Standards are a major part of education within the U.S. No matter what subject you teach or even if you are a paraprofessional within the building, you have been exposed to standards and understand their importance within the classroom. The AASL and ISTE standards are no different. The AASL standards focus on students and the information literacy they will need within their daily lives. These standards are designed for the librarian to facilitate learning and help students to inquire, research, and grow collaboratively. The AASL standards help to “prepare graduates” for life after high school (Dotson, 2015).
The ISTE standards are a little different. There are standards written for students, coaches, administrators, and more. These standards focus on problem-solving skills and computational thinking. The articles for this week mostly focus on the coach’s role. The ISTE “evaluate the skills and knowledge that education coaches need” to be effective within a school (Dotson, 2015). The standards are geared towards strengthening coaches, who will in turn strengthen education within a school setting.
The goal of the AASL and ISTE standards is to improve learning within schools. They are both designed to help educators and students continue to grow as learners. In the article “Factors of Engagement: Professional Standards and the Library Science Internship” there were several key points discussed about how the AASL and ISTE standards fit into the everyday library setting. One topic that caught my attention was the topic of collaboration. Both sets of standards focus greatly on collaborating with others to improve learning. This is not only a skill needed within the school setting, but a life skill. These standards are preparing students for life after school.
Dotson, K. & Dotson, K. (2015). Factors of engagement: Professional standards and the library science internship. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 59(3), p54-63. https://doi-org.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/10.1007/s11528-015-0853-y.
761 Informational Technology in the School Library 
Hi Erin,
Great post!
My boyfriend is a strength coach (college level) and he uses technology A LOT in his job. The athletes are responsible for using technology that helps the coaches keep track of their heart rate, speed, etc. so they can find the best ways to train them for either on the field or on the court. But those athletes are also students. The programs they use can sometimes show them how to do other things in the classroom, and it also teaches them skills like time-management and resourcefulness. I like how you brought that up!
Students learn in many different ways. I work in a high school, and we definitely communicate with coaches if we’re having troubles in the classroom. The goal is to help the student succeed! I’m doing a lot of collaboration this semester, even for some of my classes, and I’m really seeing how important it is.
LikeLike
I enjoyed reading your post. I agree that one of the major takeaways from both sets of standards was the intense focus placed on collaboration. When I come up with my own library lesson plans, I find that I’m automatically drawn to the idea of having my students collaborate on projects or assignments in the library. It’s so much easier and more fun to come up with lessons and activities that require some form of class collaboration. Although collaborative activities are fun to develop, they can often be difficult to put into action in lower elementary classrooms. I’ve found that younger students enjoy working independently in the library. For that reason, I try to provide my students with a balanced mix of independent activities and group projects. The thing I like best about the new standards is that they provide ample opportunity for all learning styles to thrive.
LikeLike
Erin,
I agree that collaboration is a major focus of both AASL and ISTE standards. It is featured in both sets of standards for students and for educators. It is important for students to collaborate with each other to create deeper meanings and understandings and to learn how to function within a group of differing personalities. It is also essential for librarians and educators to collaborate with others in order to be able to provide students with valuable learning opportunities.
I also read this article and in addition to learning about the standards, it gave me a better understanding of the importance of the graduate internship (yet another form of collaboration!). Have a great weekend!
Kristi
LikeLike
Erin, I enjoyed your summary of both sets of standards. Coming from very detailed state classroom standards, I noticed both ISTE and AASL standards are subjective and flexible for grades K-12. During PDs we unpacked the AASL standards with librarians from similar age groups. It is amazing to see how a document that can work for young elementary students can be interpreted by (and still work) for a high school librarian.
LikeLike
Erin,
I agree that the AASL standards prepare graduates for life after high school and that the ISTE strandards are more technology driven, focusing on problem-solving skills and computational thinking. I feel that these two sets of standards combined gives today’s librarians a great basis of what to focus their attention on.
I love how you mentioned that the goal of both sets of standards is to improve learning within schools. Collaboration is something that seems to be somewhat of a struggle in my current school. Our old librarian did very little as far as working with teachers, so they are still reluctant to reach out to me. In addition, they seem somewhat offended if I mention working with them. It’s as if what they have been doing is working, why on earth would they need my help. Over time, I hope to improve this teacher/librarian relationship.
Jayme
LikeLike