Presented at Sheffield University's Learning and Teaching Conference, January 2014 by Sheila Webber. I describe the use of team blogs as a core part of learning and teaching in a Masters-level module at the Information School, University of Sheffield.

1. Using blogs as a core
part of class activity
Sheila Webber, Information School
University of Sheffield Learning &
Teaching Conference
January 2014

2. • Focus on blogging activity that is a core element in
the design of a Masters level class
• I coordinate the class, designing learning and
teaching & leading the teaching team
• Module: Inf6350: Information Resources and
Information Literacy

3. Basics about the class
• Core class for taught Masters students (15 credits
i.e. one quarter of the credits for one semester): MA
Librarianship and MSc Information Management
• 2013/14: 101 students: 70 Chinese; 17 Home; 6
European; rest from 5 other countries
• Students
– arrive with variety of first degree subjects
– have a variety of career aspirations
– some have work experience
Sheila Webber, 2014

4. Learning objectives
By the end of the module inf6350 students will:
• understand key aspects of information literacy and information
behaviour including: the nature of information needs,
information seeking strategies, and the complexity and
contextual nature of information literacy;
• be able to demonstrate their information literacy (e.g. expertise
in accessing, using, comparing and evaluating information
resources including databases such as DIALOG; ability to
communicate, evaluate and use information channelled
through Web 2.0 applications such as wikis and blogs; ability
to abstract and synthesise information) and to reflect critically
on their information literacy performance

5. Seven Pillars model of Information Literacy (http://www.sconul.ac.uk/) & some key activities
Evidence Based
Information use
(Evaluate &
Manage)
Blogs and
other Web
2.0 tools
(Scope and
Present)Abstracting
(Present)
The information
universe (Scope)
Google secrets
(Plan and
Gather)
Monitoring
(Identify &
Gather)
Communicating
using posters
(Present)
Legal & ethical
use (Manage)
Wise use of Wikipedia
(Evaluate and Manage)
Information
interviewing (Identify
& Scope)
Database secrets
(Plan & Gather)
Identifying
your need
(Identify)

6. Assessment (individual)
1. 15 item annotated bibliography (30%)
– student negotiates narrower topic from within ones
set by tutor
– has to include some variety in publication channel
2. literature review (30%) based on items from
bibliography
3. reflective report (40%); reflecting on the
student’s information literacy in carrying out the
assignment.

7. Learning environment
• Base room: a big computer lab, with bays of 8 computers
either side
• Use of Blackboard VLE for powerpoints, handouts,
information on assignments etc.
• Variety of activities, for example
– “Information literacy in our future careers” - group
poster preparation and exhibition in Jessop West
– Smaller-group seminars, on abstracting & discussing a research
article
– Focus on types of searching (search engines, Dialog, journals
etc.)
• Have used teams & blogs for 3 years

8. Why blogs?
• Are used in business & in public sector: we provide
readings on this
• Provide a small-team focus in a larger class
(socialisation)
• Place to share resources (e.g. link to favourite Web
2.0) and perceptions (e.g. of their information literacy)
• Practice e.g.: writing in English; presenting
information; collaborating; copyright issues
• More creative options than MOLE; Better for team
focus & reflections than Twitter
• Web 2.0 a focus for some dissertations

9. Teams & blogs: practicalities
• I allocate students to teams of 4 (i.e. 2 teams per bay),
before week 1 session (i.e. day before!)
– mix nationalities, as far as feasible
– allocate teams to tutors (3 teaching assistants + 2 faculty
members - me and one other - in 13/14)
– deal with dropouts/late comers for first few weeks
• I place sheets with team letters on the bays in the lab &
give out team list during introduction
• After introduction, people find their team’s bay
• Team starts by creating Team blog (1 per group) using
Blogger & doing introductory blog posts

10. Class blog: http://inf6350-2013.blogspot.co.uk/
I link team
blogs from
main blog

11. Working with blogs
• Majority of students have not blogged before: big
range of experience with Web 2.0 (in both
international and home students)
• Set up blogs in class: support needed (& not just in
week 1): didn’t allow enough time 1st time round
• Activities involving blogging in class time + a couple
of between-class activities e.g. preparation for an
“Information Universe” session
• Some activities involve interaction between teams
(e.g. evaluating each others’ blogs)

14. Team Q

15. Blogging not assessed
• Focus on blogging activities scheduled more in first
half of semester, before assignment fever grows
• Very good level of participation in initial posts,
including between-session posts
• Last-formed teams (mostly late-comers) never
caught up
• For in-class sessions, good to have stretch goals for
the teams more familiar with blogging/English
• Had modest prize for best team blog, presented in
week 11

16. Best team blogs: criteria
1. Sustained effort & team contribution
- contribution from whole team
- Minimum of a post on each of: team introduction; 7 Pillars; Information
Universe; search tips; IL in context; Web 2.0
2. Are the posts relevant and interesting?
3. How good is the visual appearance of the blog? e.g.
- Can you read the text easily?
- Is it easy to find your way round the blog?
- Is the blog attractive to look at?
- Have they included visual elements?
4. Have the team used Blogger design & layout features? e.g.
- Have they included a list of links?
- Does it look like they have customised the blog layout?
- Have they included other Blogger widgets (e.g. page, followers, tag cloud,
music)?
• We get students to judge each others’ blogs using these the criteria eary in the semester

17. Blog - winners
• Team Q: Chloe Turner,
Emily Wheeler,
Yixuan Gao,
Dongmei Han
http://teamqinf6350.blogspot.co.uk/
• Team A: Roisin Cassidy, Jayne Drew,
Catherine Hoodless, Lynsey Shenton
http://informationgroupa.blogspot.co.uk/

18. Team aspect
• Teams sit in the same place in the lab each week
• Get to know their team members
• Can more easily monitor who is missing/ not
contributing: team members report on each other
• Some students not comfortable with the web, helped
by teams (sometimes too shielded by them too?)
• Logistically useful when students divided up & going
to different rooms (they know their Team)

19. Blog aspect
• Visible learning about blogs (i.e. they improved) &
some more confidence in using features like
embedding pictures and videos
• Blogs useful for tutors in monitoring understanding &
engagement
• Tangible focus for in-class discussions with learners
about collaboration etc.
• Surfaced differences in use of Web 2.0 in different
countries, for discussion by learners
• Opportunities for those whose strengths are
visual/design

20. Changes/ improvements
• Give more motivation for interaction between blogs
• Needs a more active co-leader on blogging (other
tutors support blogging, but I give main impetus: it
suffered through my absence)
• Making even more use of past blog-posts in class
(already e.g. refer to examples, collate search tips)
• Clearer strategy for supporting those who are very
challenged by blogging

21. Sheila Webber
s.webber@sheffield.ac.uk
Twitter / Second Life: Sheila Yoshikawa
http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/
http://www.slideshare.net/sheilawebber/
Netvibes: http://www.netvibes.com/sheilawebber
Background on the first time blogs were used (in 2011/12):
http://www.slideshare.net/sheilawebber/reflecting-on-23-
things-using-23-things-in-an-information-literacy-class

22. "Information Literacy encompasses
knowledge of one’s information
concerns and needs, and the ability to
identify, locate, evaluate, organize and
effectively create, use and
communicate information to address
issues or problems at hand; it is a
prerequisite for participating
effectively in the Information Society,
and is part of the basic human right of
life long learning."
Information
Literacy
Meeting of
Experts
(2003)