Information has value

In class we discussed: How Information Has Value can be used “as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world. Legal and socioeconomic interests influence information production and dissemination.”

Information can act as a commodity, and as such, creators of information can use their work for financial or even reputational gains. These motivations may determine how information sources are shared whether given freely, offered for sale, or leased for temporary access. Information users have responsibilities as both consumers and creators of information based on the work of others. Academic and legal practices such as proper attribution of sources and complying with copyright are a result.

Experts recognize that their online activity and information they contribute to online sites can be used for economic gain by the sites themselves. Such uses may include personal information harvested from social media sites or advertisements placed on “free” web tools or apps.

We also discussed copyrighting and copy right infringement, open source and creative commons in class. I will now briefly discuss the meaning of these terms.

Copyrighting: This is the exclusive and assignable legal right, given to the originator for a fixed number of years, to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material. We also said in class that copyrights last for 70 years.

Copyright infringement is the use of works protected by copyright law without permission, infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works.

Open Source: This has to do with denoting software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified.

Creative commons: Creative Commons is a nonprofit organisation that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools. It is an easy-to-use copyright license, and it provides a simple, standardized way to give the public permission to share and use your creative work.

Information Has Value

Information Has Value by Audrey Fenner

Information Has Value Video

Of all the frames in Information Literacy Revision, “Information Has Value” is my utmost favourite. The reason why I like it so much is because it focusses on the value that information has. Value of information can so easily be lost due to unethical use of it. Users of information sometimes use other people’s creative ideas, thoughts and make it their own. This frame acknowledges that the author of specific information needs to be respected. Experts understand that this value designates information as intellectual property. 

When I was much in primary school, I never knew I should give credit when credit is due, especially when I was doing assignments. I just copied the information making it my own. It is only on a secondary school and Tertiary School level when I realised the importance of citing. In other words, giving credit to authors of the information I am using. I am just grateful for this frame for it gave me a fresh revelation on how to view and respect other people's work. I also realised that they did not just create the information, much effort and time went into it. So it is only ethical to acknowledge them when you make use of their resources.

Stellenbosch University a 'mini-apartheid island' - Sasco

Cape Town - Stellenbosch University is a “mini-apartheid island” in urgent need of change, South African Students' Congress (Sasco), national executive committee member Luntu Sokutu said on Friday.

He was speaking outside one of the university's administration buildings after Sasco led a group of students through the streets, in protest against the apparent lack of transformation at the institution and its language policy.

"There is an urgent need for radical transformation at SU," he said "There is an Oranje there to accommodate all those Afrikaner racists who refuse to accept their defeat of 1994."

The institution does not reflect the demographics of the country and excludes non-Afrikaans speakers, Sokutu said. 

"Why do we celebrate June 16 when there are still students who are forced to learn in Afrikaans in SA? Are we not spitting on the graves of those youths who gave their lives to ensure that Afrikaans is not forced as a medium of instruction in institutions?" he asked.

"We want to make it clear that we don’t want a negotiated settlement to transformation at SU. We are not applying for transformation. It is a demand - one we must fight for."

In Sasco's memorandum, handed to university management, it demanded that transformation be speeded up and prioritised at the institution.

Rector and Vice Chancellor Wim de Villiers accepted the memorandum, saying the university was committed to this.

"The language policy is being revised and we have a task group looking at it. The findings will be presented to council at its next meeting scheduled for September 28," he said.

De Villiers admitted one of the biggest challenges facing the institution was the lack of diversity among its lecturing personnel.

Rector and Vice Chancellor Wim de Villiers accepted the memorandum, saying the university was committed to this.

"The language policy is being revised and we have a task group looking at it. The findings will be presented to council at its next meeting scheduled for September 28," he said.

De Villiers admitted one of the biggest challenges facing the institution was the lack of diversity among its lecturing personnel.

Information Creation as a Process

Information Creation as a Process refers to the understanding that the purpose, message, and delivery of information are intentional acts of creation. Recognizing the nature of information creation, experts look to the underlying processes of creation as well as the final product to critically evaluate the usefulness of the information.

Instruction:

Search for information on a specific topic. Gather as much information on the topic using different kind of formats. Transform at least 2 of these forms into some other form type. .

Online newspaper:

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Stellenbosch-University-a-mini-apartheid-island-Sasco-20150918

Online Books

https://books.google.co.za/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tFAlQ2CrzvsC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=education+in+south+africa&ots=X1s5u1O06f&sig=rarMMu2prc_gX9TKirwvOro98u0#v=onepage&q=education%20in%20south%20africa&f=false

Kallaway, P. (Ed.). (2002). The history of education under apartheid, 1948-1994: the doors of learning and culture shall be opened. Pearson South Africa.

Fedderke, J. W., De Kadt, R., & Luiz, J. M. (2000). Uneducating South Africa: The failure to address the 1910–1993 legacy. International Review of Education, 46(3-4), 257-281.

Online journal article:

Jaffer, S., Ng'ambi, D., & Czerniewicz, L. (2007). The role of ICTs in higher education in South Africa: One strategy for addressing teaching and learning challenges. International journal of Education and Development using ICT, 3(4).

Reagan, T., & Ntshoe, I. (1987). Language Policy and Black Education in South Africa. Journal of research and development in Education, 20(2), 1-8.

 Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiEUu-Is0Ao


Link to Google slides: Information Creation as a Process

What is a workshop

What is a workshop?

Workshops are held to educate people about various topics. It is an in depth review of a specific topic of interest to a community.

Workshops provide an in-depth review of a topic of interest to the community. It typically provide participants with materials and/or ideas that are immediately useful, and ideally devote significant time to hands-on activities by the attendees. 

Why would you hold a workshop?

A workshop is held to edify people to develop specific skills. Statistics show that our students are increasingly making use of the internet to complete school assignments and tasks. It gives attendees a chance to use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. It helps them to understand the economic, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information and information technology. I want attendees to incorporate selected information in their knowledge base and value system. I want to do my part by educating students for lifelong learning.

Who is your target audience?

Library staff in the public libraries.

When would you want to conduct a workshop?

Every time when new policies are implemented, or whenever staff are unsure about something. 

How do you conduct a workshop?

Define the workshop objective.

Whether you are teaching a skill, delivering information or increasing awareness, outline the goals of your workshop. This analysis may result in a list of specific skills you will be teaching, concrete topics you will cover, or simply a feeling you will inspire in your participants.

Plan carefully.

• Determine the details of the workshop. If you will be delivering information, decide exactly what you will discuss. In the case of skill-building, determine the types of activities you will include in your workshop.

Arrive early.

• Set up all equipment before participants arrive. If you are using video, graphics or other media, test them out before the day of your workshop.
• Distribute materials. If you have notebooks or other workshop materials to hand out, place them on the tables or chairs in advance to save time during the workshop.
• Greet participants as they arrive. Arriving early allows you to set up, relax and get to know participants before the start of the workshop. This helps in building relationships with the participants.

Welcome everyone and begin introductions.

·         Introduce yourself, explain the workshop objective and ask participants to introduce themselves. Limit the introductions to a few sentences by asking everyone to answer two or three specific questions, such as providing their names and what they hope to gain from the workshop.

Allow regular breaks.

Scheduling breaks helps people assimilate the information and reflect. Let participants know how often they will get breaks and the lengths of the breaks. This allows workshop attendees to plan accordingly for restroom usage, phone calls and other personal needs.

Follow up with the participants after the workshop.

Ask workshop attendees if you may contact them in the future for their input. Some people need time to reflect back on their workshop experiences. Following up with workshop participants several days or weeks later might reveal new insights.

Information Creation as a Process

Learning outcomes:

1. Students will evaluate information with set criteria.
2. Students will understand the variety of information formats and can conduct searches for various formats.
3. Students will be able to thoughtfully find published primary sources in order to include first-person perspectives in their research project. 

Design 3 activities:

Go on Google scholar and search for 3 articles. Write down authors names, title of article and publisher.

Go on Uwc library website and find 5 books written by Dr. Gavin Davis. Name the publisher and year of publication. 


Disposition: Student

• value the process of matching an information need with an appropriate product.
• accept that the creation of information may begin initially through communicating in a range of formats
• Understand that different methods of information dissemination with different purposes are available for their use

Authority is Constructed and Contextual

Evaluating the quality and credibility of your sources

Learning outcomes: Student should be able to:

 

• define different types of authority, such as subject expertise.
• understand that many disciplines have acknowledged authorities in the sense of well-known scholars and publications that are widely considered "standard" and  yet, even in those situations, some scholars would challenge the authority of those sources.
• recognize that authoritative content may be packaged formally or informally and may include audio, visual, and other nonprint sources

Design three activities:

Define key authority figures and principles in Library Science. Choose one type of authority. Focus on the authority you have chosen and  subject expertise. Look at the criteria that make sources authoritive.

Students can make an appointment with subject lecturer and arrange an interview. Find out what makes these sources credible, and ask how you can know if sources a credible or not.

Go on google scholar and find 2 authoritive sources either an online article, book or even video well known in the specific dicipline. Cite what makes it credible. Discuss your findings in groups of 5 and present it to class in the form of a presentation.

Material:

Computer with internent access.

A list contact numbers of key figures in library.

 




Disposition

Learners who develop their information literate abilities will most likely:

•  Develop awareness of the importance of assessing content with a skeptical stance and with a self-awareness of their own biases and worldview
•  Motivate themselves to find authoritative sources, recognizing that authority may be conferred or manifested in unexpected ways
• Are conscious that maintaining these attitudes and actions requires frequent self-evaluation