TEEN ZONE

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    At the Newton Public Library

    REGISTER FOR A SUMMER OF STORIES

    Sign up and receive your reading log at the Circulation Desk. Record books you read over the summer and have a parent sign next to each title. The top five readers will receive prizes such as gift cards, magazine subscriptions, and movie tickets.

    TEEN ZONE RESOURCES

Look to the Teen Zone's “Ready Reference” comer for all the help you need to locate information on the Internet. Ms. Frye, the librarian, will share tips on keyword searches to find interesting information about certain books. You must have a signed parent permission slip before using the computers. Access is limited to 30 minutes and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

    EVENTS

    Poetry Session                Monday, June 16                6:00-8:00 P.M.

    Teen poets can be literary celebrities for a night by reading their original work at this special event. Friends and family members are encouraged to attend and show their support. A few original poems may be selected for publication in the next library newsletter. Food and drinks will be provided

Learn Origami                Wednesday, June 4                3:00-4:00 P.M.

    This class provides books and instruction in the ancient Japanese art of folding colourful squares of paper into shapes, such as birds, insects, or flowers.

Eco Crafts with Jasleen        Wednesday, June 11            3:00-4:00 P.M.

    Make earth-friendly crafts from recyclable materials. With guidance from a talented teacher and books, you will make new creations from everyday items. Start recycling today, and bring items to share with the group.

Magazine and Book Art        Wednesday, June 18            3:00-4:00 P.M.

    The library needs to beautify the walls of the Teen Zone. We will be transforming artwork from old books and magazines into unique masterpieces to frame and hang on the walls. Put your creative spin on some photographs, and help ensure that the Teen Zone remains the highlight of the library.

    Note: Registration is required for all the events. Register at the Circulation Desk or by calling 1-800-290-5992. Space is limited, so reserve your spot soon!

    In 2006, a New York City English teacher named Ms Lockwood asked her students to write to their favorite authors and persuade them to visit the school. Five of those pupils chose novelist Kurt Vonnegut who was the author of 14 novels. He was the only author to reply. Though he never made the trip to their school, Vonnegut responded to the students with the following letter.

    Dear Xavier High School, Billy, Sally, Jonny, Maurer and Kathy,

    I thank you for your friendly letters. You sure know how to cheer up an old man (84) in his sunset years. I don't make public appearances anymore. I'd like to advise you to do the following things: Practice any art—music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, poetry, fiction, essays—no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow.

    Seriously! I mean starting right now, do art and do it for the rest of your lives. Draw a funny or nice picture of Ms Lockwood and give it to her. Dance home after school, and sing in the shower, and on and on. Pretend that you're Count Dracula. Here's an assignment for tonight, and I hope Ms Lockwood will not let you pass the test if you don't do it.

    Write a six-line poem about anything. Make it good as you possibly can. But don't tell anybody what you're doing. Don't show it or recite it to anybody, not even your girlfriend or parents, or Ms Lockwood. OK? Tear it up into pieces and throw them into dustbins. You will find that you have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You have experienced becoming, learnt a lot more about what's inside you, and you have made your soul grow.

      God bless you all.

                                                                                                                                                                          Kurt Vonnegut

What Is Social Media?

    Not many people ask the question “what is social media?” anymore. Social media has been around for years now, and most of us would probably describe it as any Internet medium that can be used to share information with others, including blogs, forums, applications, games, websites and other stuff.

    But let me ask you this: what exactly is so “social” about sitting before a computer setting up a blog and blogging for days without anybody reading it, or scrolling through your Facebook feed of information from 500 friends you barely know? If you ask me, it can be way more anti-social than anything.

    Social media is not a “thing”. It's not just Facebook, WeChat and Weibo It's more of a frame of mind and a state of being. It's about how you use it to improve your relationships with other people in real life. However, we tend to rely on technology and social media so much that it can actually tear apart those relationships.

    Social media isn't about numbers. When someone says “social media,” web giants like Facebook, Twitter, WeChat and Weibo instantly pop into our minds, often because they have more updates, more friends, more followers, more links, more photos, more everything. We tend to get distracted by the number game, thinking “volume, volume, volume”. It's led to a lot of meaningless noise and information overload. As the old saying goes, quality over quantity is usually the way to go. So, social media is not just about lots of people aimlessly pushing around lots of information.

    Social media needs to have an “IRL” factor-an Internet slang standing for “In Real Life”. It should affect how a person thinks or acts offline. After all, social media shouldn't be an end in itself. It was built to enhance your actual social life, in real life. Take for example an event that a person attends because they are invited by the host on Facebook through a Facebook event page. Something like that definitely has the IRL factor. Likewise, a WeChat photo that touches someone so much that they feel the need to bring it up and describe it to someone else during a dinner date also has the IRL factor.

    So, is it really considered to be social to spend an hour scrolling through photos on Weibo, with no thoughtful or emotional effect and no interaction with others? In fact, there is no wall between real life and Internet life where true social media exists. Social media is not a specific place on the Internet or just a thing you use to see what other people are doing. It's all about creating meaningful experiences and relationships wherever you may be.

    As I enter my 40s, I've noticed many of my parents' generation think social networking is something they are simply unable to understand. They fear that, should they try, they will somehow get it wrong; they will say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing or behave in a way that causes embarrassment. But there are some secrets of social media for them to consider.

    Here's the first secret: everyone feels this way. I recently met a young actor who was complaining that her work demands that she join Microblog, but she always feels like she doesn't have anything smart to say. It's the same resistance (抵制). I hear from the older generation, who, however, have somehow believed that age is the barrier (障碍), rather than the differences of personal taste.

    Here's the second secret: everybody uses it for more or less the same reasons. Older generations often sign up to stay in touch with children and relatives. We talk about this kind of communication like it's some old-fashioned activity, but it is exactly why younger people use social media. The truth is that most people use social media to gently keep an eye on one another, to see how those they care about are doing without needing to ring them up on the phone every night.

    And this is the last secret: everyone gets to use them in their own way. Newcomers—younger and older—who worry about “getting it right” are thinking that there's a right way to get them. But actually there isn't. Personally, I talk a lot on Microblog. And some people post nothing and they use social media every day as readers. Social media companies would rather see people decorating their networks with pictures and posts, but there's no rule against being a fly on the wall. It's also a fine way to get involved.

    Were quick to forget that the web wasn't invented by 13-year-olds; it was created by today's seniors. I'd never try forcing those with no interest in social networks to use Microblog. But don't let the talk of age divides put you off. There's nothing to stop the older generation from joining in the network their own generation created.

    Join the ranks of bright travelers and load up your smart phone with these must-have travel apps.

    Sky Scanner

    Stop wasting precious time clicking through website after website for airfare deals. Searching over 1,000 airlines and travel agents, Sky Scanner locates the cheapest dates to fly as well as the most affordable destinations. Got your heart set on some place special? Just enter your destination, dates, and the number of travelers and the app does all the heavy lifting for you.

    Easy Travel

    Just enter your city, or postal code into the search window, and Easy Travel will display the cheapest gas being served up near you. Whether you're driving in Canada, or the United States, Easy Travel is by your side helping you save money.

    Bother Free

    Don't be lost in translation. Here's an app that will serve as your travel translator, translating over 60 languages for your communication pleasure. It's easy! Just select the language you want to learn, speak or type a phrase into your phone, and the app will deliver a translation that you can read and hear.

    World Atlas

    You can have the whole world in your hands! National Geographic's beautiful award-winning World Atlas app is a must-have for armchair travelers and globetrotters alike. Spin, expand, and zoom the 3D globe to access detailed maps, tools to measure distances and need-to-know facts such as current weather, demographics and currency.

English Language Courses at ELC Los Angeles

At the English Language Center (ELC) Los Angeles you will find a variety of English courses and programs that meet the highest academic standards of any English language school in the United States. Through its 40 years of teaching students at all levels from all over the world, ELC has developed teaching and training techniques and programs that really work for everyone.

ENGLISH COURSES OFFERED AT ELC LOS ANGELES

● GENERAL ENGLISH COURSES

Intensive English Course

Semi-intensive Course

Individual Intensive Course

● TEST PREPARATION COURSES

Cambridge Preparation Course

TOEFL Preparation Course

● BUSINESS ENGLISH COURSE

Individual Executive Business English Course

ENGLISH CLASSES LOS ANGELES FACT FILE

● Length of lesson: 50 minutes

● Number of levels: 12

● Average number of students per class: 8-9

Maximum number of students per class: 10 (14 during July and August only)

ADDITIONAL SERVICES AT ELC LOS ANGELES

The ELC Los Angeles staff is eager to assist international students in achieving their long-term learning goals. ELC offers the following support services to ensure each student's time at ELC is enjoyable, effective and worry-free:

● Student Visa

ELC has been approved by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)to issue the SEVIS Form I-20. Students enrolling in a minimum 24-lesson-per-week course are eligible (有资格的) to receive an I-20 form in order to apply for an F-1 student visa in their country.

● English Level Evaluation with Multi-level- Placement

Each student benefits from our English level evaluation with multi-level placement. Our method means students usually have different teachers for different levels and ensures that students study English in the learning environment that is best for them.

● University Admission Services

ELC is pleased to offer free counseling and university placement services to all ELC students interested in continuing their education at an American college or university in California and around the United States.