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Technology Integration in Classrooms


            Librarians are tasked with managing large amounts of information on a routine basis, and  connecting that information with interested patrons. These are no small tasks, but with the help of new technologies, librarians are improving services and ease of access for their patrons, and the same is being done in the classroom too. This is accomplished through technological integration. According to John Garland, digital librarian and independent consultant, libraries use new digital technologies to make services easier to use and access, inspire and inform, and help customers learn new skills. In many ways, school librarians are doing the same thing in the classroom by providing K-12 students with workshops that teach them new skills and by providing them with digital devices like mobile apps or smart devices that link them to online services provided by their school’s library. To better understand this process, it’s best to examine different contemporary examples.
            In the days before the world wide web, school libraries were often the sole source of information for students. Nowadays, students K-12 are becoming increasingly reliant on the internet. In response, many school libraries are adapting to this change. The Ogden School District, in Utah, provides information technology training to its students, teaching them more intense methods of searching information than just doing a simple Google search. New Augusta South Elementary School, in Indianapolis, has an open-access library that is available all day; it aids student research by providing a link to bookmarks of other student’s research, thus helping the entire student body find their desired information faster. As for the Meadowbrook School of Weston in Massachusetts, there is a program called Transforming Tales that begins in the library. In it, students read fairy tales from around the world, then they collaborated by comparing what they’ve read. The students, combining all they’ve researched in the library, recreate their fairy tales through song, dance and drawing.
What all three of these school libraries accomplished, they did by avoiding isolation. By reaching out to students and collaborating with their instructors, these school libraries succeeded in supporting the integration of technology in the classroom. More importantly, the librarians from these institutions imparted information literacy and technological skills to the students that will continue to help them beyond grades K-12, steering them towards the path to higher education. There are many more examples of school libraries using various, but effective means, in introducing technology to classrooms all over the world, and I will surely discuss those in future blog posts.
Links:
https://princh.com/current-technology-trends-in-libraries/
https://www.theedadvocate.org/saving-school-libraries-technology-innovation-help-stay-relevant/

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