Journal of a Techie Librarian: A Blogpost

Written by: Dana Fontaine

12/5/2025

5:30am

I wake to my alarm phone. I no longer use an alarm clock because my phone, a mini computer, sits on my nightstand. I hit snooze and start recovering from the NEFETC conference and NETA board meeting before heading to work. I try to avoid social media, but I check my litter robot to see if my cats have used it. Success—they have.

6:30am

I grab my coffee from the programmable Keurig in my kitchen and traipse to work. On my thirty-minute commute, once again, I try not to look at my phone while driving. However, emails have started piling up since I was gone for 2 days. My car switches to “do not disturb” mode while my audiobook (The Dutch House by Anne Patchett: five stars, do recommend) kicks over to the Bluetooth speaker. I close the garage door with my phone, schedule the automatic feeders, and I am on my way to work.

7:00am-12:00pm

I badge into Fremont High School, where numerous colleagues are waiting for technology help. Chromebooks, speakers, projectors: OH MY! I wonder, humorlessly, what would happen if all the technology went down in the district, if we would transition to paper and pencil. I shudder at the thought of the chaos that would ensue. I forgot my lunch, so on my phone, I ordered a sandwich from Jimmy John’s. Since I don’t live in the same town where I teach, it is hard to just run back home. With the busy job of a librarian, I also haven’t learned how to cook. That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.

12:00pm-12:30pm

I sit in the teachers’ lounge amongst my colleagues while they scroll on their phones. We complain about students doing this, but once we have a chance at a human connection, we still choose our phones. I eat my delivered lunch and caught up on my social media feeds. I noticed I had a comment on my Facebook from my aunt, who lives in Arizona, on my daughter’s Halloween costume. I try to be present during the workday, and lunch is the only time that I can check my phone.​

12:30pm-3:30pm

During TST (homeroom), I police students trying to Snapchat on school computers, students who are using Canvas, and help students with Canva. I love all of these companies. There needs to be more of them. I also periodically check the app on my phone that delivers pictures from my daughter’s daycare to give me proof of life. ​

3:30pm-4:00pm

I gather the loaner Chromebooks and get ready to trek home. I stop in my daughter’s daycare to pick her up and sign her out with my phone and the room’s QR code. Daycare looks a little different than it used to back in the 80s.

4:00pm-6:00pm

I make dinner while controlling the television with my phone. I put on Ms. Rachel, whom my child goes feral for.

Just another day with technology.

What would we do without technology? In the first journal entry of this post, I saved so many hours scheduling my life with my phone. The apps that I use have saved my life, my pets’ lives, and my daughter’s life. Google Calendar reminds me when meetings are. Keurig makes my coffee for me. Whisker and the Litter Robot work together to provide me a clean space in which to live. Why would a person not want to work with efficiency? Technology has been bringing us ease in business and pleasure for as long as we can remember. Why fight against it? Why waste energy on something that is inevitable? It’s not going to change. Embrace the way it makes our lives better.

There are some caveats to using technology for human connection, though. Have you heard of Tolan’s? Is the best friend an AI companion? There are some pros and cons to having an imaginative AI friend. Pros: They can learn from your emotions. It’s always upbeat and supportive. It’s pretty predictable, unlike a human. Cons: It’s not a human. There is zero human connection happening. It is not a real relationship.​

Edtech has come so far, yet it still has far to go. There are new, more efficient and effective ways to do your work. Work smarter, not harder. Magic School AI, School AI, and Curipod are three essential tools that engage students and help manage your workload.

Curipod: Creates lessons for you. It’s also free to a point. It can create interactive, 88-minute block-long lessons in seconds. Plus, the lessons are engaging.

Magic School AI: Did you know you can assign students certain AI tools to use in Magic AI? That is my favorite use. Also, book recommendations? Yes, please!

School AI: One can actually converse with a famous person. Most likely a deceased famous person, but a famous person nonetheless. I held a conversation with Maya Angelou, and she’s one of my favorite authors. Her tone of voice and mannerisms are showcased throughout the discussion.