To keep current on technology after 602, Rayome (2017) suggests seeking online credentials to stay fresh with services like LinkedIn Learning, joining professional organizations, reading technology news and blogs daily, and following influential bloggers.  There are myriad blogs on technology in learning and just as many influential bloggers.  Although I will be working full time and taking a full course load, I realize that I need to create a plan to set aside a weekly amount of time to look at the various blogs that I have identified of special interest (below).  As for social media, DeWitt (2019) makes a strong case for using twitter in the library to help stay connected in the profession, keep pace with new trends, and even get advice from others in the field.  I have long been skeptical about the beneficial use of my time in using social media, but this may be an interesting avenue for me to explore the LIS field.  As for TikTok or #BookTok, I remain skeptical that it contributes to higher level thinking skills and will continue to try to avoid it. 

Blogs

Below are some of my top blog picks for staying current on technology.

• Tech 4 School Librarians: Musings from a teacher librarian includes posts that share new tools and innovative ways to use tools that you already know.  They include links to examples and more links to go deeper into the topic. To name just a few, examples of topics include Canva vs Piktochart, Zoom vs Meet, Bitmoji virtual libraries, student engagement, and gamification.
• Free Technology for Teachers shares technology news and spotlighting applications, this blog is a great resource for librarians and teachers alike.  For example, I learned that Flipgrid has been bought out by Microsoft to become Microsoft Flip and the blog shares a new getting started guide for that application.  There’s also a post on time lapse virtual field trips and an introduction to the new Teacher Assistant for Resources & Administration (TARA) application.  
• A part of Free Technology for Teachers, Practical EdTech includes posts on tech tools and practical uses of technology. They offer “practical ways to use technology to enhance your lessons, increase student engagement, and make you a better teacher.” (Byrne, n.d.). 
• Matt Miller’s Ditch That Textbook blog shares tools and ideas for teachers to up their technology game to improve student learning.  For example, he shares bingo choice boards, ideas for discussion-rich classrooms, and templates to help students thrive.  He has 10 categories to choose from including Tech like a pirate, chromebook lessons, gamification, google ideas and virtual field trips (there’s one on the eiffel tower).  Miller (2022) says it’s his “passion to equip teachers to thrive in this new era of education and think differently about the craft of teaching”.
• Another good website to keep up with the most current and compelling new technology is the AASL Best Digital Tools for Teaching and Learning.  This list of the award-winning digital tools provides descriptions of and links to award-winning new tools available to educators.  Be forewarned that even though the requirement that the sites be shared free of charge, many of them require you to create an account to look at them.
• The Daring Librarian blog includes content they created to help other people so as not to recreate the wheel.  Topics include safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent students, new tools and games like Jigsaw Explore, and building community at a distance.  

Influential people to follow

I have also identified three influential bloggers that share new ideas for technology and include coaching on how to use it.

• Adam Juarez  https://techcoachjuarez.blogspot.com/  His tech coach site includes step by step directions on how to do all types of things with technology for teaching.  The directions include screen shots.  For example, he explains how to create a dropdown list in a google doc and how to power up a hyperdoc with YouTube Preview.
• Esther Park – TechTips   Her site shares how-to videos on a variety of technology that you can incorporate in your class including how to incorporate animated gifs on google slides, to make interactive google slides, to use digital breakout rooms, and to make digital stickers.
• Shawn Beard’s – the Techy Coach  is primarily a compendium of tips and tricks on all manner or Google products from how to do various things in a google doc to improving your website or google classroom site.

Podcasts 

Lastly, there are a couple of podcasts that I would like to keep up with:

• Cyberpunk librarian In his podcast, Daniel Messer explores ideas, trends and “cool stuff” for your library that are high tech but low budget.
• The Library Pros is a podcast from a library and a technology pro talking about libraries and technology.

And more…

If I need more inspiration or more resources on technology in the library or technology in the classroom, I have found the following go to articles:

• Top 10 EdTech blogs you should know
• 22 most influential innovation blogs to follow
• 100 Best Innovation Blogs and Websites 
• 13 must-hear librarian podcasts  
• Elearning feeds: learning technology and innovation  
• 22 most influential innovation blogs to follow  
• Book and Library-related Podcasts
• Library of congress podcasts

References

Byrne, R. (n.d.). Practical Ed Tech – Richard Byrne. https://practicaledtech.com/

DeWitt, M. (2019). The benefits of library twitter.  ACRLog. https://acrlog.org/2019/03/22/cheers-to-library-twitter/

Rayome, A. D. (2017, September 7).  10 ways that IT pros and developers can keep their tech skills up to date. TechRepublic. https://www.techrepublic.com/article/10-ways-that-it-pros-and-developers-can-keep-their-tech-skills-up-to-date/ 

Jones, G. A. (2022, May 30). Ticket to ride: free helpful printables. The Daring Librarian. https://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/2022/05/ticket-to-ride.html

Miller, M. (2022). About Ditch That Textbook.  Ditch That Textbook. https://ditchthattextbook.com/about/