Jean Reidy joined the 4th graders at Indian Peaks via Skype.  They were brought together via the Skype in the Classroom program.  The children’s book author visited with students to share her 10 best tips for authors.  She also took time to answer specific student questions.

The online connection was an experiment the 4th grade teachers were testing after they underwent the design thinking process.  Through the process, they brainstormed and prototyped ways students might be more engaged in the writing process.  The team decided to test how interviews with published authors might affect their students’ work – thus bringing Skype to the classroom.

 

Jean’s 10 tips for writers were:

1) Tune in (Pay attention to everything)

2) Inside out

3) Honey, I shrunk my life (Think about all of the details in one particular moment)

4) See from a new set of eyeballs (a new point of view)

5) Crash ideas (Ask what if…)

6) 25 bad ideas (Could they be good?)

7) Do not write (Step away if you’re stuck)

8) Write when you least expect it

9) Begin with the ending

10) Keep your imagination healthy and strong