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Dear Colleagues. I was heartened by Monica's extensive and knawledgeable analysis of the teacher-student relationship with respect to computer technology use. I need a straight-jacket to control myself whenever I have a teacher reserve the CHS library for a class assignment and not want (or provide) any assistance or orientation for their students-- knowing that most of their research will be online. (We have 54 student workstations online with the Web and various CD-ROMs.) "Oh, they're juniors and they know how to use the Web." Dang! I think that Monica has touched on the source of the problem, in that teachers who lack techno-savvy tend to defer to anyone, even a child, who gives the appearance of knowing more than they do about the technology. As many of us know, even a small amount of extra or specialized knowledge can give the appearance of far greater understanding Due to our allegiance (I speak of secondary teachers here) to a subject area mastery approach, there is a built-in deference to those who can demonstrate superior knowledge in a given subject. Unfortunately, with the wide variety of skills needed to master "technology", one tiny area of expertise tends to be generalized. Personally speaking, I know a lot about some areas of technology use in education, but that knowledge is limited to certain areas. However, I often am introduced as or referred to as a technology expert or techie. This is quite embarrassing, in addition to being untrue. We absolutely, for certain need to work together, all teachers, counselors, librarians, and administrators to develop information literacy skills, including ethical practices. Bringing the parents and community into the dicscussion is also imperative. This is an area where we can all come together to increase our knowledge of both technology and teaching skills for technology use, not to mention skills for lifelong learning. I am so, so glad that the American Memory Fellows Institute program has included a strong emphasis on information literacy. However, it is oh so easy to let it slide and focus on content ot technology. I hope that Monica's analysis and suggestions will serve to re-dedicate us to addressing these important issues. I would love to hear from others on this topic. Peter Milbury [log in to unmask] Librarian-Mentor Teacher http://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~pmilbury American Memory Fellow: Library Of Congress - National Digital Library Chico High School, Chico, CA 95926 http://dewey.chs.chico.k12.ca.us A National Blue Ribbon and California Distinguished School 530-891-3036 .......................................................................