Blog Post #4

The school librarian’s role in implementing technology covers a wide variety of applications. First and foremost, it is important to make the distinction between using technology tools simply because they have become ever-present and educators feel like they have to, and using technology in meaningful ways that enhance student learning and understanding.

Technology, when thoughtfully utilized, has numerous benefits in the classroom and school library. Perhaps the overall most significant of these is preparing students for an increasingly digital world. The primary job of educators is to produce adults who can function successfully in the real world, and today, the real world does not exist without technology. AASL’s Standards for the 21^st Century Learner state that technology is a crucial tool for learning, not only in school, but continuing into adulthood (2007). Moreover, technology applications can help students understand all types of content learned in school. Teachers and librarians are constantly working to increase comprehension of important concepts, and digital tools can provide engaging ways to do this while allowing students to progress to higher levels of thinking at their own paces.

One of the most effective ways educators can make technology relevant is to take advantage of the social nature of technology, particularly Web 2.0 tools. When students are able to share knowledge and learn collaboratively, both in person and online, the quality of that learning is intensified (AASL, 2007). Web 2.0 offers a variety of social applications where students can network and share ideas through online discussion boards, social tagging, special interest groups, and more. Even when students create a product online, they can share their work by posting it on a social networking site or forum. 

In “Using Tech Tools for Learning with Standards,” Holzweiss points out that many teachers hesitate to use Web tools in their classrooms because they do not feel comfortable using the technology themselves (2014). Librarians can work with teachers to develop projects and extension activities using Web tools. When technology is integrated into lessons so that it makes the best use of instructional time and is aligned to standards and subsequently used when planning for assessments, students have the opportunity to learn the curriculum while cultivating technology skills, digital citizenship, and interpersonal skills (Holzweiss, 2014).

According to Texas School Library Standard III: Learner-Centered Technology and Information Access – Strategies for Librarians, an exemplary school library program contains one internet-connected computer per four or fewer students on campus, including on-demand access for every student (Standards, 2005). While most districts in the state automatically provide each student with login information/access upon enrollment, having the exemplary amount of equipment varies from campus to campus. Many times, this is outside of the librarian’s control. Therefore, the librarian must work with teachers to be creative and devise a system for maximizing student computer time. In this situation, it becomes even more vital to make Web activities relevant and effective to enhance student learning.

The Texas School Library Standards list making connections between the classroom, the library, and the real world as a benefit for students where technology and information access are concerned (2005). It is the responsibility of educators to use technology as a vehicle to guide students to better society and the world around them. This means it is important to keep an end goal in mind any time technology tools are used in lessons, projects, and other activities; teachers and librarians must ask themselves what they ultimately want their students to learn and be able to do in the future. For example, multimedia tools being used to create an advertisement or present information is a real world application of technology, whereas placing students on the computer to play educational games with no context is simply using technology as a babysitter or time-filler. The AASL Standards do not list skills in terms of what programs or applications students should become proficient in using; instead they list life skills students should gain, such as sharing knowledge, communicating ethically, making informed decisions, thinking critically, asking questions, and many more (2007). These are goals most educators have already; they need only to apply these same desired outcomes to integrating technology into lessons and assignments.

References

American Association of School Librarians. (2007). Standards for the 21^st Century

            Learner. Retrieved from

http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf

Holzweiss, K.A. (2014). Using tech tools for learning with standards. School Library

            Monthly, 3(4). Retrieved from

http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/articles/Holzweiss2014-v30n4p13.html

Texas State Library and Archives Commission. (2005). School Library Programs:

Standards and Guidelines for Texas. Retrieved from https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/.../schoollibs/slsAdopted2005.doc