Blog Post 4: Technology Leadership Role of School Librarians

             Technology brings a new dimension to education and librarianship that is both challenging and exciting. The world is now more than ever connected, and students need to evolve into global thinkers just as the society around them has evolved. Schools and libraries must give their students the experience they need with technology otherwise their students will have a distinct disadvantage as adults trying to work and prosper in a technological world.

            According to the American Association of School Librarian’s (AASL) Standards for the 21^st Century Learner (2007), “The amount of information available to our learners necessitates that each individual acquire the skills to select, evaluate, and use information appropriately and effectively”. Furthermore, the ability to share this information in various contexts is essential for 21^st century learners. Students can communicate with others in different countries with a click of a mouse, so they need to understand how to communicate clearly and professionally. The AASL’s standards states that students need to “share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society” (2007). Team work and ethics are considered essential for most employers today. Fontichiaro (2009) explains, “the pressure to create students who are experienced collaborators with skills needed to work in flexible teams to generate something new…has never been greater”. Therefore, librarians need to provide teachers and students with the tools such as wikis, discussion forums, and other collaborative projects to strengthen their ability to work as a team and use technology. The idea of ethics now becomes important because of all the sharing and teamwork. Brown (2009) encourages the use of essential questions for 21^st century learners, and explains that students are more engaged when they “tap into their own experiences as a means to connect with the topic or issue being considered”. As a result, students need to be able to not only voice their experiences but also accept others’ experiences and meet them with constructive criticism.

            Technology in schools is inevitable. However, students must learn to be responsible and collaborative in their use of technology. As a librarian, one must find every opportunity to provide exposure and experience for their students. Collaborative projects such as creating a blog, a wiki, or a digital product will give students not only technology skills but also valuable experiences of team work and respect. When the combination of technology skills, communication skills, and work ethic is right; there is no limit to the potential for 21^st century learners.

References

American Association of School Librarians. 2007. Standards for the 21^st century learner.

           Chicago,IL: American Library Association.

Brown, K. (2009). Questions for the 21^st –century learner. Knowledge Quest, 38(1), 24-27.                             Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2114

Fontichiaro, K. (2009). More than friendship: social scholarship, young learners, and the standards                 for the 21st century learner. Knowledge Quest, 37(4), 64-67. Retrieved from                                         http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2071