Book Review: Bridge to Terabithia

Title: Bridge to Terabithia

Author: Katherine Paterson

Awards Won: Newbery Medal

Recommended Age Span and Why: This book is recommended for children ages 11 to 14 partly due to the writing style, but mainly because of the more mature subject matter of the death of one of the main characters.  

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Novel

Brief Summary: When a new girl moves in next door, Jess is apathetic until he finds himself becoming friends with her and having adventures until a tragic accident occurs.

Evaluation & Use with Children:  This was a very enjoyable read.  A personal favorite part of the book is when the characters create an imaginary kingdom, especially since that kingdom is based on another book.  Hopefully, it encourages children to create their own imaginary lands and adventures.  Moreover, the book deals with the issue of death.  The author handles the topic in such a way as to make it appropriate for children.  The various stages of grieving are also covered through the main character.  Readers who have lost a loved one can empathize with the characters in the book, while those who have not had that experience may have understanding for their peers going through the situation.  The author weaves in a good message about the importance of finding balance between having a healthy fear and living life courageously, which is an especially appropriate message considering the tragic accident that occurs.

There are a few ways that the book could be used when working with children.  The book could be used as a way to discuss death and grieving.  Also, the book could be used with art to inspire children to illustrate their own imaginary kingdoms.  The book could be read along with The Chronicles of Narnia and then activities dealing with comparison could be done with the two books.  Compare and contrast activities could also be done between city life and country life since Jess and Leslie were from these very different places.

inspire

Currently I am taking a course called Resources and Services for Young Adults. A class I feel that I am going to come to love! After finishing my most recent assigned readings, I walked away feeling inspired. In our role, librarians have an incredible opportunity to impact the teenagers we work with. Teenagers have come to have a bad reputation and can be looked down upon in our society, but why? We were all teenagers once we should be able to relate to them and more importantly RESPECT them. As corny as it may sound, these individuals are the future. They have the potential to do great and amazing things. More powerfully, we have the opportunity to get to know these young adults, to help them find books that will help them to grow into themselves, and to be the adult they can turn to that will give them respect. What role do you want to play in the lives of the young adults around you?

online learning

This semester 3 of my 4 classes were online.  I had never taken a class in an online format and was a little apprehensive.  However, I feel that the online format while very different from a traditional format suited me.  At times I missed the in-class discussions, and the general socializing between classmates.  However, I enjoyed the flexibility and the opportunity to fully form my thoughts before joining in the dialogue.  I found that these factors meant that I was able to take then time to really integrate the lessons into my knowledge base, something that I discovered when I was able to take knowledge and apply it into other areas—other classes, practicum experiences, and discussions with my friends.  Learning should be lifelong, especially in this field, and online conferences and webinars will be useful for keeping up to date professionally.  Overall, my online learning experience was good and worked for me, which is good since I am signed up for 2 more online classes next semester!

It seems that education is changing, as can be seen with the number of students involved in distance education and flipped classrooms.  Having experience with online classes can be valuable, as a future school librarian.  While I am still occasionally on campus for class, I can still relate to how valuable online resources are.  As we enter the field it is important to be creative in coming up with services that suit the needs of the students we are serving.  Distance learning students may be unable to come to the school library—what tools will they need? If a student in a flipped classroom is having a difficult time learning a particular concept will we as the librarian be able to help them locate a resource that will help them understand?  Our goal should be serving the community, regardless of whether they are standing in front of the reference desk with a question or sitting on their couch at home needing information.  Being able to relate to the needs of the students is critical in order to find ways to serve them.

Tackling Technology

This past semester has truly opened my eyes to how technology is changing our world.  While some of it can be scary, it is also exciting to think of all the new opportunities that are also opening up with these changes.  It is a thrilling time to begin a career as a school librarian.  There is a need for teachers, and especially teacher librarians, to step up and lead the way into the future.

As I’ve learned from experience these past weeks, some of the new technologies take effort to learn.   However, it was well worth it.  I am grateful that the course made me take the time to explore some Web 2.0 tools, some of which had been on my list to learn for a while.  Others, such as Diigo, I was not aware of yet now that I have started using it I have discovered just how valuable of a tool it is.  Recently, I noticed that I have been much more eager and willing to investigate new Web 2.0 tools and ideas of how to incorporate them into the classroom quickly follows.

The thought of learning new programs might be intimidating, but the time and effort it takes is well worth it.  They are especially valuable if we are able to bring them into the classroom so that our students can learn to effectively, wisely, and safely navigate the digital world.  There are numerous creative ways to use Web 2.0 tools.  Our education system is changing and must change if we are to provide our students with the skills they will need to be successful.

Educating Teachers and Students

Many would agree, that in order to encourage learning there are several guidelines to follow.  These include, meeting the student where they are, providing purpose, engaging students in the subject, and providing resources for learning.  The article in Tech&Learning (http://www.techlearning.com/article/right-to-copy/43232) reminded me that these same guidelines will apply when keeping others aware of copyright laws.  The article gave quite a few practical tips and guidelines for promoting copyright awareness in the school.  It was especially nice that tips were given for educating teachers on the subject, but also ways to help motivate teachers to pass on their new knowledge about copyright onto their students.

Just as collaboration between the SLMS and the teacher can result in engaging lessons, the pairing on the SLMS and teacher can result in making all students more conscientious of their use of information because teachers will be informed and can reinforce the importance of obeying copyright laws.  The SLMS has an important task when it comes to educating both students and teachers on copyright and how they can use information and technology while still obeying the law.

encouraging change

One of my favorite things about this class has been the way that my eyes have been opened to the use of technology in the classroom.  I am inspired every time I read Will Richardson’s book.  Technology creates a number of creative ways for students to learn and be engaged.  I understand the pressure teachers are under and that they do not always have the time needed to explore the possibilities of bringing technology in the classroom.  However, this makes me more determined that the role of the school librarians should be to assist in bringing web 2.0 tools into the school and helping students learn necessary 21^st century skills.

Looking at Google Earth this week was really interesting.  Although I had heard of Google Earth, I had never taken the time to really explore it.  Now that I am more aware of all that it has to offer, the number of possibilities it has for education is amazing.  It also fit really well with my professional development project theme of virtual field trips.  Part of my reason for choosing the topic was to help busy teachers realize one way that they can incorporate technology into their own classrooms.  I would hope that virtual field trips would be a starting entry into encouraging teachers to build more lessons involving technology and for them to realize how many possibilities there are out there.  Hopefully, teachers are also open to the idea of collaboration with the school librarian.  I feel that collaborative lessons are a good opportunity to involve new technology tools and 21^st century skills.  There are so many new ways for students to learn.  When I am a SLMS, I hope to help integrate and technology and new ways of learning into the school.

The Intellectual Property Bus

“Many states once had segregation laws that required African Americans to sit at the back of the bus. More than 50 years ago, a brave woman named Rosa Parks defied the law and changed the course of history. Are our current copyright laws requiring students and teachers to sit at the back of the intellectual property bus? … As librarians and educators in the information age, there are times we need to have the courage to stand up for freedom” (Johnson, 2008).

The laws of copyright and fair use can be complex and confusing.   Things may become more complicated as educators since there are separate guidelines to use that are meant to give more freedom, but in some cases might lead to more confusion.  So, what happens when in doubt? Often, teachers decide to stick to safer routes as to avoid breaking copyright law.  As Doug Johnson encourages in the article, we need to step out of the comfort zone and be willing to be willing to take chances with our projects (without intentionally breaking copyright laws).  Being better educated is one step toward moving beyond the ‘safe methods’.  However, if it seems as though there is nothing written in the law, let’s not assume that it cannot be legally done, but instead move forward.

Education is always an important factor.  Copyright and fair use guidelines are two topics that people could benefit from better understanding.  This would help educators and students move beyond traditional, safe projects.  However, students often do not take into consideration these laws.  With the invention of the internet, there seems to be a new mindset that everything found online is free for everyone.  Teaching students to think about copyright and consider whether their actions are following copyright laws can help move people forward.  The more familiar a topic is, the less daunting and confusing it will be.  Hopefully, through our work as librarians, we can help people begin to think about copyright, learn to work with it instead of avoiding it, and give people the courage to move to the front of the intellectual property bus!

Johnson, Doug. “Whose afraid of the big bad ©” School Library Journal October 2008 44-48.