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How do school libraries foster digital literacy?
While working with students at the junior and senior high level I noticed several gaps in student learning in terms of research strategies and information literacy. Having a consistent means of addressing digital literacy in the form of information literacy and digital citizenship would bridge those gaps and develop a sequence that would begin in the early grades and develop a consistency as students progress into junior high and high school. Teachers, especially at the elementary level are in agreement that they need support creating digitally literate, rich PBL lessons that promote critical thinking.  
My Action Research Project addressed critical thinking and collaboration from the school librarian's perspective.  It provided an avenue to my Capstone project of fostering digital literacy in schools. The research for digital literacy follows. Although critical thinking and digital literacy tie together, the research for school libraries fostering digital literacy commanded more information. 
The survey responses above are indicative of how Calistoga K-12 teachers feel about digital literacy needs for the district. Before the journey began I knew it was imperative to have input and feedback from classroom teachers and administrators.  What do teachers need from a school library?  What is their vision of having a teacher librarian role in the district? Note how many teachers responded to the need of a digital literacy scope and sequence plan. 
In the fall of 2014, Calistoga Joint Unified will be adopting EdTech Challenge as part of our professional development for teachers. 

The main components of the Ed Tech Challenge are:
  • A technology integration survey that gives teachers an individualized report on their current comfort level with the ISTE Standards, personalized learning elements, and digital age work.
  • A self-paced course that includes six units of online tutorials (lessons focus on increasing efficiency / effectiveness of teaching practices)
  • A website template for classrooms (districts can link their individual template to the course)
  • A template to create personalized learning plans for educators (again, districts can link their templates to the course)
  • A framework to help a district move towards a shared vision of education technology


Ed Tech Challenge. (n.d.). Retrieved from                                   http://www.edtechchallenge.com/home
Watch this video to learn how learning changes when people work together.

Moroder, K. (2013, September 13). Learning That Change Occurs          When People Work Together: Ed Tech Challenge Intro (4/4).           Retrieved July 21, 2014.