Bongiorno_Cameron_Post #1 (comparison of AASL and ISTE Standards)
Standards
Hi everyone! Welcome to the Bongiorno Blog!
For this post, I will discuss aspects of the National School Library Standards created by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
Mary Lou O’Connor, an elementary school librarian, mentions both sets of standards in her article Now serving…an appealing menu of digital literacy tools and resources (2019) in which she introduces the choice menu she designed based on the AASL National School Library Standards. O’Connor (2019) states “I created the menu to provide a handy resource that includes links, information about grade-level appropriateness, and descriptions for colleagues to explore, choose from or sample, and serve up when teaching and guiding their students” (p. 18). This is an amazing resource! Check it out below.
Although many of the links are geared for elementary students, I was excited to find some that I can use in my middle school library.
I especially appreciate how O’Connor
(2019) provides two examples of how she incorporates choice menus with students
in her own library based on the project/task at hand. In one activity, the
students chose their favorite book and then answered questions about its author
through completing online research. The choice menu provided the students with various
digital resources to complete the task. In the second example, her students constructed
a character from one of the books they read while conducting an author study. O’Connor’s
choice menu for this activity provided the students with options of various
materials to build the character as well as digital choices for the author
study and digital reflection. Seeing how she brings together some of the ISTE Standards
(International Society for Technology in Education, 2024) with some of the competencies
within the AASL Standards (American Association of School Librarians, 2017) in
one activity helps me to better understand how well these two sets of standards
can easily mesh.
When further reviewing the AASL and ISTE Standards, I admit that I was surprised by the many similarities I found (American Association of School Librarians, 2017; International Society for Technology in Education, 2024). Both sets of standards address the importance of inclusivity, diversity, empathy, validity, reflection, and collaboration – whether that is working with colleagues, peers, parents, and/or other community members. Through the standards, it becomes evident that AASL and ISTE also value privacy and confidentiality as well as safe, legal, and ethical practices, especially in reference to another’s work. The two sets even incorporate similar terminology.
I found these terms on both sets of standards that highlight other important aspects:
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Communicate
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Community
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Connections
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Construct
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Contribute
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Create
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Curate
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Global
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Personal interest
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Perspective
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Solving problems/Problem solving
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Real-world
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Variety
Although there
are many similarities between the AASL and ISTE Standards, differences do
exist. For example, the AASL Standards have a greater focus on literacy and
reading while the ISTE Standards focus on technology and online safety. When
reviewing the National School Library Standards Crosswalk with ISTE Standards
for Students and Educators (American Association of School Librarians, 2018),
it became evident that the ISTE Standards do not often address the specific role
of the librarian and the environment/atmosphere of the school library. Instead,
the ISTE Standards are applicable to all educators, regardless of their content
area and location within the school. Even with these differences, it is evident
why MLIS students need to be familiar with both the AASL and ISTE Standards. They
truly go hand in hand!
References
American Association of School Librarians. (2017). National
school library standards for
learners,
school librarians, and school libraries. AASL Standards.
American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National school library standards
crosswalk
with ISTE standards for students and educators.
https://standards.aasl.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/180828-aasl-standards-crosswalk-iste.pdf
International Society for Technology in Education. (2024). ISTE standards.
https://cms-live-media.iste.org/ISTE_STANDARDS_2024_v02.pdf
O’Connor, M. L. (2019). Now serving…an appealing menu of digital literacy tools &
resources. Knowledge Quest, 47(5), 18-23.
Cameron,
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the article by Mary Lou O'Connor that you shared. The example of how she used the AASL and ISTE standards in conjunction with one another in her library definitely helps to clarify ways that they could realistically be implemented in a school. I was also surprised with just how well the two sets of standards work together when reading about them. As you said, although they have different focuses (literacy versus technology), at their core, they are very similar.
Cameron, I agree with what you are saying. ISTE and AASL go hand in hand with one another. Through the implementation of both sets of standards, we can provide a well-rounded curriculum for our student patrons. I discussed in my blog post how while both sets of standards have many similarities, the ISTE seems to push the AASL standards just a little further by covering more within the technological realm. I also really like the ISTE educator standards and how they are laid out. There is a section for continued education and how to know if you as an educator are adequately fulfilling that aspect. Continued education is so important for educators and I appreciate that ISTE makes that known through their standards.
ReplyDeleteI, too, wrote about the digital menu and how it is not only appealing but essential. I'm glad you shared the graphic as well, so people could click on it and see. I thought about how I could do that for my future blogs. I'm glad you found some for your middle school library. I am not in a library yet, but my goal is to be in an elementary school library. I enjoyed the numerous links available, but I also thought, 'What about the higher grade levels?' The part where you mentioned the terms in both sets of standards was cool to see. That put into simple words (terms), clear aspects that are the same, so thank you for that.
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