A Tool in My PLN
A valuable tool or resource in my PLN is the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) journal, The English Journal. The English Journal offers many articles for helping English teachers in the classroom. I recently ran across the article "The Students Are the Living Authors: Publishing Student Work Using Print on Demand." In the article, Zachariah L. Heyer tells about how he used a print on demand service in order to publish his students' work. Giving his students the opportunity to become published authors provided his students with “an authentic way to learn the value of a published final copy.” He states that his students really took an interest in the finished product. He also adds that they grasped a sense of value of writing for an audience, and they became interested in improving their writing and following conventions.
I found the idea of print on demand and the values Heyer's students seemed to learn interesting, and I put together an idea for a senior project. I have ran the project by Dr. Beason an instructor at USA and a contact in my PLN. I have outlined some of the details below.
This senior class project is aimed at helping students to see themselves as real authors, while allowing them to understand the importance of conventions and writing for an audience. The assignment emphasizes the importance of meeting a deadline and the significance of a published copy. By using a print on demand service, teachers can utilize affordable technology to provide their students with a meaningful reason to write and allow them to become published authors.
Students will create a senior memento. Students will be given a deadline to meet. Before the deadline, each student is to submit a high school themed writing that is in publishable state. Students may choose any style of writing. When presenting this assignment, I will bring in examples to help students develop their own ideas. There will be several class meetings that allow students time to work on the assignment, as well as to address any concerns they may have. Students will take part in peer revision and turn in a draft.
Students who meet publishing requirements will be published in a book that will be available for purchase via the internet. Publishing requirements include both submitting a final piece and returning a parental slip form granting consent. Publishing is not a requirement; however, seeking parental consent for publishing is. Parental consent forms will be sent home for parents to sign either declining or granting consent for their child’s work to be published.
There are several websites available for print on demand services. I suggest choosing one closer to the time of assigning the project.
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