Week 13: Final Reflect

This is my final reflection for the unit INN333 Information Programs. I chose to complete it in a form of a podcast because I feel that podcasting makes information seem more personal since the content of my podcast is directly communicated to the listener. I hope you enjoy my thoughts on the subject as I have enjoyed my experiences and sharing them with all my colleagues.

Week 12: Online Applications Reflect

Discuss how libraries (or a professional setting of your choice) might make use of online applications and productivity tools, and what impact might they have on front-of-house services and behind-the-scenes work? Talk about the benefits and potential risks.

In the final blog of the semester, I am to answer the given question and share my thoughts on the matter respectively. With this said, I think that it is certainly possible for libraries to utilize online applications and productivity tools for their front-of –house services. Certain online application components such as calendars, task organizers, announcement and event planning tools, and chat tools are all examples of online applications that can be used to benefit the productivity and efficiency of library services. Calendars from Microsoft Outlook have been used on several occasions to organize activities in the work place. The use of Microsoft Outlook to organize the library can greatly simplify processes in terms of how staff members collaborate with one another, and which tasks are allocated to which staff members. For announcement services, online applications such as Twitter have already been used for announcements to keep all staff members informed and up to date on the current workplace news. Another online application called Evernote can be used for organizing workplace tasks, creating to-do lists, and recording reminders to boost the productivity of the user(s). Libraries can also use an online application such as Meebo Mobile which can be useful for communication and monitoring chat between users. As technology continues to advance, more online applications are being created for organizations to experiment and select for their preferred method of how they choose to organize their office administration tasks. Online applications that offer more than one service prove to me more useful as they provide more features and components for organizations to utilize. Nevertheless, all the applications mentioned can greatly contribute to the productivity and efficiency of libraries if used in the proper manner and to satisfy the needs of the organization using it respectively. It is also essential for all staff members of the library to be informed and trained on how to use the online applications the initial library has adopted as this will provide the most benefits out of it.

Week 12: Online Applications Play

For week 12's Play activity we were required to create a basic form for colleagues to participate within. I have created forms and surveys before and I chose Google forms due to my familiarity with it and its ease of use. The form is a question requesting for feedback from peers offering multiple options to respond to. 

The link to this form is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1mFi6COm8fKM3DvQd23_LdX9yR6NvrmJps1pj_IItSps/viewform

Week 10: Games and gamification Play

For the play activity this week we are to design and plan an outline for using gamification in a school library. Gamification is a society-wide trend. A good idea is to use game and social based techniques to encourage increased usage of resources.  Therefore a program or an item can be created that collects information about the activities of patrons within a school library. In a school library setting, this would mean students must have an item that allows them to access the library and different services of the library. With this said, all students have student cards. Nevertheless, a web application can be created that keeps track of all student activities and give students points for the activities they participate in within the library. Students can earn points by visiting the library, checking out and returning books, logging into electronic resources within the library and asking questions within the library.  With this application there can be a leaderboard to see which students participate the most. The site would have a registration page where students can log into in order to start playing. Students can then use their students number on their cards to link the cards with the site in order to participate. Rewards can develop as the school sees what students like. Perhaps a leading student or a student that wins certain activities, given that they have provided details of their preferences, can be rewarded with items that are linked to their preferences. For if a student puts that their preference in their profile for books are “fantasy” books they may be awarded with a free book such as Deltora Quest.

Week 10: Games and Gamification Reflect

For the week 10 activity we were required to share our thoughts on how gamification could be a useful concept in the type of organization we hope to work in after university.  According to Lithium (2011), gamification is the use of game attributes to drive game-like player behavior in a non-game context. Therefore, using methods of gamification can provide the mechanics to supply an environment of participation. A good example of gamification is that credit card and online companies have been using the concept of gamification for many years to entice their customers to earn rewards through their products and services. This can be seen with passengers earning points for every flight they arrange in hopes for gaining enough points to earn free flights.

Gamification can be a useful concept in the future organization I work in if the organization can learn to:

• Customize
• Recognize and Reward
• Keep Employee Branding Fresh
• Making it Fun
• Support the Brand

This means that the organization must allow gamification techniques to reflect its culture, mission and practices. The key is to create and improve the loyalty and performance of employees to help the organization move towards its goals. Additionally, when employees perform well with the gamification they must be rewarded well and recognized for their achievements with rewards that represents career advancement, money, real recognition and/or meaningful goods. Keeping the employer branding fresh means that employees should be engaged with what the gamification provides. With this said, there should be upgrades and enhancements for the program to keep the concept interesting. 

Companies should utilize gamification to yield undeniable employee engagement and human resource results. With gamification, employees feel engaged as they feel that they must be in it to win it. Moreover, the idea of adding gamification to the workplace introduces entertainment and changes the behavior for employees for the better. 

References

Lithium. (2011). What is gamification really. Retrieved from http://lithosphere.lithium.com/t5/science-of-social-blog/What-is-Gamification-Really/ba-p/30447.

 

Week 9: Mobile Reflect

How you use the mobile web in your personal/professional/academic lives. You might like to discuss the impact mobile has had on your work/play/study.

This week’s topic was mobile technology. Recent years have witnessed a dramatic transformation in the mobile industry. Since I have studied IT for the past 5 years I have adopted the use of mobile technology for many of my daily activities in my personal and professional life. Ever since I purchased an IPhone 4 my daily activities have been organized on the phone for a simplified lifestyle. I carry my smartphone everywhere with me and connect to different devices using Wifi and/or Bluetooth. I use Bluetooth on my phone to connect to my Bluetooth speakers and connect to Wifi to save my phone credit from being used. Being able to access the internet is a big factor in my daily use of my smartphone due to my involvement in social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Whatsapp. In my professional life, it is used to contact other colleagues, and also used to remind myself of activities I have to participate within. With this said, I prefer using my mobile for most methods of communication rather than my laptop. It is more portable and provides nearly as much of the services my laptop provides.  Additionally my smartphone has a camera which I tend to use for apps such as Snapchat. I also use the camera to capture images for future use on social networks. The mobile has become a dominant form of telecommunications technology and mobile broadband has also increased. With the improvement of the functionality smartphones have and the addition of further services on smartphones, the experience of using mobile technology has increased significantly and nevertheless, the use of mobile technology will create  a larger impact on the personal and professional lives for many users in the future.