6:22 The discussion of surveys is interesting. The author always seeks feedback from readers. It’s the basis of the Kid’s Need To Read Foundation (KNTR). Two officers of the foundation are in the audience.

6:25 KNTR has another promoter. Basha teacher Kerri Mathew , with two creators of the wiki.

6:29  Devon Adams, a high school language & composition teacher, brings up Social Media discussion –about how bi-directional information, where students are the educators, collaborative intelligence is tapped. Literature goes beyond composition. Check out the wiki Thesoftwire.wetpaint.com. Actually it’s still private but will be open to the public shortly.

6:30 Great quote: “You can’t Google the lexicon of The Softwire: –the lexicon is nowhere else! It only resides in the student wiki!

6:35 The student takes over the presentation. Another great quote as a disagreement is voiced by audience: “I am not the teacher, I don’t know whey I am not here.” Great irony, considering what the ASU’s Adams just said about ’students being educators!’

6:37 “How does a wiki work?” asks the audience. Student does a live demo of how wiki authors can message each other, while updating content.

6:42 The wiki is not exactly open to the public, as it is being worked on say the teachers. Good discussion about how teachers and students look at concepts such as ‘locked down’ content and moderated content. It’s more about making gthis process a teaching opportunity rather than exercising controls.

6:51 PJ Haarsma takes over the presentation. Draws links between publishers and teachers, saying “the kids don’t read anymore” argument is not valid anymore. “We have sucked on to this paradigms

“I have set my sights on how books are distributed on the planet!”

“Game is a four letter word, but to some it is a bad four letters. We are now creating an online environment that places literature within this environment.”

6:53 “Writers will take back contol of the story from publishers” –by connecting with readers directly! “I will be the devil of publishers.” PJ Haarsma

6:55 Harsma says he looked at authors web sites and saw that they did nothing for kid’s and their reading. That was the genesis of the Rings of Orbis –”a place he created as a place where kids can hang out between books.”

6:58 He has just finished the fourth book. Just pitched Book #5. “I may not do it as a traditional book -maybe augmented reality, and telling stories that is not confined within the pages of a book.”

6:59 Haarsma:  “I just write books, you guys figure out where it goes” says Haarsma, on how the publisher often tries to get the author to shift the book’s demographics.

7:01 Highly engaged audience of students. They ask Haarsma some tough ‘business’ questions, and he wrestles with them. Amazing how connected he is to the audience.

7:08 ASU’s professor Jim Blasingame announces that Candlewick Press plans to publish the student-created, student-managed wiki in their next imprint. Not an official announcement, but a strong possibility.

7.15 Wrap up by PJ. Questions. Photos. See some here.

Acknowledgment: Two photos here are by Devon Adams.