Blog Post 4: Technology Leadership Role of School Librarians

Technology has dramatically changed the way people work, think, do research, become informed, communicate, and collaborate with each other.  In the article "A voice from the past calls for classroom technology" (Kilfoye, 2013), Kilfoye writes, “Internet technology is the foundation for the next wave of democracy in American Education and the society beyond school walls.”  Fortunately, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has published a set of learning standards (AASL, 2007) designed to help teacher-librarians prepare students to be successful, contributing members of society in this technology-driven 21st century. The learner-centered standards state that 21st century learners are ones who use an inquiry-based process, accept responsibility for what and how they are learning, and evaluate their learning. Critical thinking, self-discovery, collaboration, and presentation are all significant 21st century skills valued in the workforce. Each standard addresses these skills with multiple indicators that provide a framework for implementation. 

The school librarian is in a perfect position to implement technology instruction onto a campus.  Librarians are already considered resource specialists and they typically have community and professional connections. Successful libraries are the hub of the community; why not become the hub of technology integration as well? The Quakertown Community School District has become a model for successful technology integration. On this campus, the librarian was dually classified as the technology-integration coach. Her responsibilities included providing professional development on the integration of technology, building access to online content and resources, and teaching the students digital citizenship, copyright laws and appropriate use, and how to evaluate sources.  Outside of the library walls, the librarian continued the ever important role of advocacy. Collaborating with outside entities such as the public library, the police department, and the chamber of commerce to keep the community aware of what students are able to access. Of equal importance was educating parents on how to be involved in their children's online presence. These steps are important in building community support and in building awareness for what students are able to share as part of their 21st century education. 

Although the future cannot be predicted, technology is guaranteed to continue to change and evolve. By considering the guidelines set forth by the AASL’s Standards for 21st Century Learners, librarians can position themselves to design a library program that prepares students for learning now and into the future. 

Sources:

American Association of School Librarians (AASL). (2007). Standards for the 21st century learner.   Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf 

Kilfoye, C. (2013). A voice from the past calls for classroom technology. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(7), 53-56.

Kuzo, J. (2015). School librarians: Key to technology integration. Knowledge Quest, 44(1), 74-76.

Blog Post 3: Technology Implementation Strategies

Can educational beliefs from one hundred years ago still be relevant in today’s technology driven world? A voice from the past calls for classroom technology (2013) sets out to prove that yes, indeed they can. The article begins by informing the reader of the laws and policies that were currently in place in regards to internet use in public schools. These laws limited students and teachers access to information found on the internet. Information that the author believes is the very foundation for teaching 21st century skills, such as critical thinking, self-discovery, collaboration, and presentation. The article goes on to argue the case for equitable access by stating the expectations set forth by administrators as well as by listing the skills employers will be looking for in future employees. The author asks the question, how can key stakeholders create a school environment that will promote the knowledge of 21st century skills while at the same time ensuring student safety and the integrity of the information systems?

 In the article, the author makes reference to the ideas promoted by John Dewey over one hundred years ago regarding the necessity for change in the way schools are educating their students. One of Dewey’s core belief statements was that students of the time had very little chance to use what they were learning in the classroom in the outside world. He believed that education was a gift and that students should be taught how to extend that gift. Although this message was shared over a century ago, the author shares how it was applicable to the way current school policies are employing technology education. By limiting access to the very resources that will promote the desired learning outcomes, schools are creating a barrier to learning that will diminish the relevance of education in public school classrooms

With digital literacy being a significant skill of the 21st century workplace, the author informs that we can no longer think of our schools as traditional educational providers of the core subjects, but rather proving grounds for 21st century citizens. Just as Dewey professed that schools must create “a child’s habitat”, where students desire to learn is aroused through direct use of knowledge, so must the classrooms of today promote relevancy to everything that goes on inside to prepare students for their future outside.

It is encouraging to see how far our schools have come in the area of technology integration in the short two and a half years since the article was published. Teachers and students now have access to sites that had previously been blocked from use at school. The use of sites such as YouTube is prevalent in schools as well as the use of various social media sites including Twitter.

Agreeing with Dewey’s philosophy that some of the most significant skills we should teach our students is relevancy and future application, I intend to incorporate tools that will enhance collaboration and critical thinking. By creating assignments where students have to work as a group, I will introduce some of the tools within the Google suite of options; docs, sheets, slides, and forms. By being able to work together on the same documents at the same time, collaboration will be promoted and strengthened.

Wikis are another tool that I intend to utilize in the effort to promote collaboration among my students. With the possibilities for using wikis only limited by one’s imagination and time, I feel it can be a great resource to encourage students to utilize when creating a research project or a class presentation.

Will John Dewey’s beliefs about education still ring true in another one hundred years? Only time will tell. And although technology is ever-changing, be it the industrial age or the information age, relevancy in education should continue to be a high priority in preparing students for life outside of school.

Source:
Kilfoye, C. (2013). A voice from the past calls for classroom technology. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(7), 53-56