Writing Workshop with An Author

I think that I have hit on a new concept (copyrighted of course) and one that I plan to evaluate in the future and expand on. And it is:

Virtual Visits with Authors (Or VVWA)
I think that it is such a great idea. I have been working with an author from South Carolina for over a month now. Mrs. Elysabeth Eldering has been so gracious in donating her time to interact with my 6th grade students. She visits 3 times a week for an hour (that was requested by me. In the future, I would expect an author to visit a classroom once a week, for 1-2 hours, for a month. That would allow an author to greet, teach, and hold a mini-writing contest with winners that could be published in a Virtual Visits Anthology.) She helps to teach lessons by listening in on the class via the Internet and a private wikispace (this is my public class one- but it would be similar) where students submit work for critique. My students love it so much, and we are learning SO much from an actual published author!

I know that Mrs. Eldering is looking to visit more classrooms. If you feel so inclined, and would like her to consider YOUR classroom, leave a comment, and I will pass it along. In the future look for a website that will be able to connect your classroom to a list of authors.

Anyways, look into a Virtual Writing Workshop! You'll love it!