AASL and ISTE Standards

As a former classroom teacher, I strictly adhered to grade-level standards provided by the South Carolina Department of Education.  As well, I used support documents as my every day guides.  I enjoyed using the state standards, and especially loved the explicit language of the support documents.  I am entering my second year as a school librarian and I have struggled with knowing if I’m teaching the right things or if I’m planning and implementing my lessons well.  It is important as a librarian and educator to not view standards as a curriculum.  The introductory videos to AASL’s Standards said they should be used for guidance as we plan a curriculum that works for our needs.  The standards are available to help librarians personalize their practice.  How authentic!

One article from Knowledge Quest that piqued my interest this week was Implementing the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries in Rural Virginia.  The authors shared the research and effort they put into working with school librarians in a specific region of Virginia to put the standards into the hands of librarians.  In their research, they had 37 participants and the majority did not own a copy of the new standards, thus, implementation wasn’t confidently evidenced.  Bringing together regional librarians, the authors helped the librarians to connect with others and to unpack the standards.  The professional development provided for these librarians seems wonderful—they had an opportunity to receive the standards, network and learn the standards, and participate in an ongoing Canvas project to share lessons, ideas, and support while implementing the standards.  This worthy project would be excellent for training librarians, but implementing the ISTE standards into a professional development session would benefit librarians as well.  Sharing a crosswalk to aid librarians in using both sets of standards would be a great idea.  Both sets of standards push student-learning, creating knowledge, and collaboration.

The infographics for the AASL are very interesting and would be excellent to display in a school library.  A librarian could use them in a way to help students remember tasks during class or to give gentle reminders when necessary.  For example, if groups are working on a research project together, but it is one-sided or a student is taking control, pointing to the “Include” or “Collaborate” infographic could help students remember the purpose of their group work.  I also really enjoyed watching learners give explanations for each standard and was amazed to see that students were capable of articulating the standards in practice in their school libraries if they were in first grade or a high school senior.

ISTE standards were created for a different purpose, but librarians can naturally employ many of these standards within their curriculum.  As librarians aim to become “future ready” it is important to consider the opportunity with integrating these standards in library practices (Gerakios, 2016).  What types of products are created by students who seek information in a library setting?  Often, I see that ISTE standards can be used in the product-stage of research for students.  As I was sifting through this module’s information on standards, I strayed from focus at one point and found myself clicking through various resources provided in the folder.  I experimented with Brush Ninja and Deck Toys to name a couple of the “best” learning sites as provided by AASL.  This made me think of how I could implement these tools in my library.  As I dabbled in Brush Ninja, I created an animated GIF to describe a book I recently read.  My students are fortunate to be 1 : 1 in the area of technology.  I can request that students bring devices to my library and this could be an easy way to explore technology standards with students.  They would LOVE to create GIFs and I could tie it to our lesson, a read aloud, you name it.  This would fit the ISTE “Empowered Learner” model as students take ownership for their learning, by using technology to demonstrate competency.  Deck Toys would be a wonderful way to help students explore topics covered in library in a game-like scenario.  I previewed a deck in which I had to identify call numbers and other library skills.  I could use this deck with my students and after they have gained familiarity with the technology, they could become the “Knowledge Constructors” by creating their own decks to help others learn.

Upon comparing the AASL and ISTE Standards, I have realized that it does become a gray area when librarians and technology specialists within the world of education come together.  Although it can become questionable how deep a librarian should dive within the technology standards, I think it’s important as a future ready librarian to at least make an honest attempt at using both sets of standards to drive instruction. 

Resources:

AASL Shared Foundation Infographics: https://standards.aasl.org/project/foundations/

Best Websites for Teaching & Learning 2019: https://standards.aasl.org/project/bw19/

Gerakios, J. (2016, July 25). Are you a future ready librarian? [Blog post]. Retrieved from
     https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/future-ready-librarian/  

  

ISTE Standards: https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards

Spisak, J., Harvey, C.A., Collins, K., & Church, A.. (2019). Implementing the National School Library
     Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries in Rural Virginia.
     Knowledge Quest, 47(5), E1-E7. Retrieved from 
     http://search.ebscohost.com.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=136102781&site=e host-live