School Library Journal» olympics

Pick of the Day: The Boxing Girls of Kabul (DVD)

SLJ — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:30:38 +0000

The Boxing Girls of Kabul. DVD. 52 min. National Film Board of Canada. 2011, 2012 release. ISBN unavail. $195.
Gr 9 Up–The opening flashback of this documentary showing the cruel treatment of women under the Taliban will grab the attention of audiences in women’s studies and sociology classes. The video shifts to present day and focuses on three women who are trying to change the lifestyle for women in where their advancement is frowned upon. They are training to be boxers and hope to make it to the Olympic Games. The lack of training facilities, equipment, and funding doesn’t deter their dreams as they work hard under their coach who is also harassed by others. The video was shot in the streets of Afghanistan, giving viewers a true depiction of the danger and fear that these women must face daily while they train in a facility where not long ago women were executed by the Taliban. The young women featured in the film have the support of their father in a society where women are not allowed to go to school, leave home, or participate in sports. They pressure from the Olympic Committee and very little backing. The three women and their coach tell the story, and viewers are taken along to daily training sessions and tournaments. Subtitles are included. An eye-opening documentary.–Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI

Pick of the Day: Jim Thorpe: The World’s Greatest Athlete (DVD)

SLJ — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:30:28 +0000

Jim Thorpe: The World’s Greatest Athlete. DVD. 85 min./56 min. with tchr’s. guide. Moira Prods. 2009, 2012 release. ISBN 978-0-97710379-9. $85.
Gr 6 Up–Jim Thorpe’s many accomplishments as well as his shortcomings are described in this remarkable film. Born in a one-room cabin in Oklahoma’s Indian Territory in 1887, Thorpe overcame the many stigmas and hardships associated with being a Native American at that time. Even though he resisted being sent to schools intended to minimize his ethnicity, it was just that residence at an Eastern school and the recognition of his athletic potential by legendary coach “Pop” Warner that opened his access to the world. Despite overt discrimination, Thorpe went on to win gold medals in the 1912 Olympics; they were recalled due to controversy about his amateur athlete status, but reinstated after his death. The program doesn’t whitewash the many difficulties in his personal life nor the resiliency with which he moved from track to professional baseball and football to his final work as a booster of Junior Olympics and a motivational speaker to the Native American community. The producers have utilized a rich blend of vintage footage and stills, dramatic recreations, excerpts from oral history collections, as well as commentary by Thorpe’s family to depict this complex yet fascinating individual. The DVD contains two versions of the program, both with a nine-part chapter selection option. The condensed version is perfectly fine for a classroom setting, while the full-length feature adds more details and includes a superior bonus segment of commentary by the filmmakers on the making of the production. A very comprehensive, well-crafted teacher’s guide is available online as well as on the DVD, making this an excellent addition to all media collections.–Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL

Ready, Set, Go London! A Guide to the Olympics

SLJ — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:05:38 +0000

What will you be doing on July 27, the opening night of the London 2012 Summer Olympics? If you’re anything like me, you’ll be glued to Twitter, Facebook, and TV coverage of the events!

The games are being billed as the first social-media Olympics, or the first Olympics told in 140 characters or less. It has been said that “access” is the unofficial motto of this year’s games, where no story will go untold. Facebook and Twitter are already bracing for what should be the most tagged, tweeted, and posted event in history.

Whatever you’re interested in-the torch run, the 26 distinct sports, the Olympic venues, the athletes, or just the competition and drama-you’ll have more access to this year’s games than ever before and librarians need to pack their bag of online tricks to help those who want to “pursue personal and aesthetic growth” (AASL Standard 4).

There are tons of stories our patrons want to know about, starting with the historic Olympic torch run that began in Athens and is currently winding its way through Great Britain, accompanied by parades, concerts, and fanfare.

Interested in the music? The musical group Muse was selected to compose the official Olympic theme song. Two days after the U.K. prog rockers released the “epic rock anthem” Survival, it already had nearly half a million downloads!

There’s a competition for everyone as you explore 26 medal sports, including those often forgotten ones like table tennis, judo, and canoeing. Architects and engineers will love the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium, arenas, and brand-new venues like the BMX track or handball arena.

Of course the athletes themselves are the biggest story, and social media has given us closer access to them than ever. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has created the amazing Athletes’ Hub, an aggregator that not only provides addresses and posts for Facebook and Twitter for almost every competitor, but will also host live chats with questions from the public during the games. NBC has already hosted live Google Huddle interviews with Olympians like soccer star Megan Rapinoe.

Since more than 10,000 athletes have access to social media accounts, the IOC has a concise set of social media guidelines, such as posting no videos or results and requiring that entries be written in the first-person, diary style. Failure to comply was heard loud and clear by Nick D’Arcy and Kenrick Monk, two Australian swimmers who posted a photo of themselves with firearms. D’Arcy and Monk were banned from using social media during the games and will be sent home after their competition before the Closing Ceremonies.

That being said, Facebook will be busy as the official London 2012 Facebook page serves as portal for the pages of hundreds of athletes and teams. The BBC will use Facebook to broadcast up to 24 streams of live events in England. Ad advertisers such as Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Visa, and BP are beefing up their Facebook and social media campaigns and official sponsor MacDonald’s will post user-generated content in its ads.

NBC is the official U.S. broadcast network but will also live stream all sports online. London 2012 is the official website and twitter handle, and it’ll also have its own YouTube channel. There will also be lots of country pages like Team Great Britain. But why stop there? Visitors can also create their own online Olympic news sources, using applications like Paper.li, Tumblr, and Storify. There are several smart phone and tablet applications worth looking into, too.

What’s in it for educators? Lots, but the best website hands down, is Get Set London! Check this site out for information and incredible activities for both young people and educators.

OK, that’s my brief report on this incredible list of online learning and interactive opportunities to boost your enjoyment of the London 2012 Olympics. There are so many things to enjoy, and I didn’t even touch the wealth of information about the Paralympics games. So get out there, start searching and build those resources for your patrons!

Phil Goerner, teacher librarian, Silver Creek High School, Longmont CO