Couldn't make it to ALA in Anaheim? Then check out our several intrepid bloggers who are reporting from the conference: Elizabeth Bird, Diane Chen, and Marc Aronson.
Real Cool vs. Virtual Cool While many teens seem to live in the virtual worlds of social networking sites, online chat rooms, and multiplayer games, teen social networking expert danah boyd has found that a virtual social standing rarely transforms and trumps status in the real world.
Boyd’s theory stems from her recent response to author Clay Shirky’s post earlier this month on whether online standings in virtual societies can affect us offline, and if so, how. Author of Here Comes Everybody, Shirky describes on Talking Points Memo Café (TPM Café) the satisfaction he gets from playing “World of Warcraft,” (WoW) for example, and notes he’d rather spend time with a WoW master—basically, a virtual celebrity—than with Tiger Woods. read more...
VIDEO/DVD Safe Side: Internet Safety Gr 2-6–Rather than hammering children with punitive messages about the threats posed by the Internet, this film uses whacky film clips to introduce smart downloads, opening up safe emails, disabling pop-ups, and negotiating chat-room traps.
AUDIO Odysseus Gr 4-8–Geraldine McCaughrean’s retelling (Cricket Books, 2004) of Homer’s epic made the tale accessible to young people, and this fine full-cast audio production takes it a step further.
There’s more evidence that reading aloud to young children—especially in an engaging manner—promotes emergent literacy and language development and better prepares them for school.
Has the No Child Left Behind Act helped to boost student achievement? According to a new report, student statewide reading and math scores have in fact risen and achievement gaps between various groups of students have also narrowed since NCLB went into effect.
Monkeying Around in Outer Space Space Chimps (G), a computer-animated motion picture produced by Vanguard Animation and Starz Media, makes a landing in theaters on July 18, 2008. When the Infinity probe disappears through a wormhole, Space Agency scientists are determined to retrieve it, a mission deemed too dangerous for human astronauts. Two Simian Space Program chimpanzees get the job, but officials want a crewmember with more razzmatazz—a primate guaranteed to grab the media’s attention—and forcibly recruit Ham III (voiced by Andy Samberg), the grandson of the first chimp in space. However, Ham, a fun-loving circus performer and consummate slacker, would rather clown around than try to fill his grandfather’s space boots. read more...
The Piscataway NJ Public Library seeks a dynamic library director to lead main & branch library in culturally diverse community of 52,000 in NYC metro area. read more...
To see all positions available through the SLJ Career Center, click here...
Gr 3-6–Fradin’s account of the Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton feud makes compelling, child-appropriate reading.
