Blog Post 3

Blog Post 3: Technology Implementation Strategies

In the article, Implementing Technology and Gaming Lessons in a School Library (Mashriqi, 2011), the author describes how she uses technology and a gaming atmosphere in her elementary school library to both introduce and reinforce lessons. Khalida Mashriqi offers many ideas and examples of how differentiating instruction through technology enables teacher-librarians to reach all students for maximum learning benefits.

One key point of the article was how the author uses interactive white boards for lessons and games. The author describes how she creates games utilizing the interactive white board to reinforce lessons and skills. It is important for the school librarian to keep up with current trends in literacy technologies and to teach students how to use technology properly. One of the ways the author accomplishes this is to create fun and exciting interactive lessons to be used on the interactive whiteboard. These activities could be used as a whole class lesson, or as a game format with student teams. Activities could include such lessons as library orientation, search engine usage, classifying books and the Dewey Decimal System, or library Jeopardy.  

Another key point of the article is how the author differentiates instruction in the library. Teaching students with varied learning needs, the teacher-librarian needs to be adept in designing and delivering instruction to meet the individualized needs of each student. Library lessons may offer specific or general accommodations or lessons that incorporate multiple learning styles. For example, visual learners will benefit from colorful anchor charts and presentations while hands-on activities would be of greater value to the tactile/kinesthetic learners. The author also suggests using tiered activities for whole group instruction.

Another key point the article made was how students use laptops and computers to utilize educational websites for learning extension and to locate books in the library. Promoting the love of reading and learning, school librarians must also reinforce reading skills and in some cases, pre-reading skills in the library. Using the library computers to access educational websites such as starfall.com, younger students may spend part of their library time reinforcing phonics or pre-reading skills. And as information literacy advocates for their building, librarians must teach students to locate, evaluate, and use online information properly.

           While the overall theme of this professional article relates to gaming lessons in the library, the author details other ways to integrate technology into the library curriculum. After reading this article, I have many ideas as to how to further integrate technology in the elementary library setting. The school library should be a fun and exciting place to extend classroom learning.

One piece of equipment I intend on utilizing in the library is the interactive whiteboard. The library should be a place of active learning and hands-on activities. The interactive whiteboard offers this and the additional benefit of interactivity to stimulate the students’ learning experiences. Increasing student interactions should directly correspond to increasing student retention of information.

            I am also excited to implement a movie making component to the library. Promoting creativity and a deeper understanding of core concepts, students will work individually or in groups to create short videos to be viewed in and around the school library. Project based learning allows the students to demonstrate their understanding of key concepts and produce an organized expression of their ideas. Students will be guided through the basics of movie production including creating storyboards for planning, script creation, filming, and editing. Students will then be able to record and share their videos such as: book reviews, introduction to the library, and digital citizenship.

            School libraries are so much more than merely a place to read and check out books. Today’s libraries should be the hub of current events and information for the school and the community. Teacher-librarians are challenged with keeping students up to date with the constant changes in technology and information.

References:

Mashriqi, K. (2011). Implementing technology and gaming lessons in a school library.

Knowledge Quest, 40(1), 24-28.