"Implication in Writing" and Project Ideas

I spoke briefly with Dr. Sandmann today about this odd idea of looking at inference from the writing, as opposed to the reading, perspective. If you've been reading the blog, you know I haven't found much on the topic. There are a fair amount of professional texts for practioners and as well as research (which tends to focus on one type of inference, say at the word level) on the teaching of inference - but quite honestly, there is not even as much of that as one would expect.

She suggested I try a search term that centers around the quote above. The amount of inferential thinking (from the writer's end, intentional ambiguity) required of a reader is directly related to the sophistication (thus, readability) of the text. Though I think writers at all levels (reread the last page of The Cat in the Hat if you haven't recently) do require inferential thinking of their readers, the more ambiguity (one of the characteristics of good texts used to teach inference Dr. Bintz has developed), the more sophisticated the text. (I'm thinking of the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg in Gatsby.) So, after I do a bit of searching, I'll post my results.

My other question (if this one does not work out) will be, "Why use new technologies (like podcasting, Scratch, GarageBand, etc.) to help students communicate their thinking about a staid topic like grammar?" Why not just use work books? Or even just good old art projects? What cognitive and pedagogical benefits are there of using "new media" to share student thinking about one of the bedrocks of the teaching of English?

I'd be interested to hear from all of you out there. Do you think there is an angle I am missing? Is there anything you've read that you think I should check out? Also, does anyone have Ralph Fletcher's Craft Lessons that I could borrow?