Writing in the 21st Century

Concerned about the way "kids these days" are writing?  Tweeting, text messaging, Facebook posts..... That's not "real writing" right?  Susan Lucille Davis, English Teacher at Chinquapin Preparatory School in Houston Texas, gets it.  We have two choices.  We can throw up our hands and assume kids will never develop into the next Shakespeare or Hemingway or we can look at what Davis calls "contemporary writing activities" and use these authentic contexts to teach kids the power the written word.  We can teach them how to communicate their thoughts and dreams in their writing in a socially connected arena that was not possible when I was in school.  When I wrote in school, two people read my work, my teacher and maybe my Mom.  The written word is changing the world in real time.  Look at what has happened in the Middle East.  Tweets and posts changed a regime, not intellectual or political manifestos.  This is an exciting time to teach written language in schools.  We just need to change our mindset and teach kids where they are, not where we were.  You can read Susan's post below:

http://gettingsmart.com/blog/2012/06/teaching-authentic-writing-socially-mediated-world/