Computers and Writing 2010: "Virtual Worlds"

On Saturday, May 22, and Sunday, May 23, six representatives of the Indiana Writing Project (Matt Hartman, TC '07; Robin Sowder, TC '02; Barb Miller, TC '09; Jodie Scales, '09; Alena Bogucki, TC '07; and, Carrie Milliner, TC '01) attended the annual Computers and Writing Conference, which was held this year at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. During the two days, IWP teacher consultants participated in a variety of workshops, demonstrations, and discussions focused on new technology and applications for such programs within elementary, secondary, and higher education; the Computers and Writing program may be viewed here.

Buckwell University's Eric Faden began his lunchtime presentation with an amusing clip entitled "A Fair(y) Use Tale," which features soundbites and clips from Disney films to educate the audience about copyright laws and fair use guidelines.

If you are interested in collaborating to create a program session for the 2011 Computers and Writing Conference, "Writing in Motion: Traversing Public/Private Spaces," at the University of Michigan, contact IWP Site Director Linda Hanson.

Comp Camp

The spring 2010 IWP Comp Camp concluded on Saturday, April 24, with a Young Authors Celebration. In addition to hearing readings by the Comp Camp authors, family and friends in attendance also enjoyed participating in a miniature writing marathon based on notable and historic sites across the Ball State University campus. Students received their own print copies of the group anthology at the celebration, and will also have their writing published in an online anthology.

Above - Spring 2010 Comp Campers

Visit the Indiana Writing Project website to get information about registering for future IWP Comp Camps. The upcoming summer 2010 Comp Camp will occur Monday through Friday, June 21 through July 2. Elementary-age students in grades 2 through 5 will attend camp from 9AM-12PM, and the camp for middle and high school students will occur from 1PM-4PM each day.

IWP at the 2010 NWP Spring Meeting

From Wednesday, March 24, through Friday, March 26, the Indiana Writing Project was represented at the 2010 National Writing Project Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C. by IWP Site Director Linda Hanson, IWP Co-Director Linda Walker, and local teachers Barbara Miller(TC 2009) of Cowan High School and Alena Bogucki (TC 2007) from Alexandria-Monroe High School. Once at the Spring Meeting, the IWP representatives were joined by Kristin Katsu, a Teacher Consultant from the Hoosier Writing Project and a Language Arts teacher at Noblesville High School.

One of the main objectives of the NWP Spring Meeting was to share with legislators the unique impact the National Writing Project has on teachers, students, and learning. On Thursday, March 25, the delegation from Indiana shared the accomplishments and efforts of the six Writing Project sites across Indiana in the offices of U.S. representatives Brad Ellsworth, Andre Carson, Joe Donnelly, Mark Souder, Mike Pence, Dan Burton, and U.S. senators Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh.

Pictured from left to right:
Alena Bogucki (IWP TC), Barbara Miller (IWP TC), Kristin Katsu (HWP TC),
Indiana 7th District Congressman Andre Carson,
Linda Hanson (IWP Site Director), and Linda Walker (IWP Co-Director)

During the Spring Meeting keynote on Friday, March 26, Katherine Schultz, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, shared the research behind her 2009 book Rethinking Classroom Participation: Listening to Silent Voices. The final day of the NWP Spring Meeting wrapped up with a selection of roundtable discussions focused on issues related to the classroom practice, core standards, partnerships between sites and schools, research, professional reading, and the history of the National Writing Project.

2010 NWP Indiana Network Retreat

During the last weekend of February, over forty representatives from the six Writing Project sites across Indiana gathered together in Indianapolis for the annual National Writing Project Indiana Network Retreat. Below, you will see a collection of photos featuring IWP Teacher Consultants involved in the weekend's activities.




Left - Tammy Taylor reads a mentor text while leading a teaching demonstration, which featured color-coding of feelings, dialogue, setting description, and action to guide revision.






Above - Shirley Thacker (TC 2007), Heather Poston (TC 2009), Jamie Stapleton (TC 2009), and IWP Co-Director Linda Walker compose letters and postcards to state representatives and senators to encourage support of IWP and NWP.


Right - Jenny Smithson (TC 2003) and Betsy Duckworth (TC 2008) work to set up the "National Writing Project Indiana Network" Community on The Learning Connection website.


Above - Jenny Smithson (TC 2003), Robin Sowder (TC 2002), and D'Anne Ettl (TC 2005) of the Indiana Writing Project participate in a breakout session on Saturday afternoon during the NWP Indiana Network Retreat.

Upcoming Saturday Seminars: Winter 2010

On January 9, 2010, the Saturday Seminar entitled "Writing to a Prompt: Getting Your Students Ready for ISTEP" will be offered from 8:30-11:30AM. This session will aid participants in creating a writing cycle that approaches "writing to a prompt" as a manageable genre. This Saturday Seminar will be held in Room 292 of the Robert Bell Building, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana 47306.

Additionally, on Saturday, April 10, 2010, IWP will host "An Introduction to Writing Workshop," especially for current undergraduates and those new to the concept of Writing Workshop. This seminar will include a 10:00AM-12:00PM session introducing participants to the features and structure of Writing Workshop; then, from 1:00-4:00PM, attendees will observe Writing Workshop in action during a visit to IWP's 'Comp Camp'. All activities for this seminar will occur in the Robert Bell Building on campus at Ball State University.

The Indiana Writing Project is proud to offer a special student registration fee of only $10 for each of our winter 2010 Saturday Seminars. You can register online or by contacting the IWP office via e-mail at iwp@bsu.edu.