Technology Leadership Role of School Librarians

     There are numerous benefits of technology use in the educational setting.  Student engagement is one of them.  When used properly with student led activities students learn more because they take ownership of their learning. They are able to create, collaborate and communicate with others applying and demonstrating their knowledge using technology tools like Google Apps for Education and the suite of apps such as Google Documents and Google Presentations that it offers. These skills are mandated in ISTE's Standards for students under standards 1 and 2 (2007). Differentiated learning is another very important benefit of technology use in education. Many web 2.0 tools are adaptive and allow the student to work at their level in skill reenforcement.  Technology is able to level the playing field for students with learning disabilities. Apps and programs enable students to get the same information that once was not available without special help, such as text to speech options.   With technology, information is portable and learning is at their fingertips. With this access comes a new set of rules and instructions as to what is appropriate and how to navigate information. This is where the School Librarian plays a big role. Learning digital citizenship, how to search, what to search and where are necessary skills for this information age. Digital citizenship is a skill listed as standard 5 in ISTE's standards for students (2007).  Students need to be able to discern from a good source and a bad one. Listed in the AASL's standards for 21st century learners is standard 1.1.7 that states learners need to be able to make sense of information from diverse sources (2007).  Web 2.0 tools like Diigo allow students to gather this type of diverse information and search using tags to cross exam information. Librarians are equipped to teach these skills and should be knowledgeable on all tools like this that will help students wade through the massive information that is available today. Librarians can make a safe environment for those new to research by creating a search engine from websites they have curated.

     AASL's  set of standards define the necessary skills learners need today. It describes how multiple literacies are vital rather than just information it includes multimedia and technology skills. The goal is to create life-long learners that are equipped with skills to think critically,  create new knowledge, be ethical users and producers, and to cultivate a desire to learn.

     In summary the role of school librarians and technology implementation is a crucial one. Fontichiaro said it best when she describes the roles of teachers and school librarians as "tightly aligned" (2009) This implies the need for librarians to communicate and collaborate with classroom teachers to create a strategy for teaching these skills.  In doing so they will model those skills to the students. One of the mandates found in the School Librarians Bill of Responsibilities is to support multiple paths to understanding, which means to differentiate teaching styles to accommodate the different learning styles (Bogel, 2009).  All of these things stress the important role of the school librarian in teaching with technology and all the responsibilities that go along with its use.

References

AASL Standards for the 21 century learner (Rep.). (2007)

Bogel, G. (2009). SCHOOL LIBRARIAN'S BILL OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND THE ALA CORE COMPETENCES. Knowledge Quest, 38(2), 64-68.

Fontichiaro, K. (2009). HOW DO SCHOOL LIBRARIANS FIT IN?. Knowledge Quest, 38(2), 70-72.

ISTE Standards Student (Rep.). (2007).

Blog Post 3 How Technology can be Incorporated in the School Library and Classroom

     Technology use and the skills it promotes is a vital part of student learning today. It should be incorporated in the library and classrooms alike. The article read described how a public school librarian infused technology in her library. She gave specific examples that will be highlighted in this post.

     One main point the librarian made was to note that it was a process, which started first with funding through grant writing and constant request to administration. It happened gradually not overnight. She also pointed out technology is constantly changing the librarian needs to keep up with the changes. The author noted the importance of the library as a place of fun and learning with lots of flexibility.

     Another important point was the importance of differentiated instruction. Being aware of the learning styles as well as the levels of your patrons is important. She uses several approaches to teaching lessons in the library, each reinforcing yet accommodating different learning styles. Websites, interactive whiteboard activities, videos and games are all things included in her teaching strategy. One of the author's favorite activities is a library lingo vocabulary game. This is played through a presentation teaching library vocabulary such as various literary awards like Newbery and other important terms students need to know in order to navigate the library. This whole group activity is followed up with an interactive whiteboard game in which students work in groups to play.

     Another key point the librarian spoke about was the need to provide activities in which students have hands on experiences. This includes creating videos that provide learning for others. One activity she described was having a grade draw pictures about respect and then they recording it to create a video. Another activity is teaching the students how the library is organized in order for them to help keep it clean and to stay organized. The interactive whiteboard is used to assess the student's knowledge and then to award them a certificate of completion noting this skill obtained.

     One strategy learned from this article I plan to implement is to use technology to differentiate instruction. This is so important but so often left out of the lesson plans. I like the authors multi faceted approach to teaching a lesson incorporating videos for the visual learning, hands on activities for the kinesthetic, and songs for the auditory learners. The author tailored activities to individual needs as well. The other technology that I plan to incorporate in the library is to design lesson specific activities for the interactive whiteboard to make a game or fun activity for reinforcing the knowledge learned. This as been a tool readily available, but not used to its fullest. I think the authors use of this tool helps to create a fun learning through game experience that is perfect for the library setting. I especially will remember the author's description of the library as a place of flexibility, fun and learning.

References

Mashriqi, K. (2011). Implementing Technology and Gaming Lessons in a School Library. Knowledge Quest, 40(1), 24-28.

Blog Post 2: Handheld Devices

I read an interesting article in which the author introduced an iPad to his class in order to search for possible ways it could be used in a classroom setting. It was an interesting read and had some great points to consider and several suggestions for using iPads in the classroom or educational setting. The first and main point that I derived from reading this article was how this device instantly engaged the students by making learning more enjoyable and it allows them to drive their own learning. Harmon (2012) used apps like WordFlick as vocabulary builders where they would compete with each other creating new words. This caused kids to look up definitions on their own and begin using more difficult words.  The second thing that I found interesting is the use of this device enabled differentiated learning. Students used apps that would work at their level and at their own pace. The third thing that was learned is how literacy skills were greatly improved with using these devices in his class. Journals were written on the iPads which motivated students and made it easier and quicker for the teacher to give feedback on the students writing. Harmon (2012) acknowledge from state assessments the students were improving on average a whole grade ahead.

I would love to have a collection of devices in our library. We could use them as scanning devices to link to additional information on books using Aurasma or QR codes attached to the books with links to book trailers. The students could use the devices with apps like iMovie to create these book trailers. These devices would be used used to blog a response to discussion topics or give feedback on their peers work. They could check out e-books and do research from appropriate sites. Because of all the tools available with camera, productivity, internet capability, and skill reinforcement through apps the opportunities for use in the library are endless.

References

Harmon, J.,2. (2012). Unlock literacy with iPads. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(8), 30-31. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=83178481&scope=site

Blog Post 1: Technology Strengths and Weakness

ISTE has developed a set of technology standards for students and for teachers. After reviewing the standards for teachers I have made the following assessment in regards to my strengths and weaknesses with using technology. In the area of encouraging students to become more creative and promoting learning the teacher is required to model 21^st century skills such as collaboration, innovation, and critical thinking. I assess my ability in this area as strong. I believe it is so important for students to have a real purpose for the learning and work they complete at school. This is an important role for a teacher to show students how the learning is purposeful. This purposeful learning begins in designing these learning experiences appropriately making sure they are relevant to today. The second standard describes how teachers are to develop these learning plans and to include an evaluation tool to insure ongoing improvement. In this area I feel fairly strong about designing experiences, but in the area of evaluating the experiences I feel I need improvement. Asking the right questions and using the best digital tool for evaluating the experience is an area of weakness for me. The third standard for teachers involves demonstrating knowledge and skills in the use of a variety of technology as well as 21^st century skills and exhibiting these skills to the school community. As a technology coordinator at my school I feel confident in this area. Providing professional development for teachers is one of my responsibilities. Standard four is about teaching digital citizenship. With so much access to information and content it is important for students to be taught how to respect the laws protecting digital content. Teachers have to first be informed in these laws and in ethical use of digital tools. This standard also includes making sure that students have equal access to digital tools.  I feel I have a pretty good understanding about digital citizenship, but I do not feel confident in teaching others yet about all that being a good digital citizen involves. There are so many areas where wide spread misuse is common practice and undoing these practices requires a good plan for what they should do instead. I need further study and instruction in this area to be more confident in teaching about digital citizenship. The fifth standard involves personal learning and growth through professional development experiences. Teachers are to be life long learners and should always be seeking out ways to grow and learn.  In this area I consider myself to be strong. Just by participating in this program I exhibit the desire to grow. At the school I work at I am blessed with numerous opportunities to attend conferences that helps me learn about the latest technology trends. One of these conferences is ISTE’s annual conference.

In summary my strengths are in the knowledge and use as well as the modeling and leadership of technology. My weakness is in the area of evaluation and digital citizenship. My plan is to use my knowledge to teach others, teachers and students alike. Promoting the learning experiences that include creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication. As for the weaknesses I will research best practices for teaching digital citizenship to feel confident in sharing that with students and teachers. I plan to also research evaluation tools and questions that are commonly asked when evaluating student learning. I will explore what data I need to collect that will show improvement or the lack there of. I would like to learn these thinks in order to improve instructional design strategies.

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