Final Reflection on SHSU course Digital Technology for the School Librarian

Pedagogy Before Technology

            When I first began my public school teaching career, I was introduced to Bloom’s Taxonomy. It was a way for teachers to understand how to raise their level of instruction, and consequently their students’ learning. The taxonomy was divided into six different domain levels: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The goal of all teachers was to have their students working at the highest levels possible. While it was understood that certain aspects of education were naturally taught at the knowledge and comprehension levels, it was more desirable to have students working at the levels above those; and, hopefully, reaching the synthesis and evaluation levels as often as possible.

            In the 1990’s the taxonomy was updated to change the nouns associated with the levels to action verbs to move the education process to a more active stance, rather than just passive acquisition. Knowledge became remember, comprehension became understand, etc. Also, the highest two levels switched places with each other, with the action verb “create” ending up at the very top.   

With the advent of more technology into our society and schools, the original Bloom’s Taxonomy has evolved into Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy. (The creator of Bloom’s Taxonomy isn’t around to see this current version of his taxonomy. Benjamin Bloom died in 1999.) Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy attaches Web 2.0 tasks to the basic taxonomy. A task such as simple googling would fall in the remembering level. More advanced searching such as Boolean searches would be associated with the understanding level. Digital tasks can be applied to all of the taxonomic levels. The highest level, creating, would include such digital activities as website design, blogging, podcasting, etc.

One of the biggest differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 is the development of apps, or applications, that help users learn and perform tasks, functions, and activities. There are apps for every imaginable educational need. As they tell us on Sesame Street, “There’s an app for that!” When the internet first began there were few if any apps available for users. I experienced Web 1.0 in its infancy in the early 1990’s through to its demise/evolution in the early 2000’s. Our students never experienced Web 1.0. Most of them don’t understand the staticity and lack of interactivity of the early web. For them, the World Wide Web has always been a place full of apps and the ability to interact with programs, other humans, and the internet itself. This is one of the differences between students’ views of technology and many of their teachers, including myself. I have to constantly remind myself that the things that I take for granted regarding technology are often fundamentally different from those of my students. It’s crucial for teachers to understand how students view and use technology so that instruction can be successful, and learning can be maximized. We cannot teach the same way that we were taught. We need to teach the way that students learn best, which is with an eye toward technology, interactivity, and the use of apps that enhance the teaching process. Technology is a tool for learning. It will never replace the emotional connection that exists between great teachers and their students, but it is something that great teachers can add to their educational toolkits.

School librarians fill many roles on campuses. Being a leader in the use of technology is increasingly becoming a crucial aspect of their jobs, to the point now that terms such as “library” and “librarian” are often replaced with words such as “tech”, “technology”, and “media.” This makes sense, since the internet itself can be thought of as the biggest library of all. This is why teaching future librarians how to use technology and the internet is now a part of any good librarian preparation program.

As the internet evolves, so too must all librarians. Continuing professional development is necessary to stay up-to-date with current changes in technology and apps. Librarians must be ready to help teachers become conversant with the changing digital landscape. To do that, librarians themselves have to stay at the forefront of technological innovation and advancement.

 

References

App for that. Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything. (n.d.-a). https://www.schrockguide.net/app-for-that.html

Benjamin Bloom. New World Encyclopedia. (n.d.). https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Benjamin_Bloom

Bloomin’ Apps. Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything. (n.d.). https://www.schrockguide.net/bloomin-apps.html

Bloom’s digital taxonomy - ccconline. (n.d.). http://www.ccconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Churches_2008_DigitalBloomsTaxonomyGuide.pdf

Bloom’s digital taxonomy. Common Sense Education. (n.d.). https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/blooms-digital-taxonomy

Bloom’s taxonomy. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Blooms-taxonomy

Difference between web 1.0, web 2.0, and web 3.0. Geeks for Geeks. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/web-1-0-web-2-0-and-web-3-0-with-their-difference/

Marist News: The First Marist Mindset List is released. Marist College. (n.d.). https://www.marist.edu/w/marist-news-the-first-marist-mindset-list-is-released

Sesame street: Song: There’s an app for that. YouTube. (2010, November 1). https://youtu.be/EhkxDIr0y2U

Tools and resources to drive your technology initiatives. K. (n.d.). https://www.k12blueprint.com/toolkits