Embrace Change: Become a School Library 2.0

Media specialists of the 21^st century are not just responsible for selecting literature and managing collections.  (Brooks, 2008)  They are also responsible for teaching information and technology literacy, which includes teaching the skills needed to use a variety of software tools.  (Naslund & Giustini, 2008)  To meet the needs of the students and colleagues of the 21^st century, the media specialist is constantly learning to select and adopt technology, as well as teach and promote new technology.  Schools have embraced the use of Web 2.0 tools, which enable users to interact, collaborate, and share.  Therefore, media specialists must also embrace the Web 2.0 technology and redefine the profession so that their profession does not become obsolete.  (Brooks, 2008)   Hence, School Library 2.0 is introduced.  (Harris, 2006)

What is involved in becoming a School Library 2.0?  It involves embracing the Web 2.0 tools to reinvent the school library into “a participatory, social, user-centered environment” that uses technology to increase collaboration and student interaction.  (Naslund & Giustini, 2008, p. 56)  “Web 2.0 applications include, but are not limited to, social networking sites, blogs, wikis, podcasts, video blogs, content creation applications, photo sharing, virtual worlds, and games” (Husid, 2010).  Blogs, wikis, and social bookmarking sites are commonly used in educational settings.

Blogs are a form of online journaling.  In an educational setting, blogs, such as Blogger and Edublogs, are used as a place for students to record their educational experiences, as well as reflect on those experiences.  Since other students can post on their peer’s blog, a blog can be used as a communication tool where students are provided an opportunity for debating an issue and collaborating on an issue.  Some schools use blogs as a primary webpage.  (Naslund & Giustini, 2008) 

Wikis are websites that are easily updated by any web user.  In an educational setting, wikis, such as Wikispaces and Wikipedia, are being used as collaborative writing tools.  Students not only find information about a topic, but they also create a product or a webpage about the topic.  Since other students have the ability to add content to the wiki, it is a great collaboration tool.  (Naslund & Giustini, 2008) 

Social bookmarking sites are used to organize bookmarks so that they can be shared with other users.  In an educational setting, social bookmarking sites, such as del.icio.us and Diigo, are used to allow students to share references, websites, and documents with the peers.  Teachers and media specialist can also use social bookmarking sites to share bookmarks with other teachers or students.  (Naslund & Giustini, 2008) 

The media specialist is responsible for integrating technology into the school library program to meet the needs of the students and teachers.  Therefore, the school library program must embrace the Web 2.0 technologies and become a School Library 2.0.  This will ensure a technology rich environment that allows for students to interact and collaborate with other students.  (Naslund & Giustini, 2008) 

  

References:

Brooks, L. K. (2008). “Old school” meet school library 2.0: Bump your media program into an innovative model for teaching and learning.  Library Media Connection, 26(7), 14-16.

Harris, C. (2006). School library 2.0: Say goodbye to your mother’s school library. School Library Journal, 52(5), 50-53.

Husid, W. (2010). Criteria for evaluating web 2.0 and online technologies for use in the curriculum.  Current Studies in Librarianship, 30(1/2), 27-36.

Naslund, J. & Giustini, D. (2008). Towards school library 2.0: An introduction to social software tools for teacher librarians. School Libraries Worldwide, 14(2), 55-67.

Seroff, J. (2009). 3601935735_c6163a4646_b. [Photograph]. Retrieved on May 4, 2014 from http://castillejaplc.blogspot.com/2009/06/library-20-by-jole-seroff.html