Not Your Grandmother’s Library. Learning and Leading with Technology.
Lisa Perez. Vol 38 (2011) Mar/Apr. No.1
The article Not Your Grandmother’s Library! by Lisa Perez talks about how libraries are now being used as a computer lab than a place to check out books. She says that in order to keep up with the digital age, schools are “replacing” books with computers, video cameras, and various other technologies. Librarians or media specialists are constantly trying to improve the students’ access to information and create a more effective and efficient teaching and learning environment.
Perez introduces us to a librarian in a Pennsylvania high school. There she provides the students with 80 desktop computers and other multimedia tools. The students connect to a wireless network and have space available for individual work, production, group work and presentations.
The second school she talks about is in Alabama. Her library has 14 computers, several laptops and digital and video cameras for student use. This instructor focused on podcasts with her students. She was able to listen to each students work at her desk at one time.
The last school that she talked about was in Oakland California, a low income school. Students went to the library during their teacher prep period. This school has 24 computers, a whiteboard, and a listening center. She focused on creating personal movies. The students were responsible for doing the research, scripts, and the technology skills.
Each of these schools are trying to encourage their students to learn the importance of technology not only in the school, but real life.
When I was in High School, we went to the library only to check out books. We used the Dewey Decimal System from the drawer with the title written on flashcards. The only reason we used the computers in the library was to see if the library even had the book or article we needed. I don’t think that books will ever be obsolete.
I think that the book is as important as the computer “book”. Providing student with computers, cameras, and other multimedia tools are important to the learning process. Libraries are now places to be creative.
The NETS for Students would be Research and Information Fluency because the student would have to be able to do educated research on the topic chosen. They would have to collect the research, organize it and then apply it to their assignment.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteWe never think that a form of technology or communication will one day be obsolete, until it is. Think of audio recording and playback technologies over the years. Records, 8-Tracks, Cassette Tapes, CDs, and now MP3 players. As technology evolved, so did the way we went about recording and reproducing information. The same can be said right now as we transition from paper to iPad. Think of all the new touch pad technology as equivalent to 8-Track Tapes, it is then almost inevitable that we will see, at least in 1st world nations, almost complete obsolescence of paper as a tool for recording and reproducing information.