Skip to main content

LIBE 477 Reading Review 1: Libraries and Digital Competencies

Since my own high school graduation almost 20 years ago, I have very little experience in modern elementary and high-school libraries, but what I have experienced has shown me just how much has changed in that time. Technology has taken a huge role in education and libraries are definitely reflecting that, with 3-D printers, video and sound editing setups, coding events, and programmable playful objects like Spheros and Ozobots. And that’s just what I have seen. I want to know what other roles technology might be playing in modern libraries. What skills do I need as a future librarian? What are the best ways to guide students through this world of technology, especially knowing that many of them may have more exposure to technology than I currently do? What are the best ways to learn alongside the students?

 What digital competencies are the most important for us to pass on to our students? How do we decide what makes something “important”? And how do we most effectively pass those competencies along, especially when we may ourselves may be new(er) to much technology?
Students in Australia use an ipad to complete a scavenger hunt at an ecological centre. Photo credit: Sonya Neilson. 
Things I could research further include:

  • Concepts such as digital literacy and the digital divide, information literacy, internet safety and security.
  • Skills like coding (both plugged and unplugged), and the usefulness of tools like Scratch coding, coding games, toys like Ozobots and Spheros and Arduinos and Microbits.
  • Newer technology like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, 3D printers, and robots.
  • Standards for digital skills, within the Vancouver School Board and from the International Society for Tech Educators.
  • Events like BYOD (bring your own device) events and Hour of Code.

I was both surprised and comforted to know that standards exist for digital skills education, both internationally and within the Vancouver School District, and would love to learn more about this. Not just about what these standards are, but where they came from. Why these standards in particular? What are some recommended ways to pass these skills on to our students? What roles do they see/expect libraries to play in this education? What other roles are possible for libraries to play in passing on digital skills? What is being done now and what research has been done on how effective these practices have been?

Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. D.McNeeJanuary 13, 2019 at 7:49 PM

    This is a good first post! You are asking some good questions and have started to collect good keywords which will help you further explore your interests. I am looking forward to seeing where your learning takes you.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LIBE 477: 3D Printers in schools: Who? What? How?... Why?

Last week, when musing on my Final Vision project , I was looking into creating a website to help teachers and librarians with access to 3D printers, but no idea how to use them. But why use 3D printers in schools at all? What use are they to teachers, librarians and students? Kids' drawings turned into 3D printed objects. Image from The Guardian . With school budgets getting cut all the time ( with numerous consequences ), and models for classrooms can get expensive. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can bypass the cost of many classroom tools and just make your own. Want a human skull? Make one ! Need a 3D model of your province? Totally doable ! You can even use a 3D printer to build replacement parts on broken tools or models you already have, getting more life out of them. Just this one tool can be used for all kinds of classroom objects, like making rewards for students - they can even choose their own! A 3D printed model of the anatomy of a human heart. Th...
4 comments
Read more

LIBE 477 Inquiry 4: Bringing Libraries to the World

At the beginning of author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk, " The Danger of a Single Story ", she tells of her experiences with stories as a young girl in Nigeria. Growing up reading books from Europe and America, the only stories she new were of people with white skin and blue eyes, eating apples and doing other distinctly European activities. Since those were the only stories she had read, that was all she knew to write. It's a powerful example of why it's important to have stories available everywhere by local writers. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie "The Danger of a Single Story". Video care of YouTube. Writing and publishing books around the world would surely have amazing benefits, but is easier said than done. Adichie mentions in her talk the non-profit  Farafina Trust , which currently provides annual writing workshops in Lagos, Nigeria, and their dreams of building and refurbishing libraries there. To be inspired to write, people first need...
2 comments
Read more

LIBE 477 Inquiry 3: Supporting Teachers' ICT Development

I have never been drawn to technology. In fact, I'm much more likely to seek, out very old tools and technology, such as learning to spin and dye my own wool. That being said, I can still recognize that technology is inevitably becoming a part of our lives and I will gladly integrate any tool that that will make my life easier as a teacher or improve the experience of the students in my classroom. Reluctant as I am, there are certainly teachers in schools even less inclined towards technology that myself. I believe that my reluctance towards technology puts me in a better position to understand the more technology-averse teachers in the school and as the teacher-librarian, I would be in a great position to try and reach out to support their development of ICT skills. 3D printers are incredibly satisfying to watch. Video by WildRose Builds. One of the most scarce resources for teachers is time. When in their busy schedule of writing lesson plans, marking and (hopefully) livi...
4 comments
Read more