Antonesa & McAvinia - Information literacy and the case of the ‘natives’

Antonesa & McAvinia - Information literacy and the case of the ‘natives’

• 1.
  Mary Antonesa, NUIMaynooth, mary.antonesa@nuim.ie Claire McAvinia, NUI Maynooth, claire.mcavinia@nuim.ie
• 2.
   9000+ students  Undergraduate & postgraduate courses in the Arts, Science, Engineering, Philosophy and Celtic Studies.  Ireland's second oldest university
• 3.
   “Digital Natives are used to receiving information really fast. They like to parallel process and multi-task...”  “We need to invent Digital Native methodologies for all subjects, at all levels, using our students to guide us. The process has already begun”  “Adapting materials to the language of Digital Natives has already been done successfully. My own preference for teaching Digital Natives is to invent computer games to do the job, even for the most serious content. After all, it’s an idiom with which most of them are totally familiar.”  Marc Prensky, (2001),"Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1", On the Horizon, Vol. 9 Iss: 5 pp. 1 – 6 DOI:10.1108/10748120110424816 (Permanent URL)
• 4.
   Qualitative Doctoral research using focus groups: ◦ Librarians ◦ Academic Staff and Academic Support Staff ◦ Students ◦ Key informants  Positioning IL outside of library land
• 5.
   Transition to University ◦ “...more we put online, almost more intimidating” ◦ “Critical thing they find most shocking” ◦ “Student’s mindset and own independence – understanding 3rd level responsibility...what they expect 3rd level to be might not always be what is it” “..==e we put online, almost more intimidating”
• 6.
   Fourth Subject ◦ “Referencing is the big one..students’ attitude to referencing... Part of what the academic world demands...are we being pedantic” ◦ “Power and ownership...how would you feel if someone took your work...information has a value ... Don’t know it has a value “
• 7.
   Gaps in system ◦ “Onus has come on us as different people in a university to make stabs at it... as such we don’t all understand what our roles are ...its frustrating... “ ◦ “Possibility of surfing your way through 3, 4 , 10 years of university is a sinch...” ◦ “massification of knowledge and diversification of knowledge nobody can have any control of it”
• 8.
   Medium does matter ◦ “Medium shifts how we see the information... It feels different... The way we interact with that” ◦ “Dont use same thinking on academic side ...Don’t know how to cite it and save it...When just the books was easier to ask...They say don’t tell us, just show us”
• 9.
   Library instruction TO knowledge construction  Marsh argues that while these changes are no longer new, they can be considered new ontologically in terms of the “mindsets they engender” (Marsh, 2007, P267).  Multi literacy pedagogy (Brian Street)
• 10.
   Literacy is more progressive than sequential  Socially negotiated  Depends heavily on context  Need to focus on peoples’ interest  Can’t be learned once and for all time  Remix (Belshaw)
• 11.
  Literacies for Learning,(McGill & Littlejohn, 2005) [
• 12.
   Case studying students’ use of the VLE and materials: ◦ Survey of undergraduates in language subjects ◦ Seven student participants ◦ One semester ◦ Video interviews ◦ Diaries ◦ Second questionnaire  Context: local and national evaluations
• 13.
  If you useyour VLE, Why? (All sites) 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% If you use your VLE, Why? 30% 100% 90% 20% 80% 70% 60% 10% 50% 40% 30% 0% 20% 10% 0% Keep Track of Get copies of Get other course Online Online Quizzes Submit Keep Track of Get copies of Get other course Online Online Quizzes Submit classlecture notes class timestimes material lecture notes discussions material Assignments discussions Assignments about the course 2009 A 2008 A 2008 B 2008 C 2009 D 2008 D 2009 E 2008 E 2009 F about the course 2009 G 2009 H 2009 I Average Average Cosgrave et al, 2008, 2009
• 14.
  If you don'tuse your VLE, why not? 20% 10% If you don't use your VLE, why not? 70% 60% 50% 40% 0% 30% 20% My Lecturers don’t The information on it I can’t access it I find it difficult to use I don’t have access 10% 0% use it isn’t useful to the web My Lecturers don’t The information on it I can’t access it I find it difficult to use I don’t have access use it isn’t useful to the web 2008 A 2009 A 2008 B 2008 C 2008 D 2009 D 2008 E 2009 E 2009 F 2009 G 2009 H 2009 I Average Cosgrave et al, 2008, 2009
• 16.
  Instruments Transformation Subject Object Outcomes Process Rules Community Division of labour Extended Activity System (Engeström, 1987)
• 17.
  Object 1: Keep up to date
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  Object 2: Undertake and complete coursework
• 19.
  • Lecturers were not resistant to using technology ‐ in  fact they were generally enthusiastic about it – Evidence of experimenting within the VLE – Greater uptake of other e‐learning tools available once they  were comfortable with VLE • Students did not necessarily want more use of  technology ‐ this was not their primary focus (Object)  – Staying on top of coursework could be dependent on ‐ or  independent of ‐ technology – VLE used as a gateway into other resources  – Negative responses when resources not provided via VLE 
• 20.
  Liz: Publishing to make a reading list accessible  to students
• 21.
   Claire.McAvinia@nuim.ie  Mary.Antonesa@nuim.ie