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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 22, 2012 7:59 PM
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By Richard Byrne "Here's how BoomWriter works; BoomWriter provides a story starter for a story and students continue the story by writing additional chapters. The chapters are submitted anonymously by students to the project. After the submissions are made students can vote for their favorite submissions. The chapters receiving the most votes make it into a book that students, teachers, and parents can choose to have published by BoomWriter. "Teachers can register their classes and have their students anonymously contribute to a project that is started by using one of the BoomWriter story starters or started by a prompt enter by him or herself. The anonymity only extends to other students as teachers can see who made which contributions and offer feedback to students."
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 22, 2012 12:29 PM
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ePals is one of the leading international collaboration platforms for teachers to engage in projects and publishing. The Creative Writing Center opens up an outstanding collection of resources for students and teachers. Educators will especially appreciate the Teachers Corner which offers numerous projects to participate in, extensive resources, and discussion forums. If you want to engage your class in an international exchange and haven't done it before, ePals is a great place to start. Several languages are supported, so ePals is suitable for world language classes as well. -JL
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 19, 2012 2:38 PM
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"The Write Site, a reading and writing program with a journalism theme, is specially designed for middle school students. The Write Site's instructional activities will improve your students' skills while helping you integrate technology into your classroom. Working alone and as part of a news team developing their own newspapers, your students will build many of the skills they need to pass the ninth grade proficiency examinations. While you guide your students through the process of writing and editing, you will have the opportunity to use video, computer, and Internet resources as an integral part of your teaching." Although a bit old, and aimed at hard copy newspapers, the approaches to the work of a reporter and presentation by auhtors of written news material are spot on. This remains quite a good intro to journalists' work for middle grade students. -JL
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 19, 2012 2:08 PM
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Excellent collection of links by the Writing Across the Disciplines Clearinghouse. I have highlight the page the contains links for teaching writing. Many of these are quite outstanding. -JL
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Teaching Writing
July 19, 2012 1:27 PM
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By Sherry Levitt "Teachers agree that ease and fluency in writing come with frequent practice for a variety of purposes, whether making personal connections, analyzing information or constructing an answer to a document-based question. "One way to incorporate more writing in the classroom is to create assignments using high-impact primary source images from the Library of Congress. Their real-world authenticity can rivet students’ attention, spark inquiry and draw them into a writing topic or task. "To begin, find images that relate to the particular lesson, skill or curricular objective. Whatever the assignment, millions of images are readily available from the Library’s digital collections and from the Teachers Page. For prompts and questions to focus and guide students, use the teacher’s guide Analyzing Photographs and Prints. (Other versions are specifically adapted for maps, manuscripts, political cartoons, and sheet music.)"
Via kathymcdonough
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Into the Driver's Seat
July 16, 2012 6:05 PM
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Maybe I"ve been working too hard or not paying attention to the right news reports, but until today, I had never heard of Caine's Arcade -- a cardboard amusement arcade built by 9-year-old Caine Monroy in his father's auto parts store in East LA. One day, a customer named Nirvan Mullick came to the store to buy a part for his car and discovered Caine and his Arcade. Nirvan happened to be a film maker and asked Caine's dad, George, if he could make a film about Caine and his arcade. Well, he did. You can see the film on cainesarcade.com. I hope the film brings you as much joy as it did to me. Don't just watch the film, check out the Caine's Arcade pages on Facebook and Twitter. Visit the Imagination Foundation on Facebook. Google Caine's Arcade for a host of articles and further information. Teachers and schools around the world are getting involved too. This is really beautiful. -JL
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 15, 2012 1:36 AM
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from the website "inklewriter is a free tool designed to allow anyone to write and publish interactive stories. It’s perfect for writers who want to try out interactivity, but also for teachers and students looking to mix computer skills and creative writing. "The inklewriter lets you write as you play, branching the story with choices, and then linking those stories back together again. It keeps track of which paths you’ve finished, and which still need to be written. There’s no set-up, no programming, no drawing diagrams. Just start writing and see where it takes you. Oh, and it’s free to use. And once written, you can share your stories with whomever you like."
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 15, 2012 1:15 AM
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By Dennis G. Jerz "People hate reading instructions, and will only glance at them when they are hopelessly lost. By then, they will already be frustrated and behind schedule. For this reason, you should organize your instructions carefully, phrase them clearly, and make them as brief as you possibly can. "This document introduces five basic principles about writing instructions. Any professional writing textbook will have a long section on writing instructions and manuals, but the basics are as follows:
Know your audience.
Provide a brief introduction. Write each step as a command. Use numbers for commands, bullets for options. Plan to test and revise."
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 15, 2012 12:51 AM
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By Kathy kennedy and Dennis G. Jerz "Writing short stories means beginning as close to the conclusion as possible, and grabbing the reader in the very first moments. Conserve characters and scenes, typically by focusing on just one conflict. Drive towards a sudden, unexpected revelation."
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 13, 2012 6:32 PM
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By Jeff Grabill (@grabill on Twitter) Summary by SmartBrief on EdTech "A recent study of students' writing habits found that while writing is important to college students, they are increasingly doing so using digital platforms, such as texting, Facebook and e-mail. Jeff Grabill, a professor at Michigan State University, writes in a blog post that the findings signal a shift in student writing, but he adds it is unclear what the results mean for teachers."
I'm predicting Wired for Story as the Next Big Thing in writers' guides. Not exaggerating, it will change the way you approach your storytelling. In fact, it has already helped me improve my own stories. I plan on reading it again and again. It's one of the few books I keep within easy reach in my writing space, stacked with other go-to greats such as Save the Cat!, Plot & Structure, and The Breakout Novelist. My honest opinion-- I have not been paid in any way, monetary or otherwise, to endorse this book-- is that anyone who has a career in storytelling, whether they be a novelist, short story author, screenwriter or playwright, would be doing themselves a great disservice if they didn't read this book.
Via Heiko Idensen
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Into the Driver's Seat
July 9, 2012 12:59 PM
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Description by edtechteacher "The FREE classroom edition provides templates to use with students to support the writing process as well as an easy system for managing student work. The StoryJumper creator lets students create their own books, including their own artwork. Completed books can be shared online, or even ordered as printed hard copies. The sharing options allow teachers to also control who has access to completed projects that are published to the web."
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Into the Driver's Seat
July 8, 2012 12:54 AM
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From the website "Seventh graders at Haverford Middle School in Havertown, PA have created a new ezine--not for class or a grade, but for the world!123456 The latest ssue can be accessed at www.tinyurl.com/htownbreakingbarriers. Words, music, images, and artwork are all done by the students! "The Breaking Barriers eZine is divided up into five departments: Merging Lanes, Detour, Rain on the Asphalt, Beyond the Limit, and Fork in the Road. Each department has 5-8 submissions for viewing. To get from one department to another department click on the BREAKING BARRIERS (in all caps) link on the far left. This gets you back to the Homepage and then you can click to other departments."
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from :: The 4th Era ::
July 22, 2012 12:35 PM
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From the website "At the core of the all-new ePals is its intelligent matching and project creation capabilities. Built to capture a classroom's profile and learning objectives, contextualize the information, and use it to anticipate compatibility across an international network of project-based learning communities, ePals not only maximizes the likelihood of finding the right classroom partners, it helps teachers drive student engagement and get the most out of each collaborative learning opportunity. "Despite the advance of new media technologies, teachers everywhere remain limited in their ability to access the tools that most effectively foster 21st-century learning skills. ePals offers a new kind of social discovery network where teachers, students and mentors connect and collaborate in a safe and secure environment that motivates students and engages them in the world beyond traditional classroom boundaries. This newest version of our service reflects deep support for teachers and students as they explore how to make social media an integral part of their day-to-day learning, while promoting cross-cultural exchange, language learning and global awareness," says ePals Chairman and CEO Miles Gilburne. "We know that collaborative learning motivates students and develops many of the critical thinking, writing and problem solving skills demanded by the 21st century workplace. At a time when innovation in education is more important than ever, our new offering sets a new standard for safe meaningful collaborative learning both during and after school hours."
Via Aniya, Jim Lerman
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 19, 2012 2:51 PM
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Carla Beard has run Web English Teacher for well over a decade, compiling a mountain of resources for...well, English teachers. This is her section on the teaching of writing. It contains more than 30 categories (such as Argument and Persuasive Writing, Character Sketches, Digital Storytelling, Revision, and Writing to a Prompt) and links to hundreds of excellent resources. -JL
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 19, 2012 2:20 PM
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A rich selection of activities to support teaching students to write and reflect on their writing, published by Colorado State University. The activities are readily usable in English Language Arts instruction, as well as related to wrting in other disciplines. -JL (image is of the campus recreation center at CSU)
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 19, 2012 1:56 PM
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A Journal of Language, Learning, and Academic Writing Special issue of an academic journal devoted to WAC (Writing Acorss the Disciplines) and WID (Writing In the Disciplines). This particular issue is devoted to the impact of technology on writing instruction. "Technologies are reshaping the contexts, media, and practices of writing on campuses and in the professions, and they offer WAC/WID instructors both challenges and possibilities. This special issue of ATD explores how and why WAC/WID initiatives incorporate writing technologies, take advantage of emergent forms of writing instruction, and adapt to evolving disciplinary and cultural norms for writing."
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Technology and language learning
July 19, 2012 12:24 AM
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By Jen Deyenberg "I have assembled a collection of tools which break the mold of traditional writing and use the power of the digital medium to create multimodal, interactive texts. Please add more examples in the comments, I want to keep collecting tools which can help to recreate what writing looks like in the digital medium. These tools move beyond just digitizing words and pictures, pushing digital writing to more creative levels." 10 interesting tools, some well-known, some not. -JL
Via Yuly Asencion
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 15, 2012 8:10 PM
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Ars TechnicaiPad writing app showdown: four apps enter, one app leavesArs TechnicaWe compare iA Writer, WriteRoom, Phraseology, and Writing Kit.
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 15, 2012 1:21 AM
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By Dennis G. Jerz 7 Simple but Effective Tips for More Engaging, Persuasive Writing "Don’t just tell me your brother is talented… show me what he can do, and let me decide whether I’m impressed. To convince your readers, show, don’t just tell them what you want them to know. "There. I’ve just told you something. Pretty boring, huh? Now, let me show you. "My brother is talented. "There’s nothing informative, or engaging, or compelling about this sentence. You have no reason to believe or disbelieve me, and no reason to care. (TELLING is boring and unconvincing.) "My brother modifies sports car engines, competes in ballroom dance tournaments, and analyzes chess algorithms. “Wow, that guy is talented,” you say to yourself. You didn’t need me to TELL you what you’re supposed to think, because I carefully chose those details. (They SHOW you the range of my brother’s talents.) more
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 15, 2012 1:11 AM
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By Dennis G. Jerz "We only notice navigation when it doesn’t work. Web authors should follow web design conventions that account for the variety of ways users will try to navigate through their pages. While usability testing is the best way to ensure your site is really operating as you intend it to, this page offers a basic overview of basic navigation principles that most visitors will expect on most pages that they visit."
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Edumathingy
July 15, 2012 12:43 AM
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We've said it before: we love Pixar. Their stories are original, funny, and appeal to all audiences. They're masters. That's why Jess and I got excited when we saw Pixar's 22 rules to storytelling.
Via The Digital Rocking Chair, Louise Robinson-Lay
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 12, 2012 3:09 PM
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By Troy Hicks The author's deatailed notes and reflections on his co-leaderhip of a 3-day workshop on Historical Thinking and Argumentative Writing, in which his focus was the argumentative writing. Zotero was used as the multimedia tool.-JL "Beckie and Tim asked me to bring a focus on argument writing, with the clear goal of integrating credible, web-based sources and, to the extent possible, digital writing with multimedia tools beyond slideware. When we first met, we immediately began constructing a working agenda via a wiki, and I knew that Zotero would be a key component of our teaching and learning. While somewhat fearful that the topic would be one that teachers would find mundane, Tim helped guide us through thinking about Truman’s decision to drop the bomb as a time-period appropriate dilemma that we could use to teach historical empathy and argumentative writing. "Thus, we decided on two main tasks for the teachers to complete over the three days by engaging in a digital writing workshop that would involve lots of research, collaboration, and development of both a written individual essay and a group multimedia presentation from one of three perspectives: Truman’s advisors who supported the bomb, those in his cabinet who were against it, and the scientific community. As Tim led the group through many exercises on historical thinking, DBQ (document-based questioning), and historical empathy, I took the lead on teaching the argument writing."
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 10, 2012 6:11 PM
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By David Rockower Summary by Accomplished Teacher SmartBrief "Giving students face-to-face feedback on their writing assignments can instill confidence in their writing and critical-thinking skills. Pennsylvania middle-school teacher David Rockower writes that former students recall the private feedback sessions as the most helpful part of the class. "There is a point each year when students begin to see writing as an opportunity instead of an assignment. As their pride and confidence grow, they want to share their work," Rockower writes."
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 8, 2012 11:42 AM
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By Maria Popova "...perhaps the most essential question is why the classics should be read. That’s exactly what beloved Italian writer Italo Calvino addresses in his 1991 book Why Read the Classics? (public library) — a sort of “classic” in its own right. In this collection of essays on classical literature, Calvino also produces these 14 definitions of a “classic”:
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![Pixar’s 22 Rules to Phenomenal Storytelling [INFOGRAPHIC] | Scriveners' Trappings | Scoop.it](https://img.scoop.it/J4lWF6nuEYSup0vQDC1sGzl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9)
