Blog Post 1: Technology Strengths and Weaknesses

Overall thoughts--After reading the ISTE-Nets for teachers, I feel a bit overwhelmed.  I think the International Society for Technology in Education has created a great standard for teachers to try to live up to.   I look forward to learning more about how I can implement these standards in my library.  I also believe that one of the best ways I can help my students become technology literate is to collaborate with the classroom teachers. 


Describe your technology strengths and weaknesses--I consider myself tech savvy and aware.  One of my strengths is that technology does not scare me or intimidate me.  I see it as a useful tool for going 'beyond the book' in a library classroom.  A weakness would be that I have not had much experience in using technology in a library classroom setting.  Also, I have limited experience in virtual environments where I could collaborate with other teachers.

How do I plan to use my technology strengths?  By taking book talks beyond a book.  Using Skype to talk with authors.  Technology can also be fun.  For instance, there are some YouTube videos of people singing the Dewey Decimal System.  It's not great singing, but it's catchy.  And it makes an otherwise dull conversation about the Dewey Decimal System interesting.  I plan to collaborate with classroom teachers to further what they are teaching the students.  If students are presented with information and technology in both the classroom and the library, they are more likely to learn the material and to make connections for themselves.  Collaborating with the teachers also allows me to present the material in different ways than the teacher did.

What do you feel you need to do to overcome your weaknesses?  I think with training and time my weakness will be overcome.  I don't think technology can be mastered in the classroom overnight.  Nor do I think that the ISTE standards could be implemented in a school year.  It simply takes time.

What would you like to learn about technology in order to improve your instructional strategies?  I would like to learn how to integrate the multiple intelligences into technological instruction.  So often I have seen classroom teachers plug kids into the computers, turn on a reading video/game, and leave them alone for 20 minutes.  This is not an effective use of technology, nor is it the right way to reach students.