Technology: Necessity or Not?

On my campus, I am known for my ability to learn new technology and incorporate it into class, as well as help others on campus learn. With that said, I ride the fence when it comes to whether technology is actually needed to teach content or not.

As an employee in a small, rural district, money is always an issue. Technology is incredibly expensive, especially when a district lacks the infrastructure to support the new technology. Training is never given; teachers are just thrown Chromebooks and iPads and told to use them. This never works. That new, expensive technology turns into paperweights or truly lacks integration into the curriculum. But, on the flip side, as a teacher who has transitioned from a paper and book class to a fully online class through the use of Google Classroom and Google Apps for education, I know that technology CAN be used to support and deliver the curriculum. Is it a necessity? Yes and no. Kozma (1994) said that "certain media “'possess particular characteristics that make them both more and less suitable for the accomplishment of certain kinds of learning tasks.'” Students use technology every day, but they don't truly know how to use it to LEARN. That is our job as educators to teach them ethical and proper use of technology to be a good consumer of this resource. We also know that every student learns differently and that technology could be the difference between mastery and failure. But do teachers HAVE to use technology to teach the beauty of Shakespeare or how DNA replicates? Absolutely not. Technology is a choice, but it is a choice that should be made based on what is best for the students and their future, which for almost everyone, involves technology. 

As a librarian, my role is to support the classroom objectives and district curriculum. My knowledge and expertise when it comes to technology have to be used to create lessons and activities that enhance and advance students' learning in all classrooms. Collaboration between the librarian and teachers on campus creates an educational relationship that brings together both content knowledge and technology/resource knowledge to create the perfect learning environment for all students. 

Technology excites students, especially those that are familiar with it. It takes a bland assignment and injects it with new possibilities. While working with the World History teacher, I saw students embrace research through the simple use of a web quest. Students traditionally learned in this class via lecture or group activities. Both of these styles of teaching were difficult for some students in the class. When they were given the guidance of the questions and sites, as well as the freedom to explore and learn, their engagement and retention were increased. 

Librarians need to support a district's vision of technology by first understanding the goals of the district, and then sitting down to collaborate with the teachers on their campus to realize that vision. Collaboration is key to the successful use of the librarian, their resources, and technology. Librarians must stay up-to-date on the new technology coming onto their campus and spend time learning to use it and how to incorporate it into the curriculum already established to ensure the learning of material by all students. 

But all of this collaboration and technology glitter doesn't happen when there isn't money. Money is the number one roadblock to technology integration on campuses. Every aspect of it is expensive. In addition to needing the money, teachers must be trained. Technology, as I've said before, becomes a paperweight when teachers aren't trained. With the right purchases and the right training, technology can change education for the better. 

Kozma, R. B. (1994). The influence of media on learning: the debate continues. School Library Media 

Quarterly, 22 (4). Retrieved July 25, 2017, from         http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/edchoice/SLMQ_InfluenceofMediaonLearning_InfoPower.pdf