What one thing did you learn, and what will you do differently as a result?
One thing I learned is that school library media specialists, as the technology "go-to" person for technology needs in a school environment. As Odin Jurkowski (2006) mentions, the school librarian provides "direct support in the education of training of how to use technologies regardless of where they are housed or used" (p. 109). Because of this, it would not make sense for librarians to be disconnected from the use, training, selection, and monitoring of AT. To be honest, I didn't really place AT and the school librarian in the same setting. In the school environments where I've worked, there was always a separation of these two entities. However, this separation directly contradicts our duty as librarians which is to provide means of information access to all users (regardless of age, race, sex, disability, etc). After completing this module, I really believe that school librarians should have an immensely active role in the selection, evaluation, monitoring, and general handling of AT tools.
Do you plan to recommend this tutorial? If so, please elaborate.
Yes, I would recommend this tutorial. Even as a former special education teacher, with a good deal of background information regarding AT uses and implementation. Taking this tutorial was a good refresher for me. Likewise, this tutorial emphasized ways that school librarians (which I am on my way to becoming) can be involved in AT. I really think, as Odin Jurkowski (2006) mentions, that considering low-tech solutions such as pencil grips, large-print books, or even simple Windows accommodations (I didn't even know these existed until taking this tutorial!) can really go a long way in meeting the educational needs of a variety of users.
Do you plan to read or recommend some of the Recommended Reading books or add them to your collection?
In fact, I have read some of the books mentioned on the LibraryThing list. I really enjoyed reading the Joey Pigza books, Al Capone Does My Shirts, Freak the Mighty (and Max the Mighty), Flowers for Algernon, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. In fact, our school library owns many of the books mentioned on this list, which I think is great.
Will you link our LibraryThing list to your blog?
Yes, I will add the LibraryThing list to my blog.
Erin- I just finished posting an another classmate's site about how I am pleased to have learned the role of librarians with relation to assistive technology. I had never put the two together before either and it is such an important component to what librarians can do to better serve their students/patrons. Glad I wasn't the only one whose light bulb went on :-)
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