Technology in Education and the Librarian's Role in Ensuring Its Use

          Technology is a large part of education in today's world. It is used to present information in different ways, explain concepts, and help to develop students' understanding of content. When considering the use of technology in education, it is also important to consider how school personnel, librarians in particular, can help to ensure its effective integration.

          When considering the use of technology in the classroom, it is important to consider the benefits that students will reap. Technology contributes to developing the multiple literacies needed for students to learn from and with technology, which is a crucial skill in the modern world (American Association of School Librarians, 2007). According to Berger (2010), technology can help to create engaging and active learning experiences for students to participate in. Similarly, students can interact with information using modern technology in ways that simply were not possible in the past (Wiske, 2006). This enables them to better analyze and interpret information. To that end, technology also supports inquiry-based learning, which helps students become critical thinkers as well as independent learners, both skills emphasized by the Standards for the 21st Century Learner (Berger, 2010; American Association of School Librarians, 2007). Technology offers not only new ways of accomplishing familiar tasks, but enable students and teachers alike to complete new and meaningful tasks.

          Given the benefits of technology, it is important for librarians to be an integral part of ensuring its integration into education. Perhaps the most obvious way for librarians to do so is to become familiar with new technologies and their educational applications. In turn, librarians can show teachers how to effectively use them (Wiske, 2006). Given the emphasis on inquiry-based learning and its use of technology, librarians can offer their support by changing the setup of libraries as much as possible to provide opportunities for this type of learning, such as providing areas for students to collaborate or creating places to easily access electronic resources such as online databases (Berger, 2010). Librarians can also help provide students and teachers with new ways to share information, which is important for students as well as teachers to be able to do effectively (American Association of School Librarians, 2007). Similarly, librarians can help plan different ways to best utilize technology as it is acquired for schools (Wiske, 2006). This means that librarians help determine the best ways to use limited resources to ensure that all students can benefit. Lastly, librarians can help by collaborating with teachers to find ways to meaningfully integrate technology into instruction as well as modeling effective uses of technology (Berger, 2010). In these ways, librarians can assume an active role in integrating technology into the classroom.

          Technology is a large part of the world today, and because of this, it is important for students and teachers alike to know how to use it. When effectively integrated into instruction, technology can have large benefits for students, ensuring that they develop the multiple literacies necessary for success in today's world. Librarians can help achieve this end by advocating and facilitating the use of technology in education.  

References

American Association of School Librarians. (2007). Standards for the 21st century learner. Retrieved from: http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf

Berger, P. (2010). Inquiry, learning and web 2.0. Information Searcher, 19(3), 1-3, 26. Retrieved from: http://www.infosearcher.com/

Wiske, M. S. (2006). Teaching for meaningful learning with new technologies. In E. A. Ashburn, & R. E. Floden (Eds.), Meaningful learning using technology: What educators need to know and do (pp. 26-44). New York: Teachers College Press.

 

 

QR Codes in School Libraries

                QR (quick response) codes are a technology that is everywhere at the moment; they can be found at the grocery store, the book store, and even, as Lamb and Johnson propose, the library. QR codes allow users to scan a code on an Internet-connected mobile device and receive additional information through the web. The uses for them are nearly endless, and Lamb and Johnson (2012) propose several ways to incorporate them into the school library.

                In order to incorporate QR codes into the library, the authors suggest beginning by becoming familiar with using QR codes in general (Lamb and Johnson, 2012). The next step is to look around the library and determine the different ways students and teachers could benefit from QR codes, such as providing a QR code next to or on equipment that links to further instructions on how to use it (Lamb and Johnson, 2012). The next step is create a QR code and add it to a brochure or other library material (Lamb and Johnson, 2012). To ensure that all users, even ones without mobile devices, can use QR codes, Lamb and Johnson (2012) suggest including a short URL that users can type into a computer and access the same information. To help QR codes to reach as many users as possible, the next step is to partner with teachers and find ways to integrate QR codes into the curriculum (Lamb and Johnson, 2012). This can be as simple as teachers including QR codes in presentations for students to access with phones or iPods, or having students create content and QR codes to connect with project materials. 

               In addition to suggesting how to get started using QR codes, the authors suggest several ways to incorporate them into the library. One of the most obvious ways is to use QR codes to enhance marketing, such as including them on bookmarks and flyers; codes can connect users to the library website or a calendar of events to keep users up to date (Lamb and Johnson, 2012). Another suggestion is to use QR codes to provide readers with book blurbs or reviews to help them decide if they want to read a book, or, in the case of some electronic books, with the books themselves (Lamb and Johnson, 2012). QR codes can easily be incorporated into activities such as scavenger hunts and library tours, and students can even help create walking tours of different exhibits (such as an art exhibit) by adding QR codes to information relating to the various pieces (Lamb and Johnson, 2012). Each of these ideas provides for new ways to reach out to students and put information directly in their hands.

                While the authors acknowledge that QR codes have a great deal of potential for bringing content directly and quickly to users, they also acknowledge that QR codes are a technology that will eventually be surpassed by something even more new and exciting (Lamb and Johnson, 2012). However, that does not mean that school librarians should not take advantage of their popularity to better serve students and teachers alike.

                Reading about using technology in the library sparked different ideas as to how to use technology to improve instructional strategies. I think that, first and foremost, librarians need to stay up to date with the different technologies that are available, specifically the ones that are free to use. In order to utilize different technologies in meaningful and engaging instruction, we must first be aware of what is available and how it can be used for instruction. One way to do so is to look for lists of Web 2.0 tools, or other educational tools, and how they are being used in education to find different tools to explore.

                A second strategy for improving instructional strategies is to use online databases to keep up with new education research and instructional strategies. Teachers and librarians both can also use RSS feeds to keep updated when new content is added to online journals instead of needing to seek it out each time a new issue is published. This will help teachers to keep up to date and improve their instructional strategies by learning new ways to incorporate technology supported by research.  

References

Lamb, A. and Johnson, L. (2012). QR codes in the school library: a dozen practical uses. Teacher Librarian. 40(3). p. 63-67. Retrieved from: http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/

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Shelfari Widget

Below is a widget from my Shelfari page:

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

Technology and Education Search Engine

Group Copyright Lesson Materials

Recently I helped my group create a lesson on copyright for seventh grade students. Below are the materials for the lesson, including an ASSURE Lesson Plan, a Student Handout, and Google Docs Presentation.

ASSURE Lesson Plan:




Student Worksheet:




Google Docs Presentation:

Using Handheld Devices in the Classroom

                When discussing incorporating technology in the classroom, one is typically met with one of two reactions, either unbridled enthusiasm or active reticence. This is specifically true when it comes to using handheld technology,  such as iPods or cell phones, in the classroom. While many agree that using these technologies does have applications in the classroom, it is important to determine the best way to do so.

                Song (2007) looks at the use of handheld devices in the classroom, specifically at the results, or as she says, "consequences" (p. 38) of using such technology. In doing so, the limitations of handheld devices are clearly seen. After reviewing the literature surrounding the use of handheld devices in the classroom, Song (2007) determined that the vast majority of research were limited to looking at a very specific use of the handheld device. While many of these studies showed positive results, this meant that students were not allowed to explore the full potential of applications, and thus were not able to determine the full extent of benefits that could be derived from use of the technology (Song, 2007). This limitation could be resolved with further research that delves into student exploration of the use of handheld devices, and could provide additional insight into how students can use handheld devices for exploratory learning. Another complaint with the use of handheld devices was the idea that they often simply replicated tasks that were previously done on a desktop computer, such as displaying subject matter for students; furthermore, doing so on a handheld device lacks the ease of looking at a computer because of smaller screen size and relatively limited computation abilities (Song, 2007). After looking at this information, one might develop a rather dismal view of using handheld devices in education.

                The news is not all bad, however. Song (2007) notes that there are some applications that take into account the user's context, called "context-aware applications" (p. 44). These have the ability to detect the user's location and thus provide contextualized content for the user to explore (Song, 2007). Song (2007) provides the example of an application knowing the user is in a museum and offering online information that the user can explore at will. Unfortunately, these applications are still being developed, due to the difficulty in designing them. In time, however, they will become more advanced and useful in aiding in student learning. Song (2007) concludes that further research will go a long way in determining the most effective ways to use handheld devices in the classroom.

                While the above article is not overly optimistic about the use of handheld technology in schools, I do believe that there are valid applications, particularly in the library. For example, students can use handheld devices to look at reviews of books in order to determine whether they want to read them. Students can also use mobile devices to access the library catalog when not at school to determine if an item is available or even directly communicate with the librarian when not physically in the library. Further applications will likely become apparent as handheld devices are further developed and incorporated more into schools.

References

Song, Y. (2007). Educational uses of handheld devices: What are the consequences? TechTrends. 51(5). 38-45. Retrieved from: http://www.springer.com/education+%26+language/learning+%26+instruction/journal/11528

Links to Projects

Below is an embedded Google doc that will be updated with links to projects as they are finished.

My Technology Strengths and Weaknesses

               Technology is an ever-present part of modern life, and can help provide for meaningful and engaging learning experiences for teachers and students alike. As librarians, we need to ensure that both students and teachers have access to technology to create and enhance meaningful learning experiences. To this end, the International Society for Technology In Education (ITSE) published a set of standards in 2008 for teachers called the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) to help gauge how well teachers incorporate technology into student learning.

                The NETS standards are broken into five major sections with several performance indicators listed in each. In my own case, I have differing strengths and weaknesses in each area. My biggest strengths fall under the category of "Model[ing] Digital Age Work and Learning" (ITSE, 2008, p. 1). Having grown up in the digital age, it is relatively simple for me to learn about new forms of technology and discover different ways to use them, making it easy to model these skills to others. Another strength falls under the category of "Promot[ing] and Model[ing] Digital Citizenship and Responsibility" (ITSE, 2008, p. 2). Through previous courses in this program, I have learned much about the ethics of using digital information and other forms of intellectual property. Similarly, knowledge of this would enable me to model such competencies for students and other teachers. One last strength falls under the category of "Engag[ing] in Professional Growth and Leadership" (ITSE, 2008, p. 2). Working on this master's program has served as both an initial education in library science as well as continued development that will continue beyond formal schooling. These strengths will allow me to discover new technologies to use when working with students and to model and promote ethical use of technology and intellectual property. Furthermore, continued development will help me to continue to develop my current strengths and eventually turn my weaknesses into strengths.

                Just as I have strengths in the NETS standards, I have weaknesses as well. My biggest weakness falls under the second category of the NETS standards, "Design[ing] and Develop[ing] Digital Age Learning Experience and Assessments" (ITSE, 2008, p. 1).  My biggest weakness here is a lack of experience in designing lessons that incorporate technology to create engaging learning experiences for students. To date, I have only the teaching experience of my student teaching semester in college, and while I did incorporate technology throughout that experience, I require more practice to be truly effective at this standard. Similarly, my other weakness lies in the category of "Facilitat[ing] and Inspir[ing] Student Learning and Creativity" (ITSE, 2008, p. 1). A lack of experience is again the culprit for the weakness in this area, specifically in how to engage students in solving problems using creativity. As with all skills, practice seems to be the ultimate teacher, and will allow me, along with further professional development, to turn these weaknesses into strengths. Similarly, I would like to try and keep up with the technologies that are available, specifically for instructional use, in order to best determine what will best help students to learn and teachers to teach. Also, continuing to learn about instructional strategies would help me to improve my instructional strategies and allow me to find the best ways to incorporate technology into instruction.

References

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Education Technology Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from: http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2