Blog Post 4: Technology Leadership Role of School Librarians

           Technology is an essential tool that teachers and librarians must utilize in order to enhance the learning process in today’s classrooms.  The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards for the 21^st Century Learner, has nine common belief statements.  Throughout each of those statements, one will find how the integration of technology is necessary in order for students to achieve success.  The standards also include the importance of technology in order for the students to achieve each of the four standards, which are: Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge; Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply new situations, and create new knowledge; Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society; and Pursue personal and aesthetic growth (American Library Association, 2015).  As an educator, it is essential to ensure that all students are equipped with the skills and tools needed in order to be successful in the real world.  The fourth common belief statement claims “technology skills are crucial for future employment needs” (American Library Association, 2015).  In order to successfully prepare students for their future, librarians must act as the technology leader in order to find creative and innovative ways to increase the integration of technology.

            Technology has become a part of everyday life.  According to Anne Shaw (2009), the director and founder of 21^st Century School, students today have access to a variety of technology devices and have therefore become “digital learners” (p. 12).  As an educator, one must meet the needs of the students to support their learning styles in order to increase their learning experience.  Technology provides students the ability to “create knowledge and to create personal and social change” (Shaw, 2009, p. 15).  Sharing this creativity with peers and the community will enable students to learn “what it is to be a contributing citizen and carry these citizenship skills forward throughout their lives” (Shaw, 2009, p. 14).  This form of collaboration is essential in order to prepare students to become citizens and leaders within the community, state, and world.  Implementing more technology into education prepares students be successful beyond the classroom.

            While implementing technology may be intimidating for some, teachers should look to their school librarian as the technology leader and someone who can aid them in providing this essential tool for students.  Librarians play many roles within a school community and being the technology leader is one of the most important of them all.  Librarians naturally take on this role simply because “they work with each teacher, across grade levels and departments” (Perez, 2013, p. 23).   Librarians also know the curriculum as well as all the students within the building, which makes them an essential collaborative partner (Perez, 2013, p. 23).  Technology is an essential resource that educators must provide for the 21^st century learner.  Teachers and school librarians collaborating to find creative and innovative ways to implement this tool will better prepare the future leaders of the world.                 

                     

References

American Library Association. (2015). Standards for the 21st century learner. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines/learning-standards

Perez, L. (2013). Master librarian. Knowledge Quest, 41(4), 22-26.

Shaw, A. (2009). Education in the 21st century. Ethos, 17(1), 11-17.

Blog Post 3: Technology Implementation Strategies

            In the article “Using Technology in the Classroom,” sixth grade science teacher Stephanie Boles lists several strategies and examples of how she has incorporated technology into her classroom.  One suggestion that Boles (2011) provides for integrating technology is allowing students to use personal media players in order for “students to listen to lessons, take quizzes, and create their own review lessons” (p. 41).  Students are allowed to work in groups to create review-lesson podcasts that they can upload to programs such as iMovie and publish to the class web page (Boles, 2011, p. 4).  Students may then use their personal media players to review these lessons. 

            Another technique that Boles uses to incorporate technology into her classroom is using the Internet to access online textbooks and science websites.  Boles (2011) claims that the animation included on these sites “make concepts clearer to students . . .” (p. 39).  She concludes that these sites enable her students to learn “high-level vocabulary” and, in turn, the students use the vocabulary in their conversations with one another (Boles, 2011, p. 40).  Students using and practicing content vocabulary in discussion will help deepen their understanding during the learning process.

            Boles also uses remote polling devices during her lessons to allow for student interaction.  By incorporating these devices, she is able to ask questions and allow the students to answer anonymously (Boles, 2011, p. 42).  While Boles (2011) can view the students’ individual answers, the students can only view a “graph that appears showing how many students chose each answer” (p. 42).  This enables the teacher to then check for understanding and clarify as needed.

            This article has provided me with several strategies for embracing and incorporating more technology into my classroom and future library.  One strategy that I intend to take advantage of is the use of online textbooks.  My school district recently purchased new math textbooks and, through this adoption, teachers and students now have the ability to access the textbook online as well as other resources such as games, journals, handouts, etc.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to explore all of the online resources provided with the new textbooks due to time constraints.  However, this article made me realize the value of allowing the students to hear content information and vocabulary through online textbooks and the animations they provide.  I also plan to incorporate more remote polling into my lessons so that I can check for student understanding.  I have learned about many different apps that allow teachers and students to interact during lessons such as this, but I have never been able to implement this strategy into my classroom due to limited number of iPads.  Perhaps I could use this strategy during small group lessons or allow the students to work with a partner.  However, if I allow students to work with a partner I will need to ensure that they are working as a team to answer the questions rather than just one individual.  Implementing online resources and polling devices within a classroom/library will aid in extending and enhancing the learning process.    

Reference

Boles, S.R.  (2011). Using technology in the classroom. Science Scope, 41(9), 39-43.

Blog Post 2: Handheld Devices

           In Jennifer Tonn’s article “A Foray into the iPad World,” she discusses the learning benefits as well as the precautions that teachers should consider when using iPads in the classroom.  While the author acknowledges that some believe using iPads in the classroom will cause children to rely upon technology, she argues that “technology is so prevalent in mainstream society today and its importance will continue to grow in the future”  (Tonn, 2013, p. 20).  However, she cautions teachers on the use of this resource.  The author claims that “it isn’t the iPad we want in our classrooms; it is our students’ learning and growth” (Tonn, 2013, p. 20).  This resource should be used as a tool to enhance the learning process. 

Another key point brought about in this article was that the use of iPads allows the students to explore creativity and collaborate with others.  Tonn (2013) reflects on her own experiences with iPads in her kindergarten classroom and claims that as the students learned different ways to use this tool, they began to develop a “desire to create and share their creations” (p. 22).  She also began to see students helping their peers when they were unable to access certain apps rather than seeking assistance from her.  Tonn (2013) concluded that while “[teachers] often don’t consider students more capable than [themselves], especially five year-olds” she quickly realized the falsity of this statement as her students began to help her (p. 21).

The last key point addressed in this article is the need to allow younger students time to play with the iPads.  In her personal experience with incorporating iPads into the classroom, Tonn worried that she was allowing her kindergarten students too much free time with the iPads.  However, this reflection caused her to re-examine the benefits of this playtime.  Tonn (2013) claims that “play [time] gives [students] a chance to learn to interact with others, learn to share and take turns, and to learn concepts through their play” (p. 22).  Providing students with the opportunity to use iPads during playtime helps to further extend their learning and collaboration with one another.

As a future librarian, I plan to use iPads to help increase and extend the learning that takes place in the library and classrooms.  This device will aid in creating innovative ways to hold book discussions, research information, build/practice retelling and comprehension skills and so much more.  I also aim to use iPads as a way to create scavenger hunts at the beginning of each school year to help students learn more about the library and its resources.  Handheld devices such as iPads are simply a way to increase the learning that takes place within education.  Creating and discovering new ways to incorporate this technology is essential for 21^st century learners.

Reference

Tonn, J.  (2013). A foray into the ipad world. Early Childhood Education, 41(1), 19-24. 

Blog Post 1: Technology Strengths and Weakness

As a teacher I believe that staying current on the latest technologies and programs as well as implementing these tools are essential for optimizing the learning process for all learners.  After reviewing the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards for teachers, I reflected on my current technology strengths and weaknesses as well as how I should proceed to overcome my weaknesses.  I consider myself well equipped to uphold the first standard, which requires teachers to “use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments,” (2015, p.1).  I believe that I have the ability to encourage and inspire students to use technology skills, promote creativity and model the effectiveness of communicating with others virtually.  Taking online courses has helped me obtain this ability as I have learned many forms of communicating effectively with my peers and instructors.  These methods will play a crucial role as a future librarian as well as a classroom teacher.  I also believe that I possess the skills needed to uphold the third standard, which is “exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society” (ISTE, 2015, p. 1).  I am confident in my abilities to collaborate with the school community and educate them on the many different digital tools that are at their disposal.

One of my weaknesses for meeting the criteria of the ISTE Standards for Teachers is the ability to design “authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources . . .” (2015, p.1).  Designing and incorporating lessons with technology is a weakness that I aim to overcome by attending trainings and joining local technology groups to stay abreast on the latest tools and techniques.  Beginning on a local level and expanding to global communities will help me achieve the fifth standard, which states that teachers should “engage in professional growth and leadership” (ISTE, 2015, p. 2).  As a future teacher-librarian is it extremely important that I stay current on the latest technologies and provide my students with innovative lessons that allow for creativity.  I hope to learn more about new and innovative programs and websites such as Perzi, Wikis, and Google Docs.  I would also like to learn ways to incorporate more technology into lesson plans and how to evaluate the effectiveness of different technology tools and programs.  

Reference

International Society for Technology in Education. (2015). ISTE standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf

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