Competency H

Information and communication technologies include software, applications, and videoconferencing that address information needs for administrative, cataloging and search tools, security and accounting, collaborating and communicating. These technologies are the new platform for the information professions. As such, a firm understanding of how to discover, evaluate and use them is central to the preparation and future of all information professionals.

Coursework that supports competency H is interwoven into the San Jose State University MLIS program. First, I learned to use a web conferencing tool: Blackboard Collaborate to meet with classmates, display spreadsheets, drawings and webpages during meetings. The platform allows multiple voices, recording and simultaneous document manipulation. I created multiple digital work-products for LIBR 230, INFO 242, INFO 204, LIBR 280, LIBR 285 and INFO 250. They include presentations, websites, surveys, user guides, screencasts and tutorials. I evaluated software for records management and security. I learned to code HTML, CCS, and Java. I learned to use Oracle; database creation software. This portfolio is an expression of technology and communication competence because it is presented as a website with live links to external work-products that include a wide-range of media for many audiences and purposes.

The Rochester Virtual Learning Commons (VCR) is an appropriate illustration of my experience using technology. The VCR assignment was to choose a University and create a hypothetical Virtual Learning Commons for the campus. It uses online documents such as a Google calendar and blog. It incorporates clickable images and text. It collects resources such as contact information, library links, videos and tutorials in one place. The project began with evaluating website platforms for multi-user editing and general usability. The Google sites platform is appropriate for the VCR because editing permissions can be shared with students and teachers alike. Then, I vetted information and resources for relevance to the undergraduate population using demographic and enrollment information from the campus and government sources. A team-member wrote content for specific topics. I organized that content into pages and navigation tabs. Last, I created a screencast orientation for the website.

While websites are not new, using them as collaborative spaces for students and teachers to manipulate, collaborate and post their own content is new. Letting students post their events, artwork, articles and commentary in one loosely monitored space fosters the independent learning and networking skills required of all graduates today.

Similarly, evidence 2 is a website of resources for a hypothetical scenario; a social justice class. First my team and I created a website with Google Drive. The pages include: Resources, tools, work spaces, communication, tours, help center, contact us, home, calendar, lesson plans, assessment and sitemap. Then we made and collected resources including an annotated bibliography and links to additional resources. For the Tools page, I evaluated tutorials extensively. I made a rubric that refocused my attention on the user's perspective so that resources would serve the undergraduates' needs. I used search engines and scholarly articles about education technology to find citation, writing and screencast tools. The scholarly articles often yielded potentially relevant keywords and sources for further discovery. I learned to combine the information from popular technology periodicals with that in scholarly articles by using the popular publications to discover new ideas, and to follow that up with more in-depth information from scholarly sources. The scholarly sources were especially useful for comparative evaluations. The Work Spaces page is a collection of subscription-free platforms for students to collaborate on e.g. Symbaloo, Google Drive and Prezi.

The most important lesson I learned through my technology preparation, is the pace of change. Technology becomes outdated as it is released: New, better, faster and more accurate tools are replacing the technology I am learning about as I am learning. Therefore, cultivating a culture of learning among colleagues and patrons is vital to information professionals. I used to think it was enough to learn to use a reader’s choice app on my phone in the library stacks and to create tutorials and content for blogs, but now I understand that tomorrow’s technology may not even look like today’s. It will have elements of augmented reality and may even deliver synthesized information from across media and platforms. Intelligent tools are learning to judge and sort information. Librarians need to learn not just the basic coding that underlies their industry-specific software, but how to create search bots.

A second lesson I learned from building these two resources was that teams are ideal agents of discovery. The diverse teammate perspectives helped us build a varied vocabulary for our technology research. The variety of ages represented in our three-person team affected our vocabulary list in surprising ways. For example, a millennial was highly interested in performance requirement terms like bits and RAM, while the generation X teammate was contributing from an education and neuroscience perspective. One could characterize another member's technology vocabulary as heavily influenced by social-media. These perspectives came together to reveal more resources than any one of us would have found alone.

The information professional's job is to stay ahead of new technology, but technology training and proficiency is such a large and fast-moving target that it is vital for information professionals to find ways to share the responsibility and results. Setting aside time to discover, master and share new technology is now central to librarianship. I will make time to read technology journals and discuss their implications with colleagues. This understanding of the pace of new technology will make me a more collaborative partner with my colleagues because I have a mindset for discovering new tools and acquiring new skills. I recognize the value in sharing with colleagues and together, we will have the resources to discover and master unforeseeable tools.

Evidence

https://sites.google.com/site/universityofrochestervlc/

Evidence 2

https://sites.google.com/site/iimprovelibraryuse/resources