Reflections from a Teacher-Librarian

 Reflection is one of the most powerful routines people can build into their daily lives. Thinking about what we have done, and what we want to accomplish moving forward can help us achieve goals.

The past couple of months I was enrolled in a technology class in a Library Science program at the college in the Midwest. I have had an opportunity to study the intersection of education and technology, and I have learned a great deal in the process.

Did anything change for me?

I would have to admit that my perspective has broadened as a result of taking this technology class. I have a greater appreciation for technology in the classroom. I have always been a proponent of using technology and I was thrilled when the first SMARTboard was installed over a decade ago. Even though the pandemic was disruptive and very costly for many, one positive to come out of it is the widespread use of Chromebooks.

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Did I find a new tool useful?

One lesson I particularly enjoyed was mapping my digital space. It isn't often that I spend the time to think about my technology use, and determine whether I am a digital resident or visitor. I would like to spend some time developing my technology use in the classroom. I am currently a Google Certified Educator Level 1, and I would like to work on my Level 2 certification. 

As a teacher with 14 years of experience I have rather strong opinions about the value of social media and our teenagers. After reading up on recent research I find that the current situation is both better and worse that I thought it was.

How is it better?

Pew Research has conducted a broad analysis on teenage technology use and has drawn interesting conclusions. I wrote about this in a previous post. I was unsurprised to learn that teens from lower socio-economic groups have less access to technology, but that those who are on technology tend to use it more than teens from higher socio-economic groupings. I was also surprised to learn about the disparities in teen technology use among genders and various ethnic groupings.

How is it worse?

Pew has found that a large percentage of teenagers are using social media "almost constantly" and this is having an enormous toll on their mental health. There are ways to combat this but it takes work and persistence.

My perspective on technology in education

The school I work at has a pretty strict cell phone policy. Unfortunately, this is not enforced consistently by all teachers and even administrators. I have found that students with cell phones are highly distractible, and many are itching at the opportunity to record a student being disruptive or even a fight. This has huge consequences as I have learned that nothing on the internet is ephemeral. I am still in favor of limiting access to cellphones. However, I am in favor of making Chromebooks widely available to students. The accessibility tools that Chromebooks afford students are incredibly valuable.