Conduct, Connect, Continue: Foster students' digital literacy at a school library for a smart city

Abstract

The school library of Lam Tin Methodist Primary School has a drastic change of its library programs for students, teachers and parents on digital literacy after joining the gamification research of the University of Hong Kong and the seed project of the Education Bureau on eLearning in 2013 and 2017 respectively. The on-going changes of the school library programs and services not only fit for the educational needs of the digital generation but also echo the development of Hong Kong as a smart city. Starting from the proposal of transformation Kowloon East into a Smart City District in the 2015 Policy Address and consolidating with “The Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong” in 2017, Hong Kong is ready to be a smart society.

This paper will report the capacity of the Teacher-Librarian on coordinating the valuable resources within and outside the school on subsequently facilitating “equal and free access to information and knowledge” (IFLA Global Vision 2018 highlights) of different school stakeholders in addition to improving students’ engagement in learning. It focuses specifically on the digital tool adoption and online resources which have profoundly transformed students’ Reading to Learn performance, teachers’ professional development and parent education in a short period of time. To name a few, students were introduced to the Google-connected world, eBook creation with online tools, Makerspace as well as STEM collections with OR code on each book to access related video. Teachers were especially alert to the critical issues of cyber safety and cyber ethics. Parents were guided to see the new world of the 4th Industrial Revolution and the Reading to Learn needs of their children through school library newsletters, circulars, and parent education seminar series. Other than surveys, interviews, and observations were used to find out what the small digital natives’ value and how they could engage in their Reading to Learn.

The desirable results reinforce the collaborative efforts of the Teacher-Librarian, teachers, and parents. The synergy among different school stakeholders is crucial for fostering students’ digital literacy. Other than the Information and Communication Technology facilities and devices provided in the school, continued efforts on parent education upon the changing needs of their children on digital literacy, such as using new devices and gadgets to access various resources at home, are necessary for success. The positive impact of the school library’s digital transformation was widely disseminated to the public, educators and practitioners of the field through the Teaching and Learning Expo, Knowledge Exchange Seminar, Master of Science in Library and Information Management courses of the University of Hong Kong, Seed Project Sharing of the Education Bureau as well as posted on the Curriculum Development website of the Education Bureau in Hong Kong. It is believed that there is a growing role of libraries, including school libraries, in digital transformation. Teacher-Librarians are undoubtedly the (pro)motors of change at the digital age.