The article Engaging Adolescent Literacies With The Standards discusses the impact school media specialists can have beyond the library in improving students’ literacy education through the use of teaching “multimodal literacies” (Spiering, 2019). (To learn more about multimodal literacies, visit: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/multimodal/Pages/default.aspx.) These varied modes of learning information are based on “adolescent literacy” or literacy’s progression from school children’s traditional writing and reading to today’s necessity of interpreting and communicating virtually (Spiering, 2019). The article discusses the connection between these literacies and the  American Association of School Libraries’ (AASL) standards (file:///C:/Users/m_gra/OneDrive/USC%20MLIS/761%20-%20Fall%202019%20Info.%20Tech%20in%20Sch%20Library/Module%202/Blog%201/AASL%20Standards%202017%20Chart%20.pdf) which have many points in common with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards (https://www.iste.org/standards). Both sets of standards encourage critical thinking, encourage ethical behavior, are pro-creativity and innovation and are proponents of communication. Similarly, both standards encourage seeking varied perspectives in multiple formats while obtaining and analyzing information, and each promote connecting previously learned information to new learning opportunities. 

However, there are areas where the two standards are not aligned. The AASL standards, in an effort to further librarians’ depth of knowledge, encourages reading extensively both personally and professionally. It also champions drawing conclusions, instructs finding appropriate resources, and encourages writing expression. As Ms. Spiering asserts in her article, the benefits students obtain through reading the multimodal graphic novel can be extended in creating writing responses in another format or mode (Spiering, 2019). (Read here for more information on children’s benefits of reading graphic novels: https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/raising-super-readers-benefits-comic-books-and-graphic-novels.print.html).

Meanwhile, the ISTE standards encourage students to use digital tools to “locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, [and] synthesize” information, and leverage these tools to offer distance collaboration, communication and learning opportunities (NJASL, 2010). Relevant to these skills, Ms. Spiering’s article discusses how school media specialists can help students understand how the social media modalities of “images, memes, tweets, [and] videos” can influence viewers’ feelings (Spiering, 2019). (To learn how emoticons affect our communication, see https://www.psychologistworld.com/emotion/emoticons-emojis-emotion-psychology). As expected, the ISTE standards provide a more in-depth focus on technology while AASL, a division of the American Library Association, standards are geared more toward information discovery in its traditional sense, but the similarities between the two sets of standards outweigh the differences. 

Reference

Spiering, J. (2019). Engaging Adolescent Literacies With The Standards. Knowledge Quest, (47)5, 44-47.  Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=27ad8d08-f1fe-44e8-912e-d751af574f6a%40sessionmgr102

NJASL Professional Development Committee 2010 (2010). NJASL Standards Comparison Chart. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/m_gra/OneDrive/USC%20MLIS/761%20-%20Fall%202019%20Info.%20Tech%20in%20Sch%20Library/Module%202/Blog%201/NJStandardsComparison6-8.pdf