Information literacy and Web 2.0: developing a modern media curriculum using social bookmarking and social networking tools

The term 'Web 2.0' continues to prompt widespread discussion in terms of definition, impact upon society in general and relevance to library and information professionals in Higher Education. Web 2.0 has been described by Notess (2006:40) as '...a second wave of Web techniques to create more interactive and easy-to-use Websites using new technologies (or using older technologies in a new way)'. There has been debate in recent years concerning the importance of the adoption of Web 2.0 tools by librarians within information literacy teaching programmes. Godwin (2008:8) sees them as providing a vital link to the 'Google generation', which uses search engines effortlessly in a self-directed manner, placing complete faith in what they find on the web. He argues that Web 2.0 tools '...give us a whole set of new ways to reach our users, and tools with which to teach them.' Abram (2006) claims that librarians can guarantee the future of their profession by embracing and exploiting the potential of such technologies. Furthermore, Bradley (2006) argues that an understanding of the term Web 2.0 is unimportant, compared to an acknowledgement that librarians are in a position to do more than they could in the past and being open to it. Chad (2007) meanwhile, states that unless academic librarians embrace the Google generation they will become increasingly marginalised

Culture or social interaction? A study of influential factors on weblog design

The importance of blogs and social networking as medium of interactions had gain substantial popularity in mainstream media. Such popularity is due to blogs timely publication, ease of use and wide availability. Blogs hypertext and hyperlinks spread information and influence through an underlying social network. Taking into consideration that past studies on web design have focused on cultural traits on design elements, this paper aims to analyse the patterns on blog design from the perspectives of social influence and interactions. Examining design patterns from five networks of blogs using content analysis method, the results show that design of blogs in an online network shares similar elements and the pattern is different from one network to the other

Introducing digital literacy skills through IBL: A comparative study of UG and PG business information systems students

This paper reports a comparative study of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) at Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) levels at a university in the north west of England. Both student cohorts undertook a professional, legal and ethical module centred on IT. This study focuses on how the different student cohorts approached this style of teaching, and how it impacted on overall student engagement throughout the semester. IBL was introduced in the 2009-2010 academic years; to the UG students in the first semester and the PG students in the second semester. Key observations gained from the study were unexpected in that the UG level students fully embraced the IBL approach, they maintained a high attendance level throughout the semester, and all preliminary and formative assessment work/tasks were eagerly completed. Ultimately, this developed students’ information literacy skills. PG students enjoyed the in-class IBL activities, but actively avoided module preparation and formative assessment work/tasks, and so minimized their opportunities to develop rich digital literacy skills. This study highlights potential enablers required to employ IBL techniques successfully

Towards Health Informatics 2.0: Blogs, Podcasts and Web 2.0 Applications in Nursing and Health Informatics Education and Professional Collaboration

Health professionals and students are expected to be proficient in basic information technology so as to mitigate error, communicate effectively, manage information and collaborate with peers. Web 2.0 applications such as blogs, podcasts and wikis are social networking tools that may enhance health professionals\u27 development of such skills. As Web 2.0 application use by health professionals is in its infancy, the purpose of this paper is to present examples of the use of such tools that hold potential for online and mobile information dissemination, knowledge building in education, and professional collaboration. Examples based in a collaborative model of virtual conference interaction, and in the use of blogs and podcasts within nursing education, are discussed. The paper concludes by seeking to promote debate on the possible development of Web 2.0 tools specific to health informatics, and so developing the next generation of health informatics, \u27Health Informatics 2.0\u27

Academics’ online connections: Characterising the structure of personal networks on academic social networking sites and Twitter

Academic social networking sites (SNS), such as Academia.edu and ResearchGate, seek to bring the benefits of online social networking to academics' professional lives. Online academic social networking offers the potential to revolutionise academic publishing, foster novel collaborations, and empower academics to develop their professional identities online. However, the role that such sites play in relation to academic practice and other social media is not well understood at present. Arguably, the defining characteristic of academic social networking sites is the connections formed between profiles (in contrast to the traditional static academic homepage, for example). The social network of connections fostered by SNSs occupies an interesting space in relation to online identity, being both an attribute of an individual and shaped by the social context they are embedded within. As such, personal network structures may reflect an expression of identity (as "public displays of connection" (Donath & boyd, 2004) or "relational self portraits[s]" (Hogan & Wellman, 2014)), while social capital has been linked to network structures (Crossley et al., 2015). Network structure may therefore have implications for the types of roles that a network can play in professional life. What types of network structures are being fostered by academic SNS and how do they relate to academics' development of an online identity? This presentation will discuss findings from a project which has used a mixed-methods social network analysis approach to analyse academics' personal networks online. The personal networks of 55 academics (sampled from survey participants, to reflect a range of disciplines and job positions) on both one academic SNS (either Academia.edu or ResearchGate) and Twitter were collected and analysed. Differences in network structure emerged according to platform, with Twitter networks being larger and less dense, while academic SNS networks were smaller and more highly clustered. There were differences between academic SNS and Twitter in the brokerage positions occupied by the participant. The results are discussed in relation to other salient studies relating network structure in online social networks to social capital, and implications for academic practice. Future work, including co-interpretive interviews to explore the significance of network structures with participants, is introduced

How and why physicists and chemists use blogs

This study examined how and why chemists and physicists blog. Two qualitative methods were used: content analysis of blog and “about” pages and in-depth responsive interviews with chemists and physicists who maintain blogs. Analysis of the data yielded several cross-cutting themes that provide a window into how physicists and chemists use their blogs and what value they receive from maintaining a blog and participating in a blogging community. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for supporting scientists’ work

BLOG MANAGEMENT THROUGH A COLLABORATIVE ACTION RESEARCH APPROACH TO IMPROVE STUDENT'S WRITING SKILLS

Blog di internet seharusnya sangat bermanfaat dalam meningkatkan keterampilan menulis siswa. Dalam membuat blog yang memikat, perlu diisi dengan artikel yang bermanfaat dan mengundang orang untuk berkomentar dan berpartisipasi di dalamnya. Blog yang baik dapat mengarahkan siswa tidak hanya untuk membuat informasi baru dan mencari informasi di internet; tetapi juga dapat menjadi media bagi siswa untuk meningkatkan keterampilan menulisnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan keterampilan menulis siswa melalui pengelolaan kolaboratif blog di internet. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah Penelitian Tindakan Kolaboratif. Jumlah siswa yang terlibat dalam penelitian ini adalah 236 orang dengan empat guru. Proses pembelajaran dilaksanakan dalam 4 siklus dari tanggal 1 September 2020 hingga 21 Juni 2021. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa keterampilan menulis siswa meningkat dengan memberikan motivasi secara terbuka dan latihan menulis berkelanjutan di blog siswa yang dikelola dengan baik. Dalam penelitian tindakan kolaboratif ini, guru merencanakan tindakan korektif untuk meningkatkan keterampilan menulis siswa melalui manajemen blog dengan memposting tugas di blog dan mendapatkan komentar dari guru dan siswa lainnya. Guru memberikan contoh menulis yang baik di blog dan memberikan komentar positif di blog siswa untuk memberikan siswa intens di mana tulisan mereka dihargai. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa untuk meningkatkan keterampilan menulis, siswa dapat diarahkan untuk mengelola blog secara kolaboratif dan menggunakan blog sebagai media pembelajaran. Motivasi guru sangat penting.Kata Kunci: Manajemen Blog, Keterampilan Menulis, Kolaboras