(a guide for Teacher Librarianship)

All I really need to know about how to blog and what to post and how to build knowledge, I learned in EDES 545. Collective wisdom is not constructed alone, but there on the blackboard of WebCT.

These are the things I learned:

• Share everything

• Play podcasts

• Filter less.

• Rethink what you’re doing in your school library right now.
  

• Build a learning community that meets the needs of your learners.

• Don’t post pictures without permission.

• Say you’re sorry when you delete somebody’s wiki comments.

• Respect intellectual property and privacy
  

• Update.

• Asselin and Valenza are good for you.

• Create a balanced plan – read some and question some and gather info and analyze and synthesize and create and share and connect every day some.

• Take a break from the online world every afternoon.

• When you go out on the web, watch out for inequity, and bridge that digital divide.

• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little videoclip on YouTube: your video goes up and the world downloads it and nobody really knows how it embeds, but it’s just like that.

• Web 2.0 applications like blogs and wikis and voicethreads – they’re all social. So are we.

• And then remember the post you accidentally deleted and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – SAVE.

Everything you need to know is online somewhere. AASL’s standards for the 21st-century learner and ISTE’s NETS for students and teachers, and Ribble’s nine elements of digital citizenship. Asselin’s and Doiron’s technology and critical literacies, and ethics and social responsibility.

Take any one of those new literacies and transform your practice for 21st century learners and apply it to your school life or your library or division or your department of education and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all – the whole world – practiced Asselin and Valenza 24/7, when logged on to our laptops to learn and collaborate with each other. Or if all districts had as a basic policy to put teacher librarians back in all our schools to build and sustain a culture of inquiry.

And it is still true, no matter how savvy a digital native or immigrant you are, when you go out on the Web, it is best to hold virtual hands with a teacher librarian and stick together.

[With respect to the original "All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten" by Robert Fulghum]

As the Coordinator of Library Services in our school division, I work with all school library personnel, including teacher-librarians, library assistants and library technicians, to support student learning and enhance teaching through our school library programs.  In addition to my administrative role for the division, I also provide direct support to seven schools operating school libraries without a teacher-librarian on staff. In order to arrive at a clear destination for our vision, it is important to reflect on our past, in order to understand how we have moved closer to the harmonization of our school library programming and the staffing of our personnel:

Timeline

• (2002) Amalgamation of two legacy school divisions with differing philosophies about school library programs and various staffing configurations for school library personnel
• (2005) School library harmonization begins as a new vision for school library programs begins to take shape
  • Teacher-Librarians receive copies of Achieving information literacy: standards for school library programs in Canada
• (2006) Committee of Teacher-Librarians present a 5-year proposal for professional development and receive the funding for implementation:
  • Literacy with ICT across the curriculum (Michelle Larose-Kuzenko)
  • MSLA SAG: Inquiry and beyond (Jamie McKenzie)
• (2007) A new staffing formula for school library personnel is established, ensuring that 33/40 schools are staffed with a half-time teacher-librarian and 35/40 schools are staffed with a full-time library assistant.  Professional development funding is formally included in the divisional budget to support the professional learning of all school library personnel (teacher-librarians, library assistants and library technicians) and the new position of Coordinator of Library Services is created at the divisional level. 
  • Focus on inquiry (Dianne Oberg)
  • Leadership in information literacy (Lois Barranoik)
  • Clarifying copyright? (John Tooth)
  • MSLA SAG: Beyond bird units (David Loertscher)
• (2008) Professional development continues to flourish and K-8 teacher-librarians plan new instructional partnerships that support inquiry and implement the ICT contimuum.
  • Re-visioning the school library program (David Loertscher)
  • Questioning is key (Carol Koechlin)
  • Assignments worth the effort (Carol Koechlin)
  • Talk about assessment: strategies and tools to improve learning (Damian Cooper)
  • Supporting inquiry and the implementation of the ICT continuum (K-8 teacher-librarian and classroom teacher instructional partnership teams). 
  • MSLA SAG: Light at the end of the tunnel (Kenneth Oppel)
• (2009) Professional development expands to include collaborations with other school divisions and sharing of costs.
  • Inquiry through the lens of assessment Grades 9-12 (Catherine Birch)
  • The power of storytelling (Gail De Vos)
  • Taking comic books seriously (Gail De Vos)
• Coming soon
  • September 2009: Learning right from wrong in the digital age (Doug Johnson)
  • MSLA SAG October 2009: What’s “new” about the new literacies (Marlene Asselin)

The occasion to scaffold a vision for the future is truly a welcome opportunity for our school library personnel.  We are presently entering our fourth year of a five year PD plan that set out to ”reinvent, regenerate and rejuvenate” (OLA Super Conference motto, 2008) the instructional role of teacher-librarians in our schools.  When the plan was originally proposed in 2006, we had purposefully left the 2009-10 school year open to address “emerging needs and new opportunities” that might arrive over the years.

It would seem that building in the flexibility to revise our PD plan at this time could not have been more timely because a new opportunity has emerged for our school library personnel.  Our K-8 teacher-librarian and classroom teacher instructional partnership projects, that support inquiry with an infusion of ICT skills, have come to the attention of our Board of Trustees.  Their positive interest in the project and how it effectively supports the Board’s priorities for teaching and learning, make this an opportune time to showcase the evidence we have gathered on how teacher-librarians support both student and staff learning in our division.  Due to declining enrollment division-wide, we will lose another teacher-librarian position this year, so presenting a new vision for 21st century learning is critical to rethinking the contribution of the teacher-librarian in fostering student engagement and increasing student achievement.  The door is open and the dialogue is beginning.

Although our teacher-librarian team will work together to collaboratively design and implement the new vision for school libraries in our division, I will also offer my personal vision for the future in support of 21st century learning for both students and staff, based on the following key elements:

1. New learners (David Warlick, Will Richardson, Stephen Heppell)
2. New literacies (Marlene Asselin, Ray Doiron)
3. New libraries (Joyce Valenza)
4. New learning specialists (Allison Zmuda, Violet Harada)
5. New leadership roles (Violet Harada, Sandra Hughes-Hassell)

In order to support this new vision, it is important to consider what students will need to be successful learners and productive, global citizens in the 21st century.  By using a “backward design” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) approach, we can use our divisional mission and vision statements, as well as our Board of Trustees priorities for student learning and professional practice and learning, to illustrate how the instructional role of the teacher-librarians impacts favorably on student achievement in the 21st century learning environment.

A final course assignment that you can actually use to improve your current practise is definitely a gift. Like our students, I always appreciate an authentic task that has added-value and supports an area of personal interest.  The opportunity to present a vision for 21st century learning is one such assignment. 

Please visit my VoiceThread entitled A vision for 21st century learning: beginning with the future in mind.  I hope to use this VoiceThread to initiate discussions with our teacher-librarians as we begin to lay the foundations for our new PD plan.  With the added input of the teacher-librarian team, I hope this information will emerge as a formal presentation to our Board of Trustees.  It is time to reinvest in the instructional role of the teacher-librarian in order to support student learning more effectively in the 21st century.

Has the use and integration of educational

technology improved teaching and learning?

Absolutely

Technology integration is the incorporation of technology resources and technology-based practices into the daily routines, work, and management of schools. Technology resources are computers and specialized software, network-based communication systems, and other equipment and infrastructure. Practices include collaborative work and communication, Internet-based research, remote access to instrumentation, network-based transmission and retrieval of data, and other methods. This definition is not in itself sufficient to describe successful integration: it is important that integration be routine, seamless, and both efficient and effective in supporting school goals and purposes.

Technology in Schools Task Force (2003)

Information and communication technologies provide students and teachers with an open window to the outside world. In education, our relationship with technology has evolved over time. What began as a trend where we learned how to use new technologies, is now focused on supporting student learning through the integration of technology (Oncu, Delialioglu & Brown, 2008).

Today, teachers understand that the future success of our students will depend on our educational system’s ability to equip our children with the skills required to survive in a society relying more and more on the use of technology. Educational technology prepares students for “lifelong learning in a rapidly changing technological society,” regardless of their prospective career goals (Integrating your technology, 2007).

Effective integration of technology is achieved when students are able to select technology tools to help them obtain information in a timely manner, analyze and synthesize the information, and present it professionally. The technology should become an integral part of how the classroom functions – as accessible as all other classroom tools.

National Education Technology Standards for Students, ISTE

The integration of technology into our classrooms does not always mean abandoning traditional tools, but providing new choices that have wider appeal to personal learning preferences. In the article “Meaningful technology integration in early years environments,” students engage in inquiry use digital cameras and microscopes, but they also use paper, crayons and pencils. “Integrating technology into the curriculum involves turning technology into a tool that enhances student learning in a subject matter area or multidisciplinary setting” (Integrating Your Technology, 2007).

The cursor joins the… pen.

The hard drive joins the… filing cabinet.

The monitor joins the… a piece of paper.

The CD-ROM joins the… book, encyclopedia.

The digital joins the… analogue.

The colour laser printer and paint programs join the… box of markers.

The mimio joins the… chalkboard.

The document camera joins the… overhead.

The blog joins the… daily journal.

The subscription database joins the… periodicals.

In an age where information is vast and quick access a necessity, students and staff are required to develop skills that will enable them to locate, select, analyze, record, organize and communicate information, using a variety of resources and tools. The Internet has changed the way we gather and manage information. Educational technologies are taking an active role in research, in acquiring information and in presentation. Teacher-Librarians are already providing leadership in the implementation of new information technologies, expanded views of literacy and the education of students, parents and staff in their use.

Technology is an essential tool in curriculum delivery and it is used to promote thinking, both in the creative and the critical sense. Self-expression does not really change with technology as it will always be important for students to find a voice for their thoughts. They will always have a need to record their learning and a stage from which to present their new understandings. Students will also benefit by studying the ideas and expressions of others.

As information and communication technologies continue to impact our daily lives, schools play an important role in educating students and staff in their use, as well as providing digital equity to diverse communities of learners. Not only is the information landscape changing, but our concept of literacy education is also expanding. Without question, teaching and learning have gone through a period of positive transformation in recent years due to the integration of educational technologies in our school programs and curricula.

Learning to learn

Technology allows students to take ownership for their own learning by teaching themselves and constructing personal meaning. Video tutorials and podcasts on the Internet provide students and teachers with information and instruction on a wide variety of topics. Technology encourages students to “find their own teachers online” and everyone has the potential to be your teacher (Richardson, 2009).

Student Achievement

Educational technology has been proven to have a positive effect on student achievement:

ISTE [Iinternational Society for Technology in Education] members have monitored research on the effectiveness of technology in education on student outcomes for more than 20 years, and one convincing trend has emerged: when implemented appropriately, the integration of technology into instruction has positive effects on student achievement.

In reviewing peer-reviewed journal articles on the effects of education technology integration on achievement, seven studies published since 2000 have shown significant effects in mathematics, and fourteen articles have shown significant effects in reading and literacy.

Technology and student achievement – the indelible link (2008)

21st Century Skills

The integration of educational technology equips students with 21st century skills such “as the abilities to communicate, collaborate, analyze, create, innovate, and solve problems” (Technology and student achievement – the indelible link, 2008)

New Tools

Teachers are learning that video-sharing web sites like YouTube, TeacherTube, and United Streaming can be accessed for quick videos to illustrate a point or enhance a lesson. As Joyce Valenza states “there is no better tool for analysis than a blog” and “no better tool for synthesis than a wiki.”

Access to information in real time

The integration of educational technology in our schools allows students access to unlimited information at the click of a mouse button. In the article “Meaningful technology integration in early learning environments,” when a teacher and her students need an expert opinion, the children “dictate an e-mail message to a local paleontologist” while the teacher types their questions (Wang, Jaruszewicz, Rosen, Berson, & Bailey 2008).

Collaboration

A technology-rich environment encourages collaboration as students “learn together, rather than on their own.” Using technology often means that students need to learn how to share equipment and troubleshoot technical problems when computers don’t work properly. Technology makes collaboration simpler and more efficient with the use of e-mail, video conferencing, websites and wikis (Williams, Atkinson, Cate & O’Hair, 2008)

Creativity and innovation

Technology in the classroom gives students new and creative ways in which to develop their “ideas and opinions, for communicating and collaborating with others, and for enhancing problem solving and personal fulfillment” (Integrating Your Technology, 2007). Digital storytelling allows students to combine words, pictures and sound to tell a story or convey a message using critical thinking skills. When used appropriately, educational technologies can “promote deeper student thinking and understanding” (Oncu, Delialioglu & Brown, 2008).

Globalization of communications

Technology brings people from all over the world together, allowing students to develop greater understanding of one and other. “The plight of different peoples in the world who suffer from poverty, starvation, disease, and major catastrophic events becomes available instantly” (Benton-Borghi, 2007). Blogs have also emerged as “communication tools that create a variety of authentic writing experiences for students and teachers” (Mullen & Wedwick, 2008) before a global audience.

Differentiated instruction

Educational technology enables all students to receive the instruction they need, as they need it. Dr. Hope Benton-Borghi describes the integration of educational technologies on teaching and learning as “remov[ing] the shackles of the discriminatory one-size-fits-all modality of print.” The implementation of educational technologies in classrooms means that both the gifted, and students with learning challenges, can have their needs met in the same instructional setting. Effective technology integration makes this possible.

Special needs

Educational technologies provide new opportunities for learning for students with special physical, learning, behavioural and emotional challenges. Technology can often be “customized” to accommodate a student’s particular need. For example, “specially designed digital cameras allow children to take pictures by pressing an attached switch” (Wang et al., 2008). Educational technologies can frequently be adapted to meet special needs and allow children increased independence in their use.

Student-directed learning

The integration of technology often gives students more choice in their learning. Students make choices based on their skills, the learning task and their personal preference. Educational technologies support and extend student learning through inquiry across the curriculum.

Student Engagement

In the article, “Mutual support between learning community development and technology integration: impact on school practices and student achievement,” the teachers interviewed, reported that “technology increased overall student engagement” because “the extra layer of interactivity that technology brings as an instructional tool changes the way the students perceive information forever” (Williams et al., 2008). Teachers also observed an increase in attendance and a decrease in discipline problems with the integration of new technologies in their programs.

Distance Education

Distance education allows students in remote areas to attend classes via technology. Technology allows school divisions and other educational institutions to extend the curriculum and share resources. Students are no longer restricted to the courses offered at their local university. For example, students from Winnipeg who want to study teacher-librarianship can enroll at the University of Alberta and attend classes via WebCT.

Promote and document learning

The use of digital cameras makes it very affordable and convenient to document student learning and provide evidence that technology integration has a positive effect on student learning. A digital camera and email allow students to communicate with their families from school. Class web sites and teacher blogs provide new ways of communicating with parents (Wang et al., 2008).

Student Leadership

As today’s students become more skilled in using technology than their teachers, students are taking on new leadership roles. By encouraging student involvement in “technology decision making and implementation,” educators can promote “the benefits of service learning and leadership with the needs of schools struggling to integrate technology” (Martinez & Harper, 2008). Students participate in authentic tasks such as creating curriculum resources, presentations, videos and web sites for real purposes, becoming stakeholders in their own learning.

Conclusion

The potential value of technology as a tool for teaching and learning can no longer be ignored. Integrating educational technologies in the classroom provides new ways for students to learn and teachers to teach. “Classroom technologies can encourage engagement, active learning, creativity, and social interaction (Wang et al.,2008). Educational technologies are tools to improve student learning and enhance teaching, not toys with a short shelf life.

REFERENCES

Benton-Borghi, H. (2007). Are schools better than they were 20 years ago? Learning & Leading wih Technology, 34(7), 8-9.

Davis, A.P. & McGrail, E. (2009). The joy of blogging. Educational Leadership, 66(6), 74-77.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2007). National Educational Technology Standards for Students. Available at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). Technology and student achievement – the indelible link. Available at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Advocacy/Policy/59.08-PolicyBrief-F-web.pdf

Lawless, K.A. & Pellegrino, J.W. (2007). Professional development in integrating technology into teaching and learning. Review of Educational Research, 77(4), 575-615. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals.

Martinez, S. & Harper, D. (2008). Working with tech-savvy kids. Educational Leadership, 66(3), 64-69.

Mullen, R. & Wedwick, L. (2008). Avoiding the digital abyss: getting started in the classroom with YouTube, digital stories, and blogs. The Clearing House, 82(2), 66-69.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Forum unified education technology suite: Integrating your technology. Available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/tech_suite/#H1

Oncu, S., Delialioglu, O. & Brown, C.A. (2008). Critical components for technology integration: how do instructors make decisions? The journal of computers in mathematics and science teaching, 27(1), 19-47.

Richardson, Will. (2009). A web of connections: why the read/write web changes everything. OLA Super Conference.

Technology in Schools Task Force (2003). Suggestions, tools, and guidelines for assessing technology in elementary and secondary education. Available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003313.pdf

Wang, X.C., Jaruszewicz, C., Rosen, D., Berson, I. & Bailey, M. (2008). Meaningful technology integration in early learning environments. National Association for Education of Young Children, 63(5), 48-50. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals.

Williams, L.A., Atkinson, L.C., Cate, J.M. & O’Hair, M.J. (2008). Mutual support between learning community development and technology integration: impact on school practices and student achievement. Theory into Practice, 47(4), 294-302.