what's next

I realize that this school year - and this year of digital writing is quickly coming to a close.  I also am trying to come up with a way to continue some of the writing through the summer.

Is It possible to continue using the site through the summer months so that my current seventh grade students could write journals and get feedback from their peers and me throughout the summer.

I have not yet determined the assignment / project scope, but this might be a good start.

Using the YWP site with our students this year radically changed our teaching of writing.  Once we got comfortable with the set up of the website, we felt we were off and running.  It was immediately satisfying to see all of the students' writing in one place and know that they could see each others right away.  That is probably the biggest change in how we look at writing in the classroom and the whole idea of immediate audience.  Getting used to giving comments and feedback on writing digitally was a bit difficult to get used to, but we soon loved the idea of having a record of what we'd told the students there on the website and tracking their revisions was really helpful.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish the year wouldn't end! I have so many ideas, for next year, I guess.

I do not have a final TA DAH project in mind.  It probably would have been great to record the visit of the American Legion National Commander's visit to our school and add it as a podcast.  Unfortunately, that is hindsight.  Our days for this year are numbered and our schedule is packed.  Perhaps, and I am thinking as I write, we could down load the pictures from our WWII Intergration Day during which the students witnessed the Presenting of the Colors, the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Table Ceremony, etc, and met with members from the armed forces from WWII vets to active duty women.  Maybe I could incorporate these pictures into the social studies teacher's unit on the Civil War and use the visual to inspire some writing.  Is it possible they could

Chris Lehman, digital educator and speaker, on transformation of schools. What do you think? Comment below.

I cannot believe how quickly time moves - well....maybe I can.  It seems that each year that I age, time somehow moves faster.  I feel that I am in panic mode as we enter the fourth quarter.  So many new ideas floating around....