LIBE 467 Assignment 1- Part 1 - Articles 2 and 3

I chose two articles on technology to aid in my understanding of the current technological transformation that teaching is going through.  The first article, "The World of Multitasking Teens" by Rebecca Hill, looks at the effect of computer and phone technology on academic achievement and student health.  The second article, "Information 'Literacies'" by Byron Anderson, speaks about the need for educators and students to be fully technological literate in order to understand the extreme manipulation of the media around them.  Specifically, Anderson writes about the use of photo-manipulation and how it is not enough to know that it happens, but rather students must know how to manipulate photos in order to understand the possibility for deception in media.

I thought that these were important articles because of the way our human experience on the planet is changing because of the emerging technology. I know that as teacher librarians it is necessary to be ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding information and the media through which it is delivered.  However, I often feel that, in the excitement to embrace new technology and its infinite possibilities, we do not always consider the developmental stage of our students and whether the technology is actually good for them.  Rebecca Hill asks a number of these questions in her article and she explores the ways librarians are trying to use new technology in order to maintain or expand their client base.

I know that all technology is regarded with skepticism (once upon a time books were sacred and their distribution was tightly controlled) when it is in its infancy.  However, last year I was listening to a show about e-readers on Ideas on CBC.   In the show, the advent of the internet was compared to the discovery of fire (Prpick).  I thought this was a profound concept because it has really made me think about the reasons why I am using technology in my class and whether the use is responsible and relevant.

Works Cited

Anderson, Byron. "Information "Literacies"." Behavioural . 26. (2007): 63. Print.

Hill, Rebecca. "The World Of Multitasking Teens: How Library Programming Is Changing To Meet These Needs." Young Adult Library Services 8.4 (2010): 33-36. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Sept. 2012.12.

Prpick, Sean, prod. "Closing the Book." Dir. Dave Redel. Ideas. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: Vancouver, 26 Sep 2011. Radio. <http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/episodes/2011/09/26/closing-the-book-2/>.