Encouraging and supporting diversity through the media center means utilizing the media center space and resources in ways that promote learning support for all students and enhance the positive aspects of diversity in a student body. There are many characteristics that contribute to the diversity of students within a particular school. Culture, race, gender, special needs, and language are all examples of areas in which students' characteristics may differ.
I think it is very much a responsibility of the media center to strive to serve all of its students. Whether that means purchasing technology to assist special needs students or making sure to include foreign language films and CDs in the media center's collection, a media specialist should always be cognizant of students' diverse needs and seek to accommodate them.
I also think that the media center is a wonderful place for student congregation and should be used as a tool to encourage diversity and support the richness of experience it brings. When you have a group of students, where individuals come from all walks of life, those students have an opportunity to learn something valuable from each other. I think media centers should strive to promote diverse perspectives in regard to programs and should reach out to students in an effort to bring their diverse life experiences to the table for others to learn from.
Technology can be used to support this endeavor in a number of ways. With computers, students can email with other students across the world to learn more about their lives. Students can use various technologies for presentations that emphasize diverse peoples and perspectives. Online technologies, such as web pages, blogs, wikis, and podcasts can allow students who are disabled - and more likely to be absent from school - to view class materials and participate online. A physically handicapped student who typically has trouble holding and turning the pages of a book might find a Kindle or Nook to be much more user-friendly. There are endless ways in which technology can be used to support diversity within a student population.
I have not yet had the opportunity to see technology used to support diversity while doing my field experience. I have, however, seen this at the university library where I work. We have a room we call the Visual Aid Lab, which houses voice-to-text technology for visually impaired students and other technologies to assist physically handicapped students. The Visual Aid Lab is used on a regular basis by certain students who often visit the library. This resource is incredibly helpful to these students, and is a great example of how technology can be used to support a diverse student population.
Unique personal characteristics should always be celebrated, as it is these characteristics that set each student apart from all the rest. When a student with special or specific needs walks into his media center and finds nothing to support his specific learning needs, not only are his educational efforts inhibited, but he is also faced with the reality that no one noticed or cared enough to provide for his educational needs. Students should be provided with the tools they need in order to get the best education possible. They should also be made to feel confident about themselves and who they are, no matter what traits they have that make them different.
Group Techno Trio
ReplyDeleteI believe that media specialist should strive to meet the needs of all students. I also believe that as the economy struggles and funds are scarce we will see less and less of that happening. The media specialist I have spoken with are working hard just to keep up with the “mainstream” when it comes to how they spend their funds and there seems to be little left over when it comes to purchasing products that only a small part of the student population would use. Your idea of using technology to enhance diversity is great! With a little effort and research you could literally find “something for everyone” and quiet often that wouldn’t require spending a dime. We just have to be willing to take the time to open our minds and get started.
I agree. I think that diversity is a tool for the media center. I like your interpretation about how each student can learn from the individual abilities of their classmates. I also agree with your summary about how technology can accommodate the individual needs of students. Although I know that the school's budget is small, the media center can provide students with resources to assist with their learning needs and behaviors. My field experience mentor purchases Spanish language books to assist ESOL students. These students can use the books to review their reading skills. I think that the media specialist should also interact with students and teachers to learn about students' learning needs and provide tactics for accommodating this diversity in the classroom.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, most media centers already foster diversity just by having a non-fiction collection that covers the range of the Dewey Decimal. The 200, 600, and 900 sections, particularly, cover religion, disabilities and countries throughout the world therefore helping students learn about a diverse group of people. However, sometimes that is not enough to support diversity, so I really like your idea of using online technologies, like emails, web pages, blogs, wikis, and podcasts to correspond with other students around the world. I also agree that supporting diversity in education is more than just accommodating to different cultures, there are also students with disabilities and language barriers that need to be considered. The Visual Aid lab is a great way to accomplish this and I hope that K-12 schools consider implementing this kind of technology to support diversity as well.
ReplyDeleteI think we do need to focus on the diversity of needs within the school. Many of our students don’t have access to technology in their homes. I think being able to provide a Kindle or other take home access and technology awareness would be a great way to help bridge some of those gaps through the media center. I think that any time you have students far behind their peers; you are further limiting their potential. It is up to the media center to help provide a connection to the rest of the world especially in these tough times.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we need to give students a place to come and feel welcome, share time with others, and explore together. My school media center seems to be a short stop-over to get a book. Students are quickly booted out. I don’t know how we can get to know students who aren’t allowed time to explore all we have to offer. How can we, or they, know their interests with no time to linger?
My school has a few Spanish and French books which are rarely used. We have bilingual storybooks. I would like to see some Braille books on the shelf for our blind student. Even if his teacher simply moved them to the library, he would get the experience of checking out a book like the rest of the school. We could set up those listening centers or headsets for ebooks. We know Gwinnett Library is offering them free. There are ways to be inclusive and support diversity which don’t cost money. We just need to look for the opportunities and start using them.
Providing assistive technology in the media center is a great way to support special needs students. In a prior class I had to research assistive technology and discuss a tool that could be used in the media center to support students. There are so many great tools, both free and for a cost, that can be used in the media center.
ReplyDeleteI learned about a device called the "Flipper" which a portable magnifier combined with a flexible camera allows students to view objects and text from any distance, near or far. Student can sit any desk in the classroom or media center and still view the whiteboard at the front of the room. They would simply point the camera towards the whiteboard. Shawn is no longer trapped in the front row of the classroom – she can sit near her friends. The big negative with assitive technology is the expense. The Flipper is $4,000. However, the media specialist should not be discouraged. Applying for grants is a great way to obtain assistive technology for students. Taking advantage of free options is a great idea too. A media specialist could teach visually impaired students how to use the listening options and zoom options available in many databases.
As you pointed out, there are countless ways a media specialist can support the needs of every student. There is a wealth of information about assistive technology available in trade journals, on websites, and on listservs. A media specialist can that advantage of these resources to locate assistive technologies that could be used in the media center.
I agree with your statement, “A media specialist should always be cognizant of students’ diverse needs and seek to accommodate them.” It’s pretty easy to meet the needs of the majority, but we must take time to plan for and support those students and teachers who may be in the minority in one way or another. As you noted, even the way we arrange and layout our media center can impact learning for students. For example, it is important to make sure materials are within reach of all students and that pathways are clear for wheelchairs or walkers.
ReplyDeleteBoth media centers in which I have worked have had a special Spanish collection for those students in our population who speak Spanish. My last media center had a collection of Play-a-way mp3 books that were a huge hit with many students, including those who had learning disabilities that affected their ability to read. My current media center has a collection of books written at an elementary reading level, although we are a middle school. These books are popular with the more profoundly disabled students and other struggling readers.
Technology is frequently used to assist our diverse group of students. We have a folder on the desktop of all media center computers with tools like Jaws, Kurzwel, and Solo, that perform tasks to assist students with various needs.
I like the way you listed a variety of technologies that can help disabled students. I never thought of using an ereader to help students who would have trouble turning pages. I also have never seen using technologies in a media center to support these students. I actually don’t really see the handicap students in the media center at all.
ReplyDeleteIt’s great to make sure the diverse population (age, gender, race, ability, etc.) is represented in the media center collection, but we also need to remember the students’ diverse personalities are represented as well.
I agree that the library is an excellent place to promote diversity. Many times the problem associated with diversity is ignorance. Students do not fully understand other social groups, and therefore do not embrace diversity. The media specialist services all students in the school system, so they can help increase awareness and acceptance.
ReplyDeleteMedia centers can increase awareness and acceptance through media center collection, displays, and promotions. The collection should address the special interest of all cultures, races, genders, and special needs. When updating the collection, the media specialist should strive to create a balance among all special interest groups. I like your points regarding special needs students. The media specialist does have a responsibility to assure those students have adequate access to information.
The media center could also introduce new cultures to the school community. This could help address unwarranted fears and prejudices. I believe as our schools become more and more diverse, this will become a huge contribution of the media center.
You wrote, "I also think that the media center is a wonderful place for student congregation and should be used as a tool to encourage diversity and support the richness of experience it brings." I thought it was interesting and worth pointing out that, when we still had two media specialists at our school, one of them was the sponsor for the Diversity Club. Every so often they hosted events that encouraged experiences from various cultures. They also led the "No Place for Hate" initiative at our school.
ReplyDeleteGreat discourse on the variety of populations and available resources. The Visual Aide Lab sounds fabulous. I wish we had that several years ago when we served that population.
ReplyDeleteI agree that certain students find their disability a great handicap when it comes to finding items in the media center. When I first began teaching Middle school, it was an issue finding books that were high interest and low reading level for some of the students. The media specialist at that time secured a variety of books that fit the bill without a formal request. These students were then able to be successful I participants in the AR program.