Fostering Technology-Rich Service-Learning Experiences between School Librarians and Teacher Education Programs

American Association of School Librarians. Available from: American Library Association. 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. Tel: 1-800-545-2433; Web site: http://knowledgequest.aasl.org/

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9

Teacher Education Programs; School Libraries; Partnerships in Education; College School Cooperation; Service Learning; Learning Experience; Technology Education; Preservice Teachers; Feasibility Studies; Program Implementation; After School Programs; Program Effectiveness; Barriers

1094-9046

School libraries are untapped resources for fieldwork by preservice teachers. Many school librarians have expertise in pedagogy and standards-based curriculum development, both for information literacy and for technology integration. By forging partnerships with teacher-preparation programs, school librarians can provide fieldwork sites rich in technology while helping pre-service teachers understand how school libraries support student learning. Service-learning opportunities in school libraries also open the door for future collaboration between school librarians and researchers. More pragmatically, pre-service teachers can provide additional support and knowledge for ambitious technology programming in school libraries. For these reasons, faculty at the University of Wyoming began conversations with school librarians about the feasibility of pre-service teachers volunteering in authentic settings to gain technology-integration skills. Because pre-service teachers in a technology-integration course were beginning their degree programs, they were not at a point where they could assume primary instructor responsibilities. Since stakeholders wanted pre-service teachers to be actively involved in lesson implementation, they focused on informal, after-school programs. To examine feasibility, test curricular ideas, and explore available resources, university faculty volunteered in after-school clubs during one semester. This article discusses the program's challenges and successes from both the library and teacher education perspective. Overall, despite the challenges, the article concludes that school librarians, teacher education faculty, and pre-service teachers found the service-learning opportunity valuable. Exposure to technology integration in authentic contexts helped pre-service teachers learn the multiple roles of school librarians as well as the literacies associated with effective integration (Asselin 2000; Hunt and Luetkehans 2013). Volunteers also provided valuable support during school programs, allowed librarians to focus more specifically on their curricular responsibilities, and provided valuable reviews of technology and curricular materials.

ERIC

8

2015

EJ1079996