Teaching with Technology

Want to improve your students’ writing? Well, getting them published might do the trick! That’s what George Mayo did with his 7th grade students in Silver Springs, Maryland. Their book, Stories from the Past, is now available online and will be available at Amazon, Borders, and Barnes and Noble in just a few weeks. The E-book version is free; the paperback version is $12.12. The book contains narrative essays that students have written to tell the stories of their families.

Mr. Mayo used a FREE service called Lulu. It allows ANYONE to publish a book without initial set up costs. Digital copies of the book are provided for free…hardback and paperback versions can be ordered for just a tad over the amount it takes to actually print the book (you can add more to the price if you want to make money). Books are printed as they are ordered, so there is no minimum order requirements. Here’s what Lulu says about it’s service:

“Publish and sell easily within minutes.
No set-up fees. No minimum order.
Keep control of the rights.
Set your own price.
Each product is printed as it is ordered.
No excess inventory.”

Just think of the possibilities for this service in your classroom! Here’s a couple of ideas I can think of off the top of my head:

• Poetry anthology
• Memories of school (5th grade)
• Class collaborative story
• Response to a writing prompt
• Fairy Tales
• School Fundrasier
• Write about a non-fiction topic
• Place copies of student/ class books in the school library for checkout

I’m sure you could think of more. Feel free to post some of your ideas. Getting published, holding a hard copy of your work, checking your book out of the library, and knowing that your friends, family, classmates, and people around the world will be reading what you wrote–that might be just the motivation your students need to really work on their writing!

I have been looking at and thinking about Lulu for awhile now, but when Will Richardson posted a blog entry and link to Mr. Mayo’s project, I had to jump on the bandwagon. Thanks Will!

This has nothing to do with technology, but I can’t help but post. I earned my Masters from Virginia Tech, have spent tons of time on campus, and know of many people affected by the tragedy there today…students, teachers, friends. Virginia Tech is an extended part of my community…and we will not be the same. I am so sad. My heart goes out to everyone involved.