Learning through Books, Media and Technology

ARTICLES THIS ISSUE:

1995 Administrative Leadership Award for Library Media Services

1995 President's Award Winner

1995 Technology Award

Editorial: Highlighting the Arts

Seurat, Haiku, Computers, Murals...

Keywords for the Fine Arts

Library Bids on Bach's Lunches

Quilting Gifts for the Community

Using the Arts to Understand

"Do We Get to Come Back Tomorrow?"

Intersecting disciplines

Good Ideas! Updates

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Keywords for the Fine Arts

Highland High School

Enthusiastic about trying to use the new computerized card catalog workstations and the electronic periodical index, visual arts teacher Susan Nash realized she needed some assistance. As she and Jean Colasanti, library media teacher, worked together, they concluded that art students would benefit from a similar confidence-building experience. Thus, the Highland Library/Art Self-Directed Project was born.

Keyword searchers in teh Highland library: Ryan Valverde, teacher Jean Colasanti, Jesse Gutierrez, Alicia Prince, and Elena Munoz.

The Art Department and the Library Media Center have always had a closely integrated approach to art instruction. Throughout the year visual arts students are individually sent to research topics on techniques, to find resource drawings or pictures, and to use the copy machine. The Self-Directed Project simply takes this integration one step further. Working collaboratively, the teachers hoped to push students beyond the "I've seen this cool art or crafts project, but I didn't learn it in school, so I guess I won't ever be able to figure out how to do it," and the idea that library research is just for school research papers.

Students must choose an interesting arts or crafts project, do the research, and write a three-page paper about it. A Works Cited page must be attached. Following this, they must actually assemble materials and design or create a representative piece with limited assistance.

This project has helped create feelings of relevance and confidence in using research tools. Highland High School teachers believe that comfort and confidence in using any library is an important goal for launching students into productivity and independence.

• Highland High School (Grades 9-12; enrollment 1,997)
  2900 Royal Scots Road, Bakersfield 93311; (805) 872-2777
  Dr. Anne Scott, Principal
  Jean McCoy Colasanti, Library Media Teacher
  Kern High School District