Live Link to "Writing in the 21st Century"http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Press/Yancey_final.pdf

http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Press/Yancey_final.pdf

Writing in the 21st Century - An NCTE Report

"WE NEED TO BECOME SERIOUS ABOUT HELPING STUDENTS BECOME CITIZEN COMPOSERS INSTEAD OF GOOD TEST TAKERS!" says NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) past president Kathleen Blake Yancey, Floriday state University, Tallahassee in her newly released report http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Press/Yancey_final.pdf
Finally someone of influence supports what's happening with real writing with our students.
This document traces the history of writing instruction through the 20th century through today where students are teaching us about real writing by the writing they're doing outside of a classroom. Online writing, energizes and brings rebirth to the power of writing like never before. Students' real writing is driving us to face real challenges in writing - to develop a curriculum that will support what students are already doing with writing and to help them learn how to communicate well via online interactions. Online writing, live writing will be the source of their power in their future workplaces and lives.

I'd love to have a C & I discussion of this powerful newe document.

Students are writing more now than ever

Students are writing more today than ever. In fact NCTE the Age of Composition according to Kathleen Blake Yancey, past president of the National Council of Teachers of English and Hunt professor of English at Florida State University. Evidence of increased writing is all around us in text messages, blogs, emails, and Wiki's. (In fact, my husband was just fussing at me last night about our cell phone bill as we got charged .20 cents per my text messages above 200.) Why would I need to write so many text messages. Simple. It serves a purpose. It connects me to other human beings. It conveys my meaning in an efficient format. It saves me time. It allows my vote to be heard along with so many others as I vote for my favorite American Idol contestants. It allows me to respond to surveys on radio and TV as I connect to others.This is exactly where are students are. They are using writing to serve the purpose of connecting to others The bonus for writing as an art form it that the more we get people to connect with us through this medium, the more we use the medium. The more students find a willing audience for their writing, the more they write.Is this the 5 paragraph essay kind of writing? Well, duh. That's a fake writing style. Don't they need to know how to write a 5 paragraph essay for college? The writers of this article state that that's "fake writing for a fake audience" and kids who are used to real responses from the real audiences to whom they are constantly writing know this and are turned off by it. Sure we can provide guidance in this kind of writing, but shouldn't we as educators be focusing on teaching students 21st century writing skills? What if we focus on teaching them about voice and audience in no matter what writing venue they choose? What if we model for them how creativity generates a deeper response from a larger audience? Won't that still be teaching the foundations and structure of writing? What if we share with them the intensity of a creative moment and how it feels like the inspiration for it came as a gift from a greater life force? Wont's students be able to relate to all that's powerful about writing because they are now getting closer to experience its power in real time, in their real lives and not just by hearing about "famous" authors' works? We have such an opportunity at our fingertips - to build on what the students find worthy about writing. Let's not isolate their real writing experiences from what we do in classrooms.(Watch the TED video from Elizabeth Gilbert the author of Eat, Pray, and Love, a recent best seller, as she speaks about how creativity comes into one's life much like the Ancient Greeks believed it did. Go to: http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers/elizabeth_gilbert.html

In theme for the December/Jan issue of Edutopia Magazine is on the Collaboration Generation. An article of particular interest is "World Without Walls: How to Teach when Learning is Everywhere." It begins as an 11 year old community volunteer was asked where she gets her project ideas, and her response was, "I ask my readers." This 11 year old routinely blogs about her community service work with people all over the world. They exchange ideas, successes, and failures as they inspire each other to continue to carry the torch of volunteerism that makes a real difference. This is but one example of the power of collaboration and its global strength in numbers. We as teachers need to empower students to find these global connections by becoming their connectors and making our classrooms into hubs of global connectivity. We need "to teach students to see themselves as connectors and teach them to get better at learning from each other." Think of the power in learning that students would experience by Skyping, blogging, adding to a class Wiki, etc. that is shared with fellow students around the world?We need to teach students to find their writing voices so they can really connect with the millions of voices online. Can you imgine the global competition out there for your online voice to be heard? Can you imagine the power of capturing an audience that will commit to reading what you have to say on a blog or to contribute to a Wiki on a topic you've selected? To be a true collaborator, one has to be "freely willing to share ideas and to share these ideas on a daily basis, not just at the end of a semester for project day or open house. " True collaborators are driven by a passion to learn from each other. True collaborators are not limited by the walls of a classroom or the boundaries of a city or nation. This is where education needs to travel. This is the strength of future learning and power. This is the learning we need to pass on to our students so they can be successful collaborators in the 21st century.A link to the magazine can be found at: http://www.edutopia.org/collaboration-ageHowever the current articles are not posted. I do have a hard copy of this magazine which is published by the George Lucas Foundation.

The National Day of Writing comes up October 20, 2009 to celebrate the role of writing for our nation. Everyone can participate by sending in their writing whether in whatever format they choose. Text messaging, email, stories, biographies, poetry, reports, blogs, journals, and even hand written entries will be accepted. These writings will be posted in an online Gallery in the spring of 2008. What kind of writing would you post?

To learn more, visit NCTE's National Day of Writing page.

6 word love stories

Today being Valentine's Eve, the Washington Post served this treat.

We called for six-word love stories, and you answered in droves. More than 300 exclamations and lamentations of love arrived just in time for Valentine's Day. Read on, and contribute your own in the Comments box at right.

Craigs List. True love. Who knew?
Why did I stay for decades?
Submit to passion, never go back.
Lover breaks mold, none can compare.
Mid-life brings love without fear.
Past gone, future unknown, present bliss.
Love's never perfect. Experience brings forgiveness.