I have always been a fan of trivia. I enjoy learning what some would consider to be useless knowledge, however, this skill has helped me in my library journey. To be a librarian, you don't need to know everything, but it's helpful to have a little bit of knowledge about a lot of different things. My information diet depends on where I am and what I am looking for. If I'm not searching for anything specific, I learn a lot of information primarily through social media. I look at what my friends share and I engage with the content if it interests me. I can waste a lot of time watching short videos or reels without really learning anything. I am alerted of breaking news via social media posts and I feel somewhat up-to-date with major current events. If I am searching for something specific, such as researching for a paper or a lesson plan, I would start with Google and narrow my searches, or I would log in to my library's databases and find the articles that I need.
Module 4 focuses on student learning and technology, information literacy, and frameworks for teaching and learning. In an article published Pew Research Center, U.S. teens rely heavily on social media for entertainment and information. YouTube was the most commonly used platform, with TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram following closely behind. I currently work in a middle school, and I have noticed that a lot of students prefer to watch YouTube videos in their freetime. I have not seen any students browse older networks such as Facebook and X (Twitter). Some have referenced TikTok, but the vast majority use YouTube. Even my child, who is 8-years-old, prefers to watch YouTube videos over anything else. She does not have a favorite TV show, but she has many favorite YouTube streamers.
The American Association of School Librarians has created a webpage dedicated to the best digital tools for teaching and learning. I had no idea that this resource existed and it is a gold mine! I have shared it with many teacher friends who I thought could benefit. This webpage provides several online resources that have made life easier for educators. These resources help to make lesson planning a breeze, and it can help to enhance lessons that are already awesome but may need a little more razzle dazzle. My favorite resource so far has been KidLitTV because it has really cute book trailers for many picture books. This would be an asset for elementary school librarians who are wanting to have a story lesson.
As far as a school librarian's information diet, they should have an understanding of numerous digital tools and be able to educate students about information literacy. Librarians can help students learn how to determine the accuracy of information. Students can learn the signs of fake information and become smarter citizens.
School librarians should also be familiar with frameworks for teaching and learning. The Alliance for Excellent Education has created a framework for Future Ready Librarians, which describes ways that librarians can collaborate with other educators to provide a more supportive learning environment for students.
For funsies, here is my Microsoft Image of a purple turtle reading a book while wearing a party hat:
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