Library without Books

The school library world has been considering (and freaking out) about the high school library in Massachusetts that got rid of all of its books.  The school purchased Kindles for its students who can then download books from Amazon.  Reference books were replaced by ebooks and subscription databases.  And let's not forget the $12,000 espresso machine.  Obviously, this school is not your typical public high school.  It's a private academy with lots of money.  (I told my principal that we, too, could be cutting edge if only we had a $12,000 espresso machine. He told me we'd have to make do with the pop vending machine.) 

When an institution takes such a drastic step as this, supporters and naysayers come out yelling.  Some say that this is indeed the wave of the future.  Most information is available digitally and as long as someone is helping students locate the information they need, Cushing Academy's way is the way to go.  Students may find this set up more relevent to their lives. 

While I applaud the courage this step took, I must admit I have some concern.  First of all, not all books are available for the Kindle.  Do we allow Amazon to choose what we have available to our students to read?  I also think that there is the need for the library as a place.  I listened to an interview with students from this high school and most liked the Kindles and the coffeeshop, etc.  But they also said that they missed the feel of the library with books.  They missed a place to go and quietly read, write, and work on homework. 

Actually, most high school libraries have been using a combination of ebooks, subscription databases and "old-fashioned" books for years. Was it really necessary to remove the books to make this change?  Or was this an attempt of a private institution to make a splash in the media to attract students and donars? 

21st century skills

I attended a workshop by Scott McLeod on Monday, Nov. 9, and came away inspired and with a sense of urgency. The challenge, of course, is to keep that sense of urgency in the face of "I can't print my assignment" and "the projector in my classroom won't work" and "where can I find the Twilight books".

I particularly liked McLeod's opening activity. In groups, teachers determine how digital technology has changed the following industries:  news & journalism, banking & finance, TV & movies, maps & travel, music, books & reading, medicine & health.  These areas have experienced serious change and entire segments of workers have lost their jobs.  All of these areas are information-based, as is education. Which leads to the question, how has education changed?  How do we need to change?

The internet is changing.  When I first used the internet, it was about getting information then taking that information and using it in some way.  The interent is no longer just pushing out information; it has become a social place.  This is a key to us as educators.  We were pretty comfortable getting the information off the internet then using it the way we always have.  But we always say that an important part of schools is the social interaction.  We should now be using the internet the improve the social interaction through Facebook, wikis, discussion groups, nings.  Using the internet as a place to publish information as well as find information.

One of the notes I wrote to myself during the workshop was "It's about power and control". For the news, this means that the consumer is no longer limited to one local newspaper and 3 network news shows.  We can choose to read or not to read particular blogs and websites.  We can choose any kind of music--not just the kind that the record companies decide to produce and play on the radio.  We can watch TV shows whenever we want--and skip the commercials.  The corporations are not longer in control of the information that we consume.  News, music, TV, movies have become personalized--we choose only those that we want to watch or listen to. 

What does this mean for schools?  How does the new digital landscape give students and parents more control?  Just as news and music has become personalized, technology can personalize learning as well.

For years I've been telling teachers, "Technology doesn't change what you teach.  It just changes how you teach it."  I'm thinking that is no longer true.  I now think that we need to change what we teach in addition to how we teach it.