Personal Interests in EdTech – Part A

     As a current non-enrolling teacher, I have the privilege of teaching all students in our small elementary school from grades K-7. It is with pleasure that I look forward to becoming a teacher-librarian, a role that will continue to allow connections with all families and opportunities to work collaboratively with all staff members. It is this sense of supporting ‘whole school community’ that I endear. When I think about teaching and incorporating educational technology and digital resources in the school library program, I am excited about the prospects of what this could look like and the widespread value it will bring to my students, their families and also my colleagues.

     As information literacy specialists our role as librarians in an ever changing world with rapidly advancing technology must be to include the proper teaching and use of digital resources. Understanding that “technological tools are used to improve understanding, improve academic achievement and knowledge comprehension, improve learning gains through motivation, attention and satisfaction towards learning itself” (Crompton) and that “the library learning commons is both the physical and virtual learning hub of the school” (CSL) we have a responsibility to teach the use of technology in education but also to ensure respectful, appropriate and safe use of these resources as well. Therefore, of particular interest to me is the importance of teaching digital citizenship and internet safety. These are keywords that spark my interest, along with simply learning about digital tools and resources that I can use to teach this information!

(Image from Mark Anderson, Andertoons 2018)

     With access to the open web for research, the use of digital platforms for class communications and the use of hand-held personal devices for projects, I can see some potential issues arising around online etiquette, digital bullying, internet advertising, luring, identity theft, believing false information and a host of other complications as time with online resources increases. Considering the young developmental stage of elementary school children and the continued developing brains of adolescents, I think it is imperative that we begin to teach these skills early in the elementary grades in the hopes that the skills learned will become lifelong habits.

     The Canadian Library Association, in their Leading Learning document, outlines “school libraries as a force for improving teaching and learning, it is designed to engineer and drive future-oriented learning and teaching throughout the entire school” (CLA 5). We know that future-oriented learning greatly involves technology and that the ‘entire’ school encompasses not only students’ learning but what they take home and share with their families. The ‘entire’ school also includes educators and what we can collaboratively learn and share together in order to evolve our teaching practice. “Educators can be leaders in technology by sharing strategies, tools, techniques, and tips with other educators, individually, among teams, in school-wide presentations, at conferences, and in online forums” (Crompton).The CLA reminds us that “technology supports the construction of new understandings by the learner, not just  the learner passively consuming information” (CLA 5). It excites me that I will be learning to teach information literacy with digital resources and that I will be a part of future-oriented learning. yet along with this, I am just as appreciative that the International Society for Technology in Education in their Standards for Educators considers “preparing students to contribute positively to the digital world and behave responsibly” (ISTE, Citizen Standard 2.3) and helping students become good digital citizens during the process.

     The Burnaby school district, where I currently teach, has developed and released a brand new Education Technology Plan in the Fall of 2023. The plan is rooted in core competencies outlined in the BC Curriculum for developing communication skills, creative and critical thinking skills and the supporting of new innovation and learning through personalized instruction. The plan includes specific competencies for grades 4-7 and general competencies for the primary grades. Most recently in 2024, the district also created a  K-7 Digital Literacy and Citizenship resource site that I think will be very helpful in my learning around this area!

Burnaby School District EdTech Plan, Grade 4-7 digital citizenship competences:

Burnaby School District EdTech Plan, Primary grades digital citizenship competences:

    When I consider how I will foster learners excitement and engagement, I am inspired by the ISTE’s experimental study of a group of students who learned through a game-based environment of an app as opposed to a traditional lessons. I would like to search for these interactive activities. The findings revealed that “the experimental group achieved significantly better scores on digital citizenship than the control group” and “the experiment led to decreased concerns about online harassment, victimization, and perpetration behaviours as students had increased levels of understanding of how to avoid and safely navigate those negative situations and practice good behaviour in a safe environment” (Crompton). Perhaps this was due to the engaging and interactive nature of the app. My goal and pedagogy is to keep the learning hands-on, engaging. interactive and exciting, all while remaining student-centred and providing student-led opportunities. Our school also has a very high ELL population (over 50% of students are ELL) where reading for understanding is more difficult for most than using visuals or oral language. Therefore, I think that the use of some digital videos or interactive web presentations for our visual and oral learners may be advantageous.

     As I venture out, a tentative ‘rookie’ when it comes to new to digital technologies, I am looking forward to the learning journey ahead in LIBE 477 and becoming more knowledgable in  technology education.                                                             (Image from DeTina and Stooshnov, 2010)

Works Cited:

Anderson, Mark. www.andertoons.com. Andertoons, 2018. Accessed 19 May 2024.

Canadian School Libraries (CSL). Foundations for School Library Learning Commons in Canada: A Framework for Success, 2023. https://www.canadianschoollibraries.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CSL_Foundations-Frameworks_ FINAL_ Nov2023.pdf. Accessed 19 May 2024.

Canadian Library Association (CLA). Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada, 2014. llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2016/09/llsop.pdf. Accessed 19 May 2024.

Crompton, H. “Evidence of the ISTE standards for educators leading to learning gains.” Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, vol. 39, no. 4, 2023 pp. 201–219.

DeTina, P and Stooshnov. https://mrstooshnov.wordpress.com/2010/10/17/educational-technology-cartoon/. 17 Oct. 2010. Accessed 19 May 2024.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). ISTE Standards: For Educators. https://iste.org/standards/educators. Accessed 19 May 2024.