Really enjoyed Tony Deifell's presentation on the future of journalism yesterday. Really helped solidify some thought I have about new course development. Love it when good friends are the source of good inspiration!
Also got to spend some time with Alvis Dunn, another good friend. He's a history professor at a nearby college. We talked a lot about the challenges college kids face around writing. That conversation gave me some ideas to flesh out, too.
Writing, even as we rely more on multimedia, remains the foundational skill. Communicating ideas via the written word is capital. And it's an economic reality that being a better writer is a key skill for the 21st century. Sadly, we're not doing enough at any point in our education system (K-16) to prepare kids for the communication needs of life after graduation. After yesterday, I see some opportunities to do something about that at the college level (Steve's really got K-12 covered). And I start moving on them today. Stay tuned.
In the mean time, what can you do to help someone you know become a better writer?