June 2007

The Value of DLC Membership

Oroville Junior/Senior High School, Steve Quick, Principal

"If we're going to purchase online courses and resources like library search engines and WOIS, it makes sense to go through the DLC because they've already done the legwork to find relevant, easy-to-use, quality resources. And the DLC saves us money," says Steve Quick, principal of Oroville Junior/Senior High School.

Oroville rejoined the Digital Learning Commons for the 2007-08 school year, which will be its second year as a member-school.

Giving staff more resources to choose from

To introduce staff to DLC resources this past fall, Quick facilitated short presentations followed by hands-on time at staff meetings. Although teachers are sometimes reluctant to try new resources, once they realize that the DLC doesn't take anything away from them but instead gives them more resources to choose from, they are more open to exploring.

Some teachers are using SIRS Top 10 Leading Issues with students who are working on research projects. SIRS, one of the DLC's library databases, offers a number of helpful tools for students doing research. "SIRS walks students through the steps," Quick says.

Quality counts in online courses

When Quick joined Oroville as principal, students were enrolled in online courses through providers that he didn't feel offered the quality of the providers the DLC works with. So this past fall, students began taking their online courses through the DLC. "The courses were cheaper too," Quick adds.

Oroville isn't able to offer Advanced Placement, so online AP courses are popular at the school. Students have a class period built into their schedules for their DLC courses, and Quick monitors their progress through the reports sent by the providers.

Quick says he also pushes the DLC with parents by including information in the parent newsletters. "The DLC has lots of great resources," Quick says, "for teachers, students, and parents.

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