Blog Post 4: Technology Leadership Role of School Librarians

It goes without saying that technology is beneficial to students in today’s world.  They have information at their literal fingertips via the Internet on tablets, smartphones, and other handheld devices.  Researching and sharing information is so much simpler today than it was even ten years ago.  Technology, however, shouldn’t just be viewed as an ‘extra’ or another resource to use.  Today’s students have expectations that their learning will be taught through technology, and that they will be given opportunities to respond, create, and collaborate in a variety of ways using technology in multiple formats.  It is vital that teachers and librarians understand the Standards for 21^st Century Learners (American Association of School Librarians [AASL], 2007), use technology to enhance their instruction and students’ learning, and collaborate to make planning and implementation more efficient.

In the Standards for the 21^st Century Learners, the AASL (2007) has identified four areas that are key to student success. These standards focus on how students can acquire knowledge and use that knowledge for their benefit and the benefit of others.  With so many forms of information available, students must be educated in how to find what they need efficiently.  “Multiple literacies, including digital, visual, textual, and technological, have now joined information literacy as crucial skills for this century” (AASL, 2007).  Librarians must be up to the task of teaching these skills by utilizing the resources in their libraries and through collaboration with teachers (AASL, 2007).

Librarians and teachers alike are tasked with staying abreast of technology as it becomes available.  Not only do educators have to learn how to use technology themselves, they must have a level of understanding that allows them to apply it in their teaching and instruct students of all levels and abilities in how to use it.  While this is no easy task, it is a very worthwhile one.  Research shows that technology, when used effectively, enhances student learning in all subject areas.  McLaughlin (2013) points out that the use of multimodal texts, which include “print, audio, photos, illustrations, film, graphic novels, [and] the use of color and design…” can be motivational to students and provide a wider variety of learning experiences.  Educators can use this technology in lessons, and students can respond with the help of technology as well.  “By tapping into multiple modalities, we also encourage students to use their strengths as they learn” (McLaughlin, 2013).  If teachers and librarians use an array of technology and give students the opportunity to use that technology in lessons with real-life applications, students will be better prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Keeping up to date with new technology is one of the most difficult tasks teachers in the 21^st century face.  Between planning, preparing, locating resources, and doing all the ‘extras’ that are required today, it is hard to find time to search out available technology to use in those lessons.  That is where today’s librarians play a key role.  In the words of Johnston (2012), “it has become critical for the teacher librarian to partner with teachers to address the needs of the 21^st century learner.”  Librarians can provide technological support to teachers by collaborating in lesson planning, modeling, and co-teaching.  “As a technology leader, the teacher librarian can keep staff abreast on new technologies, facilitate teacher understanding, and [provide] staff development training” (Johnston, 2012).  Librarians can and should help teachers choose the right technology to create the most effective and relevant lessons possible.  Johnston (2012) pointed out “that classroom teachers were more willing to collaborate with the teacher librarian if she or he had taken the initiative to become an assertive, involved leader in the school,” which is why it is imperative that school librarians embrace the role of technology leader.  By showcasing new technology and its uses in the classroom, librarians are not only providing tools to students but teachers as well.

Technology is an integral part of education and its importance will only grow as more advances are made.  Because of this, librarians have had to go through a sort of metamorphosis over the past few years.  With this change librarians have discovered a new and exciting role as technology leaders.  An understanding of new technology and how to integrate it to teach curriculum is a librarian’s most valuable tool and what renders him/her irreplaceable in 21^st century schools.

Resources

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

      learner. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards

McLaughlin, M. (2013). Hoping to engage students in the common core?  Try

      using multimodal text. Reading Today, 31(2), 20-21.

Johnston, M. (2012). Connecting teacher librarians for technology integration

      leadership. School Libraries Worldwide, 18(1), 18-33.