Post #1: AASL and ISTE
While reviewing the AASL (American Association of School Librarians) and ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) standards, it reminds me of the scene in Ferris Bueller 's Day Off, when the history teacher is presenting a lecture to the class and all of his students stare blankly at him. It is a hilarious scene in this film, but this becomes a serious issue in reality. Long gone are the days where the school librarian simply sits at a circulation desk to check materials in and out. Students can no longer be educated in settings where they can passively sit and be spoon fed information to be regurgitated later, with a paper-based assessment. If these students had been given choices in their learning and allowed to explore the topic presented using a myriad of resources, would this lesson have looked differently?
Similarities in the AASL and ISTE standards are the ideas of empowerment and student choice. In O'Conner's 2019 article, Now Serving an Appealing Menu of Digital Literacy Tools & Resources, her students are tasked to tell about their favorite book and to research questions about the author. O'Conner chooses a variety of digital literacy tools and resources in which her students can choose from. She allows the students to choose the tools that are a "best fit" for them. These address both the ISTE standard of empowering the learner and can be categorized in the Create/Curate AASL standard. What if Bueller's teacher had implemented the AASL and ISTE standards together? We would not have that priceless and "teachable moment" movie scene.
The AASL and ISTE have standards that focus on student learning and best practices in teaching. Both organizations also have standards not only for learners but for other school professionals. O'Connor's district streamlined the AASL, ISTE, and district standards into “Student I Can Statements and Evidence of Assessment Opportunities” posters. "The posters also serve to guide our interactions with colleagues, our school communities, and other stakeholders" (O'Connor, 2019, p. 18). Both standards seem to consider that "a whole village" (educators/teacher-librarians/teachers, coaches, students, and stakeholders) is required to effectively educate our children. Both the AASL and ISTE have standards that focus on student learning and best practices in teaching. Both organizations also have standards for learners and other school professionals.
Additionally, one of the core foundations of both the ISTE and the AASL is for students to be responsible digital citizens. With O'Connor's tasks students were expected to comment on others' work in a respectable way. Her lessons inspire students to can be kind, ethical, and safe in the digital world.
One difference between the AASL and ISTE standards are that the AASL standards have been carefully crafted for use by the school's librarian and encompasses best practices that can be used to develop a strong curriculum, no matter the discipline, in any k-12 school setting. In short, the AASL Standards Integrated Framework is an umbrella of standards specifically written with the learner, the school librarian, and the school libraries in mind. Also, in the AASL learner standards, literacy is carefully intertwined, but the standards can be used with any discipline. The AASL standards are centered around the holistic growth of the student and their individual needs. The ISTE is solely focused on how to best integrate and promote technology within an education setting. Unlike the AASL standards, the ISTE has a set of standards for coaches to implement.
In all, the AASL and ISTE standards can work together, as a cohesive unit, to provide teacher-librarians the tools needed to offer students quality learning experiences, enhanced with technology and collaboration, and the utilization of best practices.
References
American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National school library standards for learners, school librarians, and school libraries. ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association.
O'Conner, M. L. C. (2019). Now serving an appealing menu of digital literacy tools & resources. Knowledge Quest, 47(5), 16-21.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved your reference to Ferris Bueller’s Day off. As you mentioned students can no longer learn passively, they need to be engaged and given choices to stimulate active learning. That is where standards come in and why it is significant that they are routinely updated to meet the needs of learners and teachers alike. The power of choice positively effects a student’s involvement and attitude towards learning. I specifically liked how O’Conner presented her digital tool options to her students as a menu stating that “Providing learners with a menu of options encourages students to make choices and help drive their own learning.” Her article demonstrated how we can take standards and align activities and lessons around them in a fun and engaging way. I also liked how she collaborated with teachers to ensure she not only met her AASL standards but grade level expectations as well. Your mention of “best fit” tools reminded me of when I used to work in an elementary school and we had a similar approach to O’Conner’s as far as offering students a choice of which digital tools to use as well as reading options (such as a traditional paper book, eBook, or audiobook) they wished to use. They could also choose to read to self, read to others, or listen to a friend read. They were so delighted that they had the power to select a way to learn. It resulted in improved reading skills and overall enjoyment of learning. As librarians we have a huge responsibility to help educate our students and I agree with you that both AASL and ISTE standards can work together to meet their needs.
Hi Kelly,
DeleteSo, my comment section does work well. Thank you so much for helping me. You have summed up my comments so beautifully. That's wonderful that your school gave its students the option of how they wanted to read. Allowing students to have options and choices in their learning helps them to take ownership in their learning and makes it more meaningful. Thanks again for your enlightening comments and for sharing your experiences! :-D
R. Sexton
1. Your blog is adorable!
ReplyDelete2. I feel like you've set the standard for how to respond to this week's blog question! Unfortunately, I've already uploaded my own post, but I see from yours how I could have been more thorough.
3. I only skimmed O'Connor's article, but I like the part you bring up, how she expected students "to comment on others' work in a respectable way." Having that expectation that students contribute their own commentary, and do so politely, is extraordinarily important in today's world. Virtual/online learning and sharing is a gigantic part of modern communication, so we must give students the chance to practice it.
Great post and thoughts! Thanks for sharing!
Victoria Slessman
Victoria,
DeleteThank you for the encouragement and I am sure your post is amazing as well! It is important that students display positive digital citizenship and also learn about the dangers of the digital world. With students literally being born with phones/computers in their hands (and sometimes no guidance on the advantages and disadvantages of these tools), we [as librarians] are here to help! Thank your for your insightful comments and positivity!
R. Sexton