Review of Blue Skunk Blog

The author of this blog is Doug Johnson. Doug has written a number of articles for School Library Journal, The Book Report, Teacher Librarian, Leading and Learning with Technology, Internet Research, Creative Classroom, Library Media, Connection, and many other places. He has experience as a high school English
teacher (as I do from 20 some years ago), a K-8 media specialist in Saudi Arabia, a high school media specialist, a district media supervisor, and 15 years as an adjunct professor at a state university in Library Media Education. He has numerous other qualifications, but those above seem more than sufficient (to me)to prove his authority status and comments on his blog.

Wow! This had articles about librians and their respective knowledge about technology. In the article I reviewed,entitled "Why Librarians Should Be In Charge
Of Educational Technology, the author states that he has only worked with librarians who were tech savvy. However, he admits that he hired them! Many teachers wrote in to tell him that their librarians only dealt with books and magazines (at school libraries). He was very surprised and asked if he was totally divorced from reality. (I'd say, "perhaps!" Since many who wrote in stated that their librarians didn't "get" technology!)

I've worked with four librarians in four years at our elementary school.
Only our current librarian has not had technology skills or experience teaching children these same skills. Too bad...very sad for this year's students. I'm definitely not super experienced at using technology, however, even I could set up simple software programs (for elementary age students)that would be developmentally
appropriate! (So, though our current librarian is a very nice person, she's really not "technologically appropriate" for the job she holds because ISTE standards are "supposedly taught" at our school. However, in reality, most students haven't even touched a computer this whole year (with the exception of testing purposes only). As a certified, experienced teacher this bothers me a great deal!!!! (Our librarian supposedly has a Masters In Library Science that is very recent. My question to Bryan is how could someone get a Masters in Library Science without being tech savvy????? I don't get it! What's the deal-----librarians NEED technology skills to even access information for patrons.) I worked as a Children's Librarian for 5 years at Monmouth Public Library--- I didn't have a library degree--but I had tons of experience with children, education, and books. I learned a lot about library software during my time working there. I worked the reference desk and used the computer to look up information for patrons. I also used othr software programs for both children and adults. (So I know a bit in some areas of technology.}

Doug Johnson wrote, and published on his blog, an article entitled "Why librarians should be in charge of educational technology" He has eight reasons why he believes librarians should take over the educational technology in a school. These reasons are: 1)Librarians have a healthy attitude toward technology; 2) Librians in school libraries have good teaching skills; 3) Librarians have an understanding of the use of technology in the information literacy process and its use in fostering higher level thinking skills; 4) Librarians have experience as skill integrators and colllaborators; 5)Librarians have been models for the successful use of technology;
6) Librarians have provided in-building support; 7)Librarians have a whole school view; 8) Librarians have concerns about the ethical use of terminology. (I, myself,
very much agree with Doug Johnson on these reasons that he proposes. However, on the blog many others did not agree, not seeing their librarians as capable as Johnson did in the area of technology (re: above discussion about non-tech savvy school librarians).

Brian Cosby commented that one of the reasons librarians fall short of Johnson's ideal of being tech savvy is that districts who are in need of saving money have targeted school libraians (since they don't know all we do anyway-- which I, personally know is true!). So a parent or a volunteer or a uncertified clerk is now running some school libraries. Cosby goes on to say often the librarian is a teacher who has no library training or experience. These teachers think "How hard could it be?" (However, they have little understanding of just how many years librarians have put in to graduate courses to hone their skills.)

John Thomson makes similar response to JOhnson's article. He says that at his school elementary school librarians are paid as classified employees (tons less than certified employees!) So, of course, they are minimally viewed by the principal and teaching staff. (Certified staff often look down on classified employees because supposedly they have less training. However, in my experience, that is not always true! Classifed employees just get paid less but may have superior knowledge and experience!!! Having been both employed as certified and classified in the school systems--- I can understand both teachers and classifed staff and what often comes between them...)

Anyway, I will be reading much more of the articles on the Blue Skunk Blog later because I find them so interesting!

Again, this sight directly serves school librarians and teachers. Indirectly, it does serve students because the librarians and teachers can vent to each other instead of to the students!!! (I had a college professor at WOU that complained to us students that she wasn't getting paid enough! This complaining/whining lasted the whole class through! Could we, as students, do anything about her pay???? No!
She needed to vent to other professors or go directly to administration with her concerns. And, actually I withdrew from the program because I was sick of her complaining and if I stayed at WOU I would have had many more classes from her, hearing it over and over again. So I transferred to George Fox and was happy with their professors.....)

There are ideas about using technology in classroom situations on this blog also. Again though, they are aimed at librarians and teachers. However, again, they serve students by training their librariansians and teachers in creative, new ideas in technology. Thus, the students will receive more progressive, and creative, classes from their teachers.

Signing off of this second review,
Kathi McCorkle