School librarians and the mandated implementation of digital textbooks in Florida and South Korea: Exploring school context

Abstract

In order to address context pertaining to the dissemination of digital textbooks, and to provide timely support and appropriate assistance to facilitate the adoption of digital textbooks, this study analyzes the similarities and differences between cultural and educational backgrounds that influence school librarians in regards to digital textbook implementation in Florida and South Korea. Both the settings' similarities -- such as top-down implementation policies and continuous attempts to improve student achievement -- and differences -- such as the purpose of digital textbook implementation and teacher resistance to new technologies -- provide an opportunity to closely examine leadership roles for school librarians.

Are School Librarians Ready to Lead Mandated Digital Integration? A Survey of Florida's K-12 School Library Professionals

“…Central to the implementation of digital resources is teacher preparedness to use them. As schools make the move to digital textbooks and other digital resources as the primary learning materials in the classroom (LEAD, n.d.), there is a need for a school-based professional to foster digital literacy among teachers and students to support this move (Mardis & Everhart, 2013;Kang & Everhart, 2014). Digital literacy is defined as proficiency in using digital technology, networks and communication tools to effectively manipulate information in a variety of formats and from a variety of digital sources (U.S. Digital Literacy, 2015).…”