Web 2.0 Critical Literacy Activity

Ernest Mackina: Key notes in using Social Media for Development

I had the privilege of being part of the delegation that was equipped with relevant skills needed in using Web 2.0 applications and Social Media sites for Development in the University setting.

Here are some of the key notes which summarized the workshop:

• Get Started, or give your network  a more in-depth look on your existing online social profiles such as LinkedIn.

• Advanced searches on LinkedIn helps one locate the right people and expand an effective network.

• Build relationships with whom and what matters through online places and spaces.

• Mitigate the risks associated with using Social Media for Development. Decide the raange of your product and its intended audience. Do you want it to be private or public.

• The risks of Social Media for Development include the loss of privacy and violation of intellectual property.

• Choose tools that best fit your purpose. Use Social Media in order for you to establish professional credibility beyond borders, to make yourself easy to find and als in order to connect one to opportunities

Web 2.0 and Social Media for Development Videos

Don Tererai : Lessons from the Web 2.0 and Social Media workshop

The Web 2.0 and Social Media for Development Workshop allowed me to learn more about modern applications and tools that can be used in different settings. These range from the use of RSS feeds, Social Networks, Blogs, Microblogs, Vlogs, Mapping tools, and so on. Even as an avid user of social media, I got more ideas on the developmental side of these tool and applications through the discussions, debates and talks that took place throughout the workshop. The experiences of others were particularly useful in giving an insight on how Social media, for example, twitter can be used to attain developmental objectives which are measurable through progressive results.

 

The message which struck me most is that the tools and applications are not of much use on their own without meaningful and relevant content to accompany them. As a member of NUST academic stuff I am particularly interested in the potential of electronic and collaborative learning in an online environment. I intent to pursue and hopefully be able to use specific tools and applications which can be relevant to my work environment.

 

Thanks to CTA, all facilitators, members of the NUST Web2.0 champions group and all participants for making such progressive learning possible.

WEB 2.0 AND SOCIAL MEDIA FOR DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

 Workshop Experiences

When an opportunity to attend a training in Web 2.0 and Social Media arose, i jumped at the opportunity and registered to attend. I am a librarian by profession and one of the most critical requirements for librarians is to stay afloat with the dynamic technology in this information era. One of my personal goals is to always further my skills and abilities so that i stay relevant as an individual and as a professional.

I learnt what web 2.0 and social media tools are and how i can use them to improve my work. I learnt about the creation and use of wikis, tags, feeds, cloud storage services, mash ups, social bookmarking.I had the opportunity of creating a Google drive account and a dropbox account. These are beneficial in that i can store my files in them and share with the people i want. I can even open these files from either my phone, laptop, desktop and so on.  I was also introduced to different social networks, some of which i had never used. I was taught how to use and create blogs. I managed to create my first blog titled The young professional librarian: http://theyoungprofessionallibrarian.blogspot.com/

The information i have gained has put me in a position to not only use the social media tools but to be able to compare them and make the best decision on which tools to use for development in my work place.

My plans

My first plan is to go back to my workplace and organise a short training on Web 2.0 and Social Media for development. There already is a scheduled training week for June 2014. I will lobby for a session to train my colleagues. I intend to introduce the use of social bookmarking to create subject guides for different departments at the NUST University. I also plan to continue using all the tools that i created. I already have a blog addiction that i intend to keep. I feel that i am now in a better position to effectively and efficiently select the best tools to use in my work spaces.

WEB 2.0 AND SOCIAL MEDIA DEVELOPMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT: Workshop experience

The workshop changed my view of technology as an information practitioner.An information practitioner should be a digital native who adapts to change and adopts the dynamic technological changes  no enable him her to impart life-long skills.Though the use of web 2.0 technologies knowledge and information can be easily shared and disseminated.Use of web 2.0 technology has no boundaries and therefore it creates a platform for easy communication and sharing of information.

Libraries can communicate with their patrons who are remote through Skype, Facebook and tweeter.
As a librarian am going to craft a new information literacy curricula which has sections on teaching the students on how to use Google drive, dropbox and delicious as a means of storing their information and links when searching for information on our electronic resources.
As a subject librarian i should always stay connected and communicate with my contituency so i will do this through creating group accounts where would share and communicate easily.This way i will be able to address their grievances concerning service delivery in the library and also deliver services the services required within the desired time frame.

Web 2.0 and Social Media Development Worshop Experiences

I have never quite taken social media seriously. While I do live in this great information age and am neck deep myself in a couple of social media platforms, my use of them has only been limited to personal, non-professional uses. It has been interesting to discover how these platforms can be used as a valuable aid to my work. Firstly as a Training and Staff Development Officer I can use Google groups to communicate easier with members of staff who are studying abroad in different parts of the world. Through Skype we can connect faster and get instant responses on issues that need urgent actioning. LinkedIn has enabled us to track some members who had not returned from their studies. As a professional on a personal level LinkedIn keeps me in touch with other professionals and through that I have been able to network and share ideas in order to continuously improve my own work. I have learnt how to create a blog, post on it and share it with others. Certainly this allows me to share my views on various subjects and receive feedback from other individuals I have shared with. There is a myriad of social media platforms out there, I do not have to be on all of them but depending on the message I want to put across and the audience I am targeting, I can select the most appropriate one. Social Media has really shrunk the world for me and in spite of security risks, the benefits are well worth it.

Web 2.0 and Social Media for Development Workshop Experiences

The Web 2.0 and Social media for Development workshop was a very enlightening experience.  Learning about the basic concepts behind social media and social networking was fascinating. I managed to have hands on experience with a wide range of social media tools that enhance the ways in which information is created and published. As an Information professional I look forward to use Web 2.0 technologies to collaborate and share resources online.

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I have learnt that social media can be harnessed and used in development context improving and empowering the ones who use it. I have identified a number of social media tools that can be used particularly in the Library environment in which I work. For example the social bookmarking site "delicious" can be used to curate electronic resources which are relevant to different subject disciplines offered at NUST. This can effectively guide users to relevant resources quickly rather wasting a lot of time in trying to discover them. As information Literacy instructor, I would like to incorporate the concept of "targeted searching" during ILS sessions. The concept of " Feeds" is another element which suits very well in context of  information gathering and dissemination in an academic Library. I would like to set up feeds for various electronic databases so as to alert both students and academics in particular about new and  latest content that has been added.      

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