Blog Post 4: Technology Leadership Role of School Librarians

One of the most influential documents to come from the American Association of School Librarians, or AASL, is the Standards for the 21^st Century Learner (AASL, 2007). These standards evaluate the most important skills that librarians and educators need to teach modern students in order for the students to become successful learners, innovators, and navigators of information in both digital and print formats. The listed standards or “common beliefs” that directly relate to implementing technology with students are: “technology skills are crucial for future employment needs, the definition of information literacy has become more complex as resources and technologies have changed, and learning has a social context” (AASL, 2007).

These standards apply to school libraries and education in many ways. Today, many jobs require students to be familiar with and know how to implement a variety of technological tools and resources. Therefore, it becomes the librarian’s job to teach students a variety of technological skills and enhance the skills students already have as modern learners. As information literacy and learners have changed, the role of the school librarian has changed as well. School librarians are now also known as “media and information specialists” because they must be able to expand their knowledge of technology and media and also be able to teach and implement these technological tools. According to Willis (2007), “Students are more willing to participate and even show enthusiasm about challenging tasks when they are engaged in learning activities with supportive cooperative groups.” Teacher-librarians should want students to be engaged in every learning activity because engrossed engagement promotes higher-order thinking skills and ensures 100% student participation. Modern students are very familiar with social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They also will typically use Skype or Google Hangout for chats and video conference calls. In order for teacher-librarians to reach students and promote what students currently value, technological tools and Web 2.0 resources must be used to encourage active learning. In short, students learn and retain more information when they are socially interacting with peers and having fun in a cooperative learning assignment, especially if these interactions occur through the implementation of technology.

Two other important resources that AASL provides in order to assist school librarians in teaching for 21^st-century learners are The Best Websites for Teaching & Learning and The Best Apps for Teaching & Learning collections. Each year, AASL committees look for websites and apps that will be beneficial for use in school libraries (AASL, 2015). According to Israel and Moorefield-Lang (2012), these lists are based on resources that “foster innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration. They are free, user-friendly sites that encourage teachers and learners to explore, discover, and promote critical thinking.” Many of these websites and apps are easy to learn and navigate, and they should promote engagement for the technological learners of the 21^st-century. The Web 2.0 tools and technological resources that teacher-librarians use should be familiar to students in order for them to actively integrate technology into their own learning. As Cox (2009) states, “We want to pick tools that look and feel like the things students are naturally using outside of school.” Teaching students in a library setting provides a perfect opportunity for librarians to incorporate usage of student cell phones and tablets in the lesson. In picking the appropriate technological tools and resources to naturally assimilate into the library and learning curriculum, students will become more engaged in learning while having fun at the same time.

References:

American Association of School Librarians (AASL). (2007). Standards for the 21^st-century leaner. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards.

American Association of School Librarians (AASL). (2015). Learning standards & program guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines.

Cox, E. E. (2009). The collaborative mind: Tools for 21st-century learning. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 16(5), 10-14.

Willis, J. (2007). Cooperative learning is a brain turn-on. Middle School Journal, 38, 4-13.

Israel, M. M., & Moorefield-Lang, H. H. (2012). Engaging students with AASL's best websites for                 teaching and learning. Teacher Librarian, 39(4), 22-24.

Blog Post 3: Technology Implementation Strategies

Using the video conferencing program, Skype, seems to be something that most people do just to catch up with friends and family members over long distances, but it is a great educational tool as well. With technology improving and more students having access to technological tools and the Internet, incorporating technology in a classroom or library setting is a must if we want students to be actively engaged in what they are learning. Skype is one tool that I believe will be easy for teachers and librarians to integrate within the school.

In Messner’s (2014) article, “The Skyping Renaissance,” the fact that Skype can be used as a communication tool from anywhere in the world is a strong reason for educators to use Skype in the school system. The author points out and explains three main ways on how to implement Skype conferencing in schools. First, it is a great tool for communicating with authors of novels or other class materials. Reading in school can take on a completely different level once students realize that they can have the opportunity to discuss their favorite books with the authors who wrote them or illustrators who drew for them. Students can have an actual conversation with these creators and ask him or her their questions and express their thoughts about the books they read. It is an interactive, engaging way to get students excited about reading. Another option Messner provides for Skype use in the school is for interviews. If students are studying something in their science class or doing a research paper for history, they have the opportunity to find a primary resource to talk to regarding what they are learning. They can reach out to a professional or expert in a specific field or subject and interview him or her, no matter where they live in the world. The third point Messner brings up is that students (as well as educators) can also use Skype as a resource for receiving writing workshops or other educational material or lessons. If a professional writer wanted to come to a school to give a presentation on how to incorporate grammar correctly in an essay but was unable to make it due to her plane being delayed, she could always create a Skype conference and teach the English class from the airport. It is a great way for educators to communicate with each other and share professional development ideas, and even students can teach students in other areas material.

I believe that I can use Skype in my classroom (and later on in the library). It seems like such an engaging and efficient tool, that I wonder why I haven’t used it yet. One aspect of Skype that I definitely want to take advantage of is using it for author visits. I think that my students will be much more excited about reading a novel if they know that they can have a Skype visit with the author and talk about the book with him or her. Another Skype method that I think will prove to be useful for me is the ability for my students to learn from other teachers and students. Perhaps I am weak at teaching a certain topic. Instead of having a more experienced teacher coming into my classroom to teach my class and give me ideas on how to improve my teaching methods, why couldn’t another teacher from another school connect with my students and teach them? I also really love the idea of my students being able to connect with students at another school to study or reflect on what they are learning in class. This kind of social connection is what students live for outside of school, so I think that it is time that it is merged within the classroom. Overall, Skype is a great tool for social communication and learning, and I plan to implement it with my future students.

Messner, K. (2014). The skyping renaissance. School Library Journal, 60(11), 27.