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!

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

Los Alamitos High School

Standing room only is the norm in the Los Alamitos High media center from its opening at 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. when it closes. Catering to teacher-identified research requirements for students has changed this once semi-abandoned facility into a very active research component of the curriculum.

Standing: Michael Miller, superintendent, and Elaine Hamada, coordinator of instructional materials. Seated: Kathy Foss, library media teacher.

Assisting students in the research process by taking the "search" out of research brings learners closer to the task of making vital connections between the stored information and their need to know. This is the goal of the Los Alamitos High School teachers, including Kathy Foss, library media teacher. Kathy's busy desk in the center of the room places her in a great position to confer with teachers, direct student use of computerized indexes and microfiche resources, collect requests, and deal with individual questions. Most often, however; she is on the floor as an active member of a teaching team.

Student assistants and volunteer parents help to build databases of materials in the collection that may be overlooked by students using traditional search methods. Biographical information on specific individuals may,. for instance, be hidden in collections of short biographies, in sources featuring critical literary analyses, or in materials about art, music, political events, history, or cultures. These databases of "fugitive" sources are then bound and placed on the index table for use by students and faculty.

It isn't unusual to see the district superintendent, administrators', board members, or parents on campus and in the library media center looking at how facilities and materials are being used and how students are doing. Kathy enjoys telling them about one rather reluctant learner who remarked, "We're learning, but we don't mind!" Students do seem to get caught up in the game of finding and making sense of information. Copies of assignments are even faxed to surrounding' public libraries so they can also be prepared 'to help in the research process:

• Los Alamitos High School (Grades 9-12, enrollment 2,200)
  3591 Cerritos, Los Alimitos 90720; (310) 430-3511
  Carol Hart, Principal
  Kathleen Foss, Library Media Teacher
  Los Alimitos Unified School District