Librarians are leaders of integration of technology into the classrooms

Technology has been an ever-growing tool for enhancing school instruction and today it is more important than ever as students are learning from home due to the current pandemic.  The need for at home instruction has caused a wave, (in my opinion a tidal wave) of information consuming teachers.  There is much for them to learn and skills to expand upon to instruct in this new environment.  So how do teachers know what tech tools are the best?  Which ones will the school district allow? Which programs will enhance student interaction?  There is a plethora of options out there and companies are jumping on the bandwagon to introduce the next craze in applications.  So where does a teacher go for help and guidance on selecting tech that will best benefit their classrooms?  They go to the school media center to seek help from their librarian.

Gone are the days of the old library lady sitting behind the desk with a paper card and a stamp.  We have transformed into leaders and obtained powers that go beyond books and into the realm of digital technology.  It is our job to seek out new advancements and spread our knowledge through professional development to our teachers, and to boldly go where no librarian has gone before.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-choice-and-viral-videos-matthew-farber

In the quest for new tech sources I discovered a blog on Edutopia, Student Choice and Viral Videos by Matthew Farber that caught my eye.  For starters I strongly believe in student choice as it stimulates student interest, I support project-based learning and just about every student I know loves to take videos or watch them. Farber discusses in his blog how he offered a filmmaking assignment with his social studies class to demonstrate their learning of a unit. While there are a plethora of options for students to select from, new to me is Animoto, which is one of a few options Farber mentions.  What I like about Animoto is its ease of use.  It is easy to import images, include text, add music, and select themes.  The final production looks professional and provides students with a creative avenue to express their understanding of course content. In addition, the program has an easy learning curve. Production of a basic Animoto video can be learned and implemented in a single class period.  Of course, the savvier filmmakers can tweak away and refine for hours. As a school librarian it is our goal to empower learners with tools and “It is essential for technology to effectively meet students’ needs and keep them actively engaged” (Smith, 2010, p. 619). Filmmaking is one sure way to keep them involved in a school project.

https://animoto.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GX9bGx2T2w

How to create a video with Animoto

Aside from the ease of use to students it is an easy step to gain teacher support and use of a tech program because it does not take hours to learn. While eventually we want staff to become tech genius’, I think the way to get teachers on our sides with learning new tech programs is to take small steps resulting in positive outcomes and then slowly climb the hill of tech applications. This should help in the long run of positive implementation as noted by Smith, “In the case of technology integration, the summation of small changes can equal lasting reform” (2010, p. 628). Teachers do not embrace technology when they do not feel proficient in. We can earn their trust in us by starting small. So let’s make them feel proficient in one area and then move up. We need teacher support of tech integration because “the concern is that if technology and digital resources are not integrated into classroom learning experiences, it will result in students that are unprepared to meet the demands of a world where technology has become ubiquitous” (Johnston, 2012, p.18).

How we can increase tech use in our school is for us as librarians to step up to the challenge.  We need to invest in our own personal development (PD) and then take that knowledge and extend it to our teachers. We must collaborate with them and discuss what their needs are and how they wish to implement tech to help students meet curriculum standards. This may include the need for physical tech equipment. We also must invest in teachers, making their PD a priority, allocate time for practice of implementation and evaluation of programs as well as one on one training when necessary.  An additional option is coteaching as suggested by Overbay, Mollette, & Vasu, “encourage media and technology specialists to coteach lessons with regular classroom teachers, especially as teachers struggle to master new technologies” (2011, p.58). We can accomplish this with the support of our administration. With teachers on our side we are bound to rise to new heights of librarian leadership.

References

Johnston, M. P. (2012). Connecting teacher librarians for technology integration leadership. School Libraries Worldwide, 18(1), 18-33.

Smith, D. (2010). Making the Case for the leadership role of school librarians in technology integration. Library Hi Tech, 28 (4), 618-631.

Overbay, A., Mollette, M. & Vasu, E. S. (February 2011).  A technology plan that works: Administrators should keep five lessons in mind as they implement new technology initiatives. Educational Leadership.