Blog Post 4 : Technology Leadership Role of School Librarians

For the 21st century learner, technology grows increasingly more important each day, as more devices, apps, and websites become available to enrich the educational atmosphere. School librarians have a duty to their students to be knowledgeable in technology and pass the knowledge on to others.

The AASL (2007) has developed standards of learning that relate to technology. The standards touch upon all aspects of education, including critical thinking, gaining knowledge, drawing conclusions, making informed decisions, applying knowledge, sharing knowledge, participating ethically and productively in society, and pursuing personal growth. Each of the standards touches upon a basic skill that students will need as they enter the world, with technology ideas to prepare them for the 21st century.

Norton (2013) instructs school librarians to have a technology plan that reflects the internal goals of the school library and the external goals of the school and world cultures. The technology plan, once written, "provides evidence the school library program is integral to teaching and learning with technology in the school environment." Goals and plans should align with schoolwide initiatives. By collaborating with teachers on the technology plan, the school librarian is also able to demonstrate leadership skills and can take on a leadership role within the school.

Lubbers (2014) participated in a technology experiment within a Minnesota school district and library system collaboration, where teachers and students were given access to technology and supplemental library resources. Some of the technology that the library assisted the school with were library  card drives, resource demonstrations, media specialist in-services for teachers, access cards for the media center, wireless access in the library, cloud storage, and staff training on devices. Lubbers notes that by keeping the management of technology support and knowledge local is that  "locally managed digital content has the potential to be more responsive to current trends, current events, and STEM advancements—which often date paper texts. And the cost of these digital curricula is less than the cost of textbooks, potentially saving districts thousands of dollars for other projects and
programs" (2014).

School libraries need to remain relevant to the school environment by becoming technologically savvy and knowledgeable. There is a responsibility upon the librarian to ensure that teachers are able to utilize and implement technology in their classroom. Collaboration with teachers on ways to integrate technology into lessons is an important step in  preparing students for the 21st century. By taking on the technology leadership role, school librarians will know that their students will graduate with more than just a favorite book from the library, but with the skills to be a successful member of the technological age.

References

AASL. (2007). Standards for the 21st century learner. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf

Lubbers, C. (2014). Supporting innovation in education. Public Libraries, 53(3), 36-41.

Norton, S. (2013). Technology planning: Designing the direction to get there. Knowledge Quest, 42(1), 64-69.