By: Belinda Boon, M.L.I.S., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, and Laura Cheng, M.L.S., Ph.D., LRC Manager, Bohecker College – Columbus

Part I
by Belinda Boon

The term “social networking” applies to any kind of online technology that allows multiple people to interact with one another in some form. Educators have long incorporated teaching tools that promote collaboration and communication, but the online environment brings unique challenges for instructors. Not the least of these is how to encourage interaction among people who may never have met in person, and how to gauge the quality of the interaction/discussion.

Social Networking in Foundations of Library and Information Science

Since accepting a full-time faculty position in the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science program in 2006, I have incorporated several social networking tools in my instruction, oftentimes plunging in blindly and trusting the students to muddle their way through the programs. Following is a summary of the kinds of social networking tools I’ve used with some success.

Blackboard Vista

KentState University maintains online course software currently using the name Blackboard Vista. A partnership venture among two giants in the advanced education field, Blackboard Vista (BBV) has replaced WebCT as the dominant choice for many colleges and universities. The main BBV tool I use in my classes is the bulletin board discussion, which can be created for any number of topics. I require students to post their reflections on assigned class readings on days when we visit a library off-site or have a guest speaker. The great advantage to the bulletin board discussion (which in this case is not a “discussion” in the true sense of the word) is that it gives everyone a chance to write detailed opinions; plus, everyone can read the thoughts of people who seldom or never speak up in class.

iWiki

iWiki is a subscription software that allows individuals to create multi-page wikis on any topic. Although they aren’t often used by individual libraries or library systems, the LIS profession includes several useful wikis, such as the Best Practices wiki at www.librarysuccess.org. Since 2006, students in my Foundations of Library & Information Science classes have created wikis on a variety of topics; e.g., the U.S.A. Patriot Act, Advocacy, Book Awards, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Taxonomies vs. Folksonomies and Diversity. Although students are assigned specific topics, they can all read each others’ work.