These sources provide access to thousands of educational programs. With a LaserDisc player and barcode reader, for example, teachers can build lesson plans that incorporate video images of Martin Luther King making a speech, the space shuttle blasting off or an infinite number of other relevant real-world experiences. Keep in mind that setting up a library media center is only half the battle. Working with other like-minded and supportive staff and teachers, the media mentor will need to assess the current state of resources at the school and develop a plan for expanding the technology available to students and teachers. Another method for increasing technology at a school is by applying for grants.
Some grants are relatively simple to obtain while others are very competitive.
It is often a good strategy to identify a target group that will see immediate benefits from the early technology investments. The media center should help transform much of the school curriculum activity away from the confinement of the classroom's four walls into a bustling, lively world that can be accessed with a touch of a button. I know from my own experience as a teacher and media specialist that the process can and does work. William Lambeth is the media specialist at La Mirada High School in Los Angeles, Calif., and a Pioneer Mentor.