Innovate or Wither

Innovate or Wither - Personal Strategy For Times of Change :: The Education Business Blog
Not too long ago people were quipping about libraries and books becoming obsolete with "everything" available on the "information superhighway". How the conversation has changed. Yes, more and more content is available in digital format, but this transition hasn't been the death-knell of books or libraries. Far from it. We have entered an incredibly exciting time where before our eyes the delivery of information is changing, enabling more and more people access in increasingly diverse ways. Graphic novels are opening a world of books to teens who never considered themselves readers, and we see them crossing over to novels for additional reading. E-books, MP3 format books, digital texts, all of these are breaking down barriers caused by learning issues and/or financial hardship. These are equity technologies, and they are fueling learning. Where are the libraries in this time of change? Smack dab in the middle of the action. School libraries are uniquely positioned to see the changes coming, and get them established into curriculum planning and school culture. What does it take to reach these lofty goals? Continual outreach, teacher professional development, and publicity. Oh, and a huge amount of bravery.

As the linked article Innovate or Wither, from the Education Business Blog, so concisely puts it, we must be willing to take risks to keep moving forward, because forward is the only way to go. We can't serve our students by falling back, because then we truly are obsolete to learning. Integrating new technologies can be frustrating and time consuming. However, not moving ahead and learning about these alternate technologies will ultimately be more costly to the education of our students.