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School Visits |
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School Visits |
I love visiting schools and talking to students who like to write and who like to read. I've spoken to students in California, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming - and that's only up to now!
I really enjoy traveling and meeting young authors, but sometimes it can work better for your school to invite me to do a virtual visit to your class instead. I can do an audiovisual chat with your class instead. This saves travel expenditure, and in these difficult financial times it can be a lot more affordable to have me visit you through your computers.
I use the AIM-based Apple iChat AV. This is included with all Mac OS X computers and can work with any Google Talk, AIM, MobileMe and Jabber account, on either a Mac or a Windows computer. If your school is Mac-based, or if any of your teachers have a Mac laptop with an iSight camera, it's particularly easy. You can attach your computer video output to a projector to put the image up on a larger screen so your students will be able to see easily.
I'll be able to see you too, and I can share with you what it's like to be a writer, how I came to be one, and how I get my ideas and develop them into stories, so you can try the same things in your own writing.
Or we could talk about specific books, or discuss how I do my research (a lot of exploring with a little daring mixed in!).
Or we could even do interactive plotting, sharing ideas back and forth as we develop characters and decide how they will struggle to solve their problems, and write a story together.
If you're interested in setting up an audiovisual chat for your school, please e-mail me at ElaineMAlphin@aol.com. I'll answer right away.
Or snailmail me at:
- Elaine Marie Alphin
- P.O. Box 11423
- Bozeman, MT 59719
Teachers, an audiovisual iChat visit is only $100 for an hour-long session (and if it runs over time with student questions, I don't charge any extra and will be happy to answer as many questions as your class time will alow). I've recently done very successful audiovisual visits with White River Elementary School. If you'd like to contact the organizer to find out how it worked, please e-mail me, and I'll contact her to have her answer you directly. Click here for ideas on preparing your students for our chat.
This is a wonderfully affordable way to introduce your students to an author without breaking your budget or spending all of your book fair money on a single event.
