Week 7: Twitter Champion – Digital and Information literacy!

[Caitlin .]

I approached this week as Twitter Champion with some trepidation given its only my second attempt, however I was excited about the topic as Information and Digital Literacy is something I feel quite strongly about. The idea of equal access to information as well as equality of learning or literacy to provide everyone with the tools to decipher and use information in the way they wish is an issue of democratic participation and equality. Even if this means giving people the power to opt out of the digital age and choose to censor the information they share with the world to whatever extent is actually possible.

I found the video of Neelie Kroes very inspiring and quite alarming as the statistics relating to digital access in Europe were so vastly different for various groups. With digital exclusion effecting every aspect of the lives of some including their ability to participate in society and engage in learning to increase their social or financial situation.
I found resonance with an interesting article on the History of British Libraries . As early as 1850 Libraries were seen as a key facilitator of Democracy and a way to change the fabric of society by allowing the working class access to self-education to pursue their own social advancement. I believe the Libraries role as supporters of digital literacy, with the aim of supporting the disadvantaged to actively participate and engage in the new digital age mirrors these original ideals.

The Twittering itself ran more smoothly then last time, I felt like I had something to say on the topic although I still had a lot to learn as well. I trialed both ‘Twubs’ and tchat.io and they suited the application far more than Tweet deck which I used in the first chat. Tweet Deck did not add the necessary hash tag related to our course and topic while these new applications did. By adding the hash tag automatically efficiency improved and my tweets were more prolific. Twubs crashed half way and I had to switch to tchat.io which was also open on my computer. Mild panic when my daughter tripped over the internet cable disconnecting me was soon resolved! My slow typing also meant I missed why tweeters were adding the A1 prefix which may have placed my tweets out of context until I caught on. I attempted using tweetchat but found the way it bundled tweets into a source folder most frustrating.

Kathleen Smeaton’s insight was invaluable, and the idea that all government services will be completely online in the next 2 years very alarming. I believe many of the most vulnerable will find this a challenge. In Australia over 80% of the population has internet access a figure much higher than in many other nations however in keeping with global trends internet use increases with Education and affluence. For those in Aboriginal communities in 2011 the access rates can be as low as 6%, with some never having used the internet. For those already disadvantaged even the arrival of access would require a great deal to bridge the knowledge gap.

The idea that those needing Library services often mistrust Libraries and are unwilling to visit them has been something I have been pondering for the last week. The idea of outreach programs that try and connect with those in need is all I have come up with to this point, however the challenges in this regard would be many. Kathleen’s point about Scandinavia making internet access a Human right is something I also find interesting and inspiring. The impacts of access mean that in my opinion it should be such in every country. It is already embodied in the existing rights of access to education, a fair standard of living and the ability to participate in choosing or taking part in the governing of one’s country. As Information literacy is a necessary part of all of these and now so crucially tied up in ones ability to access and be able to use the information in the digital realm.

I am looking forward to learning more about the Librarians role in Digital and Information literacy and working in this field in the future as I find the linking of an information role to the empowerment of information literacy a most inspiring prospect.

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[Tracey Allen]

Hey Caitlin,

I enjoyed your post and it has given me some tips for when I undertake the Twitter Chat Champion task in a few weeks time.  I too only started using Twitter at the start of the semester and have since discovered that you can private message someone after my tweets to Optus Help were appearing on the feeds of my followers.  It has definitely opened my eyes to a whole other world.  I also discovered that ‘favourite-ing’ is similar to ‘liking’ a post on Facebook.  The topic is a good one and something that I feel passionate about.  Living in a lower-socioeconomic area, I see how “left behind” some people are because of the lack of finances and education they have.  For instance the local high school is trying to implement a BYOD plan, however parents are refusing to pay for devices.  The school is also refusing to allow the librarian to run study skills lessons as it would take away time from curriculum subjects.  Whereas, schools in high socioeconomic areas have all students with at least one device and they’re librarians are able to run many programs.  The “digital divide” is very much evident in Queensland schools.

[Katherine Lee]

Great reflection Caitlin 🙂

I too am alarmed at the rate at which government services are going online. I’m a 20-something-year-old and even I find e-government services difficult to navigate. Where I can I will always try to speak to a real person over to the phone or go in to a service centre. Part of me thinks that the part of the solution is not promoting digital literacy, but improving online services so that they are easier to use. This, however, will not assist those who do not have access to technology, which is a whole other problem all together.

[Deborah Fuller]

I enjoyed reading your reflection on the Twitter Chat Caitlin, as I was travelling home from work on the train at the time and my phone kept cutting out. I agree that the platforms other than Tweet Deck are much easier to use, as having the hashtag added saves so much time. I am very alarmed that Government Services will all be online in 2 years time, as I feel that a significant proportion of those most in need of government assistance will not have the resources or the knowledge to access this information. I can see this will further increase the divide between the “haves” and the “have nots”.

[Robynne Kilborne Blake]

Hi Caitin, could you please email me? Thanks 🙂

[Ruth McConchie]

Thanks Caitlin, I really enjoyed your post. I also participated in the Twiiter Chat, but somehow I missed out on some of the points you noted (or it could be that my brain has turned to mush with assignments 😂) . One of my friends has been dealing with Centrelink and he learned that they only give full-time employment to the staff in the call-centres, everyone else is on contracts, in order to encourage employees to work in the call centres as it is such a horrible job. I wonder how this will work will e-Government. Will there still be people in the system when the algothrims lock you out? Also doesn’t think also make the system an easy target for hackers?

[Caitlin .]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the comments. I agree with Tracey the digital divide in schools is very real and inter generational for many students. I am on the P&C of my local High School and am adamantly opposed to the compulsory introduction of digital devices into schools for many reasons. Our school crosses many socio economic groups and many people simply cannot afford it. Then there is the dilemma of device compatibility, if the school stipulates a particular one then many are priced out or inferior devices fail. Who pays for upgrades? When should they occur? While all our local private Schools and some state have BYOD it can actually decrease learning as management and compatibility massively impinge on teaching time it can also decrease the learning out comes for many students. In some cases they are further marginalised and their attendance is impacted after once more becoming the “have not’s”. In an ideal world the school would have enough devices networked to it own systems so that all students had equal access. Definitely a pipe dream for now.

Perhaps as BYOD becomes mandatory as I believe it will local libraries will be forced to fill the gaps with digital homework centers and perhaps loans of digital devices.

The realm of digital literacy is never ending.

Caitlin

[Steven Walker]

This is an excellent piece of work. And a very good relection.

[Author]

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