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