In "Reinventing Writing" author, teacher, and tech superstar Vicki Davis redefines what it means to pick up the pen.The book is organized around nine Common Core-ready tools teachers can use right now to bring 21st century writing practices into the classroom. Although the objective of the book is "for modern educators to select the right tool for teaching purpose, to determine how to set it up quickly, and to prevent common mistakes," "Reinventing Writing" is so much more. The platforms in "Reinventing Writing" might change over time, but the paradigm shift is the same. "Reinventing Writing" helps teachers bring cutting-edge writing practice into the classroom. The way we write and process information is changing. Vicki shows how allowing students to create and share content for real is improving the way we think about writing and learning. Students must become content creators, not simply passive consumers. Vicki shows us how to help them do that.Vicki outlines specific situations, platforms, and tools. She gives teachers who are beginners or experienced in tech ideas for use and implementation and ways to avoid common pitfalls. She covers the range of spaces where writing can be inserted, showing ways to do so to engage today's learners. "Reinventing Writing" is more than nine simple tools, it's a change in the way you will approach not only writing in the classroom, but educational technology as well."What if I don't have a lot of technology available?" Vicki answers this. You can pick a few strategies or ideas from this book and try them. Vicki explains reinventing writing isn't a race, it's a step-by step conscious reflection. As a beginner or someone from a tech-deprived environment, Vicki shows you how to do it."What if I've got a lot going on? How do I organize this?" Vicki shows ways to organize your thoughts--and student work--in the cloud. This might be the biggest challenge. We're used to papers with writing on them, and piles on our desks. By putting work on the web and in the cloud, we can engage with students, and student can engage with each other--and in-field experts--easily. This helps us shift our mindset from teacher as sole provider of feedback to students using the world to help them become great."What about student privacy and Internet safety concerns?" There is a complete chapter about this important subject. "Reinventing Writing" stresses the critical nature of creating digitally responsible citizens ready to take on the universe, keeping them safe in the process.We must reinvent writing to be social, engaging, and higher-level. Vicki shows how, engaging students and proving they can write, "for real."This would be a great book for a solo read or a professional learning network. It's organized with essential questions at the beginning of chapters and challenges at the end. You can easily put the material into practice. It has a helpful glossary if you're new to the digital journey, and appendices with good resources. There are links throughout the Kindle edition which allow you to access the platforms Vicki referenced.If you're already a tech guru, you can use this book to help organize the people you inspire and mentor. If you're just beginning your journey into cloud-based or edtech writing platforms, you need this book. Either way, read "Reinventing Writing" to see how you're doing, and get some tips along the way.
