I am very proud to be in a district that strives to stay "with the times." The video, A Vision of Students Today, really struck a cord.
Not only do we need to continue to make our libraries stay current and integrate technology, we also need to make sure that happens in the classroom. I agree that we must strive to make "the library a social and emotionally engaging center for learning and experience." (See the article, "Into a new world of librarianship" by Michael Stephens at http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/3.htm). We no longer expect to see children quietly reading in the library, nor do we expect students to sit quietly in rows, where the teacher stands in front of the room and blabs all day. Rather, we expect to see students actively engaged, self determined in their learning, working and talking with peers. Using technology in both the classroom and libraries alike is the perfect way to accomplish such goals. Students want to show what they know--often surpassing the knowledge of the teacher. There are people who are stuck in the past (just look at the "experts" running the State Board of Education (S.B.O.E.) who have doomed children to revisit the 1960's--what a nightmare!) Libraries are not just collections of documents and books, they are conversations, they are convocations of people, ideas, and artifacts in dynamic exchange. Libraries are not merely in communities, they are communities: they preserve and promote community memories; they provide mentors not only for the exploration of stored memory, but also for the creation of new artifacts of memory (taken from Dr. Wendy Schultz's article, "To a temporary place in time."
1 comment:
What a wonderful insightful post! I wish all teachers and educators had the vision you have, especially about libraries. Thanks for reminding us all that the future rests on the shoulders of our students and we need to be where they are, NOT where we want to be.
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