Student Learning Outcome 6

Technology

Due to its prevalence in our society, technology is becoming a part of how we learn, interact with others, and entertain ourselves. Designers of library services are taking this into account, providing access through the library to vast amounts of digital resources accessible both onsite and offsite through the internet. Many libraries have purchased specialized equipment that are often too expensive for individuals, and provide programming to allow library patrons to use it. 3-D printers are one of the most common examples, but other libraries have created TV and music recording studios, robotics labs, and a variety of additional options that often fall under the broad category of “makerspaces.” These are incredible community reasons, and I believe whenever possible libraries should be putting in the effort to offer these types of learning experiences and creative outlets to their patrons.

When designing technology services and programming, the librarian should always keep in mind that patrons will vary in their level of experience, and in terms of the amount of access to technology they have outside of the library. Despite what many people believe, internet access is not available to everyone, and for the less fortunate in our society, owning technology devices is an expensive luxury they cannot afford. This phenomenon is often referred to as the “digital divide.”

Sometimes the access is there, but familiarity isn’t, as is often the case with older library patrons. The public library here in Charlotte regularly offers classes for older patrons to learn to use computers and other technology. E-readers are a frequent subject for librarian-patron interaction with this part of the population, since older patrons may struggle with technology that younger generations intuitively know how to use.

In schools, which is where I have gotten most of my library experience and hope to continue after graduation, we use technology in a staggering number of ways. From presenting information to creating new uses for it, from educational games to research, teachers and students use technology every day, and the librarian is often a school leader in technology integration.

Educators use technology in very different ways across the curriculum, though some technology services have multiple uses. LMSs are used in most subject areas, and most teachers routinely have students using devices such as laptops, iPads, and smartphones in class. Many schools have gone 1:1 with technology, meaning that there enough devices in the school for every student to have one at the same time.

​Online classes have grown increasingly popular, but even face-to-face classes have begun to use the Learning Management Software that was originally designed for online classes. These LMSs are designed so that educators have a central program for distributing information and assignments to students, as well as providing discussion spaces, grade books, and other resources. Google Classroom and Canvas are both used in my school district with varying degrees of success.

In an effort to breach the digital divide, many schools are also turning to heavy technology integration in the classroom and the media center. Students need to build technology skills to become effective 21st-century learners, as outlined by both the AASL Standards for the 21st-century Learner (AASL, 2009) and the ISTE Student Standards (ISTE, 2016). Major obstacles to this are a lack of a district vision and plan for technology integration, as well as insufficient training and professional development for teachers (Herold, 2017). Librarians can help bridge some of the gaps by conducting our own professional development, such as the session I led to introduce teachers at my practicum school to our digital resources.

Technology can also be used very effectively by school librarians as a method for sharing information resources with students and staff. Digital curation is the broad term used for collecting related information resources and providing access to them in a digital format. This is a concept that we worked with in two of my core classes: LIS 635 and LIS 620.

LIS 620 took the concepts behind effective searching and research and required us to use the skills we learned to create a LibGuide about a subject that interested us. The LibGuide needed to contain information about our topic and links to relevant resources. Remembering my study abroad experience in undergrad, I chose to create a LibGuide for Anglo-Welsh Literature. While the term LibGuide refers to the specific branded application, similar digital curation products can be created in a variety of ways, including most blogging and website-building platforms. ​

​In LIS 635, we created a similar digital curation product using Blendspace(now TeS). Again the purpose was to create a resource for information seekers containing links to resources related to a single topic. This time, I focused on curating resources for teachers on implementing the Common Core standards for English Language Arts. Both this project and the LibGuide inspired me to continue with digital curation as a way of increasing access to resources in schools and as a way of improving information literacy. By selecting the best resources for a topic, I am subtly showing students what trustworthy information resources look like, and steering them away from biased or inaccurate sources.

As technology continues to change, so will the services we offer. We cannot hope to provide excellent service to our patrons if we do not keep up-to-date with the technology they are using or want to use. Trying to stay on top of all the new technologies is not the answer either; that is the path to insanity and ineffectiveness. Instead, I believe librarians should identify the most important information and technology needs their patrons have, and focus on meeting those needs with the technology services we provide.

In the immediate future, I want to focus on a few specific areas when it comes to providing technology services to my students: Makerspaces, coding, digital curation, and online research help (aka information literacy). I think it is most important that my students learn information literacy skills, have the opportunity to be creative , and learn technology skills through real-world application of concepts. Digital curation and online research help are tools to build students’ information literacy skills through technology. Students need to be able to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively and ethically, which digital curation helps them do. As for Makerspaces, they are wonderful at supporting students’ creativity and providing real world experiences to accompany inquiry learning in the classroom.

Coding can be a touchy subject in terms of technology in schools. While it receives widespread support from educators, students, and parents alike, there are some who criticize the focus on coding, claiming that computer science is advancing so that coding will become obsolete within our lifetime (Tanz, 2017). Beyond the fact that no one can really predict the future, coding is still a useful tool because it teaches students logic and language skills that can be applied to other disciplines. Building logic skills improves students’ understanding of mathematics and science, and the same language skills can be related to learning foreign languages. I will continue to push for the inclusion of coding support in library services

​Regardless of what comes next in the ever-changing world of technology, I will continue to do my best to design services that meet the needs of my students and teachers.

REFERENCES

AASL. (2009). Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards/learning

Herold, B. (2017, June 16). Poor Students Face Digital Divide in How Teachers Learn to Use Tech. Retrieved October 20, 2017, from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/06/14/poor-students-face-digital-divide-in-teacher-technology-training.html

ISTE. (2016). ISTE Standards Students - ISTE - International Society for ... Retrieved fromhttps://www.iste.org/standards/for-students

Tanz, J. (2017, June 03). Soon We Won't Program Computers. We'll Train Them Like Dogs. Retrieved September 20, 2017, from https://www.wired.com/2016/05/the-end-of-code/

ARTIFACTS

DIGITAL CURATION PROJECT

https://www.tes.com/my-resources/lessons/_plpDtP7NN0xiw

LIBGUIDE

Anglo-Welsh Literature LibGuide