry, I have discovered a world of expertise. Learning has never been more inspiring. In my first blog post, I indicated what I expected to learn in this subject: “I’m amazed at all the learning potential that can come from social networks and other free educational sources, and I would love to become a leader to help guide others down their personal learning paths” (Taylor-Weber, 2011, November 23). I have come to realize that as TLs, guiding others down their personal learning paths is exactly what we, or all teachers should be doing. This is how teaching should be. Supporting others by helping them pursue their questions and connect to like-minded communities, helping them to get their content from the best sources though experts in the field (Kamenetz, 2010)—this can inspire lifelong learning passions. Such learning experiences are extremely rewarding, and is exactly what all learners should be given the opportunity to have.

References
Back to 2A: Evaluative Statement

_Task:
Part 2A: Write an evaluative statement using three (3) experiences documented in your online journal as evidence of meeting the learning objectives of the subject

Online Journal (OLJ) Entries:
My Personal Learning Network (January 01, 2012)
Trends and Policy (January 19, 2012)
Second Life Presentation (January 25, 2012)

INF506 Learning Objectives:
(1) demonstrate an understanding of social networking technologies;
(2) demonstrate an understanding of concepts, theory and practice of Library 2.0 and participatory library service
(3) critically examine the features and functionality of various social networking tools to meet the information needs of users;
(4) evaluate social networking technologies and software to support informational and collaborative needs of workgroups, communities and organisations; and
(5) demonstrate an understanding of the social, cultural, educational, ethical, and technical management issues that exist in a socially networked world, and how information policy is developed and implemented to support such issues.

Throughout INF506 I have maintained an OLJ where I recorded insights and thoughts about my learning experiences. While only three are selected for this report, there many more entries available.

My first OLJ entry on my personal learning network (PLN) addressed objective (1) on social networking technologies, as well as (5) on management issues. In it, I explained that I had been using social networking technologies for many years. My connections, while initially social, evolved to include professional relationships. I became comfortable combining those roles online as I was inspired by Stephens’ ideas of “demonstrating humanity using technology,” and that we should “proudly be in the social networks as information professionals” (2011). I later justified this, stating that “I believe online connections can easily develop into personal relationships” (Taylor-Weber, 2012, January 1). By this, I refer to professional-turn-personal friendships with those in my PLN. This fading line between personal and professional connections could create a conflict of interest while in the workplace, but establishing policy can define these roles (Kroski, 2009). As an information professional, I believe it is necessary to model responsible use of social media, and always be aware of my conduct online, personal or professional.

This entry also addresses objective (2) on concepts, theory, and practice of library 2.0, as I explored Utecht’s stages of PLN adoption (Utecht, 2008). While these concepts were addressed with regards to the development of my own PLN, the exercise was useful as a librarian, in order to understand typical user experiences. Such understanding will allow me to become a more effective supporter of social media for the building of PLNs.

In my second OLJ on trends and policy, I discussed several trends which support objectives (1) on social media technologies, and (5) on management issues. One trend was the “exponential growth in the amount of information available to people” (Taylor-Weber, 2011, January 19). Because of the rise of digital advertising, and that users have different purposes for being and sharing online, it is increasingly important that users judge the information they encounter. The evaluation of information is shifting “from the contributor (as with television networks, or publishers) to the user.” As a result, there is a growing need for information literacy skills instruction, as currently, student research and evaluation skills are lacking (Thompson, 2011).

In some cases, schools protect themselves from social media problems by blocking access completely. Approaches toward censorship such as this should be handled with great caution, as the benefits of social media are vast, with collaborative, informational, and creative potential (Dreyer, Grant & White, 2009). Working smarter and educating users, rather than avoiding the issues will help to maintain an open and more innovative social media culture.

In this blog entry, I also responded to a statistic about the significant violation of social media policy and intellectual property among everyday users. I stated, “Technology has depersonalized interactions, giving people the comfort to conduct themselves in ways they might not do in ‘real life’” (Taylor-Weber, 2011, January 19). While policies may exist to prevent this behavior, they are not persuasive enough to change behavior. Either the policies are ineffectively implemented, or users may simply feel distanced from the social interaction, and therefore less inhibited in their actions (Crowell, Narvaez, Gomberg, 2008).

My final OLJ entry about my Second Life (SL) presentation addressed two remaining standards: (4) the ability to support the needs of workgroups, communities, and organizations, and (3) examining the features and functionality of social networking tools. As a social network, I felt SL was best used as an online community for participating in group events. “It is particularly conducive to hosting a large audience, as other programs like Google Talk and Skype are limited in audience size” (Taylor-Weber, 2011, January 25). It’s virtual environment is different from social networks like Facebook or Myspace because it allows realistic interaction through voice and avatar behavior. While I used words like “engaging,” “fun,” and “familiar” to describe SL, in my experience, managing the elements that make it so enjoyable was actually part of the problem. Users must not only download software, learn to manage technical settings, but in my case I had to do a significant amount of trouble shooting. SL also requires a great deal of orientation. It doesn’t fit “into your existing life.” While nearly all social networks require some orientation and technical effort, I found it particularly excessive with SL. “Ease of use” or “error prevention” is an important factor in judging usability (Uden & Eardley, 2010). In my experience, SL had too many technical challenges to make it useful.

Part 2B: Reflective Statement
References