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It’s kind of funny to think that I have spent the past four weeks attending Area 3 Writing Project’s Summer Invitational, yet I haven’t blogged at all during that time! Believe me, though, I was writing…constantly. If you ever have the opportunity to join your local National Writing Project affiliate, do it! As a matter of fact, take a moment to find yours.
Our final meeting occurred on Thursday and since that time I have been trying to process the entire experience. Reflecting on all of my professional learning workshops, I can honestly say that the Summer Invitational has been the most rewarding and fulfilling experience of my career. For four weeks I worked with 20 other colleagues representing 2nd grade through college on becoming a better writer. During that time these individuals coached me on a variety of topics including writing poetry, using sensory details to access memories, and bringing text alive with metaphors and personification. Working closely with three other peers I created four very personal pieces of writing for our anthology. My writing group was by my side the entire time, asking critical questions, helping me find the perfect words to express my ideas.
On our final day we met at a local restaurant and ended the summer invitational by reading one piece aloud to each other. Through the laughter and tears I realized that the Summer Invitational is only the beginning of my National Writing Project career. I look forward to continuing my relationship with NWP and A3WP through teacher research, inquiry groups, and delving into the topic of defining digital writing.
As we delved into the latest thinking on 21st century writers, I also saw that helping students become passionate, independent writers will be key to effectively integrating technology in the classroom. We must help our students become active producers of digital content rather than just passive consumers and writing instruction will ultimately be the foundation for making this happen. I think many teachers are not ready for this for three reasons.
- They believe that since they don’t teach Language Arts, they don’t teach writing.
- Even if they do teach writing, many teachers don’t have a strong understanding of writing pedagogy and where technology can support those practices.
- Teachers are scared of technology
Keeping this third reason in mind, below you will find one of my pieces from the anthology. Â Click on the “Click to Continue” link below to read Fearless Explorer. Â Over the next few weeks I plan on posting more from the Summer Invitational, so check back periodically.
Joe
Photo: Writing, Writing, Writing by dbdbrobot on Flickr
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