Staying Current
I have to admit that when given the choice to do something, the majority of the time I would choose the analog way over digital. I didn’t feel confident in my ability to be successful due to my lack of experience with many of the tools. Now I know that I suffered from technophobia (Szmodis, 2021, para. 2). Since taking LIBS 602, I have become more confident in what I am able to accomplish. I did struggle with some of the tools, but I learned so much that I can use in my current classroom and future library. I have also learned how important it is for a librarian to be up-to-date with, proficient in, and knowledge about the technologies and digital tools that are available. In many schools, librarians are the ones teaching students and other educators how to use the tools. Especially in smaller school districts, “the librarian may be the most tech-savvy staff member” (Burroughs, 2022, Librarians partner with teachers to support student success section, para. 7).
Since technology is so important, I need to come up with ways to stay up-to-date during school and my library career. Many of the readings this week had good suggestions on how to do this. One such suggestion came from Sarah (2022) in the Staying Sharp During the Summer post. She said that reviewing past coursework turned out to be very important for her (para. 3). I can see where this would be beneficial. Taking time to refresh my memory on how I used the tool would help me not just tuck it away and forget about it.
Other useful tips that are easy, yet productive, came from the post by Allison Rayome (2017). She says to set aside as little as 15 minutes each day to do something new or learn a new skill (Set time aside section, para. 1, 3). She goes on to suggest following blogs, subscribing to newsletters, and following people in your industry on Twitter (Rayome, 2017, Find innovators in your space, and follow them section, para. 1). These suggestions seem fairly easy to do and something I will strive to accomplish.
After exploring the websites and blogs for this weeks sandbox, there were a few that stood out to me. I liked the EdTech Focus On K-12 (2022) magazine that focuses on technology in grades K-12. I plan on subscribing to it. They offer a weekly newsletter and a quarterly print magazine. A wide range of technology topics are covered including technology in the classroom, digital workspaces, security, hardware and software. The website also includes a state specific tab in order to find technology stories about a particular state.
Another website I found informative is Ditch That Textbook (2022). Matt Miller, the founder of this website, offers a lot of useful information and tools. He has a blog, YouTube channel, and offers a free online Digital Summit Conference in December that can be used for professional development points. His blog includes topics such as digital escape rooms, gamification, remote learning, virtual field trips, creation tools, and more.
Finally, I am not involved in a lot of social media. I have a Facebook page, but no Twitter or TikToc accounts. However, after reading Twitter For Librarians (Craig, n.d.), The Benefits of Library Twitter (DeWitt, 2019), and TikTok: 8 Ways Libraries Are Using It (Bogan, 2021), I plan on creating both a Twitter and TicTok account in order to follow and connect with other library professionals.
References
Bogan, K. (2021, October 25). TikTok: 8 ways librarians are using it [Online blog]. Don’t Shush Me!. https://dontyoushushme.com/2021/10/25/tiktok-8-ways-libraries-are-using-it/
Burroughs, A. (2022, July 8). Tech-savvy school librarians provide values to modern learners. EdTech Focus On K-12. https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2022/07/tech-savvy-school-librarians-provide-value-modern-learners
Craig, P. (n.d.). Twitter for librarians [Online newsletter]. Smore. https://www.smore.com/9t6zp-twitter-for-librarians
Dewitt, M. (2019, March 22). The benefits of library Twitter [Online blog]. ACRLog. https://acrlog.org/2019/03/22/cheers-to-library-twitter/
EdTech Focus On K-12. (2022). https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/
Miller, M. (2022). Ditch That Textbook. https://ditchthattextbook.com/
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/
Sarah. (2022, June 16). Staying sharp during the summer [Online blog]. Hack Library School. https://hacklibraryschool.com/2022/06/16/staying-sharp-during-the-summer/
Szmodis, P. (2021, July 27). How to get over technophobia [Online blog]. Hack Library School. https://hacklibraryschool.com/2021/07/27/how-to-get-over-technophobia/
I have to admit that staying sharp in the summer is not one of my strong points. I have focused on MLIS classes but have not done much for teaching, on the flipside of that we have learned so many tools in this class that I can’t wait to use them in the classroom. I also like the suggestion of setting aside 15 minutes per day, I can surely handle that! 🙂
All my time has been dedicated to MLIS classes also. I just need to make sure I continue to use and review what we have learned so I don’t forget them.
This class has been helpful in learning so many websites and technology tools for teaching. I am excited to share what I have learned with other teachers. I also liked the reminder that we need to be active in continuing to learn and stay up to date with the trends. It’s easy to get use to doing the same things and forgot to look for fresh ideas for lessons.