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It's the Internet, according to Richard Sterling, former director of the National Writing Project and a faculty member of the Graduate School of Education at Berkeley University. Sterling notes that for many years writing has been neglected in schools, but the Internet has triggered an ``explosion of writing.''

Comprehensive Writing Instruction: Improve student writing with: Genre studies & lessons, Animations & web tools, Professional development

Learn how to teach and assess writing more effectively and help students understand the 6-Traits of good writing (voice, ideas, word choice, organization, sentence fluency & conventions) and explore strategies to enable learners to progress through higher standards and improve test scores.

As print takes its place alongside smoke signals, cuneiform, and hollering, there has emerged a new literary age, one in which writers no longer need to feel encumbered by the paper cuts, reading, and excessive use of words traditionally associated with the writing trade. Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era focuses on the creation of short-form prose that is not intended to be reproduced on pulp fibers. Instant messaging. Twittering. Facebook updates. These 21st-century literary genres are defining a new "Lost Generation" of minimalists who would much rather watch Lost on their iPhones than toil over long-winded articles and short stories. Students will acquire the tools needed to make their tweets glimmer with a complete lack of forethought, their Facebook updates ring with self-importance, and their blog entries shimmer with literary pithiness.

blog post lists 20 ways to encourage writing with students

Nice, easy to use tool lets users choose an image and create a caption, either using the built-in gallery of words or freestyle. Good tool to get the creative writing juices flowing!

This annotated list of books about writing is strong on 6-traits references. Additional links to books teachers can use to teach each of the 6-traits. All books link through to Amazon. Excellent choices!

Begin to analyze a campaign ad by dividing the content into six "scenes" and drawing the scenes on the storyboard panels below. Write short descriptions beneath each picture. Then, write a few sentences describing the overall content of the ad.

Having trouble or taking too much time writing content and articles? This post might help you structure your articles and grab some content ideas for your next post.

Intriguing site lets students or teachers read along to stories with audio, movie-style soundtracks or create their own soundtracks for creative writing assignments. Includes a few sample lesson plans for using the site with elementary, middle, or high school students.

images used as writing prompts overcome writer's block

Thoughtful discussion on writing standards and student blogging.

We as teachers don't always need to be re-inventing the wheel. A multitude of resources are available on the Internet that will help you with teaching using the Six Traits. Some quality links follow. Enjoy.

Children who blog, text or use social networking websites are more confident about their writing skills, according to the National Literacy Trust.

More than just songwriting. Releasing your inner rock star, learn about how to copyright a song

"iPhone 5 Called ""Gadget off the Year"" by Time Magazine, Apple's iPhone 5 (from $199 on 2-year AT&T, Sprint or Verizon plan) is a serious piece of hardware. Along with its powerful new A6 chip, iPhone 5 works on 4G/Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks for wireless speeds that rivals your home's broadband connection. iPhone 5 also has improved cameras: an eight-megapixel iSight rear-facing camera (3264 x 2448 pixels) and front-facing FaceTime camera with 720p HD quality for video calling. Samsung Galaxy S III The Samsung Galaxy S III (from $149 on 2-year plan with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon) is a true smartphone in every sense of the word -- and we're not even referring to its stunning 4.8-inch display, fast LTE speeds or versatile Android operating system. the Galaxy S III's front-facing camera knows when you're looking at the screen, so it'll give you the bright display you seek, but if your eyes look away it'll dim itself to preserve its battery. It also knows when you want to talk: if you're messaging with someone and want to call them, simply lift the smartphone to your ear and it'll dial for you. Nokia Lumia 920 As the flagship Windows Phone 8 device, Nokia's Lumia 920 (from $99.99 on 2-year AT&T plan), has a lot to offer, including a colorful Start screen with ""live tiles""; familiar Microsoft apps like Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote; and a People hub that aggregates all your contacts into one page per person (so you don't need to close, say Outlook, to see what that friend is up to on Facebook or Twitter). HTC Droid DNA and HTC One X+ A pair of Android-powered HTC devices are also worthy of ""best of 2012"" nods: the HTC Droid DNA ($149.99 on 2-year Verizon Wireless plan) and HTC One X+ ($199.99 on 2-year AT&T plan). Protected by Corning's uber-durable Gorilla Glass 2 technology, the Droid DNA's 5-inch 1080p HD screen was built for video, games, ebooks and web browsing. Integrated Beats Audio - an

Slow computer issue is a common problem faced across different platforms. Though there could be varied reasons on the background, hard-drive read/write issue is the most prominent one.