Learning with the School Library: Mapping Technology-Enhanced Learning Underpinnings

Abstract

Technology-enhanced learning has been at the center of any global educational agenda for the past decades. More recently, with the COVID-19 pandemics, it has (re)gained a wider interest. However, it has been at the core of the Portuguese School Libraries Network since its creation in 1996, with the mission of promoting learning scenarios that enhance essential literacy skills for 21st-century learners. Therefore, in Portugal, the school library plays an important role in fostering such technology-enhanced learning environments. But, which underpinnings on technology enhanced-learning are evidenced in the main documents of the Portuguese School Libraries Network, namely in its Learning with the School Library Referential? The objective of our study is to map the underpinnings of technology-enhanced learning present in this framework, particularly in terms of how digital literacy is approached in relation to other literacies. To this end, we will use a qualitative methodology approach in a case study supported by content analysis with a focus on digital literacy. Ultimately, we will conclude that digital literacy is addressed transversally in the Referential, reflecting the innovative use of tools, technologies and learning environments to enhance students’ literacy skills.