Blog Post 4: Technology Leadership Role of School Librarians

Technology Instruction Essential for 21^st Century Learners

            Today’s students must develop skills that will enable them to access the ever increasing world of information and technological innovation, all while mastering the core content of our educational system. For our children to become participating members of the global society, they will need to be fluent in technological resources and their ethical use. “To become independent learners, students must gain not only the skills but also the disposition to use those skills, along with an understanding of their own responsibilities and self-assessment strategies” (Standards for the 21^st-Century Learner).

Teachers Need Technology Support

For students to thrive in the technology driven environment, they must be taught by instructors knowledgeable of the benefits of technology both implemented instructionally and incorporated in project-based assignments. Instructors must be comfortable and fluent in the use of technology for instruction and student assignments. Students must experience technology daily and be trained to use it ethically to become productive members of a 21st-century global society. However Perrotta (2013), in a study that included seven countries (USA, Senegal, Mexico, Finland, Russia, Australia, and England), found that many teachers were still not using technology resources made available to them. A critical analysis of the reasons for this were not as supposed, reluctant teachers, but based on other factors such as the perception by school officials of technology’s lack of positive impact on student achievement and the subsequent underfunding of training and support for teachers.

Evidence for Positive Impact of Technology

            In an environment of budget cuts and difficult decisions for allocation of resources, school officials want reassurance that the money spent will have a positive impact on student learning. Hew and Cheung (2013) found that though there are not yet any long-term studies on the use of technology’s effect on learning because of the newness of its use, Web 2.0 technologies have been shown in many studies to improve student learning. In every case cited, it wasn’t lack of technology, the age of the teacher, or the economically challenging circumstances of some schools, but rather it was how technology was being used that determined whether or not technology increased student learning. Their study indicates the need for technical and pedagogical support specific to the needs of individual abilities in teachers if consistent and correct use of technology is to increase.

Librarians as Leaders and Collaborators

            Today’s school librarians are being trained to be teacher-librarians, to collaborate with teachers, facilitate instruction, and support the learning and implementation of technology in instruction. Current librarians bring to their school a wealth of technological resources and they know how to assist other teachers in their implementation to help our students thrive. American Association of School Librarians’ [AASL] Standards for 21^st-Century Learners (2007) delineates the need to assist our students in becoming life-long learners responsive and responsible to the needs of their own learning and the needs of others. If we are to help our students become leaders in the 21^st century, they must be “taught to seek diverse perspectives, gather and use information ethically, and use social tools responsibly and safely” (AASL, 2007). Librarians offer collaboration with teachers, students, and all school personnel to create a stimulating environment for learning in the 21^st century.

References

Hew, K.F., & Cheung, W.S. (2013). Use of web 2.0 technologies in k-12 and higher education: The search for evidence-based practice. Educational Research Review, 9, 47–64. doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2012.08.001

Perrotta, C. (2013). Do school-level factors influence the educational benefits of digital technology? A critical analysis of teachers' perceptions. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44, 314–327. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01304.x

American Association of School Librarians (2007). Standards for the twenty-first-century learner, available at www.ala.org/aasl/standards

Blog Post 3: Technology Implementation Strategies

Technology-Based Instruction Improves Reading Proficiency

            Implementing technology in the literacy classroom is essential for the successful growth of 21st-century learners. Laverick's (2014) article, Supporting Striving Readers Through Technology-Based Instruction, discussed research in which reading specialist candidates applied many technology-based instructional tools with striving students in a summer reading program designed to improve reading proficiency. While the tools outlined could be used in most subject areas, the focus of this study was improving reading proficiency. The researchers found that with technology-based learning, including when the students had control of the use of technology, that it was successful in increasing fluency and confidence in their reading ability, was highly engaging and motivating for the children, and enhanced their metacognition.

Digital Technologies Motivate Students to Take Control of Learning

            Digital audio and video recordings were used to build fluency.  Students recorded themselves reading, played back their readings, and made note of mistakes. Digital video recordings of reader's theater or storytelling involved several online video resources and added a technology proficiency element. The easily distracted became attentive and enjoyed listening to or watching their own recordings. Feedback was immediate. Students self-evaluated during the process, becoming metacognitive and reflective of what might help improve their reading proficiency. Students gained confidence as readers and proficiency improved.

Use of Technology Provides Fresh Instruction

            Candidates in the study could use as many technology resources as they chose, often changing tools every day to find the best fit for their students. They reimagined the usual materials into fresh new ways, replacing pencil and paper exercises. For example, instead of using vocabulary cards, PowerPoint presentations allowed students to flash through the words more rapidly, focusing on what they needed to learn. One teacher found that recording a field trip aided writers by providing images that ignited more vivid description in their work. Allowing struggling students to digitally record their stories helped them to then write them. And using the computer to write the stories motivated students to learn typing skills as well.

           

Sharing Digital Work for Family Involvement

            Parent involvement in a child's learning is of vital importance to the academic success of the child. Using digital technologies in instruction creates product that can be shared with families, and sharing digital works with families provides them with a source of ideas for how to help at home by reinforcing concepts and practices learned at school. Sharing the digital products publicly on a teacher website does have many ethical and legal obstacles, but digital files can be sent for the family to view or can be played for the parents at school.

Implementing Ideas in the Classroom

            In my English Language Arts classroom, I do use some of these technologies currently, such using digital images for developing vivid description in writing and digital vocabulary flash cards provided by Pearson that students can access independently. The strategies that I cannot wait to use are digital audio recordings of my students reading and digital video recording of reader's theater. Both can be used during centers time with some instruction, and then independently or in groups. Using only audio recordings, students will be able to work specifically on fluency, reading for punctuation (which will also improve their writing), and voice delivery. Group recordings of reader's theater assignments will build collaboration skills, encourage accountable talk when working to improve their product, and will greatly aid in genre studies, as each requires a different presentation style. Teachers and librarians can implement these strategies easily, as these resources are made readily available by most schools.

Reference

Laverick, D. M. (2014). Supporting striving readers through technology-based instruction. Reading Improvement, 51(1), 11-19. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2114/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a08d3d99-0e93-4908-a236-bb13307bd23f%40sessionmgr4001&vid=1&hid=4208

Blog Post 2: Handheld Devices

Handheld Technology Deepens the Learning Experience

            Modern educational practices must include relevant emerging technologies to stay current on the needs of the 21st-century learner, and that often requires teacher initiative to learn side-by-side with students. Conn's (2013) article, Get Deeper Learning With Tablets, discusses the design and implementation of a science unit by first-grade teachers that featured daily tablet use to observe live animal habitats. Students were highly engaged and explored independently. They researched information according to their own interests and used the tablets to draw or capture images for their projects. The project culminated with a comparison chart of the many different habitats.

Handheld Technology More Convenient

            The use of the school's iPad cart allowed the teachers to begin the observation and research activity at the same time each day. They opted not to use the school's computer lab, which would have required special arrangements with other classes and additional transition time between classrooms that would take away from core subjects. The students, eager and enthusiastic, quickly settled into their work routine each day. Teachers could then make better use their computer lab time for tasks that would have been difficult on the tablet.

Handheld Devices Can Encourage Interdisciplinary Perspectives

            The article showed that daily use of the tablets with internet access, combined with computer lab time, and culminating in a shared class project display, allowed their students a deeper cross-curricular experience. The projects included the core disciplines of science, reading, writing, and technology knowledge and skills. Since the project took place over a period of time, student roles in the project changed and evolved depending upon where they were in the project. The handheld tablets allowed for differentiation according to each child's interest since each was able to choose their topic of research. This could only be accomplished with the use of a personal computing device.

Family Involvement

            Many students in today's diverse classrooms still do not have computers with internet access at home, but they do have tablets with internet access. The teachers in the article included parent communications through flyers with detailed and illustrated steps of the processes their children were using in school. The purpose of including this information for the families was so that parents would understand the processes of the project and continue supporting their children in the use of devices and apps for education purposes at home. In this way, due to the use of the same handheld devices in schools that families have ready access to, parents could more clearly envision how to support their children academically.

Reference

Conn, C. (2013). Get deeper learning with tablets. Learning & Leading with Technology, 41(2), 35-38. Retrieved from  http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2071/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=9c85b0f0-addd-4e2e-b4af-c3cab08a8909%40sessionmgr110&vid=1&hid=127

Blog Post 1: Technology Strengths and Weaknesses

Technology Strengths and Weaknesses

            The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has issued a set of standards by which teachers may judge their level of proficiency in the use of technology in the classroom. I have used the standards to identify areas of effective use and areas that need more consideration.

My Technology Strengths and Weaknesses

            ISTE Standard 2, Designing and Developing Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, is my strongest area. I routinely design highly engaging interactive learning experiences for my students that take them from learning to higher level thinking skills, and that allow me to assess their learning (ISTE Standard 2a,d.)  My students also have access to computer-assisted learning programs that differentiate their learning experiences according to need (ISTE Standard 2b.) I incorporate projects that allow the student to research, collaborate, design, and display their results using digital resources and tools. (ISTE Standard 2b.)

            My weakness lies in communication. Since I work at a Title 1 school, few of the students and their families have reliable access to the internet. For this reason, I have not put into practice the elements in ISTE Standard 3 in the area of collaboration with parents (ISTE Standard 3b, c.) I would love to have a website that featured weekly news about happenings in our class, links to educational resources for use at home, and tips for parents on working with their children and I do not.

           

Putting Technology Strengths to Use

            I am a consistent user of technology to both assess and teach my students (ISTE Standard 1.) I began analyzing test data before it became wide-spread due to my prior business background. I found analysis essential to understanding the gaps in learning so that I might approach the concepts in other ways (ISTE Standard 1c.)

            My students and I use technology daily on the Promethean board, tablets, and the internet. An avalanche of interactives are available on the Promethean website, and I have learned to make my own interactive lessons through classes presented by my district. In addition, assessments are easily made using the student-held activotes.

            Recently, I obtained tablets for my classroom through Donors Choose. So far, I have only used them for grammar and reading exercises during centers. I'm searching for fresh ideas to use them in collaborative learning among students.

            There are many learning programs for use at school during centers time, whole-class in the computer lab, and even at home, that provide differentiated instruction for Reading and Math. Yearly, I assign research projects in writing and for the History and Science Fairs that nurture student directed learning and require instruction in safe, reliable sources, as well as manners (ISTE Standard 4a.)

Overcoming Weaknesses

            As technology becomes more and more necessary for interacting and working in the 21st century, I believe more families will have access to internet technology. Even now, some districts are providing laptops for their students to use at home. Perhaps this will filter down to the elementary level. Until then, teachers and librarians need to advocate up-to-date resources for all schools. My district provides ample opportunity to teachers for using technology to assist student learning (ISTE Standard 5a.) As a librarian, it should be my job to help both students and teachers to use technology to expand teaching and learning (ISTE Standard 5b.)

Future Learning

            In my classes at UNT and through my profession career developments, I will continue to stay informed of the best professional practices using digital tools to enhance student learning (ISTE Standard 5a.) It will be my pleasure to contribute to my teachers, students, and school through collaboration and renewal.

References

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). ISTE Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-teachers.

Class Projects