Technology always seem to be changing in our world. Being able to implement new and exciting ideas in the classroom is something that we, as librarians, need to keep on top of to keep our students on par with the tech world. There are times where I can understand how “technophobia” can be a hurdle to overcome (Szmodis, 2021). With so many different platforms and apps in the online world, and even with everything we’ve learned in this course, I have experienced technophobia! 🙂 However, I appreciated what Szmodis (2021) added in her blog that technology is a skill not a talent (para 8). Technology concepts and tools may take time to understand and, to some, it’s something that doesn’t come naturally. You have to work at it to become more comfortable and get a handle on understanding it.
I appreciate people who have gone before me to tackle understanding concepts of technology and are willing to share their experiences with others. One way to keep up on technology trends is through other educators’ blogs. I enjoyed exploring RenovatedLearning.com. On this website/blog, there was a lot of information about makerspaces. I think makerspaces can be a way to incorporate technology into the library. Diana Rendina, who is the author of this website and has presented at several technology conferences, seems to be aware of new and inventive technologies to utilize in the library. She seems like a credible source and someone who keeps up with technology trends.
Looking at the ALA website of Best Digital Tools for Teaching & Learning (ala.org), I thought the Classroomscreen is an excellent piece of technology to add to the classroom or library. Its screen can be projected onto a Smartboard and used interactively by students. There are different widgets you can add to help aid in lessons and activities in the classroom. There is a timer widget that can be used for a countdown, a sound level to help students monitor the level of noise in the classroom or library, and a way to generate a QR code. It has different aspects of technology in one tool that is pretty impressive. The ALA website is a great tool to use to continue to stay up-to-date on current trends in technology.
I also think that EdTechmagazine.com is a website that I will continue to follow after LIBS 602. I was impressed by the great articles and information about technology that is featured on this site. I also liked how it is geared toward the K-12 school setting. This is a great resource to use for the library and classrooms in order to stay up-to-date on new and exciting technology innovations.
American Association of School Libraries. (2022). Best Digital Tools for Teaching & Learning. https://www.ala.org/aasl/awards/best
EDTech Magazine.com. Technology solutions that drive technology. https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/
Rendina, D. (2022). Renovated learning: Building a culture of creativity and discovery in education. http://www.renovatedlearning.com/
Szmodis, P. (2021, July 27). How to get over technophobia. Hack School Library. https://hacklibraryschool.com/2021/07/27/how-to-get-over-technophobia/
Technophobia is definitely hard to overcome! I had technophobia quite badly when starting this course and I tended to feel intimidated by the online resources and tools. Luckily, I have overcame some of that!
Your post has inspired me to take a closer look at classroom screen. I have an interactive smart board in my classroom and new ideas and tools to use with that would be great! I use technology extensively in my teaching and classroom activities, but I too experience not so much technophobia as a technology weariness since. I know this is not very forward thinking with regard to technology but there is always something new and I sometimes wish that things would just stay the same for a little while without adding anything more!
I agree that I also experience technophobia, but it is nice to read that feeling this way is okay. It is all right if technology doesn’t come easy to me; I just need to realize it is a skill that, like all skills, has to be honed.
Thanks for sharing, Lisa! Your post inspired me to take a closer look at the classroom screen. I have a large smartboard in the library, so finding new applications to use it with is incredibly helpful.
Edtech magazine is definitely one of my favorites. They have a focus on k-12 which I’m sure I’ll use the most, but they also have a higher education focus which will come in handy if I ever change my mind about maybe pursuing a career in academic librarianship.
A skill, yes! I feel like before, I thought I just wasn’t good at some technology-based things. Now, however, I have come to believe that it’s simply a matter of diving in and getting to it. Thanks for sharing!