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Librarians as Educational Technology LeadersETEC 511 Prof. Dr.F.FengUniversity of British ColumbiaCathy FowlerDecember 12, 2012

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to outline why Teacher-librarians should be educational technology leaders in their schools. The evidence to support this statement is focused on the skills and attributes of professional teacher-librarians and the need for leadership in a new age of libraries and education. .

Librarians as Educational Technology Leaders

Introduction From my own experience as a Teacher-Librarian and from discussions with colleagues across our district and province I have determined that a new role for teacher-librarians is needed. Teacher-librarians should be educational technology leaders who are responsible for the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and organization of information resources and technologies as well as the instruction of information literacies in their schools. I believe this to be a beneficial change in our current or traditional role as teacher-librarians for two reasons. The first reason being the 21st Century library and its users are interdependent upon technology. The 21st Century library as defined by Reitz (2005) is a "library without walls." Where the entire collection is not limited to paper, physical text or microform but is accessible in various digital formats from any computer network. As a result of the shift from a brick and mortar building to a virtual library, the 21st Century user needs to take more responsibility in locating and retrieving information from the library's collections, more than they have done in the traditional library. (Anyira, 2011 p.1) Though it has always been the role of the librarian to teach information and communication technology skills, (ICTS) it is now more important than ever that our students know how to access, evaluate and use the information available to them. My second reason is to ensure teacher-librarians maintain an integral role in the future at their schools. As the culture of libraries and technology changes and with ever declining library and school budgets, streamlining the technology and library strands through the librarian makes economical sense. Schools who have a goal to improve their technology accessibility and use share a common goal with the library which is to improve information accessibility and use through technology. By establishing teacher-librarians as educational technology leaders in schools not only are you ensuring a strong library program but also establishing a cost-effective technology program using the resources that are already established in the library. Role of the Teacher-LibrarianTraditionally the role of the teacher-librarian was to manage and build the library collection, circulate the materials, promote and encourage use of the library, collaborate with teachers and teach Information Literacy skills. This role as changed dramatically with the introduction of technology. Technology has streamlined the management and circulation duties in the library and changed both the physical space and use of the library however, The use of technology has placed increased demand on teacher-librarians time to teach information [and communication] technology, to learn new technologies, to trouble shoot, and to learn which Internet resources can assist students and teachers. (Scheirer, 2000 p.4)Murray (2000) describes effective librarians as instructional partners with the teachers in their school. They collaborate with teachers to refine information-seeking assignments, encouraging the development of those that foster critical thinking. They identify the cross-curricular connections that are essential to interdisciplinary learning, therefore needing to know the curriculum across all subject areas. Librarians are information specialists and information generalists. They may not know the answer to a specific question, but they know where and how to find it. They provide leadership in the adoption and use of information technologies by being current in the research assessment and evaluation of new technology. Subramaniam, M., Ahn, J., Fleischmann, K., and Scheirer. S. (2012) describe the most important role of a teacher-librarian as an instructional partner whose role has further morphed to include teaching and integrating multiple literacies across the curriculum such as information, digital, technology, media, and visual literacies. (p. 173)To be an effective teacher-librarian as Murray, Subramaniam et al. and Scheirer describes involves knowing the curriculum, being able to collaborate and work with the entire staff and students and being knowledgeable in all current technology trends in order to provide students with ICTS that can be applied across all grades and curriculum. Information and communication technology skillsTo ensure all students are getting the necessary ICT skills necessary for their education and to compete in a global technological workforce, librarians should be teaching a stand-alone ICTS curriculum rather than the current model which suggests ICTS be taught throughout other curriculum areas. The Grades 5 to 10 (ICTI), are intended to support teachers and students as they use technology to enhance learning across the curriculum. (B.C. Ministry of Education) In a study conducted across three Australian high schools the assumption was that all students were receiving ICT skills across the school however, evidence showed that, apart from examples where there was active collaboration between the teacher-librarian and selected teachers, there was little knowledge among teachers and teacher-librarians of what aspects of information literacy practices were being taught or reinforced across the schools. (Herring, 2011p.32) It was further discovered that there was no common understanding among the teachers of what Information Literacy was or the skills involved. An ICT curriculum taught by the librarian in collaboration with the classroom teachers would ensure these skills were taught across the entire school population. ICT skills would be easily transferred to all areas of curriculum as well as into higher education pursuits and/or job or career applications. By having the librarian as the educational technology leader, teachers can focus on their curriculum knowing that their students will be,Incorporating the skills necessary for a more constructivist view of learning, in which students are empowered to ask meaningful questions and follow a path of discovery to construct their own understandings, draw conclusions, create new knowledge, and share their knowledge with others. (Subramaniam et al.p.173)

This will be accomplished by using technology such as; Web 2.0 applications, collaborative on-line learning tools, multi-media formats and appropriate, relevant and applicable resources. This frees the classroom teacher to concentrate on their curriculum and student workload without worrying about learning new technology or web applications. Subramaniam et al. (2012) indicate that, Lack of teacher knowledge about how to effectively integrate new media tools into the curriculum is a major factor for the lack of innovation in classrooms. (p.174) School librarians are already in the position as teacher- collaborators and instructional partners to work with teachers to model new teaching strategies, integrate educational technology, and advocate for exciting change in their schools. (p.175) Kahn and Kellner (1999) state, It is important that teachers have the opportunity themselves to develop the requisite literacies to make progressive uses of technology in their classrooms, and without the leadership and training the educational goals for technology will not be achieved. Librarians as technology leaders would be responsible for training in educational technology they would then disseminate the information to the teachers through in-service and professional development, eliminating the need to bring in outside agents to teach and promote new technology. Centralizing who is responsible and defining the role will alleviate stress on teachers who are under curriculum and ministry constraints or who are just not interested. Maintaining an Integral RoleThe body of literature on school library programs has found a consistently positive and significant correlation between school library resources and student achievement in the United States (Subramaniam et al. p.168) and yet funding for libraries and librarians has decreased steadily since the beginning of my career more than 10 years ago. Teacher-librarian FTE positions have decreased steadily over the decade, with a loss of -277.1 FTE between 200102 and 201011. (BCTF Research, 2011) Schools have to choose between library programs and other school needs. In an article about the Crisis in Canadian Libraries it was reported, In 1997, 80% of Ontario elementary schools had teacher librarians... This year, that number was down to 56%. In secondary schools, the number of teacher librarians was down from 78% to 66%... for schools in northern Ontario, its about 10%. Schools are sometimes choosing between spending money on fixing a leaking roof or paying a teacher librarian, and the roof wins. Some schools have no library at all... This fight is being lost right now.... School libraries, in particular, are being closed. Teacher-librarians are being cut. (Williams, 2011 para.1)

Why dont libraries make economic sense? According to Puryears (1999) production function libraries are not cost effective. The variable and fixed costs; books, staff, technology, maintenance, physical space and furniture vs. the measured effectiveness of the library books to meet the needs of all students is not cost effective. To a maximize output the input factors must be manipulated. By establishing librarians as educational technology leaders their role becomes multi-functional. Using their skills to evaluate, select, organize, advocate for and teach the effective use of educational technology within the library could result in less technology needed in other areas of the school, less training for other teachers, fewer staff needed to organize or maintain technology and less time from administrators or other personnel who may not be directly involved with educational technology. Effectiveness does not require that large quantities of technology be added across the entire educational system. (Puryear, 1999 p. 48) Creating a leadership role for teacher-librarians is a cost-effective way of ensuring that we maintain a strong library program while expanding educational technology.LeadershipIn order for the teacher-librarian to maintain an integral role within the school and district, a new role or vision for the library must be created, and that is as the leader of educational technology within the school. Wikipedia describes leadership as a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support the others in the accomplishment of a common task." (Wikipedia/Leadership) We can all agree on the common tasks for technology in our schools such as, to improve access to information or to increase the chance of success for all students, we just dont always know who is in charge. With technology constantly changing; new programs, platforms, media, technology tools, and learning theories related to technology, we need someone to lead the way. School districts have made a commitment to purchasing new technology to support the need for ICT skills but without the leadership to ensure implementation and good teaching practices new technology will not benefit the students. With the constant consumer stream of technology advertising the next best thing knowing what technology will benefit our students and how to use it is essential. This leader must be able to be an expert in the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and organization of information resources and technologies in all formats and have expertise in the ethical use of information. (Subramimain et al. p.175) As information specialists the teacher-librarian is in position to take on that role. A leader needs to advocate for the improvement and success of all the people they are responsible for. Librarians have been continuous advocates for making sure all students have access to information resources and that includes electronic or technology resources. Doug Johnson is an ongoing advocate of teacher-librarians as leaders, he has written hundreds of articles in his career for his Blue Skunk Blog and various education and teacher-librarian journals as well as several books on the topic. He points out that,

The SLMS [Librarian] advocates for liberal access to electronic resources for all students in a school. Home access and public library access to information technologies alone will not close the digital divide. We serve on building technology teams and advocate for access to technology for all students...The SLMS voices the need for non-departmental (library) access to information technologies that are available before, during and after school hours. (Johnson, 2004 para.15)

Advocating for access to information technology in libraries has become the librarians political agenda, while taking on the role of leadership is political shift to ensure our voice and interests are heard.

Professional competencies of Librarians

What makes librarians the clear choice for educational technology leaderships? The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada lists professional and personal competencies for Teacher-Librarians (Appendix A) where leadership and technology use is highlighted. To be recognized as a teacher-librarian these competencies must be met through course work, additional training and continued professional development. Johnson (2003) provides evidence to support why librarians are better equipped than others to handle the role of technology leadership. Professional trainers may not have experience in education, and theyre not based in schools. District technicians often lack teaching or interpersonal skills. District-level trainers are usually spread too thin to work with individual staff members. Classroom teachers are too busy teaching kids and may be reluctant to experiment with new educational methods. Videotapes, online instruction, manuals, and trial-and-error experimentation require a higher level of personal commitment from teachers. (Johnson 2003 para.3) Johnson (2003) further argues his position by pointing out the attributes professional librarians possess starting with A healthy attitude toward technology. Librarians teach not only how to use technology, but understand why and under what circumstances it should be used. (Appendix B) This list outlines the many attributes teacher-librarians use to run an effective library program. These lists of competencies and skills clearly outline why teacher-librarians are educational technology leaders. In many schools they are working and performing in this capacity. The problem is that they are seldom recognized for it. When it comes to the politics of technology in schools teacher-librarians are often overlooked.Why are teacher-librarians overlooked as educational technology leaders?Though libraries have changed dramatically in the 21st Century and librarians have adapted to those changes the public still view libraries as a static, quiet, solitary zone for reading or studying instead of as a dynamic learning environment that supports a wide range of technological and cognitive learning tools such as collaboration, peer support and situational learning. Subramaniam et al. (2012) theorize that staff often promotes this archaic vision of school libraries. Librarians often struggle to gain recognition from teachers about the importance of process of literacy skills for learning content. They further disregard librarians when they are reluctant to collaborate which may be due to many factors including the misconception that collaboration is too time consuming. In Ignoring the Evidence: Another Decade of Decline for School Libraries, Oberg (2012) queries when: Four decades of research indicates that well-staffed, well-stocked, and well-used school libraries are correlated with increases in student achievement, [and] When provincial, national, or international learning assessments are analyzed, the areas of concern that emerge are frequently library-related, particularly in the realm of information literacy practices: formulating questions, identifying appropriate sources of information, locating information, distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant information...Why doesnt the research on school libraries resonate with educational policymakers and funding allocators?This article doesnt provide the answers to this complex economic, societal and political Issue, but it points out that as Canada continues its decline in library support parts of Europe are supporting libraries as a force for educational reform, for improving reading education, and for developing students abilities in information handling and knowledge creation. (Oberg, 2012) Canada is currently third in Reading skills and fifth in Math and Science as reported by the Organisation (sic)for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) but as Europe strives to improve their library standards will Canada fall further behind? (Shepherd, 2010) Bonk (2010) also notes that libraries are taking a hit from both the public and educational leaders who see the Internet as a replacement for libraries and librarians. Not all educational leaders target the library as the campus entity best able to support digital information literacy. In fact, for many administrators, faculty, parents, and students, the school library's role is already supported (or perhaps, paradoxically, made less necessary) by a more amorphous institution born in the Information Age: the Internet. Many educational thinkers believe that the Internet already places into the palms of students' hands more information than they can possibly process. They argue (or school administrators hear) that it is now up to the teacher and a more modern classroom dynamic to manage this rapid, Internet-fed information stream to support learning. As discussed earlier teachers are often reluctant or unknowledgeable about how to manage the Internet-fed information stream. As information specialists, teacher-librarians are more likely to be able to teach the management and selection of the rapid onslaught of information. They are already in the position of using, managing and sharing their technology resources. Until the school community sees the value of a collaborative relationship within a dynamic multi-use library setting, librarians will continue to be overlooked. What happens if librarians are not educational technology leaders?Not having technology leadership can leave teachers with a lack of adequate knowledge,

as well as a lack of confidence that prevents them from embracing new technologies.

(Williams, 2004) Many teacher-librarians are willing and already taking the initiative and

assuming a leadership role within their schools. Kahn and Kellner (1999) predicted a need for a reconstructuring of education where our

students learn skills of media and computer literacy through collaborative and interactive

classrooms to be able to function in a highly technologized information economy. Teacher-

librarians are working within their libraries and collaborating in classrooms to develop new

pedagogies and modes of learning for new information and multimedia environments, such as

the Deweyian education which focused on critical problem solving and goal-seeking projects.

(Kahn and Kellner, 1999 p.442)

Unfortunately, as I have witnessed in my own district, not all teacher-librarians have the

same goal. Park (1992 p.747) in his article, Libraries without walls or; Librarians without a

profession, warns us that,

Libraries may miss the opportunity to become the primary delivery mechanism of information, and, likewise, librarians may miss the opportunity to become highly valued information professionals, if they don't broaden their vision, keep pace with technology, and use both to anticipate and respond to the patron's needs. In other words, both libraries and librarians could be quickly marginalized.

For those teacher-librarians that choose not to broaden their vision into the 21st Century and meet the needs of the 21st Century library user there is little hope that the public, administrators and their colleagues will see the future in their library. Whats next?Libraries are rapidly evolving, and librarians have to be able to embrace that change. But as the role and functionality of libraries change, the interpretation of what the domain of librarian is needs to evolve too. (Foote, 2011) This shift is both physical and psychological. As an educational technology leader the teacher-librarian may not always be found in the library, but may be collaborating with teachers to team teach in classrooms, meeting with administrators to plan for new technology and working on district projects. As more and more of the library resources become digital the circulation of resources will decrease meaning less time spent at the circulation desk and managing the collection and more time interacting with students and teachers. Librarians must be accepted and acknowledge as specialists and leaders by the staff, administration and district to be effective in policy and decision making. Though many librarians have the same credentials as the administration they are rarely chosen to be the voice for change. Oberg (2012) mentions that when the province of Ontario announced cutting librarians and libraries there was a flurry of media coverage and concern but it was short-lived and the cuts went through with no opposition. No one seemed to listen to the teacher-librarians about the damage done to a school without a library. This transition will not be easy. There are several potential factors for conflict; teachers who dont want to share or collaborate with technology, school districts not recognizing the need for a new ICTS curriculum taught by a specialist, administrators and district personnel not wanting to give up a leadership role, provincial and district budgetary cutbacks reducing already limited librarian time and the most damaging factor is teacher-librarians not seeing the future of educational technology and stepping up to the leadership role. All we can do is keep advocating and maintain our presence in libraries, schools and in as many decision making opportunities as possible. Through the commitment of professional teacher-librarians with a similar vision we will be recognized as the educational technology leaders that we are. School librarians [are] the key change agents to develop and implement media-enhanced education because they are (a) often leaders of media programs in schools, (b) best equipped to spread an educational program through their existing collaboration with teachers across an entire school, and (c) able to connect young people to resources that bridge in and out of school contexts. (Subramaniam et al., 2012 p.169)

ReferencesAnyira, Isaac Echezonam, "The anatomy of library users in the 21st century" (2011). Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal).Paper 535. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/535Association for the Teacher-librarianship in Canada, Canadian School Library Association (1998). Competencies for teacher-librarians in the 21st century. Teacher Librarian, 26(2), 22-25.BCTF Research . "Changes in FTE learning specialist teachers 2001-02 to 2010-11." BCTLA Publications Reports A (2011): 1-8. www.bctf.ca. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. (http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/reports/wlc/Changes_in_Specialist_Teachers_prov_and_district_tables_2001_02_to_2010_11.pdf)Bonk, Curtis J. "How technology is changing school." Educational Leadership 67, no. 7 (April 2010): 6065. (As Summarized in Effective Schools Research Abstracts 25, no. 1).

Foote, C. " Librarians as leaders." Not So Distant Future technology, libraries, and schools. edublogs, 6 Feb. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. .

Herring, James. "Assumptions, information literacy and transfer in high schools." Teacher Librarian 38.3 (2011): 32-36. Print.

"Information and Communications Technology Integration - ICTI." BCIS Redirector . B.C. Ministry of Education , n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. .

Johnson, D. (2003). Becoming indispensable. School Library Journal-"Learning Quarterly", ... Retrieved December 8, 2012, from http://www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/becoming-indispensable.html

Johnson, D. "Lessons school librarians teach others." American libraries 35.11 (2004): 46-48. Print. 1 Dec. 2012.

Kahn, R. & Kellener, D. (2007). Paulo Freire and Ivan Illich: Technology, politics and the reconstruction of education. Policy Futures in Education, 5(4). (http://richardkahn.org/writings/tep/freireillich.pdf)

Leadership-Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved December 8, 2012, from http://en.wkipedia.org/wiki/LeadershipMurray, J. "Librarians evolving into cybrarians." Information Today, Inc.. Version March/April. Multi Media & Internet @ Schools, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012.