More Media, But Less TV for Teens By Lauren Barack - 07/20/2009
A new study says that while teens are turning to TV and radio programming far less often, they’re consuming more media, the digital kind, that is. So says a new report from Morgan Stanley, which turned to its 15-year-old summer intern Matthew Robson to write the study, “How Teenagers Consume Media,” assuming that since he is a teen, he would know.
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Site of the Month: Facebook Book Clubs By Debra Lau Whelan - 06/01/2009
bit.ly/42jjOe What better way to get kids talking about books than on one of their favorite pastimes—Facebook. A recent application on the social networking site, Book Clubs offers students a free and convenient place to share ideas about books, authors, and related interests. With it, Facebook members can create or join a reading group devoted to any category, region, interest, or author.
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Moore of Everything: Thanks to Technology, the One Thing We Can Count on Is Change By Marc Aronson - 06/01/2009
I was driving along a muddy road in the English countryside last fall in a brown jeep that was probably used by the English army several wars ago. It was raining, and the only way to get the windshield wipers to work was to reach out and use my hand. The gear shift seemed like something out of an Erector Set.
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Atlantic City Free Public Library to Open New Teen Space By Debra Lau Whelan - 05/15/2009
When teens enter the Atlantic City Free Public Library in New Jersey this September, they’ll have a special place to call their own. Thanks to $40,000 from the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative, the library is creating Teen Space, a 985-square-foot state-of-the-art area devoted to 12-to-18-year-olds.
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Texting For Better Sex Ed By Lauren Barack - 05/11/2009
Sure, sex ed details have long been easy to find online. But now teens in North Carolina can get condom information, and how exactly to avoid an STD or pregnancy all with one simple, and anonymous text over their cell phone.
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My Bluford High Boys By Sara Stevenson - 05/01/2009
How a book club for reluctant readers proved the naysayers wrong.
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Flipped!: Want to get teens excited about summer reading? Just add video. By Jennifer Wooten - 05/01/2009
“They’re not doing legitimate work” complains the agitated woman, pointing at a group of teens on the public library’s computers. “They should be doing schoolwork, not watching YouTube.” I remind her that they are patrons, too, and what they do with their computer time is up to them.
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Thousands to Take Part in National Day of Silence By SLJ Staff - 04/15/2009
Name-calling, bullying, and harassment of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) kids is a serious issue—and if your students want to express support for these victims, tell them about the annual National Day of Silence, which takes place on Friday, April 17.
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Turning Bo, the White House Dog, into a Teachable Moment By Rocco Staino - 04/15/2009
Bo, the six-month-old Portuguese water dog who officially joined the Obama household this week, is making lots of headlines—a reminder that White House canines, felines, equines, and, yes, even bovines all make big news. So now is the perfect time for librarians and teachers to capitalize on Bo’s popularity by introducing students to First Family pets.
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VOYA Gains RoseMary Honnold as Editor-in-Chief By Debra Lau Whelan - 04/13/2009
RoseMary Honnold, young adult services coordinator at Coshocton Public Library in Ohio, was tapped as editor-in-chief of VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) magazine.
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Teens Feel the Economic Pinch in a Big Way, Study Says By SLJ Staff - 04/08/2009
Teens are feeling the impact of the economic crisis in a big way. Some 53 percent say they’re choosing activities that cost less money, 50 percent say they talk about the economy with their friends, and 14 percent of kids ages 15 to 17 say they contribute money to their family budget, says a new survey.
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NYPL’s Stuff for the Teenage Rocco Staino - 04/02/2009
Author Coe Booth recently celebrated her birthday with some teens, librarians, and a dozen of her fellow YA writers at the unveiling of the New York Public Library’s (NYPL) annual selection of titles for teenagers
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Lookin’ for Trouble: An Interview with K. L. Going By Rick Margolis - 04/01/2009
You excel at creating teen troublemakers—Troy Billings in Fat Kid Rules the World, Iggy Corso in Saint Iggy, and now Liam Geller, a kindhearted, drop-dead gorgeous guy who’s a first-class screwup. Growing up, you were a straight-A student and thought seriously about joining the Peace Corps.
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Twittering Dante By Lauren Barack - 04/01/2009
Cracking Dante’s Inferno is a tough row to hoe for any high school student—but what if the reading assignment was conducted via Twitter? The exercise “Twitter in Hell” was handed to some lucky seniors at University Laboratory High School at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, after reading the classic tome.
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Straight Talk on Race: Challenging the Stereotypes in Kids' Books By Mitali Perkins - 04/01/2009
As a teenager, I lived in two worlds: the traditional Bengali heritage inside our home and the contemporary California of my suburban peers. Sometimes the gap between those two worlds seemed huge. Apple pie? Didn’t taste it till I got to college. Our kitchen smelled of mustard-seed oil, turmeric, and cardamom.
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The Universe Is Expanding: Many of Our Most Cherished Truths Are Changing By Marc Aronson - 04/01/2009
Here’s something for all of you who work in schools to think about. Educators often debate how to teach kids: progressives want them to “learn by doing,” while traditionalists focus on skills. But if you read the academic or even the serious adult literature on physics, biology, and history, you’ll notice a different sort of challenge is afoot.
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April Brings 30 Poets in 30 Days By Rocco Staino - 03/30/2009
Children’s Poet Laureate Mary Ann Hoberman and 29 other poets will unveil one of their previously unpublished poems each day in April in celebration of National Poetry Month.
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LA High School Library Unwittingly Houses Valuable Artwork By Rocco Staino - 03/18/2009
The teens at Louisiana’s Bolton High School had no clue about the treasure trove housed in their library—and it wasn’t just the books. It turns out that the two paintings of oak and pine trees, which have hung in the media center for decades, are by American artist Ellsworth Woodward—and they’re valued at $300,000.
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Judge Gives Green Light to Florida High School Gay-Straight Alliance By Debra Lau Whelan - 03/11/2009
Students at Yulee High School and Yulee Middle School in Florida can form a Gay-Straight Alliance, despite the fact that their school board denied permission to start a club that promotes gay tolerance, a U.S. district judge ruled yesterday.
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