ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Oh, The Places You’ll Go
Wilton’s Library Learning Commons are a model of adapting to the future
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s a society, we have come to recognize the importance of an education. In 2017, we reached a milestone where 90% of Americans 25 and older had completed high school according to Census data, compared with only 24% in 1940. What’s left is the question of what makes a good education and how to adapt to modern technology. Wilton Public Schools is offering one solution with their Library Learning Commons (LLC).
Digital Citizenship might be the newest category on that curriculum. What might be termed etiquette in the real world, Digital Citizenship takes a look at how one acts in a digital first world. Bullying and trolling, even invasions of privacy are all issues that have been contended with as the internet has evolved. And Digital Identity management is a crucial skill because more and more often are employers looking at social media profiles when considering candidates.
These spaces are not so different from libraries of yore — they have books and librarians — but they have thought about what will be important to the students of today and tomorrow. They see themselves as a place that “provide a comprehensive program of instruction, rich collections of print, online and “making” resources, as well as provide support for the district’s implementation of the Ready-Access Digital Learning Program.”
Students at all grade levels take lessons on Digital Citizenship in the LLC during the first month of school, while students in 6th grade take a full digital literacy course.
For Generation Z and the generation after them who will be entering middle school in the coming years, a full set of tech resources will not only be useful, but essential to their education. The LLC incorporates 5 curriculum strands according to their website: Research and Inquiry; Digital Citizenship; Literature Appreciation; Tech Operations; Collaboration, Communication, and Innovation.
One can argue endlessly over what books a student should read, how to most effectively teach to STEM, but one thing is for sure: digital tools will be part of the educational landscape for the foreseeable future. Wilton’s Library Learning Commons have become a place that has adapted to the times and are teaching students the valuable lessons for Digital Citizenship while still being libraries.
22 | INNOVATIVE IDEAS | 2021
Wilton Public School says that “the foundational skills that will prepare the K-12 students to be effective, responsible and creative users of all types of information and tools will also prepare them well for their college work as well as career.”
