Week 3 (Post 2)

Naked Reading, By Teri S. Lesesne

Chapter 2: Books Tweens Prefer to Read

This chapter of Naked Reading, for our required reading in class, introduced the five most popular types of books that tweens are currently reading. The author, Teri Lesesne, has given book talks to many tween and teen audiences at many different schools and this is a list that she came up with from her personal experience, student surveys that she has previously administered, and evidence from her own children's reading preferences. The five most popular types of literature for students in grades 4 to 8 are: 1) subliterature: magazines, comic books, and series books; 2) non-fiction; 3) horror, suspense, and the supernatural; 4) humor; and 5) mystery. After reading the explanation for each of these types of books, I have to agree with Lesnesne's research. As a teacher, I am very familiar with children's literature ranging from Kindergarten to upper high school grades, and I witness the same findings. Tweens love these categories and most of the libraries at the schools I have worked at have a very hard time, keeping these books on the shelves. I think non-fiction is the bigger of the bunch here. Time after time, I see books such as the Guinness book of world records being read until the binding is falling apart. Books on animals, are always being requested by students for me to read aloud. I see so many books on how to draw certain things floating around the classroom, as well as how to make books, like origami, or science projects. I think the reason for this that is non-fiction is very empowering for this age group. They learn something new and not only facts but how to do something. For a young tween, this is incredible, to learn something without the aid of an adult. I find subliterature, such as magazines and comics to be a close second to non-fiction. Magazines are popular because again, they are similar to non-fiction in that the reader is learning how to do something and the visual imagery is very important for young readers. The same goes for comics. Lesesne not only makes a strong argument based on her research as a book talker, she backs up her claims, from personal experience, strengthening her argument. I could not agree more with the chapter in Naked Reading, and I found it very interesting to see how my experiences with tween literature closely parallel a professional's research.

Week 1 & 2 (Post 1)

A Teen’s Take on Tween Online Communities (Ypulse)

http://www.ypulse.com/a-teens-take-on-tween-social-networks

Tweens are those children aged 9 to 14 that are in between being a child and a full teenager. It is an age where they are struggling to find an identity, explore their interests, and also explore the world. In an age where we rely heavily on the internet for more than just practical things, tweens are also exploring the internet as a way to interact socially with others and find what they are interested in. This article introduces many sites that are geared for this age group. Written by high school freshman, Meredith, she gives a closer look at what sites are made for tweens that are not necessarily keeping their interest and what other sites tweens tend to “graduate” to in order to further explore the internet. She states that sites like Club Penguin and Webkinz are great at first for tweens, but that they have so many limitations with chat options or other functions tweens quickly lose interest. They want more from a social networking site, so they turn to other less restrictive sites like Myspace and Facebook. She says that tweens nowadays are smarter than most adults give them credit for and this translates to the spaces created for tweens online. I think she makes a very valid point here. I have taken a look at these sites for tweens and she is right, many of them are very restricted and limit what the user can do. Of course there are ways to get around these restrictions, but they do feel a little like dumbed down versions of internet space. At the same time, I do see the need for safety precautions and filters on sites for minors regardless of the age. My 14 year-old niece used to use Meez.com and Club Penguin and I saw this disinterest in these sites grow quickly with her. She used them for a few months when she was around 12 years old and then quickly wanted to create a Myspace account in order to find her real friends at school and connect with them that way. She said that sharing pictures, being able to chat about anything, and update her status, was more fun than just sitting in a virtual room with a stranger and trying to strike up a conversation. At first, as any adult figure would, I was a little hesitant to allow her to create a Myspace account, her father gave her permission so I let her use my computer and wireless connection to maintain her profile. I added her as a friend too as a way to monitor and also keep connected. She has been using the site for over a year now and I must admit, I see her making good decisions with the site. All of her friends are real people that she knows, friends from school and family members. She keeps her settings to private so that no strangers can request her and she posts appropriate images and comments. I know that my niece does not represent all tweens, but I am very proud of her choices and wise internet usage and it helps maintain my idea that we as a society do not give tweens enough credit these days. By setting good examples and communicating trust to our youth, I feel they will have the ability to make good independent choices online. I think Meredith makes a good argument in her article.