Blog Post 4:Technology Leadership Role of School Librarians

21^st century learners and building a 21^st century learning environment does not happen overnight. Patrons need to understand that librarians are not just the person sitting behind the circulation desk, they are much more.  Librarians hold numerous roles.  Librarians are information specialists who keep up with the constant changes in information and technology. (Mashrigi, 2016)   With the technology age becoming the norm, librarians need to focus on building this community by maintaining the love of books, but also brining in the technologies needed to entertain this 21^st century learner.

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) standards for the 21^st century learner build off of common beliefs of how and why students learn.  With these beliefs the AASL built standards on how learners use skills, resources and tools in these four items.

1.       Inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. 

2.       Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to how situations and create new knowledge. 

3.       Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society. 

4.       Pursue personal and aesthetic growth. (AASL, 2007, p2)

Librarians use these standards to help build their collections and activities in their library.  It is their job to make sure that all elements of the 21^st century learner are embedded and utilized.

By carrying over theses 21^st century skills and being a librarian that believes in these skills will show the patrons of your library that it is a place of more than just reading and researching.  It becomes a place of true hands on learning skills.  Students will be willing participants, when their ideas are utilized more than just on paper, giving them an opportunity to make the library their own.  This participatory culture has also transformed learning, particularly in skills that are needed to ensure productive participation such as collaboration, self-direction, systems thinking, information literacy and design thinking. (Subramaniam, 2016)

Learning these aspects and finding ways to use them in the library will benefit all involved.  It will bring people together and help in the common goal of becoming a 21^st century learning environment.

References

American Association of School Librarians, 2007.  Standards for the 21^st century learner.  American

Association of School Librarians.  p1-8.

Mashriqi, K., 2011.  Implementing technology and gaming in a school library.  Knowledge Quest, 40(1).

P24-28. 

Subramaniam, M., 2016. Designing the library of the future for and with teens:  Librarians as the

“connector” in connected learning.  The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults, 7(2). P2-18.

Blog Post 3: Technology Implementation Strategies

As a librarian, teacher and media specialist for my campus is a huge responsibility.  It is our job to insure that our students are becoming twenty-first century learners.  We accomplish this by embedding technology is all aspects of our curriculum and learning styles.  Though it may be hard at first it is important to remember that this is where our world is taking us and it needs to start were our students begin, in school. 

The article, Piloting the Learning Commons, gave me a new perspective on the design of a library and media center.  Having this learning commons integrates technology right away and makes it readily available for students and staff when needed.  There is no waiting time because the equipment and sources are right at their fingertips.  Though this could be an ideal way to set up your library and media center, it does and will take time to get there.  With this, we need to make sure that we are utilizing our technology with our students to get them ready for such an event.

The learning commons is set up with the students in mind.  There is a variety of furniture and equipment for the students to use.  They do not have to wait as much because everything they need is at their fingertips.  The use of different design software to enhance projects and research is also available.  The learning commons becomes a place not only for reading; it becomes a place for thinkers and problem solvers.  Students collaborate with each other, teacher and media specialist.  They develop their ideas, brainstorm and plan.

This kind of environment also helps in units of study.  The students are excited to use the space and become excited in using all the technology and print sources available.  Teacher collaboration also falls in this category.  When students are excited about the lesson or project, the teacher is also excited and it makes the lesson flow better. 

The article discusses makerspace, Tinkercad, Cubify, Schoology and Google Documents.  Utilizing the makerspace area gives the students ideas, examples and lessons to explore.  Tinkercad and Cubify were used with their 3D printer technology and Schoology was the learning management system they used for assignments, discussion threads, questionnaires and quizzes.  Google Documents was used in a similar way, to keep students and teachers collaborating with their lessons and assignments.

Reading this article helped me understand more about learning commons and the use of technology as a tool for learning.  Some strategies that I took away and will use in my classroom will be the open seating model, google documents and a type of learning management system. 

The open seating model, though it is not a technology, is a strategy that will benefit my students by giving them some independence as they work.  This will help them become comfortable with our classroom and gain interest in the assignment.  Having this seating available will make the use of technology more open and interesting.

Using Google Documents and a learning management system will alleviate some stressors for the student and teacher.  Having assignments done online will help with a paperless classroom.  Being able to do assessments online will help with grading.  Using shared documents will benefit student groups and collaboration.  They will also help with teacher notes on the assignments.  Having these in my classroom will make my teaching a little easier and become a facilitator and the students become the teachers. 

Reference

Murry, E. (2015). Piloting the learning commons.  Teacher Librarian, 43(1), 18-24.

Blog Post 2: Handheld Devices

Handheld devices are becoming a regular item you will see in schools today.  They range from cellphone, iPods, iPads, tablets and the list can go on.  They are not going anywhere, so we need to get a handle on them, embrace them and know that they are becoming a regular item on our school supply list.

            In the article, When You Give Students iPads, What Will They Do with Them?, you can read about how a 1:1 iPad initiative has gone in effect with an elementary schools 4^th and 5^th graders.  Within the article you can read about how the students take ownership by signing a contract with I statements to make it a more positive.  They are placed on carts where the students can store them and the teachers can sync, add/remove apps or download any updates that are needed.  They take their devices everywhere from Art to PE and use them in all subjects.  They even have the ability to create a password and gain independence by embracing this technology they have in their hands throughout the day.  The article makes it evident that a handheld device in the hands of every student takes them through many different avenues of learning.  With this they are able to become connected with the outside world that a regular textbook would not take them.  The author, who is a teacher librarian and the technology integrationist helps the students get a handle on their iPads use and shares many apps and educational resources for them to use not only in the library, but in all subject areas throughout the day.

            As a librarian, I would utilize a 1:1 initiative by starting with a digital citizenship curriculum and make sure that all students, faculty and staff know the copyright laws.  With each child having a device in their hands it give us the opportunity to take virtual field trip, when we are learning about a new country or how people lived in a different era.  We would be able to locate places we have never seen on an interactive world map. I will also use it as a tool for collaborative groups and group projects.  The possibilities are endless.  Along with these activities, e-books, videos and apps will become a regular part of our day in the library and it will not stop there.  When they take the devices back to class, I will make sure that they leave the library with some new concept that will help them in the classroom as well.   Handheld devices are becoming a key part of our learning each year and being able to use it every day, everywhere you go, will only make our students thrive and become an active digital citizen.

Reference

Miller, S. M. (2014, April). When you give students iPads, what will they do with them?

            School Library Monthly, 30(7), 35-37. 

Blog Post 1: Technology Strengths and Weakness

As I embark on my journey of information and Library Science, I have to take a look at my strengths and weaknesses as an educator with technology.  As a librarian, technology is a key component used and by knowing my strengths and weaknesses, it will help me plan and discover what I need to do to help my library and its clients be successful. Using the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards for teachers has helped me see where I stand when it comes to these strengths and weaknesses and how I am going to use them to help plan and grow in my career.

Looking at the ISTE Standards, I feel that my strengths lie in standards one, two and three. 

Standard one is using all aspects of teaching and technology to help students learn in a more creative way, learn through different mediums of technology for real world situations and build a community of learners through planning, problem solving and reflection. (ISTE, 2016) I will use my knowledge with this standard to help build learning communities throughout grade levels with students and all other stakeholders for our school.  This will also help me build a collaborative technology environment that will not only help me succeed, but will also have my students be more successful in their knowledge and skills of the subject matter and in technology.

Standard two is building the learning and learning styles of the students towards the digital age through experiences, learning environments, and formative and summative assessments. (ISTE, 2016)  Though this is not a super strength for me, I believe that my knowledge of different programs used in my education career can help guide me towards the best learning environment for my students.  I will use this standard to help build my technology learning community as well as my students.  They will utilize what they have been taught to help generate their own self assessments through digital tools and resources used.

Standard three is being able to show the teachers knowledge of technology and being able to communicate these skills to all stakeholders of the library and support them in their endeavors by using digital tools. (ISTE, 2016) This standard will be used on a daily basis during my career when planning for class.  Being able to model and facilitate the latest technology in the library will help us all to demonstrate, communicate, and collaborate in a deeper level and build a learning library within us.

ISTE standard four and five are where my weaknesses fall.  Standard four is dealing with the legal and ethical behaviors of technology and the users’ responsibilities and digital citizenship. (ISTE, 2016) Though I am aware of these issues and legal and ethical behaviors, I am not well versed in the technological terms and conditions of them all.  I will need to make sure that I am constantly learning and growing in this area by continuing my education and professional development to keep me up to date and be able to promote these items in my library. 

This brings me to standard five which is continuing your professional growth in technology and demonstrating your leadership through your continued knowledge of the subject. (ISTE, 2016) Here I will make sure that I will continue my technology education and participate in many learning communities to build my knowledge of digital tools and resources needed for my profession.

Knowing these standards and being able to utilize them as a librarian and an educator will help me in my instructional strategies.  I will need to keep up to date with the digital world and all that it entails.  I can do this with continued education, asking my peers and my students.  I would like to learn more about social media and using it in an educational form with my students, staff and community members.  I want to make sure that I am knowledgeable with all equipment in my care, so I can demonstrate their significance to others.  Lastly, I want to make sure that within my learning of technology, to improve my instructional strategies, I am building relationships throughout the school and becoming the central hub, were everyone can be a resource for one another through technology.

As an educator and librarian I will be serving every student in the school and will also be working closely with the faculty, staff and community.  It is my responsibility to know the technology that is available and be aware of what is new and upcoming.  With the ISTE standards, building on my strengths and weaknesses and determining what I need to learn to improve my instructional strategies, I have become aware of where I stand with technology and where I need to grow.  I will use the information learned and build upon it to make myself and my library the best of its kind.

Reference

International Society for Technology in Education (2016). ISTE Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-teachers

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