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. 

An Interview with Grant Wiggins: The Power of Backwards Design

Leslie Fox

CA

Johnson, B. (Nov 19, 2013). An interview with Grant Wiggins: The power of backwards design.

Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/interview-grant-wiggins-power-backwards-design-ben-johnson

Summary:

In this interview Ben Johnson talks with Dr. Wiggins, president of Authentic Education, about his thoughts on assessment. Grant Wiggins who co-wrote Understanding by Design with Jay McTighe, asserts that assessment should be central to instruction not an afterthought. The interview focuses on problems teachers face, especially in upper grades, of providing individual feedback  to guide instruction. Formative assessments are key, not just teaching to prepare students for the State tests. Wiggins points out that many teachers are still confused about summative and formative assessments. He claims that formative assessments "do not have to be elaborate." For example, focusing on the present, not looking back at what was taught, but where the student is now and that not everything needs to be graded to be formative assessment. When administrators are looking for evidence of learning success when they observe teachers. Preparing the evaluation first (backward design) may not be as easy for teachers as Wiggins had hoped, apparently, it’s not instinctual, however, teachers can be more effective in planning lessons when they at least think about the evaluation as they plan the lesson. Wiggins offers some examples of ways for teachers to perform simple summative assessment on a daily basis.

Evaluation:

This interview gives a refreshing and practical clarification of formative assessment. It also helped me understand more about an administrator’s role in assessing teachers when they observe. Assessments are necessary but can be seen as a tool used to teach, not just an end. Assessment does not have to be the enemy.

The Relationship of Personality Type, Problem-Solving Appraisal, and Learning Stratagies

Closson, Jennifer





CO,ET





Ginevra, M. C., Nota, L., Heppner, P. P., Heppner, M., & Soresi, S. (2015). The Relationship of Personality Type, Problem-Solving Appraisal, and Learning Strategies. Journal Of Career Assessment, 23(4), 545-558. doi:10.1177/1069072714553075



Summary:


This article links learning styles with personality types.  Research has shown there is a definite correlation between problem solving with various personality types including extroversion, intuition, thinking and judgment oriented learners.  "These results have important implications for practice and underscore that specific problem solving training may improve critical learning strategies."


Review:
 It is self-evident that personality affects learning strategies and outcomes.  Young people in particular with poor social skills, inadequate problem-solving abilities, and a lack of belief in one’s ability to succeed, tend to have ineffective coping skills. However, adjustment of learning strategies to adjust to personality variables can help to teach positive coping skills. “Fortunately problem solving appraisal has shown to be alterable or amenable to change through primary intervention”. (Ginevra, et. al.)


Environmental factors can also be detrimental to certain personality types. The author suggests that in this new world, educator control of the learning environment may provide a greater benefit to development of problems solving skills and enhancement of learning strategies, than intervention.  


I found this article to be especially helpful in providing guidance for assistance of at risk youth whose personality traits have been negatively affected either at home or in other negative environments. Through active intervention, educators can now help students develop problem solving skills and learning strategies by enhancing student beliefs in themselves as active problem solvers in the world around them and in their educational pursuits.


    

 

An old problem needs a new solution: Incorporating librarian-led legal research instruction into directed research

Gary Lui

Talley, N. B. (2014). An old problem needs a new solution: Incorporating librarian-led legal research instruction into directed research. Legal Reference Services Quarterly, 33(4), 292-309. doi:10.1080/0270319X.2014.972209

Summary:
The Talley (2014) article believe librarian-led legal research courses are the best way to teach law students legal research. The article specifically mentions a pilot program implemented by Rutgers University School of Law – Camden in order to help improve law students' legal research skills. "The pilot program increased students’ exposure to legal research through librarian-led instruction that incorporated pedagogy to help students learn valuable legal research skills" (Talley, 296). What makes the pilot program successful is that it increases law students' exposure to legal research instruction.

The article also mentions modeling, which is when law students are introduced by law librarians to new resources and research strategies (300).  "The librarians modeled proper research techniques by showing students how to locate materials in the library catalog, searching by keyword, subject heading, or author" (305). Librarians' implementation of legal research pedagogy such as modeling are therefore providing support to law students.

Evaluation:
I decided to post about this article about a pilot program with librarian-led instruction because this pilot program is trying to replace the old bird units way of teaching legal research which is to give little to no instruction to law students who lack basic legal research skills. I think the author of the article designed the most effective legal research course for the law students. Those law school students who come into law school without basic legal research skills will now through the pilot program be better legal researchers by being given the opportunity to model the law librarian and ask questions to the law librarian during the legal research process.

The pedagogical value of an integrated approach to legal research instruction: Overcoming student resistance to the use of print sources and striking a balance that instills an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of both print and online sources

Gary Lui

Sears, D. S. (2014). The pedagogical value of an integrated approach to legal research instruction: Overcoming student resistance to the use of print sources and striking a balance that instills an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of both print and online sources. Legal Reference Services Quarterly, 33(1), 38-65. doi:10.1080/0270319X.2014.869977

Summary:
The Sears (2014) article notes that law students prefer online resources is a result of these law students having grown up using computers and the Internet. In order for law students to be less inexperienced using print resources, Sears suggests implementing an integrated approach to teaching legal research, where students were given assignments which made the law students to use print and online resources. The reason for including print resources in legal research instruction is that law firms are finding that new associates who just graduated from law school are racking up their clients' bills from spending a lot of time doing legal research online, which costs a lot of money.

Evaluation:
The author of the article is the Senior Law Librarian and Associate Director for Legal Research Instruction, which makes the author qualified to discuss the challenges of teaching legal research. I appreciate that the article uses Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning, which makes law students "think critically about their experience and move to a higher level of learning, that is, evaluating their experience" (Sears, 45). This reminds me of The Big Think. Overall, I think anytime students are made to think about their learning experience is a good thing.

5 Tips to Improve Your Critical Thinking

Hoff, Jane

IL–Critical Thinking

5 tips to improve your critical thinking - Samantha Agoos. (2016, March 15). Retrieved 2016, from http://ed.ted.com/lessons/5-tips-to-improve-your-critical-thinking-samantha-agoos

5 Tips to Improve Your Critical Thinking

Summary:  This TED-Ed video uses visually appealing animation to support verbal explanation of the importance of critical thinking skills in everyday life.  As we are exposed to an vast sea of information, through interpersonal interactions, digital media, and environmental conditions, we are faced with a tremendous task of making decisions.  While critical thinking is not the only way to make decisions, the application of the 5 step process in sense making and decision making attributed to critical thinking has proved to be more frequently successful and more desirable quality of successful people.  This video was designed to share with students to help guide them in developing successful critical thinking processes and skills, as well as understand the purpose critical thinking serves.

Review:  Yet again TED- Ed does not disappoint.  This concise video offers a meaningful explanation of critical thinking with engaging tie-ins to everyday activities that is clearly directed to a young adult or teen audience.  The video also offers a well-illustrated and easily navigable 5 steps for approaching thinking critically.  While this might not be the best video to show K – 6 students, it may serve a tremendous value in demystifying the learning objectives and targets in critical thinking for older students in middle school and high school.  This video will most certainly focus the key elements that educators would need to emphasize to their students in critical thinking iteration even in lower elementary grades.  This also has a full TED-Ed Lesson option (found on the right side menu panel).

Critical Thinking: Educating Competent Citizens

Hoff, Jane

IL–Critical Thinking

Admin, E. (2014, January 29). Critical thinking: Educating competent citizens. Retrieved 2016, from https://www.elesapiens.com/blog/critical-thought-educating-competent-citizens

Critical Thinking: Educating Competent Citizens

Summary:  In this article, which first appeared on the blog Elesapiens January 29, 2014, critical thinking as a process is explained.  The article explains eight fundamental aspects to the process of critical thinking: Reflection, Analysis, Acquisition of Information, Creativity, Structuring Arguments, Decision Making, Commitment, and Debate.    Additionally, the article pairs these eight fundamental aspects with five soft skills that are universally important to the world citizen: Humility, Courage, Responsibility, Commitment, and Respect.  The basic idea is that critical thinking skills are fundamental to self-sufficiency and capable problem solving in everyday life. Critical thinking skills are not limited to academic pursuits, and the more young students correlate critical thinking skills with everyday life pursuits, the more success they will see in academic achievement, life-long learning, and over all life success.

Review:  Where many in our field might find the explanation of critical thinking gratuitous, it does add to the bounty of information that can be effectively transferred to our students for their understanding of expectations and learning targets in the classroom and in everyday life.  Deconstructed in this manner, this article encourages the educator to more effectively describe and define critical thinking as a process to students enhancing their ability to navigate the academic world, their local community, as well as the global community in which they will certainly be playing a larger role in the very near future.