Publishing podcasts, writing digital stories with "choose your own adventure"
endings, and collaborating with students around the country through wikis, Skype,
and VoiceThread, Julie D. Ramsay never imagined that she and her fifth grade
students would be forging a new frontier using technology to support writing
lessons.
In a school district with minimal resources and a prescriptive curriculum that
makes originality a constant challenge, Julie could have continued teaching
grammar and writing skills in isolation. But when she realized how hungry her
students were for "real" writing activities that enabled them to share and learn
from their peers in other states, she overcame every obstacle that threatened to
stunt their creativity and limit their opportunities to communicate in a digital
world.
"Can We Skip Lunch and Keep Writing?" shows
teachers how to weave technology throughout the curriculum and get students so
fired up about writing that they don't want to stop when the class period ends.
Readers will learn how to select appropriate digital tools, guide and involve
students in the learning process, and differentiate instruction to meet
individual needs. Through Julie's inspiring stories and lessons, teachers in the
intermediate and middle grades will discover how technology-assisted writing can
foster innovation, global communication, and creative problem solving―developing
responsible, productive digital citizens whose inherent love of learning will
travel with them throughout their lifetimes.