Implementing
Technology in Schools
Cristina
L. Ramirez
University
Of North Texas
SLIS
5720
Dr.
Daniella Smith
Abstract
The
needs of students are changing at a rapid pace.
Technology is changing at an even faster rate and it is up to teachers
and librarians to keep up with the latest trends in technology. Teachers and librarians are the key to the
quality of education a student receives.
Technology in the 21st century is a vital component to the
success of students. Educators must
accept these technology trends and be willing to acquire training and implement
the use of technology with their students.
The librarians role should include being accessible and be prepared to
assist students when implementing technology in schools. Therefore this means that teachers,
librarians and other educators must embrace the Standards for the 21st
Century Learner and the ISTE NETS for teachers.
Keywords: technology, education, teachers,
librarians.
Introduction
Teachers and Librarians need to be
active with technology literacy and they need to keep up with the changes that
are constantly evolving. Implementing
technology in lessons is a great way to captivate student learners and to
prepare students for the future.
Computers and technology are becoming the way of life. Technology can be found on phones and other
hand held devices. People are no longer
confined to a desk computer. Students
that are born into this generation are more advanced than older generations. The older generations need to keep up with
the latest trends to be able to teach and expose students that are anxious to
work with technology. Some of the most recent technology revolves around blogs,
social networks, texting and video sharing cites. However, there is much more to technology
than this.
Benefits
of Technology in Education
There
are many reports and articles that indicate strong evidence that technology
impacts student learning. One of those
reports is from the Software Information Industry Association, its states that technology
is making a significant positive impact on education (SIIA, 2000). This article
also shows substantial evidence that the effects of technology impacted student
achievement, a positive attitude about learning, and the teachers professional
development and decisions allowed students to work in a collaborative learning
environment (SIIA, 2000). All these
contributing factors show a positive benefit of using technology in the realm
of education.
Another
area that technology has significantly impacted is the efforts of student’s
performance on standardized tests (Mann, Shakeshaft, Becker, & Kottkamp,
1999). A study was done in West Virginia by the Basic Skills/Computer Education
program and the finding in this study showed that effective use of technology
led directly to significant gains in math, reading and language arts skills
(Mann, Shakeshaft, Becker, & Kottkamp, 1999). Even though this article is a bit old it
stands to show the reason for having so much technology available for educators
to use in today’s classroom.
Technology
is so diverse in today’s society, any subject can be found on the internet and
technology can be applied to any subject.
There are many programs and tools that can be applied to math, science,
social studies, language arts, music, art, and even sports. It’s up to the
educators to open up the doors to technology so that students can benefit from
this technology.
Technology Standards
There
are three major standards that teachers and librarians should follow in order
to implement effective technology use in the realm of education. The standards are the American Association of
School Librarians (AASL) Standards for the 21st Century Learner, the
International Society in Technology Education (ISTE) and the National Education
Technology Standards (NETS). All technology
lessons should include these standards.
In order for the Standards for the 21st Century Learner to be
effective the librarian must work closely with teachers and should be able to
provide a safe and up to date environment where students can work effectively. Lessons should be geared to encourage critical
thinking, drawing conclusions and students should be able to present or share
their assignment.
Students
of today are in a digital age and technology lessons have to be geared to
support the digital age and the students learning and creativity. The proper
way to implement NETS is to create lessons where students locate, organize,
analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources
(ISTE NETS, 2002). Students need to be
able to think on their own by creating original work using technology. The teacher must be able to create a
well-developed lesson that emphasizes collaboration and maximizes content
learning.
Librarians Role
Librarians will always have the challenge of
establishing the need for a library. The
role of the 21st Century librarian must adapt, create and be able to
inform students on how to use technology. This is the time where librarians can
make a stand and become technology savvy leaders and show how to use proper
technology tools to patrons, students, faculty and staff. The librarian should not be seen as only a
teacher, but a portal of ideas for patrons.
The librarian should be receptive to learn and become a leader to
attract and aid individuals in a library setting.
Librarian Technology Ideas
Technology
should always fill a need and librarians should think realistically about which
tools are actually needed in the libraries versus the ones that are found to be
fun (Farkas, 2007). Creating assignments
or implementing technology tools such as setting up a Blog, Wiki or a Facebook
page helps students to navigate through Web 2.0 tools. These particular tools
are great so that students and staff can communicate effectively, post thoughts
or learn of the latest news and updates.
Librarians can also introduce other ideas to teachers such as Animoto.com.
This would be a great way to get teachers to assign a project using this tool
instead of using a regular PowerPoint presentation. This allows librarians to help students and
teachers set up a more visual presentation using Web 2.0 tools. Overall the role of a librarian in today’s
society must be progressive to accept the growth of technology and implement
activities to attract the”21st-Century Learner” (Valenza, 2007).
Conclusion
Technology is changing at a rapid
pace and it is imperative that educators accept this reality. It is crucial that students be knowledgeable
and be fluent with technology applications and tools. Teachers and librarians
must embrace the learning standards to effectively impact student learning in
this digital age. Proper implementation
of the standards consequently affect student learning therefore it is necessary
that proper information literacy skills be developed to keep every 21st
Century Learner in mind.
References
AASL Standards for the
21st-Century Learner, American Library Association, ( 2006)
Retrieved November 27, 2012, from : http://www.ala.org/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/standards
Farkas,
M. (2007). The Evolving Library. American Libraries, 38(6), 50.
MacKinnon, S. (2003, March). Technologies at Work
(The West Virginia Story: Technology Advances Learning and Teaching). International Journal of Technologies for
the Advancement of Knowledge and Learning. Retrieved November 27, 2012,
from: http://www.techknowlogia.org/TKL_Articles/PDF/463.pdf
National Educational Technology Standards for Students in ISTE NETS Project (2002) Retrieved November 27, 2012,
from: http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students
Software
& Information Industry Association (SIIA). (2000) Washington D.C. 2000
Research Report on the Effectiveness (7thth ed.) Retrieved November 27,
2012, from: http://www.siia.net/estore/REF-00-summary.pdf
Valenza, J. K. (2007). You know you're
a 21st-century teacher-librarian if…. Teacher Librarian, 35(1), 18-20.
