The Information Worlds of School Librarians as Digital Learning Leaders
K-12 schools are making the move to digital learning resources, and are increasingly integrating technology into the curriculum. With training as both a teacher and an information specialist, the school librarian is in a position to help facilitate this transition to digital. The purpose of this res...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | English English |
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Florida State University
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| Online Access: | http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_2016SU_Luetkemeyer_fsu_0071E_13326 |
| Summary: | K-12 schools are making the move to digital learning resources, and are increasingly integrating technology into the curriculum. With training as both a teacher and an information specialist, the school librarian is in a position to help facilitate this transition to digital. The purpose of this research was to examine the extent to which school librarians perceive that they are prepared to act in the role of facilitator, and to determine what factors contribute to those perceptions. The study was guided by three research questions which explored school librarians’ self-perceptions of their technology leadership abilities, and how their school cultures and information worlds affect those perceptions. In this case study, I used both quantitative and qualitative methods: a survey and follow-up interviews. The participants in this research were all Florida K-12 school librarians. In my analysis, I found that school librarians are largely prepared to act as technology leaders, but that there are many barriers to the enactment of that responsibility, many of which are related to a misunderstanding of the school librarian’s role in the school. This is an exploratory project. Thus, additional research is needed into the factors that affect school librarian’s technology leadership skills enactment. Specifically, research is needed at the national level to determine whether or not the results of this study translate to the larger population of school librarians. Research is also needed into how the school librarian’s role can best be communicated to other school stakeholders. Further, while this research begins to explore the information worlds of school librarians, more extensive studies are needed in order to continue to piece together the many facets of those information worlds. === A Dissertation submitted to the School of Information in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Summer Semester 2016. === July 11, 2016. === digital learning, digital resources, educational technology, school librarians, school libraries === Includes bibliographical references. === Marcia A. Mardis, Professor Directing Dissertation; Juliann Woods, University Representative; Gary Burnett, Committee Member; Don Latham, Committee Member. |
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