Learning through Books, Media and Technology

ARTICLES THIS ISSUE:

Information literate? These Students have information power!

"We're learning, but we don't mind!"

Lots of little kids --- lots of things going on!

Building a collaborative network --- from university to local community

Shared vision, shared teaching

Budget crunch? Teamwork makes resources do double duty

Collaboration, participation, and technology

Partners for change

Redefining the library media center

Happy collaborations based on research as a process

Success through independence, integration, and interruptions

A Good Ideas encore!

Good Ideas! Home Page

Good Ideas! is published by CSLA

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Happy collaborations based on research as a process

Santa Monica High School

Mentors at Santa Monica High School have worked collaboratively to help teachers become knowledgeable about the research process --- from asking a question, to data gathering, to selection of resources, to reporting and evaluating results. The mentor team consisted of a special education resource teacher (Meredith Edens), the library media teacher (Mary Purucker), and a classroom teacher with expertise in technology (Jack Casey). As a result of their collaboration, teachers are now better able to assist their students in doing research, library use has increased, and scheduling classes in the center has become a happy problem.

Santa Monica high School aide with two-year-old patron.

Another special partnership was developed with the School Age Parent Infant Development director. Picture books were purchased and made available throughout the year to encourage literacy and learning for parents and babies. Babies were given faculty status (!) so they never got overdues and never had to worry about losing books. The public library became part of the partnership by present-mg programs for the students who were also parents. UCLA became a partner when an intern in the graduate school told stories and interacted with students.

As the result of still another collaborative proposal, the Science Department and the library media center are creating a multimedia discovery lab. Spin-off collaborations are occurring for students with disabilities and will also provide technology opportunities focusing on both science and English-language arts for students and teachers through use of such tools as video laser disc, video microscopes, computers, desktop publishing, and CD-ROM.

Frances Clark Sayers called books a "happy botheration." Mary Purucker calls this kind of cooperative planning with teachers a "happy collaboration."

• Santa Monica High School (Grades 9-12, enrollment 2,700)
  610 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica 90405; (310) 395-3204
  Bernard Samuels, Principal
  Mary I. Purucker, Library Media Teacher
  Santa Monica Unified School District