I’ve long upheld the conviction that digital learning is a crucial component of contemporary education. Utilising technology in my classroom has been a source of enjoyment, as I have found it to foster student engagement and inspiration. Despite this, working through this subject has expanded my perspective, and I now view digital learning environments in schools with a new lens. Billingsley (2024) emphasises the importance of digital literacy, highlighting its role in shaping our lifelong learning journey. This notion deeply resonated with me. Reflecting on my own schooling experience thirty years ago, we only scratched the surface of technology, learning just enough to compose a resume or indulge in simple games like Snake. It is eye watering how much technology has evolved in such a short amount of time. Technology skills are no longer only the requirement of people in certain industries, they are a necessity for engagement in our globalised and interconnected world. Pangrazio & Sefton-Green (2021) explore this notion with their explanation of the exceptional reach digital technologies have into every aspect of our lives – social, political, economic, and personal. This is only exacerbated by the concept of context collapse, which Loh & Walsh (2021) describe as a blurring of the lines between an individual’s previously compartmentalised life. The idea that students are not just using technology and online spaces for work related activities, make the teaching of it even more crucial.
The significance of the teacher librarian’s role has never been more pronounced. As skilled professionals, we bear the crucial responsibility of interweaving various elements to construct a meaningful, integrated digital learning environment. Teaching these skills cannot remain isolated; technology and its pervasiveness mandates its integration across the curriculum. Moreover, students must not only acquire these skills but also be provided with opportunities to analyse, interpret, create, and innovate using them.
In my interactions with colleagues throughout this subject, sharing my digital creations has demonstrated to me the multifaceted role teacher librarians can assume. I found that the sharing of technology and its production encouraged collaboration rather than hindered it (Dawkins, 2024)
Engaging with this subject has also shown me the obstacles hindering the effective integration of technology in classrooms. (Livingstone, 2014, pg.9) observes the sluggishness of schools in embracing technology, citing various reasons such as time constraints, teacher proficiency, and lack of resources. Additionally, Donahue (2015, pg. 23) introduces another barrier: teachers’ beliefs, which significantly influences the outcomes of technology integration efforts. Delving into research for my gap analysis task revealed numerous articles discussing how teachers’ attitudes towards technology can impact students’ achievement of these outcomes. Many teachers are still unsure about technology, even believing that it can have a negative impact on students and their development.
This growing knowledge has expanded my perspective on my role—not solely as an advocate for children’s technological literacy but also as an educator and supporter of teachers. I now perceive my role as a teacher librarian through a broader lens, recognising it as one of paramount importance within the school community.
References:
Billingsley, K. (2024, March 14). Module 2.2: Rethinking Digital Literacy. Little Irish Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/librarianship2022/2024/03/14/module-2-2-rethinking-digital-literacy/
Dawkins, B. (2024, March 23). Creating Digital Tools – a Reflection. A Librarium of Adventure. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/bdawkins/2024/03/23/creating-digital-tools-a-reflection/
Donahue, C. (2015) Technology and Digital Media as Tools for Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age. In C. Donahue (Ed.), Technology and Digital Media in the Early Years: Tools for Teaching and Learning (1st ed., pp. 21-35). Taylor and Francis.
Livingstone, S. (2014). Critical Reflections on the benefits of ICT in education. In C. Davies, J. Coleman, & S. Livingstone (Eds.), Digital Technologies in the Lives of Young People, (1st ed., pp. 9-24). Routledge. https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/42947/1/__libfile_repository_Content_Livingstone%2C%20S_Critical%20reflections_Livingstone_Critical%20reflections_2014.pdf
Loh, J. & Walsh, M. (2021). Social Media Context Collapse: The Consequential Difference Between Context Collusion Versus Context Collision. Social Media + Society 7 (3). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211041646
Pangrazio, L. & Sefton-Green, J. (2021). Digital Rights, Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy: What’s the Difference?. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research 10(1), 15-27. http://DOI:10.7821/naer.2021.1.616