Wheaton District 200's Whittier Elementary students enjoy new library tech space

WHEATON – Historically a bastion of quiet study – even in an elementary school – the library at Whittier Elementary School in Wheaton recently has been filled with the excited and serious voices of students and the click-clacking of keyboards.

This year, students and teachers are enjoying a new library learning center, a space featuring wall-mounted interactive televisions, movable furniture and a new librarian.

The goal, Whittier Principal Chris Silagi said, was to help introduce more technology into the curriculum and emphasize collaborative learning both in and outside the classroom.

Librarian Lisa Zinc, who is charged with running the space, said many have a misconception that the technological prowess of the latest generation applies to educational settings. The new space, created by removing and moving some bookshelves, can serve as an important supplementary bridge to turn what they do at home into real, tangible abilities.

“When these kids get to even the high school level, they’re going to blow people away – to be this age and have these opportunities and skills is amazing,” she said.

Zinc said children have high expectations for their use of technology, so the setup allows for them to see what others can do and push themselves to new boundaries – and help the teachers learn.

Fourth-grade teacher Linda Norris said it helped the students take ownership of their learning and those of their peers. The children are encouraged to ask questions first to their projectmates and online resources and then to their teacher.

“It’s hard to give that ownership and trust that group enough ... but it’s taught kids to look at somebody else to know what they should do,” she said. “It’s been a great journey.”

Silagi said the idea came from a discussion with Wheaton North High School Principal Matt Biscan, who has a similar area.

He said teachers had been working with Zinc to implement the space into its curriculum, although it was still a work in progress and frequent subject of internal professional development discussions.

District Director of Public Relations Erica Loiacono said it also was a good opportunity to have the children learn about safe Internet use and their own “digital footprint.”

She added the use of these kinds of spaces for all grade levels may not be just a District 200 trend but instead part of best practices for districts across the country.

“Students are creators who are much more involved in their own learning experience and want to be involved in crafting what they learn and how they learn it,” Loiacono said.