INN634 Week 3

We sit in the classroom listening to the lecturer. Tonight we’ll be looking at personality types in accordance with the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). During the week, everyone from the class has been online to complete the MBTI test in order to find out what type they are. According to the test I’m INFP. For a large part of the lecture, the lecturer demonstrates the finer points of the MBTI by group exercises of role playing.

The lecturer explains that the overall purpose of completing the MBTI is to match our types to identified required qualities in the information profession. This is something akin to a Skills Gap Analysis (SGA) as we are to apply this information to determine areas in which we may have a deficiency. Upon identifying these deficiencies, it is supposed that we will use this information to locate areas that we may require fortification. I’m thinking a cross between SGA and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). When all is said and done it boils down to self-discovery and self-improvement which ultimately results in self-empowerment. SD+SI=SE.

Apart from re-reading the material I have to say that I’ve not yet taken any planned action. However, I’d like to point out that I think I’ve become a little more patient and tolerant with others. I’ve also stopped being so automatic in my actions and reactions. I plan a bit more in my head and I strive to work towards MY goals.

For a long time I’ve felt that I’ve had no clear direction. I do things because at the time I found them interesting or I was fitting in with someone else’s notions of what I should be or how I should do things. It’s left me with a rather diverse skill base but no plan of my own. Even starting this course was not entirely my idea. However, I’m here now. So I’m beginning to identify these things in my personality and admit to them. For the last two and a half years I’ve been consciously making changes to myself and my lifestyle in order to make maximum use of my time and skills. It doesn’t always work out but, I believe I’m a better person for my efforts.

This is the definition of life-long learning. We can go and study anything however; the ultimate study is that of oneself. I not advocating a course in advanced naval-gazing but, if we do not take the time to find out who and what we are then how can we know our strengths and weaknesses. Such study is surely what allows us to set achievable goals and then make realistic plans for the realisation of those goals. While I have skills I feel that I’ve been adrift for way too long. I’m not great at planning but that’s not an excuse to not gain the skill. Slow BUT STEADY wins the race.

INN634 Week 2

This takes place in the classroom on campus at QUT. The thrust of the lecture revolves around two things. The first being the e-portfolio, the second being the notion of the reflective practitioner. The information supplied regarding the e-portfolio boils down to the choice of using either the QUT student e-portfolio or using something like WordPress as the portfolio. The information regarding the reflective practitioner is essentially the importance of reflection (why reflect, the value, learning outcomes, skills development, skills transference, growth and development), various systems of reflecting and the importance of reflection with regards to future employment as an information practitioner. Problems with reflecting may include factors such as time and regularity and self-censoring and honesty. However, these are just a few things I’ve thought about and I’m sure there’s a long, and possibly semi-exhaustive, list that exists somewhere.

Notes from slides: (a) Wilson-Thomas (1995) has argued that critical reflection plays an important role in helping professionals become “ethical, moral, responsible and accountable individuals”. (b) Content reflection is a reflection on what we perceive, think, feel or act upon. Process reflection is an examination of how we perform these functions of perceiving, thinking, feeling or acting and an assessment of how well we do perform them. Premise reflection asks questions about why we perceive, think, feel or act and the reasons for and the consequences of our habitual behaviour (Mezirow, 1991).

There are two parts to the task. The first is to choose a medium for the portfolio. For this I’ve decided to go with the QUT student e-portfolio for reasons of security and because I already spend enough time on WordPress. The second part of the task was to choose, and implement, a reflective format. I’ve chosen the STAR-L format simply because I like the process (I’m a sucker for a well laid out process). In some ways it reminds of diaries I’ve kept except that in the case of STAR-L it’s designed to get you to the next step, milk the value from the experience and not just ruminate.

Well it’s obvious that this reflection is my first action. What are the others? I’d like to do a reflection each week for this subject (I have a feeling that’s actually a requirement of this subject). I’d like to do this for my other subjects as well and post these reflections to one of my blogs (The Chronosynclasticinfundibulum). I also need to begin populating my student-portfolio.

Being the first reflection it may be a little premature to begin discussing results. However, here’s what I’d like my actions to achieve: regular weekly reflections for all my subjects, a plan for the gradual but constant growth of my student e-portfolio, regular postings of my reflections to the previously mentioned blog.

I have some ideas as to what I’d like to learn and what I probably need to learn. I know that my planning and time-management skills need some work. I also realise that I lack some confidence with all of this however, that is something that I think will be cured by time and experience. More technical skills are needed and even though I’ve begun to accumulate more skills, I still feel that the generation behind me has grown up with this technology and that I’ve much catching up.

It All Begins Next Week

So the subjects for this semester will INN332 (Information Retrieval) and INN634 (Professional Practice). I’ve got some idea of what INN332 is about. However, I didn’t really want to do INN634, not this semester anyway. I felt as if I didn’t have enough background knowledge to get to grips with the subject. The course co-ordnator has assured me that it’s a foundation subject for the course and I’ll do just fine. Hmmm. What I really wanted to do was a unit called Collections Management. While it may sound dull, the rundown on it looked rather cool. It’s another subject that make use of a lot of online technology. Anyway, I’m supposed to be doing something serious here so I’d better go and do it. First classes for both subjects are next week and for all I know they could be utterly compelling and totally fascinating.