The question all teacher librarians should ask is what do I need to do today to begin preparing myself and my school for the shift to a predominantly digital mode of teaching and learning?

Implemented astutely IWBs open the way for schools to finally move from a paper to a predominantly digitally based mode of teaching.

The implications of this fundamental shift are considerable for all teachers, but in particular teacher librarians.

Teacher librarians have been to the fore in education in embracing the digital form and have probably moved further along the paper – digital continuum than most other teaching groups.

However a wise, whole of school adoption of IWBs, with the move to every teacher using the boards – and the associated ICT – as an integral part of their everyday teaching and in turn the shift to a pre-dominantly digital mode of teaching, is likely to have a dramatic impact on the teacher librarians in their various roles as teachers, librarians, managers of the school library - and on their role in the total school community.

Seemingly overnight the graduated shift to a more digital mode of teaching and learning is rapidly accelerated and the digital mode not only becomes the norm for all teachers, but the school is likely to move swiftly through a series of ever richer phases – with the occasional blimp - as it begins to tap the almost unlimited potential of the digital mode. Talk to any of the teacher librarians who have been involved in this kind of take up around the world and they will comment on the speed of the shift, the excitement and the need to rethink many of their operations.

Perhaps ironically they’ll also indicate that most of the macro aspects of the teacher-librarian’s role remain the same, albeit that they are now working within an educational community where the digital – and no longer the paper mode – is the norm. They still play a key role in developing information literacy, enhancing reading, supporting teachers prepare their lessons and overseeing the school’s ‘library’ – and indeed they still make extensive use of books – but they now make ever greater use of the digital and networked resources.

The Digital Mode

In a variety of path-finding schools in different parts of the world one can see IWBs being used as a normal part of everyday teaching, by all the staff, in all the teaching situations – including the library. Granted there will be variability between teachers and some of the teachers newer to the technology will take time to come up to speed, but in general the total staff is using ICT integrally into their teaching.

One can also see those schools embedding the use of ICT and consistently lifting their expectations of what can be done with the digital tools and moving through a series of ever-richer phases.

This kind of uptake, which relies on a critical mass of technology and proficient staff, doesn’t – despite the appearances - take place overnight or indeed automatically. As mentioned elsewhere on this site and in The School Leaders IWB Guide successful, whole school take up requires the school to successfully address a range of variables.

However the take up is taking place at an increasing rate in various parts of the world. In the smaller schools take up is being achieved within two or three years.

If your school is just beginning the shift to IWBs and is planning on whole of school use, if you are a teacher librarian you need to begin preparing for the shift now.

The Teaching Role

As a teacher and as in a sense as a ‘teacher educator’, teacher librarians should be proficient in the use of the IWB and related technology and like all the other teaching staff develop those new competencies that will enable them to enrich their teaching with the digital tools. In brief teacher librarians will need their ‘own boards’ and an in-depth, practical understanding of the ever-evolving IWB related hardware and software.

Teacher librarians need also to appreciate the part the IWBs are likely to play as the core of a suite of school wide, digital teaching hubs. For more information go to – Digital Hubs

With IWBs and the related ICT in use across the school, it becomes essential for all teachers, Kindergarten, secondary maths, music and special education, to consciously develop the students’ information literacy skills.

The Librarian Role

IWBs, particularly when linked to the networked world, soon make every classroom, from kindergarten onwards, a ‘state of the art’ digital library.

Very rapidly the dream of libraries without walls becomes a reality and the role of the librarian needs to change accordingly.

The students and the teachers will soon begin turning to the digital form for their information, be it from the ‘Net, the intranet, from print via the humble scanner, the ever increasing body of packaged teaching material prepared for use with IWBs or the high quality, multi-media digital teaching materials created by the teachers.

The challenge as the librarian working in a networked world is to provide them with the resources they’ll want and use, and to attune your role accordingly. The teacher librarian can grasp the opportunity to become central to the school’s teaching and learning, or retreat to the ‘library’ and the books and become anachronistic and redundant.

The on-going shift along the paper - digital continuum, and the ease with which the boards allow the teachers to create their own digital teaching materials will open the way for the teacher librarian to become the school’s information manager.

Information management in the digital mode will be paramount. Both the teachers’, and students’ work will need to be appropriately stored, readily retrieved and invariably over time, rationalised – to be culled like any other library collection.

All schools will need an ‘information manager’. By default it could well be the network managers, but ideally it should be a professional educator who understands the educational needs of the school.

The Library

The trend which has seen school libraries shift from a pre-dominantly paper to increasingly digital based facility will accelerate rapidly.

Most importantly the ‘library’ will cease to be simply ‘that room’ but rather will become a multi-faceted entity linked to each of the digital teaching hubs, the students’ homes and indeed accessed from anywhere in the networked world.

It is appreciated many schools are well along this path, but the impetus that will come from having every teacher using the digital mode in their daily teaching will escalate the movement and most importantly significantly increase the traffic.

Clearly school libraries will have to further rethink their acquisitions policy and opt for the most efficient and inexpensive modes of delivery.

The move is also likely to prompt the school to re-think and rationalise the management of all kinds of information in the school. It would not be uncommon to have disparate operations maintaining the school’s website, its intranet, the student digital portfolios, the new virtual learning environment (VLE), the teachers’ resources, the school archive and the administrative records, all with their own operating protocols.

On top of this you could well have the teachers storing their class material on C-drives, a thumb drive, CDs or DVDs, with little regard to matters like intellectual property or copyright or re-use.

The teacher librarian, or in larger situations the director of information services, is ideally qualified to coordinate the management of this information and what will become increasingly apparent, these assets.

Already the major libraries have moved to the installation of asset management systems. Schools should be contemplating that need.

Role in School Community

The shift to a networked, whole of school community library makes it imperative the teacher librarian play a more holistic role in the school’s planning and operations.

It is appreciated that this has been so for many years and that ‘Victorian Age’ management thinking has precluded that involvement in some schools, but the point remains that in a networked world the need will be intensified.

Implications

The implications of the whole of school use of IWBs are clearly profound at the teacher, school and system level, and indeed within the teacher librarian training institutions. How many of the latter organisations use IWBs let alone are preparing their graduates for schooling where the technology will be the norm?

In many situations the term interactive whiteboard is not yet understood, yet alone implemented and thus it will be time before their impact is evidenced.

However IWBNet stands by the belief that within the decade most classrooms in the developed world will be using some kind of IWB.

Now is the time for all associated with the school library to begin preparing for and making the best educational use of the new technology.

Conclusion

The shift to a more significant digital mode of teaching will soon be upon teacher librarians, if indeed it hasn’t transpired.

Most teacher librarians will find the shift easy, a continuation of the present trends and highly exciting.

It can also be a time to try and remove some of those Victorian Age management structure blockages and play a more holistic role in the school’s information management.

What needs to be done today to prepare?

If IWBNet can help you with that preparation feel free to drop a note to info@iwb.net.au.

Special thanks to the assistance provided by Susan Martin (Richardson Primary School), Karen Bonanno (Australian School Library Association) and Lyn Hay (Charles Sturt University, Australia).