Technology is
extremely overwhelming but undeniably one of the most important parts of the
library. With all of the new technology that comes out every year, I’m sure
many would find it difficult to keep up with the changes. But continuing to
build our technological education is necessary. With this building of knowledge
we can share information with our school. Every school I’ve visited, the
librarian hosted regular webinars, maintained a blog, or even hosted YouTube
tutorials on different aspects of the library.
One librarian
shared that teachers would continue to ask the same questions over and over, or
in some cases not bother to ask at all. In the case of the latter, they would
just give up on stick to whatever older method of technology they were accustomed
to. So as we learn, a media specialist’s education is the start of a domino
effect. What we learn is passed to teachers, what teachers learn is passed to
students.
“Educators, of
all people, understand the need for lifelong learning. Continuing education in
multiple forms ensures that we keep up with changes in information literacy,
with technology in the school library, and with other aspects of libraries and
schools.”
For a point of
reference, in the last 25 years we've seen the VHS tape, DVD, Blu Ray, Digital
Download, and so on. We've seen print books to eBooks, cds to mp3s. All of the
changes have also effected how we as media specialist run and organize our
libraries. If we choose to get stuck in one era of technology we slow down the
progress of the media center. While we may eventually leave our media center,
technology is here to stay.
Sadly, we must
continue to prove the importance of our media centers. I’ve witness a lack of
support from teachers and administration during my time volunteering. There
seems to be the question of “what purpose does the media center serve?” I
believe one of the best ways to “show off” our purpose is to keep our media
center and ourselves as technology relevant as possible. This would involve continuing
classes, creating tutorials, furthering our education.
(Just to add a bit about copyright) When I think of
copyright what first comes to mind is Napster, Metallica, and threats of
lawsuits from the RIAA. Copyright goes so much further than just music and the
little warning at the beginning of movies. Copyright extends to almost every
form of media (outside of public domain). In our libraries, we must be sure to
highlight rules on copyright in our policies and procedures handbooks.
I totally agree with you that technology is one of the most important parts of the library. That is why we are now called "media specialists" instead of "librarians". Sadly, though, there are those who will not step out of their comfort zone and try new things in terms of technology. And it is not just teachers, it is also media specialists. I know a few media specialists who are still librarians because they refuse to evolve with the changing of technology. We are not just there to check books in and out, we do serve a greater purpose. And you are so right that we must continue to prove the importane of the media center.
ReplyDeleteWow! You are fortunate to have been in media centers where all the LMS are using technology in an innovative way.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that LMS must embrace technology and not live in the past. It seems that everyday some new technology comes out and that students immediately gravitate towards this new technology. As LMS we must keep up with the technology times. Otherwise, we will risk being left behind and risk running a media center where the students know very more than we do.
You make a very good point about teachers who choose not to use new technology because they don't know how to use it or those who are much more comfortable just using what they have always used. A good example is the space hat project that my fourth grade daughter just submitted last week. She researched her chosen topic, the Big Bang Theory, and then typed up information, printed pictures, and pasted everything on the cone-shaped hat that she got from her teacher. This is a project that fourth graders at our school have been doing for years. When speaking to my daughter about her project, she indicated that she would have preferred creating a digital presentation of her project because it would have had much more impact. It's funny to me that she said that without me prompting her. My daughter loves technology and has multiple devices that she uses on a daily basis. She enjoys learning how to use new technology and showing others what she can do with new technology. It is unfortunate that her teachers have not updated the assignment to make it an option to use technology to do the presentation.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Brianna! I have to agree with technology can be overwhelming at times but like you said it is here to stay and will only continue to influence how we teach and students learn. The media center is the hub and it only makes sense for us as the "specialists" to be one of main resources for sharing and teaching others what is out there. I am beginning to see why blogging could be beneficial to have on our library web pages. I know that we are trying to share one "big" idea each month with our teachers when it comes to technology in hopes they will begin to feel more comfortable with all the new resources. We still have those that are scared to get out of their comfort zone but hopefully sharing a little at a time will give them the chance to explore and see it's not so scary but really fun! One of the things I love about this class is that we have had the chance to each share ideas on wiki that we can take back to our own schools so that we can be that media center that "shows off"!
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