Friday, May 6, 2016

Through the Looking Glass: Examining Technology Integration in School Librarianship

Tikisha Harris

Santos Green. L. (2014).  Through the Looking Glass: Examining Technology Integration in School Librarianship. Retrieved from http://www.lucysantosgreen.com

Summary: In this article, the author Lucy Santos Green questions the origins of two very popular technology trends in school librarianship. In the same manner that we teach students to question the validity and accuracy of websites, teacher librarians should also be careful to review and analyze sources as well. The article examines both the SAMR (substitution, augmentation, modification, redefinition) and TPACK (technological, pedagogical, content, knowledge) technology integration models. The author explores the idea that teacher librarians may possibly be misusing both models. 

The validity of the SAMR model is questioned due to the fact that its popularity may possibly hide its true origins. The author writes that there are no peer-reviewed research articles on the background of or development of SAMR by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, the creator of SAMR. This, then caused the author to not only question SAMR but also to question Dr. Puentedura's educational background on technology integration as well as his actual pedagogical theory and practice. 

TPACK, according to the article, "is not a technology integration model" (2014). It is, however, a useful tool in measuring areas of professional growth for teachers in terms of technological pedagogical content knowledge. 


"Becoming effective technology leaders involves shifting the focus of our efforts from promoting technology tools and usage to supporting teachers in designing technology-enabled learning experiences (Santos Green 2014)."

Evaluation: The idea of technology integration in education is gaining so much momentum right now. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and Smarter Balanced Assessments students need to be technologically savvy. There are many technology tools in existence that it can become difficult to keep up with the trends that change on a daily basis. What I've noticed is that there are so many tools that we believe students should have access to that we are forgetting to actually teach them how to use them educationally. The teacher is trying to keep up with the student in the area of technology. As educators, our strength is in content and pedagogy. We must remember that technology should be used to enhance the learning experience not necessarily create it. 

This article reminds us, educators (including teacher librarians), to be just as mindful of popular educational technological tools, models and sources as we are of any other website or resource. We must continue review and analyze sources in order to maintain a level of expertise in the area of educational technology as it pertains to school librarianship. 

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