Mobile Technologies and Technology Access in Libraries

With the popularity of the e-reader that arose in the mid-2000s libraries had to keep up with book-selling competitors in offering their patrons a way to borrow books on their devices. E-readers provided convenience for commuters and travellers and those who didn’t like large, cumbersome books. The proliferation of mobile devices has changed the way people use libraries even further, particularly the younger generations. Most people have smartphones and many have tablets. If you have a library card you simply need to download an app to have access to thousands of ebooks and audiobooks for free without ever leaving the house. Today, when people are busier than they’ve ever been it is so important for libraries to provide their patrons with access to these digital resources. To stay current and valuable to their patrons, libraries are also providing access to free internet and access to technology where it might not otherwise be available as well as support in teaching their patrons how to use these things. 

Andrew Roskill speaks to the library’s ability to bridge the economic and digital divide. He points out that libraries have some major competition for patrons when companies such as Google, Amazon and Apple are so good at marketing that people will pay for content that they can access for free with a library membership. Three services that libraries can provide that the big companies can’t are to lend devices, provide technical training and host special events.

The following video demonstrates just how important public libraries have

become in our internet-dependent world. The video is based in the United States, but the same theories can be applied to developing countries as well. More and more people are depending on the internet for basic needs, such as

finding and applying for jobs, doing coursework, applying for and accessing government programs and connecting with friends and family. This can be very challenging in rural communities and individuals living below the poverty line who cannot access or afford internet in the home. The public library has become the place where people from any walk of life can get help and access the technology they need.

“In developing countries, the internet is one of the most important features that public libraries have to offer. In public libraries, farmers, fishermen and more are able to use the internet to market their products and keep up with current prices. Agricultural information and technology in the library are vitally important in developing countries.” (Nielson, 2017) For 20 years the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, through their Global Libraries program, made it their goal to provide free access to information and technology through public libraries across the globe.

Another challenge faced by libraries in developing nations is simply that books are difficult to come by and patrons may have difficulty getting to a library. Inexpensive mobile technology which is widely used worldwide (a 2014 UNESCO study states that over 6 billion people out of Earth’s estimated 7 billion population already have access to a working mobile phone) could be the solution to these challenges. The study done by UNESCO (2014) found that the number one reason why people read more on their mobile devices in developing nations was convenience and access to a wider selection of books. Where printed materials are prohibitively expensive, digital technologies are not and can easily be accessed through a mobile phone. 

School libraries can also benefit from students bringing in their own devices, particularly where access to technology is limited as Nielson (2017) describes: “In schools, I think that mobile devices could have a very positive impact on learning. I was recently teaching a class in the library and asked students to participate in an online discussion. There are only 9 computers in the library, so the remainder of the students needed to use their phones to participate. It was really neat to see a group of students using their devices in such a positive and collaborative way. I have noticed that phones can be a distraction, but with guidance and support, students can learn how to use them to further their learning. This many change the way their use their phones outside of school as well.”

We will not see a decline in the use of mobile technology anytime in the near future. From a library’s perspective, both public and school, it’s something to be used to their advantage or something they can fight against. The fact that we are seeing the former bodes well for libraries staying relevant and meeting the needs of their patrons.

Works Cited

GatesFoundation (2012, May 24). The Public Library is Transforming Communities [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cwsrgMOcLA

Nielson, J. (2017, October 27). Public Libraries and Developing Countries [Blog post]. Technology and the New Library. Retrieved from https://medium.com/technology-and-the-new-library/public-libraries-and-developing-countries-cea63153fb4c

TEDx Talks (2014, May 14). Get a read on this -- libraries bridging the digital divide: Andrew Roskill at TEDxCharleston [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J198u5HK0pY

West, M. & Chew, H. E. (2014). Reading in the Mobile Era. UNESCO. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000227436

* All pictures acquired through Creative Commons and are labelled for noncommercial reuse

Teacher-Librarians Supporting Colleagues

Teacher-Librarians as Professional Development Leaders

I believe that it is important for the teacher-librarian to have a leadership role in the school and to take on a piece of the professional development. It's a unique role within the school in that there is only one person doing it and the job entails the management of a facility. As such, teacher-librarians are leaders by default. As for professional development, the teacher-librarian should be on the forefront of discovering new resources. I believe it's important for the T-L to “vet” up and coming resources and present them to the teaching staff. Carl A. Harvey II in “Are You the Next Leader in Our Profession” (2011) states that “We have to be one of the folks in the building to whom students and staff look for guidance, support, and encouragement. We want to be models; our patrons should see the librarian as someone who is a lifelong learner, always striving to make their program better.” 

In order to establish themselves as a professional development leaders, teacher-librarians should consistently be connecting staff to new resources and opportunities. They might do this simply by sharing some new resources at a staff meeting. They might take on a teaching role in PLC time or create and lead a PLG. Being a member of the professional development planning committee is important in that they can present workshops to staff or plan for engaging facilitators.

Teacher-Librarians as Educational Partners

Unfortunately, it’s not always clear to staff just how useful a resource their teacher-librarian can be. Trevor MacKenzie (2019) speaks to the value of working collaboratively with the teacher-librarian: “I have discovered rich support and learning in my own backyard when I have collaborated with my teacher-librarian. This educational professional is often under-utilized in a school environment. Many teachers see the librarian interact only with students, but they are invaluable resources for teachers as well. Collaboration with a teacher-librarian creates a rich inquiry practice for classroom teachers that can easily be implemented with students. If we develop the habit of accessing this great resource as a regular class routine throughout the year, we will see the kind of progress and success we are looking for.”

Image Source: Trevor MacKenzie (2019)

It’s important for teacher-librarians to establish themselves as approachable, personable and collaborative. With the teachers the main focus should be on building relationships. Toor & Weisburg write about the personal relationships being even more important than the professional ones. Teachers need to feel comfortable wandering into the library for a chat or to look for resources. They need to feel some ownership over the resources and know that they can browse freely without someone pestering them but knowing the support is available (in the past I’ve gone in to browse and found it really hard to focus when the librarian didn’t give me space!) Building a strong foundation with teaching staff will help the teacher-librarian to become an indispensable member of the school. As far as collaboration, the goal is to lighten the load of the teachers by supporting their units or taking on certain learning outcomes for them, especially in (but not limited to) the curricular competencies related to Applied Design, Skills and Technologies. Being an observer is one of the best things a teacher-librarian can do. When they see the needs of the teaching staff they can pull resources and make suggestions to colleagues without having to be asked. A busy classroom teacher will be grateful to know they what they are doing matters and is supported.

Works Cited

Harvey II, Carl A. (2011). “Are You the Next Leader in Our Profession?”Library Media Connection, 29(6), 14. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=e4203618-7b3c-4698-8f51-dd5c10c08d78%40sdc-v-sessmgr06

MacKenzie, Trevor (2019, March 18). Classroom Inquiry’s Secret Weapon: The Teacher-Librarian. Canadian School Libraries Journal. Retrieved from https://journal.canadianschoollibraries.ca/classroom-inquirys-secret-weapon-the-teacher-librarian/

Toor, R., & Weisburg, H. K. (2012). New on the job: A School Library Media Specialist’s Guide to Success. 2nd edition. Chicago: American Library Association

Teachers as Lifelong Learners

Image Source: Cox, 2019

Professional development is one of those things...it’s only going to be as good as you make it. For that reason, there are educators who (unfortunately) year after year complain about the workshops and courses that they have to do and really don’t take the initiative to improve their own practice. There are others who strive to find workshops of value and set goals to work towards. I’m entering my second year as the professional development committee co-chair and what an eye-opening experience that has been! Firstly, before being a part of this committee I really was clueless about the amount of blood, sweat and tears that our colleagues go through to plan and implement enriching professional development opportunities. Secondly, as I mentioned above, there are passive and active participants. Motivation to partake and continue to learn is probably the most important element of professional development. Many of Janelle Cox’s “15 Professional Development Skills for Modern Teachers” (retrieved 2019) point to the fact that professional development is a very autonomous process.

It could be argued that doing the teacher-librarianship diploma alone is self-motivated professional development. Even if I never step foot in a learning commons as a teacher-librarian, I’ve learned so much in the course for this program that has improved my practice in the classroom. I think that professional development is so much more than the five mandated days every school year. It’s just as much a reflective practice as it is an active one. Every school year I reflect on something I find challenging to teach or something I feel that I can improve upon and I set a goal to work on that one thing, and some goals last more than one school year. A few years ago it was differentiated math instruction. This year it’s an improvement upon and formalization of student conferencing for formative assessment. As a result of setting these goals I have a purpose to my professional development and seek out workshops, resources and other like-minded colleagues that support my success.

One of the biggest factors in pushing me forward in my practice is finding a small group of colleagues with similar goals. Working with colleagues that have similar values has raised my own professional development to the next level. Collaborating on ideas to implement in the classroom, getting feedback from those who are already doing it and seeking out resources that they’ve used has been the most valuable for me in my learning. The theory that we learn best from our peers is supported in TeachThought’s article “10 Simple Ways to Engage In Lifelong Learning” where four of the ways explicitly involve working with others: “keep smart company”, “teach others”, “join a study group” and “find a job that encourages learning and collaboration”. (TeachThought, 2019)

Video source: TeachThought, 2019

Works Cited

Cox, J. (Retrieved 2019). 15 Professional Development Skills for Modern Teachers [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachhub.com/15-professional-development-skills-modern-teachers?k12-news 

TeachThought (2019, February 2). 10 Simple Ways to Engage In Lifelong Learning [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/learning/10-simple-ways-to-engage-in-lifelong-learning/ 

Fostering a Love of Reading

Fortunately this week’s topic is one in which my school has been actively working in the last year and will continue with this year. Small groups of teachers have been working on inquiry projects that foster a love of reading, thereby creating stronger readers. 

When trying to create a reading culture, getting the reluctant and struggling readers on board is the biggest challenge. When reading is difficult or boring the kids view it as a chore. The single biggest indicator of success in student engagement is putting the choice in their hands. Taking the choice away turns reading into hard work. I’ve seen this first-hand with my own children who are strong and avid readers but fight with me about reading homework assigned by the teacher. If the child is being forced to read a book, are they truly engaging with it and reaping the benefits of the reading? Neil Gaiman (2013) tends to think not: "The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity. And that means, at its simplest, finding books that they enjoy, giving them access to those books, and letting them read them."

This sentiment is supported by Stephen Krashen (2012). The following video is lengthy, but engaging and worth watching. Krashen makes statements such as “The kind of reading we do that really counts is free voluntary reading” and “When you give kids interesting things to read, they will read them. No question.” But how can we define what is “interesting” to kids? Of course that will be different for every child and so letting THEM decide what is interesting is key.

The same theory is repeated in Malvika Bhagwat’s blog post Four Classroom-Ready Tips to Boost Reading Engagement and Drive Learning (2018) “Giving students a choice in what they read is crucial for student motivation and engagement; students are more likely to read purposefully if they can choose what they read. In fact, self-selected reading activities are approximately twice as impactful in driving reading development as teacher-directed reading activities.”   

While there are innumerable sources supporting the theory that readers will be more engaged in self-selected materials, the challenge my colleagues and I encountered in our classrooms was that students didn’t tend to digress from the books they knew they loved, and so we’d have kids re-reading the same books over and over again. In an attempt to expand their horizons we partnered with the teacher-librarian to do some lessons around different genres and then she’d pull books from a particular genre that the students possibly hadn’t encountered before. In our classrooms we put a big focus on “read-to-someone” (Boushey & Moser, 2009) hoping to expose students to different materials through reading with peers. After a “read-to-someone” session the students would fill out a simple reflection about their partner’s book including whether or not they’d choose that book in the future. Our findings were that peer-opinion had a big impact on student choice and that it did encourage kids to look past their comfort zones.

I think one thing the staff at my school does successfully is that we are all working towards the same goal in different ways. Every classroom teacher as well as the teacher-librarian is working towards fostering this love of reading and so year after year students are working towards the same goal as well. On the last Friday of every month the entire school, including staff, bring their books into the hallway and sit and read for half an hour together. Students seeing their older and younger peers as well as adults engaging in reading for pleasure is a big motivator and is invaluable in fostering a culture of readers.

Works Cited

Bhagwat, M. (2018, May 21). Four Classroom-Ready Tips to Boost Reading Engagement and Drive Learning [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-05-21-four-classroom-ready-tips-to-boost-reading-engagement-gap-and-drive-learning 

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The CAFÉ book. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Gaiman, N. (2013, October 15). Why our future depends on libraries, reading an daydreaming.The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming?CMP=twt_gu

Krashen, S. (2012, April 5). The power of reading. The COE lecture series. University of Georgia. Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSW7gmvDLag

* All pictures acquired through Creative Commons and are labelled for noncommercial reuse