Media (is) the message

While the use of technology is ever present in our lives, we must remember that our job is for students to learn. We must remember there are many types of learners, so you must teach using a variety of methods. We not only have visual, auditory and kinsthetic learners, we have learners who learn through the use of technology. The most important piece of any lesson is what is the desired student outcome. Nothing can ever replace the expertise and knowledge that a human being provides. With technology constantly changing, many teachers feel like they can't keep up. They are overwhelmed with demands on their time; paperwork, data disaggregation, lesson plans, grading, conferences, and meetings alone require many more hours than are in a school day. Librarians can teach students what different apps, websites, databases, and other technology can do and how it can promote the student's learning. I think as educators or librarians, we need to find ways to implement it and use it effectively for student learning.  Librarians must provide students with various media so that they can choose the most comfortable for them.  We must teach our students digital citizenship. Just because they know how to play games and use social media apps, doesn't mean they are fully aware of using it correctly. Technology basics must be taught. Librarians need to become experts in apps so they can provide professional development and support for teachers who are willing to try technology. So many teachers are afraid of technology, they need a good support person they can rely on. If we aren't teaching students to use technology the right way, then it will not promote their learning.