I have long used technophobia as a shield to avoid using technologies that I considered to be complicated. It wasn’t hard. My husband is a very tech savvy guy who has spent the last two decades selling specialized hardware to the government. In the past, whenever something went wrong that couldn’t be resolved by simply rebooting a device I simply called his name and he came to the rescue. I am certain that I have suffered from what Gordon called a “fear of inadequacy” (2022).

Szmodis said, “One of the main things that I learned in this course is that we all had a lot more digital capabilities than we previously assumed” (2021). That statement resonated so deeply with me that I had to highlight then underline that statement twice. (Confession: I am still very analog. I print my articles out, read, highlight, and write notes in the margin). This course taught me that I am far more capable then I ever thought I was. Just last week I wrote code that made a Ford Anglia fly!

I still have so much to learn, but for the first time I am excited about confronting technology head-on. After all, “Technology is a skill, not a talent” (Szmodis, 2021). I just need to sharpen those skills. To do that I intend to engage in as much professional development as I can. I believe learning about existing and emerging technologies will allow me to stay relevant and help me to become a better educator. I want to be the type of librarian who can “seamlessly integrate tech tools into their classrooms, lesson plans and overarching pedagogy” (Gordon, 2022).

Library blogs like In the Library With the Lead Pipe and Hack Library School as well as technology driven blogs like TechRepublic and EdTech Magazine are another way to stay relevant. I found the articles on these platforms to be very easy to read and informative. I have added them to a resource curation assignment I am working on for another course. I’ve also added them to a list on Twitter and my Feebly feed so that I can scan them daily and quickly peruse them, setting aside time to stay current (DeNisco Rayome, 2017).

I’ll be honest, I found many of the blogs we were assigned to explore overwhelming. Some like The Daring Librarian had great information but there was so much going on I couldn’t decide where to click. There was a lot of different colors and it just felt too loud. I didn’t stay too long. Van Meter Library Voice was better but I found the font difficult to read. I spent more time exploring Renovated Learning and Free Technology for Teachers. Renovated Learning had great articles, laid out in a bright, colorful way. It was easy to navigate. I particularly enjoyed reading about creating a Makerspace from scratch and genrefication. The top post for Free Technology for Teachers was about songbirds. So you know I was hooked. It featured a great video from TedEd and a tutorial on how to use one of my favorite things -the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Wall of Birds interactive mural. I’ve spent more time playing on that mural than I care to say. I added Renovated Learning, Free Technology for Teachers and TedEd to my Feebly feed as well.

I very much enjoyed exploring the AASL Best Digital Tools List. There were too many excellent resources to name but one of my favorites was the World Wildlife Fund’s Wild Classroom. I downloaded the lesson on tigers and spent some time reading the fact sheet and looking over the games and activities in the lesson plan. It was informative, educational and engaging. I also loved Untold. This is such a powerful resource. Quick, thoughtful, creative videos about those who have been forgotten in history. I particularly enjoyed the videos on Maria Tallchief and Catalina Trico. I could have spent hours watching all of the videos. I imagine they would be a valuable addition to any history lesson. There is a forgotten story for every era in US History.

I was intrigued by the idea of Novel Effect and its background music for storytime. But was frustrated by the pay wall and didn’t get too far with it. If I had unlimited funds I think I’d to pay and play with that tool. I really liked KidLit TV. I watched book trailers and enjoyed an interview with Laura Vaccaro Seeger under its Storymakers series. It was really well done. It would be interesting to use the series in library lessons or link to them on a website as an additional resource. The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage had an interactive map of the United Sates. I clicked on several locations and listened to thirty second clips featuring Appalachian Bluegrass, Sephardic Jewish, and African American Piedmont Blues musicians. I would use this tool to enhance lessons on different eras of history and cultures. Each of the clips I listened to featured a talented musician that I’d never heard of before. I was very interested in Talking Points. I downloaded the app and signed up to try out the service but without a class to talk to I wasn’t able to get very much out of it. I imagine that it could be invaluable in a classroom with many languages spoken. I love the idea that a teacher can communicate directly with parents through their own phones.

There were so many interesting resources. I enjoyed exploring them all. Staying on top of new technologies and websites feels like it is going to be a full time job! But one that I will enjoy. I think Sarah said it best when she implored information professionals to stay curious – “The kind of childlike curiosity that fades away as we get older is exactly what we need now as we’re moving through our program” (2022). I intend to take her advice and do just that – stay curious.

 

References

DeNisco Rayome, A. (2017, September 7). 10 Ways that IT pros and developers can keep their 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/

Gordon, C.L. (2022, January 4). The continued importance of professional development in k–12 education. EdTech K12. https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2022/01/continued-importance-professional-development-k-12-education

Sarah. (2022, June 16). Staying sharp this summer. Hacker Library School. https://hacklibraryschool.com/2022/06/16/staying-sharp-during-the-summer/

Szmodis, P. (2021, July, 27). How to get over technophobia. Hacker Library School. https://hacklibraryschool.com/2021/07/27/how-to-get-over-technophobia/

Torchia, R. (2022, March 7). K-12 digital resource libraries continue to engage students returning to in-person classes. EdTech K12. https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2022/03/k-12-digital-resource-libraries-continue-engage-students-returning-person-classes