Technology Training via the SLMS

While technology abounds, its usefulness can only come to fruition if it is in fact used.  Having been in two vastly different arenas of educational technology in the past year, I can see problems arise from the total lack of technology.  I have seen issues as well from having it and not being able to properly or successfully utilize it on a daily basis.  

Last year, I worked in a school where the only technology I had in my room was an overhead projector and Vis-à-vis colored markers.  There were only 3 overhead projectors that could be borrowed from the media center and there were only 2 promethean boards (one of which was in an Exceptional Education room and could only be used by and ExEd teacher and those specific students).   At my new school this year, I have my own touchscreen LED Promethean as well as a plethora of other technology available to use within the building.

Dealing with both ends of the technology spectrum opened my eyes to the great disconnect that happens as a result of technology in schools.  On one hand, you have schools that are not financially able to have such wonderful tools that could expand and extend learning to whole new levels.  On the other, some places have tons of technology, but you are left to navigate those waters alone or beholden to the mercy of the IT department coming down to train you when they get the chance.

My current media specialist is a whiz at technology and does a great job of helping you to figure out what is needed to troubleshoot issues that you may have when you need them.  But, as far as training the staff or sending out important information or screencasts on new technology, it is a pipe-dream.  Our media specialist has no assistant or volunteers to ease the daily struggle while she struggles to keep the media center and its basic functions going in addition to being responsible for entering student data and testing information into the system and creating data graphs for the administration and staff to use.  Add coaching, making announcements, and having to teach students in Extended Learning Time and you quickly realize that the SLMS has little to no extra time to collaborate with teachers concerning their technology or the ongoing units in their classrooms.  None of this, however, is the media specialist’s fault; it is the nature of the beast in times of economic thinness and the saving of the almighty dollar in education.

I have received no formal technology training by either the SLMS or the IT people on how to use any of the technology that I have in my room.  I learned to do and handle the majority of issues on my own through researching and trial and error.  I am an independent learner in most cases anyway, and this did not pose an issue to me this year.  Nevertheless, I can see that not having the support of a SLMS could be a critical issue in a school where staff lack knowledge about technology or do not feel wholly comfortable with using it.  In turn, this leads to students missing out on great educational resources simply because their teachers are unprepared or untrained.

Being a school library media specialist also implies the coaching of technology in this ever-changing realm of libraries and what their functions are in order to maintain relevance.  As a SLMS and a technology coach, it is critical to provide training and options for faculty and staff so that they feel comfortable not only in the media center but in their own classrooms as well. 

There are so many awesome ways to use technology that mastering and providing training for all of them would be overwhelming and impossible.  However, there are simple ways to narrow it down and provide the most effective training possible in your school.  These are great option for things to provide:

• Refresher training for returning teachers during pre-planning
•  In-depth or extended training for teachers who are new to the field or the building during pre-planning
• One-on-one sessions for specific materials or equipment
• Weekly emails of fun, useful, and educational resources that teachers can incorporate into their classrooms using the technology that they have
• Screencasts or videos for common issues and how-to guides for equipment, technology, and resources in the building
•  Maintaining an effective and up-to-date website for the schools and media center where teachers can effectively use and find training help or videos
•  Do a year-long professional learning website regarding technology and resources where teachers can explore on their own time and ask questions as needed.