Page 47 - Technology Plan for School Years 2017 to 2021

by including Makerspace activities and digital publishing stations. The Learning Commons
space should affirm student work by providing not only a shared display space but a public
performance area.

Thirdly, the Learning Commons is also a platform. This is a virtual space that provides 24/7
access to digital resources and online collaborative areas. The media specialist along with
District library staff work to curate high quality digital subscriptions and eBook collections to
support student learning. In addition, the media specialist is a guide to cloud-based
resources and tools that can be used for teaching and learning.

“The libraries of the 21st century provide a welcoming common space that
encourages exploration, creation, and collaboration between students, teachers, and
a broader community. They bring together the best of the physical and digital to
create learning hubs. Ultimately, libraries will continue to inspire students to
construct new knowledge and meaning from the world around them.”

In order to meet the challenge of Future Ready libraries and librarians as set forth by the
Alliance for Excellence in Education, we must leverage the assets of people, place, and
platform.

Our library media centers must be remade into collaborative technology-rich spaces and well
trained librarians and skilled paraprofessionals. The redesign of the media center into a true
Learning Commons will not only create the learning hub described by Holland but will be the
central support for the Future Ready student.

To achieve the Learning Commons model we need to continually update our platform by
increasing digital collections and creating strong up-to-date print collections. Our physical
spaces need to be remodeled to align with the pedagogy of collaborative and personalized
learning. Designs should include highly mobile and flexible furnishings and robust
infrastructure to support technology use. We must match our physical space and updated
platform with certified educators who are prepared to manage resources and lead their
school in technology integration. Investing in unified technology training for all media
specialists will be the most important step forward. By developing all three assets of
excellent school libraries, the District will have built library programs that will play a lead role
in students meeting not only the Florida Standards but also the ISTE Standards and the
AASL National School Library Standards.

Actionable beginning steps for the District include:
• The current collaborative workgroup of library stakeholders should complete the
development of a prototype media center or each school level based on trends in

47 | P a g e