In this unit, I have realised the importance of teaching digital citizenship to students at school. The prime time is to start at the primary level, as the earlier students are exposed to how to manage online content, the better it is to equip them for later learning in life (Öztürk, 2021). Leadership support is vital for this to happen because students need to learn what information is safe to share and how to protect their information when in an unsafe situation. The evidence shows that students will learn how to interact responsibly and safely online with people that they know or know how to protect themselves when an unknown person is trying to interact with them if they have been taught digital citizenship education (Sterrett & Richardson, 2020).
In the current climate, schools are the best place to deliver knowledge, and teachers should be the experts in this area. As Pihl et al. (2017) indicated, partnering with teacher librarians, who are the information experts in this area, is crucial to fostering the delivery of teaching and learning digital technology at schools. However, there are still many schools that do not have specific policies or suitable professional development programs to cater for individual school needs, and the department is utilising generic programs to fit all (Albion et al., 2015).
After completing the gap analysis report, I have a clearer picture of how teacher librarians can play as advocates in this space. Teacher librarians can be the voice and coordinator to support schools in providing suggestions through policymaking, professional development technology programs, and attaining quality resources (Patel & Anitha, 2022). I have also noticed that without an adequate and quality digital learning environment, it will be challenging to meet the fast-paced, ever-changing technological world. The one-to-one technology program can have a positive effect on student engagement by ensuring that each student has access to the exact same curriculum and resources to break down socioeconomic barriers in schools. In addition, the program can create an equitable learning environment for students in this 21st-century digitalised world.
The challenges are vast and, to name a few, include funding resources, teachers’ beliefs, school culture, and time allocation for implementation with the support of the whole school community (Evans, 2017). On the other hand, there are also many benefits for teachers in using technology, such as the many free educational tools and materials to select to suit lesson plans (Harris & Al-Bataineh, 2015). Undeniably, teacher librarians can offer solutions and ideas, such as getting the local community involved in funding support for schools, as they play a vital role in advocating for change. I can envision that teacher librarians will be at the forefront of information technology, leading educators to frontiers beyond any technology we could imagine.
References
Albion, P. R., Tondeur, J., Forkosh-Baruch, A., & Peeraer, J. (2015). Teachers’ professional development for ICT integration: Towards a reciprocal relationship between research and practice. Education and Information Technologies, 20, 655-673. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10639-015-9401-9
Allouche, D. (2018). Top 10 of the Most High Tech Countries in the World [Photograph]. Young Diplomats. https://www.young-diplomats.com/top-10-high-tech-countries-world/
Evans, M. L. (2017). Professional Development, Teacher Beliefs, and Self-Efficacy in Classroom Technology Integration (Order No. 10604601). Available from ProQuest One Academic. (1984646408). https://www.proquest.com/docview/1984646408
Harris, J., & Al-Bataineh, A. (2015). One to one technology and its effect on student academic achievement and motivation. In Global learn (pp. 579-584). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/150906/
Öztürk, G. (2021). Digital citizenship and its teaching: A literature review. Journal of Educational Technology and Online Learning, 4(1), 31-45. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1286737.pdf
Patel, R., & Anitha, B. (2022). Role of School Libraries in sharpening 21st century skills of students. Library Philosophy and Practice, 1-5. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2622614396
Pihl, J., van der Kooij, K. S., & Carlsten, T. C. (2017). Why Teacher and Librarian Partnerships in Literacy Education in the 21st Century? In Teacher and Librarian Partnerships in Literacy Education in the 21st Century (Vol. 6). Springer.
Sterrett, W., & Richardson, J. W. (2020). Supporting professional development through digital principal leadership. Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership, 5(2), 4. https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/joel/vol5/iss2/4