INN333 Unit Reflection

 

 

Upon entering the INN333 Information Programs unit, I had very little idea of exactly what to expect. In all honesty I believed the unit would focus on a complex array of programs concerning databases and the like. I was pleasantly surprised to find the focus to be more on social media and how we, as budding information professionals, can use these platforms to build up our personal networks and achieve our various career goals.

While I’m not sure the multi-tiered system worked as effectively as it perhaps could have, I found the range of learning environments favoured by this unit to be a refreshing change from the tried and true – but arguably staid – ‘weekly lecture’ format. The workshops were informative and, for the most part, enlightening, and the mix of online activities and media facilitated a ‘learning by doing’ approach that I have always found works best for my personal studies.

Of the assigned weekly activities, I found the Week Four ‘Play’ Activity (concerning the creation of a Storify Resource Collection) the most challenging. This was mostly due to the host of technical issues I faced when trying to embed said collection into my WordPress blog. Of the weekly topics, I can confidently say I found Week Five’s topic (Synchronous and asynchronous communication tools) to be the most interesting. I’ve been using various instant messaging services and Skype in my personal and professional lives for some time now, so I certainly appreciated the chance to conduct an in-depth analysis of these increasingly popular and important tools. Of the assigned activities, I’d say I found the Week Seven ‘Play’ activity (concerning photo sharing services like Instagram) the least essential component of the unit. While enjoyable enough, it seemed a little too simplistic an exercise for a group of Masters students – something I thought erred dangerously close to ‘busywork’.

I thought the unit did a fairly commendable job in covering most, if not all of the existing technologies that will be of import to us as future information professionals. I will reiterate, however, that I don’t believe photo sharing applications will ultimately have much of an effect on the direction of our future careers, as I believe the ‘Add Photo’ options inherent to Facebook, Twitter and the like – as well as the advent of video sharing services like Vine and Snapchat – will ultimately render such services obsolete.

If I were required to communicate one key observation about information programs, product and service design and delivery, I would argue that the knowledgeable and adaptable information professional is king. These programs and services are ever evolving, at an increasingly rapid rate, and I believe it’s better to have a general understanding of contemporary platforms rather than try to become an ‘expert’ on any given service – especially considering the exceedingly short shelf-life most have before they are inevitably superseded by a superior or more popular product.

The peer interaction element of the unit was, in my opinion, a success. Encouraging us to communicate with our fellow students and future colleagues assists in the network building practices that are so integral to success in the library and information science industry. My only possible suggestion for improvement would be the addition of a comprehensive list of each student’s learning blogs to Blackboard, or perhaps the class Facebook page, as it sometimes proved difficult to track down the blogs of individual students.

On the whole, I would say I quite enjoyed this unit. As previously stated, I found the learning environments utilised within a refreshing change from the standard university experience. I learnt a great deal (particularly about online aggregation tools and various social media platforms) and I feel I engaged with most of the content on a level that inspired an interest for further personal research on my part. My key take-away from the Information Programs unit is that I am far more adept at embracing new technologies than I had suspected. I am somewhat of a Luddite, in some respects – having only joined the smartphone ‘revolution’ earlier this year – and I honestly believe the challenges presented to me via the weekly ‘Play’ and ‘Reflect’ activities helped to ‘bring me out of my shell’, so to speak.

Burns and Brookover postulate that ‘technology is everyone’s business’. I’m not sure I agree entirely with that statement – I feel that there are always going to be those, particularly in older generations, that inherent distrust any major technological advances. One thing I can say with the utmost confidence after (almost) completing this unit, however, is that technology is most certainly an information professional’s ‘business’ – indeed, the greatest weapon in his or her arsenal.

Week 7 REFLECT – Photo Sharing

This week’s REFLECT activity concerns the concept of photo sharing – specifically, whether or not students could see possible applications for it in their personal or personal professional lives.

I am of the opinion that online photo sharing services definitely have their place – though whether or not that place is in the professional sphere is questionable. Applications like Instagram, Flickr and the once-popular Photobucket are constructed with relaying personal experiences in mind. For instance, friends and relatives can view uploaded pictures of a newborn baby from far-flung places around the world. I’ve had some friends who’ve welcomed a new addition to their family in the past few months and in this regard, the concept is a resounding success. The time-sapping process of attaching images to individual emails is done away with entirely, and the ability to leave comments for specific images lends a personal touch to the proceedings. Potential well-wishers can make congratulatory statements on the fly, resulting in instant gratification for the image posters.

On the flip side, the use of photo sharing applications in one’s personal professional life is fraught with potential dangers. What one person considers harmless or acceptable could be construed as offensive to another. There’s always the more-than-slight chance that a co-worker or manager could come across an image of a contemporary in a position that could be considered compromising – especially in social situations where alcohol is involved. This could lead to all manners of public shaming, and in some extreme scenarios, disciplinary measures or even outright dismissal. Although there are some obvious cases where photo sharing could be a boon in the workplace – documenting official functions, for example – I feel the practice reeks of an unprofessional attitude. How many times have we come across a news item where an employee is disciplined or fired due to incriminating images on Facebook? Often, said images are not even posted by the employee in question, but by a friend or co-worker with poor discretion. In my opinion, some things are better kept out of the workplace – and the (potentially) unsavoury activities of last Saturday night are no exception.

In summary, while I see no harm in the general social utilization of photo sharing services, I wholeheartedly believe they have their own well-defined place – and that is most certainly *not* in the workplace.