Get it right
 
Man on the move
Mr Ang
As a courier, Sky Ang must plan his routes carefully in order to make his deliveries on time.

Have you ever wondered how What's Up reaches your school every month? Meet Sky Ang. Mr Ang runs GFM, his courier service. Couriers perform an important service that people rely on in a modern economy. All sorts of things, from documents to purchases, have to be transported from one place to another in a city, or between countries. Mr Ang explains how he uses information literacy.

What do you have to do to deliver What's Up to schools?
What's Up arrives at my warehouse in large crates. My workers unpack the newspapers and bundle them by class and school. Then, we take the bundles to the schools. It is very important to make sure that each class's bundle has the correct label on it and the right number of newspapers in it. We also have to work fast to meet the deadline.

At that bundling stage, what information do you need?
I have to have the list of schools to deliver to. I need their addresses, who the teachers in charge are and instructions about what to do when I get there. I also need the class labels - every label must tell me the name of the class and how many copies that class should get. The What's Up office staff gives me stacks of class labels and delivery lists with all this information. I study the lists and labels carefully. And, supervise the bundling so that we don't make mistakes.

What about your workers? How do you form your team?
What's Up is monthly. So, I need the team for only two or three days. Fortunately, I have been in this business for about 20 years. So, I know how to pick good workers. Some of them have worked for me for 8 to 10 years. I can rely on them to turn up when I need them.

How do you plan your delivery timetable?
With the help of a street directory, I group the schools according to where they are. By now, I know the roads very well. But, roads change or get blocked off for repairs or other things. I also try to predict where and when there will be traffic jams. The weather is also a big factor.

Why do you need to know about the weather? Where do you get that information?
Traffic is much slower on rainy days, for sure. There are more traffic jams. I listen to the TV weather forecasts, either the English Channel 5 or the Chinese Channel 8. In the van, I listen to FM91.3 on the radio. They are usually quite accurate. But, in the end, I also look up at the sky and what I see helps me as well.

Do you have to change your plans after you set out?
Yes, we sometimes have to. No matter how good the delivery plan is, last-minute things happen. There may be accidents or road construction causing traffic jams. Then, we change the route. Our hand-phones have GPS. We use the GPS to find a new way to reach the next school. GPS is very helpful.

Also, the drivers must read all the road signs because there may be changes that we didn't know about. A road that used to allow two-way traffic may have changed to oneway only. When we want to turn into that road, we see a "No Entry" sign that wasn't there before. Then, we must find another way to get to the school.

What information do you need at the schools?
The school-bus timing is important. Usually, we cannot go into schools from around 7.15 to 8.30 am and from around 12.30 to 1.30 pm. That is when there will be many school buses and vans arriving and leaving. Then, there may be special school functions when we cannot drive in either.

Learning from Sky Ang
Look at how many different sources Mr Ang checks when planning his deliveries: street directories, television and radio, GPS devices and school notices. Knowing how to make the most of different sources is part of information literacy. For example, think about how you can use Mr Ang's methods if you and your friends are planning a visit to Pulau Ubin.

  • To plan his route, Mr Ang checks the street directory to find out which schools are close together. Similarly, you could check a guidebook or brochure on Pulau Ubin to start planning. (What is there to see? Where can we rent bicycles? Where can we stop for lunch?)


  • Just as Mr Ang also checks for upto- date information, you could go online for the latest. (What are the current and accurate times and fares for the boats? Are any of the facilities closed for a holiday or for renovations?)


  • Mr Ang also knows the times to avoid visiting schools. Information like this may not be written down anywhere. This is where it helps to ask people who know, like friends who visit Pulau Ubin regularly. (How do we avoid the crowds? Should we bring our own food or can we depend on the shops there?)


When you combine information from different sources, there is a higher chance you will get it right.

A super site to visit:
SURE CLUB is a fun-filled programme for you to learn about information literacy. To find out more, visit http://sure.nl.sg/students/.