Presentation by Esther Tyson principal of a secondary school in Jamaica for the panel presentation/discussion on the conference subtheme of collaboration and support

1. SCHOOL LIBRARIES: EMPOWERING THE 21ST CENTURY LEARNER COLLABORATION AND SUPPORT:PERSPECTIVE OF A SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL 8/11/2011 Esther Tyson 1

3. The digital age is a reality which we must move into

4. Students are adept at using the new technologies more than the teachers

5. Countries are introducing digital text books or supplying students with lap tops for learning purposes

6. Knowledge is increasing exponentially

7. “Knowledge based economy” is the buzz term being touted. What does this mean for education.8/11/2011 Esther Tyson 2

9. Technical support is largely lacking for these equipment

10. Is this project sustainable?

11. Post offices are being set up with computers to allow citizens the opportunity to access internet.

12. Many persons cannot afford computers and the internet access

13. The school library for many students will be the place where they will be able to access the use of computers and the internet.

14. Many schools still do not have the resources to equip the library with the needed equipment.8/11/2011 Esther Tyson 3

16. Librarian in order to offer the support that schools need must first become a media specialist.

17. Needs to be on the cutting edge in ICT – lead process in the schools

18. Needs to find to develop a vision for the school library as a resource center for the school community

19. Develop relationship with stakeholders to sell the vision in order to get support.

20. Important to sell the vision to the Principal

21. Be able to seek and access funding for development of resource center

22. Use opportunities to make the library income-generating8/11/2011 Esther Tyson 4

24. Librarian in collaboration with HODs should provide necessary information about best locations to access information concerning particular subject areas.

25. Identify areas in which the school could benefit from using cyberspace, eg. Website and seek to drive this initiative.8/11/2011 Esther Tyson 5

26. From Paper to Pixel:Digital textbooks and florida schools – Mardis, everhart, et al Kids are wired differently these days...They’re digitally nimble. They multitask, transpose and extrapolate. And they think of knowledge as infinite. They don’t engage with textbooks that are finite, linear and rote. --Sheryl R. Abshire, Chief Technology Officer, Calcasieu Parish School System, Lake Charles, LA 8/11/2011 Esther Tyson 6

27. From Paper to Pixel: Digital textbooks and florida schools – Mardis, everhart, et al Digital Textbooks Can Extend School Librarians’ Reach Digital textbooks represent another opportunity for school librarians to enhance their vital leadership in teaching and learning. Librarians are experts at identifying, collecting, and organizing the best content, free or for a fee, and a move to open content learning resources may even free up funds to create stronger digital collections. 8/11/2011 Esther Tyson 7

28. From Paper to Pixel: Digital textbooks and florida schools – Mardis, everhart, et al In an age when many school librarians are not sure about the continued relevance of their promotion of reading and love of books, ebooks and digital textbooks may represent a fresh way to continue advocacy for the importance of reading (Peters, 2009) as well as for the school librarian’s crucial leadership role in technology integration. Noted author-editor Marc Aronson wrote recently on his blog, Nonfiction Matters, “Out of the rubble of the economic crash is coming this great moment of opportunity, we just have to figure out how to seize it” (Aronson, 2009 ¶3). 8/11/2011 Esther Tyson 8