ICT Trends and Application in LIS: widening my ICT knowledge frontiers

My enrolment with the Department of Library and Information Science at University of the Western Cape marked the beginning of deepening my ICT knowledge frontier. Each time I attend a lecture for this course, my ICT knowledge catchment area widens.

So far, I have learnt how to make a critical analysis of research articles done by some renowned researchers in the field of Library and Information Science. Specifically, I have had a chance to read and learn on research articles about Library 2.0, which is made possible by blending the traditional library with Web 2.0 tools. The assignment I was given acted as an eye opener on how assignments ought to be handled in this department. For example, I completely  did not expect that referencing/bibliography could be allocated marks almost equivalent to those allocated to the write-up/body of the assignment. Unfortunately, I did not prepare the bibliography/reference as required by the lecturer and I ended up missing half of the marks – next time I commit myself not to miss such precious marks.  

Still on Social Media, I have been introduced to some new forms of Web 2.0 tools which include: Weblogs, Wikis, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, just to mention some. 

As part of the many assignments that I am working on, I have been asked to work on an ongoing project which involves creating a Twitter and a Weblog. The Twitter project has played a significant role as to how I interact with fellow classmates. As scholars who have just met staying many miles apart in Western Cape, we are able to instantly debate academic issues via the cheapest mode of communication – the Twitter.  Already, I see myself becoming a competent and complete blogger – blogger wizard perhaps. I am not just learning to become good at designing and creating interesting and captivating user blog interfaces, but I am also learning how to write good posts so as to command a big following from my target audience. 

As I consult several information sources available in this magnificent library, sniffing and weaving information for preparing my assignment on “Is information distributed via Social Media as trustworthy as conventional sources during periods of crises?”, I am learning as many new concepts as I can – being molded to become an authority in this field of study by lecturers of a high class.

As learning continues, I foresee gaining a lot of knowledge by the end of the course.