How to Incorporate Technology into Instructional Sessions: 7 Tips for Special Librarians

As special librarians, we often take on the role of educators. Leading instructional sessions requires not only subject expertise, but also the ability to deliver content in ways that capture attention and support learning.  

In previous posts, I’ve shared instruction tips and ways to improve your instruction skills—an essential responsibility got many special librarians who also serve as educators. In this post, I’ll share a recent project where I used interactive video technology to enhance student engagement. I’ll also offer seven practical tips for incorporating technology into your own sessions in a manner that supports, rather than distracts from, the learning experience.   

Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a videographer and a group of students to create a choose-your-own-adventure video. My goal was to show innovative ways to use technology and to demonstrate how technology can actively support learning. 

As with any inclusion of technology in a learning environment, it’s important to ensure the tools don’t distract from the content itself. Ultimately, I want learners to focus on the materials—not the technology delivering it. 

Why Use Technology in Special Library Instruction?

When used intentionally, technology can help deepen understanding and engagement. But if it becomes the center of attention, it can quickly shift focus away from the content. 

As Daniel Willingham (2021) writes in Why Don’t Students Like School?, “Memory is the residue of thought” (p. 58).  In other words, we remember what we think about, and we learn what we remember.  

This principle reminds us that learners will remember what captures their attention and engages their thinking processes. If their focus is on navigating complex tools and features rather than processing the subject matter, the learning opportunity is diminished. Thoughtful use of technology ensures learners are thinking about (and remembering) the right things. 

What to Consider When Adding Technology to Education Material

If you’re trying to decide where it makes sense to add technology to your instructional session, consider how it might detract from or enhance the learning experience.  

When developing interactive content, for example, it’s important to maintain a careful balance. The interactivity should serve as a vehicle for the content rather than becoming the focal point itself. The primary goal remains comprehension and retention. 

In the case of interactive video, it can be an effective approach to deepen engagement with educational material. For instance, by incorporating decision points within videos, instructors can: 

• Leverage technology in a way that extends attention span and mental processing of the content 
• Provide immediate cause-and-effect feedback that reinforces appropriate choices 
• Effectively promote knowledge retention and understanding. 

7 Best Practices for Technology Integration in Library Instruction

Done well, adding technology to your instructional sessions can transform learners from passive viewing into active participation. This can help learners internalize information through meaningful choices and consequences while keeping the educational content at the forefront of the experience.

For optimal learning outcomes: 

1. Design interactions that complement the subject matter, rather than overshadow it. 
2. Create an engaging experience that enhances learning without distracting from key concepts. 
3. Ensure the interactive elements directly connect to learning objectives. 
4. Provide natural pauses to allow for reflection and deeper processing of information. 
5. Design interactions that feel natural within the flow of information, avoiding jarring transitions that might break students’ concentration on the subject matter. 
6. Ensure that decision points require genuine engagement with the content rather than arbitrary selections that do not reinforce learning. 
7. Create a system with sufficient complexity to be engaging but not so complicated that navigating the technology itself becomes the primary challenge. 

Use Technology to Enhance Learning

Even if you’re not creating choose-your-own-adventure videos, these same core principles apply. Any time you incorporate technology into your instruction, the goal should be improving knowledge comprehension and retention. 

Whether it’s a polling tool, video tutorial, or online collaboration tool, the key is to use technology strategically to enhance learning and maintain focus on the content. Thoughtful integration of technology in instructional sessions helps learners connect with your material more effectively—and remember it well after the session ends. 

Reference:

Willingham, D. (2021). Why don’t students like school? Jossey-Bass.