Blog Post 4: Technology Leadership Role of School Librarians

Library Media Specialists are in a position to teach students skills that will help them be successful in the future. “The AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner focus on students, with an emphasis on inquiry, thinking, and the creation, application, and dissemination of knowledge, as well as on the social and personal development of students” (Fontichiaro & Johnston, 2010, p. 22). These guidelines enable students to not only learn how to search for information and to solve a problem, but to figure out how to process the information and present it to others. Both the ISTE NETS and the AASL’s Standards for the 21st Century Learner go beyond students learning how to use technology. These standards involve students learning how to use current technology to solve problems, work collaboratively and be able to adapt to new and upcoming technologies that will become available in the future. Students that learn how to think and synthesize will be successful in the future.

The guidelines ensure that students will learn these skills in school. “It is crucial that librarians instruct students in the kinds of thinking, processing, and practices that are evergreen: skills that will endure and help our students remain adaptable throughout their lives” (Fontichiaro & Johnston, 2010, p. 22).  These skills should be integrated into lessons and activities on a daily basis. The integration of technology into schools is indispensable in working with students on these skills. Technology being used in the classroom opens the door for increased student engagement, collaborative learning, student creativity, differentiated learning, and so much more. The “media specialists must instruct teachers on the best strategies for teaching students how to use information and technology in the classroom” (Purcell, 2010, p.32). Providing professional development, planning with teachers, and co-teaching encourages teachers to integrate technology and these 21^st Century Learner skills into their lessons. It is important teachers become more knowledgeable about what technology has to offer so they can see the benefits. It is also important that they feel comfortable with it. The best way to do this is to use it consistently. This ensures that students will be exposed to these standards throughout the day, not just when they are in the library. Using technology also gives students real-world experiences.

The AASL (2015) also lists in the standards that students should “share knowledge and participate ethically and productively” (p.6). It is the responsibility of the media specialist that the teachers and students are taught about not only ethics when it comes to print materials, but also digital citizenship. Students need to be taught about plagiarism, Fair Use, Copyright, and Public Domain. Working collaboratively and responsibly is truly a life skill. Information literacy is key in today’s society. Students must be taught to know what information they are looking for, where to find the information, what to do with the information they find, as well as how to present it. This is the job of the media specialist, to help direct and support them along the way.

The AASL (2015) guidelines also discuss that students should use self-assessment to better understand their strengths and areas for growth.  It encourages students to look at their personal interests and strengths. Web 2.0 tools offer a variety of tools for students to express their creativity and interests with others. Social networks make it easy to share thoughts with others and connect with others that may have the same interests.

Through the use of current technology, library media specialists have a special opportunity to engage students in higher level thinking and show more creativity than ever before. Instructing students about digital citizenship is very important in this digital world. The guidelines and standards set by the AASL and ISTE give us the specifics of how to create successful 21st Century Century Learners. 

References

American Library Association. (2015). Standards for the 21st-century learner. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf

Fontichiaro, K., & Johnston, M. P. (2010). Project library: Using the l4l toolkit to inspire and refine your practice. Teacher Librarian, 38(1), 20-23. Retrieved from http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/

International Society for Technology in Education. (2015). ISTE standards: Students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/ISTE-standards/standards-for-students

Purcell, M. (2010). All librarians do is check out books, right? A look at the roles of a school library media specialist. Library Media Connection, 29(3), 30-33. Retrieved from http://www.librarymediaconnection.com/lmc/

Blog Post 3: Technology Implementation Strategies

       The article Artistic Technology Integration shares stories of elementary teachers who are considered strong in technology integration. The goal of the teachers is to create real life experiences that will build language skills while integrating technology. Technologies work very well to help teachers differentiate their instruction. A variety of ways to use technology were discussed throughout the article. Teachers used interactive whiteboards, blogging websites, social bookmarking sites, and book creation apps to name a few. Many of these technologies were chosen because they inspire students to have discussions about experiences, not only at school, but also at home. They also encourage language and writing development.        
       Teachers used a gradual release approach with these technology tools. It began with teacher to student, then student to student (when peer teaching was necessary) and in some cases student to parent when the technologies (blogs and social bookmarking for example) were used at home. This encouraged students to have conversations with their parents about their school work that may not have happened if it had not been for the technologies used. The article does emphasize the fact that students are still expected to do paper and pencil activities whether it is illustrating, prewriting, or spelling practice.        
       It is our responsibility to educate our students in this digital world, not only how to use it, but how to be responsible while using it. Bridging the home–school gap can also be a challenge. Technology is an excellent way to do this. It allows for easier communication through e-mail, websites, and blogs as well as encouraging family discussions because students are excited to share their experiences.  Another way to do this is through Flipped Classroom videos.  This allows families to be able to see the lesson and better understand and help the student if needed.      
      There are so many great ideas I would like to use in the library next year. Using a child friendly blog creator (KidBlogs for example) would be a great way for students to share their experiences with books. This would be a great place for book reviews or discussions whether they typed them or recorded (video or audio) their thoughts and experiences with the books they read. Reluctant readers may be more engaged in reading if discussions about the books utilize technology rather than just traditional talking. Another idea is to have a digital library book listening center. This would be great, especially for the struggling readers. If students are able to listen to the same books their peers are reading, it would encourage discussions about what they are reading.

                                     Reference

Steckel, B. B., Shinas, V. V., & Vaerenewyck, L. L. (2015). Artistic technology integration.
         Reading Teacher, 69(1), 41-49. doi:10.1002/trtr.1356