Nancy Larsen is dedicated to making sure students utilize the latest technology and resources available to them as they progress through their careers at Clarkston High School.
Serving as the media specialist for CHS, Larsen’s efforts have gone above and beyond normal means. To honor those efforts, she was recently selected as the recipient of the Ruby Brown Award for Individual Excellence from the Michigan Association for Media in Education.
‘I work really hard to teach information literacy,? Larsen said. ‘From the time they come in as ninth graders we try to teach them to not only locate information, but to decipher it as well.?
Larsen was nominated for the award by Joanne Steckling, a fellow media specialist at Sashabaw Middle School and former co-worker, on the basis of the services she provides to CHS students.
‘I was flabbergasted when I opened the mailbox,? Larsen said. ‘I couldn’t believe it.? She will receive the award in November at the conference’s award night for all honorees.
Larsen created a Web site for every class that comes to use the media center for a given assignment or project. After a teacher makes a request for a page, Larsen researches appropriate Web sites on a number of topics, from general science topics to parenting techniques, that students may use. She also includes bibliographic notes for students to find books out in the library.
‘The whole intent is to direct students to the highest quality information,? Larsen said. ‘Basically, my job is to help them find the good stuff.?
Larsen first started using the Web sites in the CHS media center with Steckling a few years back. Many schools throughout the area now follow this model.
Such dedication to using technology to the best of her ability was what Larsen believes earned her the award.
‘We used all of our technology to the best of our ability and I think that’s the crux of it,? Larsen said. ‘When you think about what technology does for us, it’s amazing.?
Making sure students find correct information at school is a passion of Larsen’s. All too often students pull up a Web page and start pulling information without checking its validity.
‘What we’re fighting here is kids that go out on the Web and grab information,? Larsen said.
In addition to the class Web sites, Larsen also relies on other technological aides such as the Michigan Electronic Library (MeL), electronic card catalogs and even e-books, a feature that allows students to read books online.
‘When I think about the beginning of my career and how limited it was… we’re so limitless now,? Larsen said. ‘We have a wealth of information.?
With so much technology available for students to use, Larsen has not seen a problem with plagiarism in individual research papers and projects due to awareness of consequences.
‘I think that’s a testament to our teachers,? Larsen said of the CHS staff’s ability to spot phony work.
Larsen has been teaching in Clarkston for the past 10 years. Before arriving here, she traveled across the country, and even internationally, teaching.
While Larsen’s job is based a great deal on technology, a good book is still at the heart of her job.
‘You always have readers and they’re the ones who challenge me the most,? Larsen said. ‘I try to read and keep up.?
The media center’s electronic database of books helps Larsen stay current on popular titles and allows her to suggest books her students might find interesting.
Whether it’s surfing the Internet for research papers or simply reading a favorite book, Larsen strives to make sure her students truly digest the information they’re discovering.
‘That’s what information literacy is: teaching them that they have to read deeply,? Larsen said.