Description
Educators participate in this three-week hands-on quasi-writer’s workshop as they learn to use widely-available digital tools to help their students develop their inner writer. Resources include videos, pedagogic articles, lesson plans, projects, and virtual face-to-face meetings to share in a collaborative environment. Strategies introduced range from conventional tools such as quick writes, online websites, and visual writing to unconventional approaches such as Twitter novels, comics, and Google Earth lit trips. These can be adapted to any writing program be it 6+1 Traits, Common Core, or the basic who-what-when-where-why. By the time educators finish this class, they will be ready to implement many new tools in their classroom.
At the end of this course, participants get 18 hours of professional development credit and a Certificate of Completion itemizing their accomplishments.
Assessment is based on involvement, interaction with classmates, and completion of projects so be prepared to be fully-involved and an eager risk-taker. Price includes course registration and all necessary materials. To enroll, click the Buy link. Email [email protected] with questions.
This is a group enrollment for five+ and delivered via Google Classroom.
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Use authentic activities and project-based learning to teach writing skills
- Use traditional and non-traditional approaches to build an understanding of excellent writing and nurture a love of the process
- Reinforce writing standards in exciting new ways
- Guide students in selecting writing strategies that differentiate for task, purpose, and audience
- Incorporate peer review to analyze and improve writing
- Assess student writing without discouraging creativity
- Provide students with effective feedback
What You Get With Enrollment
- Weekly virtual meetings
- Videos, lesson plans, articles
- Unlimited questions/coaching during virtual meetings and pre-arranged times. We stay until everyone leaves. If you need extra help, we’ll arrange that also.
- Certificate of Completion
Price includes all necessary materials.
Course Highlights
Class is three weeks, five hours a week, plus a weekly weekend virtual meeting.
During the week, review lesson plans, ebooks, articles, and videos that address the weekly topics. Complete activities (blog posts, comments, and a weekly project). Collaborate as needed with classmates.
Weekends, discuss issues in a group setting via a virtual meeting. Questions you’ll discuss include “What is your favorite digital writing tool and why?” and “How does technology achieve writing standards without tons of writing?”
Need help on a topic not addressed? Arrange free-of-charge 1:1 time with instructors.
At the course end, receive a certificate of achievement listing all topics you completed.
How Class Works
Each week, review materials on themed activities including videos, short articles, sample lessons plans, and ebooks. Complete one weekly project using what you learned. This may be done individually or collaboratively. Reflect on the week’s activities via comments with fellow students.
Weekends, meet with classmates and the teacher on a virtual meeting to discuss activities, answer questions, and review overarching topics like “How do you wake up a love of writing in students who think they hate to write?”
Who Needs This
This course is designed for educators who:
- are looking for new ways to help students unlock their inner writer
- have tried traditional writing methods and need something else
- need to differentiate for varied needs of their diverse student group
- want to—once again—make writing fun for students
What Do You Need to Participate
- Internet connection
- Accounts for Google, various web-based tools
- Commitment of 5-10 hours per week for 3 weeks to learn tech
- Risk-takers attitude, inquiry-driven mentality, passion to optimize learning
NOT Included:
- Software and webtool membership (if there are any)
- Assistance setting up hardware, network, infrastructure, servers, internet, headphones, microphones, phone connections, software.
Curious? Here’s a sample:
Teach Writing with Technology group
Price
$750 for a group of 5-10
We take PO’s–contact Zeke Rowe for details–zeke rowe at structuredlearning dot net
What People Say About Ask a Tech Teacher Classes:
LOVING all I’m learning!
I am so glad that I took this course. I was pushed out of my comfort zone to try many new tools. The course helped me relate to my students as a learner and risk-taker. Fantastic materials that will really help me redesign our middle school computer curriculum in the coming year. Thanks!
This was a wonderful class with tons of resources for teachers, and an excellent way to add to your Professional Learning Network!
As a new “tech” teacher, this course was just what I needed to get me acquainted with various web tools and how to teach tech to all students. I learned SO MUCH!
Your summer PD course has really lit a fire under me!
About the Mentors
Ask a Tech Teacher© is a group of teachers, passionate about technology in education, who run the an award-winning resource blog Ask a Tech Teacher © with more than 75,000 visitors a month in search of teaching materials and advice. It offers oodles of free lesson plans, pedagogical conversation, website reviews and more. Its free newsletters and website articles are read by thousands, including teachers, homeschoolers, and anyone serious about finding the best way to maneuver the minefield of technology in education.
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 35 years. She is the editor of a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of dozens of technology training books and webinars for how to integrate tech into ed. She is webmaster for four blogs, Master Teacher, an Amazon Vine Voice reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, adjunct professor, freelance journalist on tech ed topics.
