Information Literacy

Such a huge area to explore, where should I start...................

Information Literacy is defined as the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand. (National Forum on Information Literacy, n.d.,para 1.)

The problem at hand - to post a blog on information literacy by the sixteenth of June. I definitely need some information, but there is so much information available to me. Before technology made it easy to store and share information on line, my search may have been limited to books, journals and newspapers. I know that I can locate websites, articles and blogs on information literacy by typing those two words into a search engine. I think that my current problem is how to evaluate the information that I have found. Is up to date? Is the source relevant and reliable?

I found a skill set of ten, by the University of Sydney (2010, para 2), that every information literate person should have. I feel that I am stuck at point three: "Access the needed information efficiently". I have spent hours looking on the Web, for sites to use as sources for this assignment and it has been very frustrating. I have seen, somewhere, a diagram that I would like to insert to help show my understanding of this topic but do you think that I can find it again? I thought that I had written down all the addresses of the sites that I had visited but I cannot find that diagram.

Any way it was the last point, on their list, that really resonated with me. "Recognise information literacy as a prerequisite for lifelong learning". (The University of Sydney, 2010, para 2) This means in order to be able to achieve my career change I must understand that learning for this course is not the end of my learning. I need to become a lifelong learner. I cannot just do this unit and think that I do not need to keep using these tools. I must not be overwhelmed, but continue to try. I cannot ignore the Web, with it's huge store of information, so I must try to understand it. Until I become information literate I can not help others on their journey to achieve the same. So the next time I get frustrated because I cannot find what I want, I need to remember that this is a learning process.

That old saying that "you are never too old" springs to mind. I must try to keep that front of my mind with anything involving technology - I must be willing to learn.

References
National Forum on Information Literacy. (n.d.). What is Information Literacy? Retrieved 14/6/10 from http://www.infolit.org/

The University of Sydney. (2010). Information Literacy Policy Statement Retrieved 14/6/10 from http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/skills/infolitpolicy.html

My experience with Flickr

I have made a start on the week 3 activity from the 23 things list, Photos & Images.

I have explored Flickr by uploading some of my photos to their site, which I have now connected to my blog! This was not hard (which should not have suprised me) but like creating this blog I now have a Flickr account and a Yahoo ID.

I suppose that these things (creating a blog and Flickr) have had to be fairly straight forward so that new users do not get frustrated, decide that its all too hard and give up.

Uploading the photos was easy, just follow the steps. I did not edit them at the time (although the option to do so was there). I named them, added a description and put them in a set. It took less than an hour from creating my account to feeling very accomplished in having 9 photos on my site.

I have now gone back in a second time and edited those photos that needed it. This process seemed to be fairly slow in loading each of the selected photos, considering that I was only cropping and changing the contrast on some. Although to be fair it may have been the time of day, the fact that it was the weekend or just my computer. (I would be interested to hear from any one else who had this problem/or did not.) I have not used any other photo software before so this may just be how long it takes.

When I returned to Flickr I was at a loss to how to edit my photos. Luckly just double clicking on the photo brings up the edit function (as well as a few others that I did not go into). Editing is through Picnik (I love these names) but Flickr has been set up to walk you through that connection as well.

I have a photo stream DiDee2010 and a set of photos "All creatures great and small" to which I have to add, since I have included neither the guinea pigs or the rabbits at this stage.

I was concerned about including photos that could identify me, my family or where I live, so using photos of our animals was best for me. There were privacy settings but I thought that if I did not pick the broadest settings that none of you would be able to see them.

I still have to have some fun with Flickr mashups (6) so I will let you know how that goes (once I work out what they are).

Enjoy my journey so far.

Lack of Resources

OK so now that it is the weekend I thought that I would be able to really get my teeth into some of these 23 things. The only problem is that there is one less computer at home than there are people, so who misses out until 10pm, mum! Is there such a place that you can go, like a 24 hour fitness centre or laundry mat and just use their computers and Internet? Although at this time of night is it all I can do to stay awake, I dont have the energy to go back out.
That is the good thing about books or papers or magazines - they are truly portable and I could be doing my assignment sitting in on the train, but I need this darn computer.

No time

I last stated that I thought blogging was very anti social, but I think that in the last week I have decided that being anti social is not all bad.
I have spent 2 useless days at a "conference" to learn 2 small facts that could have been conveyed much more efficiently using some other medium that would not have required me to leave my office.
This is why we have emails, web sites and other technology!
I admit that meeting people that you deal with over the phone is great to put a face to a name (because they are never what you imagine), but that's the social side of it, rather than the work aspect