Technology in Education 1

Implementing Technology in Education

Angela Bryan SLIS 5720 Dr. Daniella Smith November 25, 2012

Technology in Education 2 Implementing Technology in Education Technology in education is no longer something that a select number of younger teachers utilize in their classrooms. Today, technology is a part of the standardized curriculum and must be integrated into the daily learning environment. In the global society, technology touches peoples lives, their homes, and their communities. Education and educational resources must rise up and meet the challenge of this technological movement. In schools, the librarians are key components in the implementation of using technology across the curriculum. Librarians are centralized people within the schools that act as the hub of the educational technology wheel. Understanding the benefits of technology in education, librarians must use their role to enhance the curriculum, as well as help teachers understand and incorporate the technology standards in their classroom. Benefits of Technology in the Classroom Technology benefits students and their learning process by providing innovative ways to use and create information. According to the Edutopia staff, Properly used, technology will help students acquire the skills they need to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy and it helps make teaching and learning more meaningful and fun (Edutopia, 2008). Through the use of technology, students with different learning styles and cognitive abilities can achieve educational goals in diverse ways. To build a better brain, there should be more variety in the strategies used to engage learners (Jensen, 1998, p. 39). This can be achieved via the use of instructional technology and media. Items such as Web 2.0 resources and audio and video technology are just some of the tools available to

Technology in Education 3 educators. Online journaling and PowerPoints have replaced paper and pencil work, giving students creative outlets for their ideas. Authors Moe and Chubb (2009) state that, with the use of educational technology curriculum can be customized to meet the learning styles and life situations of individual students, giving them productive alternatives to boring standardization of traditional schooling (pp. 76-77). If students are being challenged with new materials from multiple educational avenues, they will internalize the information and develop into long-term learners, thereby benefitting society as a whole. The School Librarians Role in Implementing Technology School librarians must act as directors of the instructional technology and media resources. Librarians must partner with other educators to identify and teach digital literacy and inquiry skills that will enable all students to be effective digital learners (Stripling, 2010). As information literacy and technology skills become central to learning, the librarians should take on the role of technology promoter. It is the responsibility of the librarian to be up-to-date on the latest educational technology and be available to share this information with other school employees, as well as the students. No longer do librarians spend the majority of their time checking out and shelving books. Todays librarians have different responsibilities; therefore, they have been given a different title, library media specialists (LMS). They integrate the digital world into the classroom and throughout the curriculum, in addition to being instructional partners, working with teachers and administrators to change what is possible in the classroom (Weil, n.d.,para 1). According to the president of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), Sara Kelly Johns, library media specialists: evaluate and produce

Technology in Education 4 information through the active use of a broad range of tools, resources, and informational technologies and provide students, educators, and staff with instructional materials that reflect current information needs (as cited in Weil, n.d., para 1). The role of the school librarian in integrating technology in the classroom encompasses multiple jobs and skills, but all of these things work together for the single purpose of creating an educational environment where students learn and acquire skills to compete in the current society. Implementing the Standards Standards set for learners and teachers are public guides to use to determine what students know and should be able to do. Some standards are nationally published, while others are published at the state level. The Standards for the 21st Century Learner and the ISTE NETS for Teachers, represent standards set at the national level. However, these guides do not reveal how to implement the information prescribed in the standards. This is where the professional educators and media specialists take control and determine the most effective ways to achieve the goals set forth by the standards. Standards for the 21st Century Learner The Standards for the 21st Century Learner outlines four main technology objectives in which learners must use skills, resources, and tools to accomplish. The first standard objective is to inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge ("Standards for the," 2007). To implement this, a librarian should teach students to use different search engines because one search engine cant do it all (Berger & Trexler, 2010). There are over 1,000 different search engines on the Web and students need guidance in determining which ones they should utilize. They should also be

Technology in Education 5 taught to use critical thinking skills to ascertain the validity of the sites found. This cannot be done by simply telling students how to conduct a search. The librarian must provide a demonstration of the appropriate way to conduct a search, and allow the students to practice their own search. The second standard focuses on learners drawing conclusions, making informed decisions, applying knowledge to new situations, and creating new knowledge ("Standards for the," 2007). One activity which requires students to use these skills would be to have the librarian group students and have them read some new material and organize it into designated PowerPoint pages. The groups then present their conclusions to the class and have an open discussion with other students about the overall understanding of the subject matter. This activity covers objective three as well (Standards for the,) sharing knowledge and participating ethically and productively as members of our democratic society (2007). Objective four concentrates on personal and aesthetic growth. A librarian can achieve this with students in a multitude of ways. For example, having students use social networking (Diigo) for research, creating class wikis, or having students create a class blog. The objectives listed in the Standards cannot be taught separately, they must be intertwined for optimal learning. ISTE NETS for Teachers Teachers must use NETS to evaluate their skills and knowledge in order to effectively teach in todays society ("Iste national educational," 2008). The responsibility of meeting these standard lies heavily with librarians. They should help teachers technology growth by providing continuous staff development opportunities. Librarians and teachers must work together to develop lesson plans that incorporate a variety of technical resources. By using the ASSURE lesson plan model, most of the standards will be met.

Technology in Education 6 Technology changes so quickly, it is hard to keep up personally, much less in an educational setting. Educators must work together to stay informed and current on new technological trends. The librarian is paramount in this endeavor. By embracing the benefits of technology, utilizing their role in the education structure, and following the standards set by the national system; librarians will have a positive impact in student achievement.

Technology in Education 7 References Berger, P., & Trexler, S. (2010). Choosing web 2.0 tools for learning and teaching in a digital world. (p. 29). Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited. Edutopia. (2008). Why integrate technology into the curriculum?: The reasons are many. Edutopia, Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction Iste national educational technology standards for teachers. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.d214.org/assets/1/workflow_staging/Documents/231.PDF Jensen, E. (1998). Teaching with the brain in mind. (p. 39). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Moe, T., & Chubb, J. (2009). Liberating learning. (1st ed., pp. 76-77). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Standards for the 21st century learner. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/standards Stripling, B. (2010). Teaching students to think in the digital environment: Digital literacy and digital inquiry. School library journal, XXVI(8), Retrieved from http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/articles/Stripling2010-v26n8p16.html Weil, E. (n.d.). Meet your new school library media specialist. Scholastic, Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3748779