ASWC Writing Matters: Virtual Institute

Grades and Transcripts--Updated

2009-05-01T16:43:00.004-08:00

Thanks again for all the discussion online. I felt this was a particularly rich class because of all of you.

Here is an update from the ASWC administrator:

Thank you for attending the Alaska State Writing Consortium Writing Matters! online institute. As you know, this ASWC institute is designed to help teachers create a balanced writing program. Writing Matters! is also the spring board to our annual Summer Invitational Institute, a five-credit on-site workshop that we hope you will consider applying for next summer. If your district is an ASWC member, one person is chosen each year to attend the Summer Invitational Institute. Upon successful completion of the Summer Invitational, each participant is given a $1000 stipend. Travel scholarships are also available for teachers who must live away from home to attend. Please check our website around Christmas time for more details because the slots do fill up fast. Next summer's invitational location will be in either Juneau or Anchorage.

All of the grades were sent in on May 6, 2009. Normally, it takes approximately two weeks to process the grades after they have been submitted and have them officially recorded by the university, so that you may order a transcript if you need one.

Transcripts: Unfortunately, the University of Alaska no longer sends out automatic transcripts. If you wish to have an official transcript, there is a fee. To order an official transcript, please go to this link for the form and all pertinent information: http://www.uas.alaska.edu/registrar/transcripts.html

Course Title: ASWC: Writing Matters! A Virtual Institute
Course #: S593
Section: J54
Course reference #: 51494
Three Credits

We applaud your efforts in taking a professional development course because we know how precious time is in the life of every teacher. We hope this online format helped ease the difficulty every teacher feels trying to balance his or her professional and personal life.

We hope you will seriously consider applying to attend next summers Invitational Insitute. If you have any specific questions about the institute, please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Dorothy Gray, Program Director
Alaska State Writing Consortium
~A National Writing Project Site~
Phone and fax: 907-776-5220
http://www.alaskastatewritingconsortium.org/

All grades have been posted, and you should have received a final personal email from me. Let me know if you did not, and I will resend. You may request transcripts through the University of Alaska online. Your transcript is supposed to be current within two weeks.
Have a great summer!

Open Forum

2009-05-01T16:38:00.004-08:00

Let's keep the conversations alive!

Use this as a place to continue posting and keeping your connection with others alive. The blog is staying here until you no longer use it.
Post anything you wish here...(even personal writing this summer.)

Implementation Paper

2009-04-27T16:35:00.004-08:00

Greetings--This is the spot to post your implementation paper! The last weeks have been exciting reading posts. If you have problems, just email me a copy by April 30 when I will turn in grades.

Week 8 : THE End!

2009-04-20T15:52:00.005-08:00

I can't believe the time has passed so quickly. This is your last week of formal assignments and working on the blog even though you do not have to turn your Implementation paper in until April 30. Be sure and note I have set up places for you to post your writing (memoir or other) and a sample of writing from one of your students here on the blog.

The topic this week for technology. I have posted two articles in your assignment section for you to consider. You have also been exposed to a bit of technology by taking an online virtual and creating a virtual tour. Some of you have started your own blogs. I am interested in how you see technology working positively in your classes.

Consider: How do you use technology in your teaching? What is meaningful integration of technology?
Reflect: What have you found valuable about Writing Matters? Post a reflection on your role as a writer in this online class.

Looking ahead: Next week you will be asked to fill out a formal evaluation for the class and post your Implementation Paper. I am hoping you all finish strong.

Share and discuss student writing samples

2009-04-20T15:24:00.004-08:00

Post an anonymous piece of student writing here. You might chose a piece that you would like others to help you with or one that you would like others to read because it is so good. Also include the following:

grade of student and any other helpful information
an explanation of your criteria for the assignment
the method you use(d) in evaluating the writing
any special considerations or questions you would like others to comment on
at least one comment on a piece of student one of your classmates has posted

Final Memoir, Poem or Group Book....

2009-04-20T15:02:00.004-08:00

Share your final product here!

Unfortunately, you cannot attach a document so you will have to cut and paste it in the text box. I am looking forward to reading your work. Due date is Monday 4/20, but I will accept postings until Wednesday 4/22.

If you have emailed your final to me, please post it here as well so everyone can read it.

About the reading....Week 7 April 13-20

2009-04-12T19:58:00.005-08:00

The discussions were particularly rich last week. Maybe you are all inspired by testing! Continued your conversations about the Six Traits,assessments, and grading practices. Consider posting a writing/project rubric, idea for approach to grading, or a successful strategy for responding to student work. Share what works for you.

Thinking ahead....We will save our online discussion of student work until next week. Be thinking of a piece of student writing you might like to share with the class for discussion or guidance. Next week, each of you will post a anonymous piece of student writing including an explanation of your criteria for the assignment and the method of evaluating that piece. If you have a rubric, include that.

Writng Continues: Week Seven April 13-19

2009-04-12T19:41:00.006-08:00

Only two more weeks of class! Unbelievable. Where has the time gone?

No Ramblings again this week as you hone the drafts for your writing in your response groups. Use the response groups to help you bring your writing to the “finished” draft stage. Post your final draft on Monday April 20.

This week you will also begin writing the implementation paper, your last major assignment. This one page essay--approximately 400 words-- is simply a reflection on what you plan to do next year as a result of what you have been reading and writing in this class. Are there ways you can improve your teaching or assessment of writing? What have you learned about yourself as a writer? Have you learned more about any technology that you might find useful next year? Consider the text, readings, class discussions, assignments, and lessons shared by your classmates. I suggest you begin by a fastwrite/brainstorm “ Next year I will…” I am asking that you share that first draft or fastwrite of the implementation paper with your response group this week. Collaborate with your group in any way you wish.

The Implementation paper will be due after the class is finished any time before April 30. I must submit all grades to the University of Alaska on May 1.

Want to PUBLISH?

2009-04-10T09:08:00.003-08:00

Class,I have copied an email from ASWC/NWP that might stimulate interest in some of you to publish some teacher centered writing. This is also a good source for thoughtful materials.

Dear NWP Chapter Leader,

As spring begins, we know that many members of your past summer
workshops must be interested in having some of their work published,
but perhaps their pieces don’t fit within the scope of traditional
education journals, and similarly, many of your participants in this
coming summer’s workshops will be in the same position. That is where
FacultyShack (www.FacultyShack.org) steps in. For seven years we have
published many pieces by NWP members and others looking for a venue
that matched their creativity.

To our knowledge, FacultyShack is still the only education journal of its
kind, publishing jargon-free, thoughtful ideas in creative formats written
by teachers from all areas of the education world. Now, we are branching out
into new territory. Recently, we unveiled an expanded version of our site
which includes blogging capabilities as well as social networking tools.

We believe that we are a perfect match for the work done by the
thousands of NWP participants each summer. In our effort to push
forward with our new plans to spread the word and recruit writers,
NWP members continue to top our list as our most desired participants
and suppliers of articles.

We are not a commercial site with huge funding, so we appreciate any
efforts you have already made or will make to let Writing Project
members know about the opportunity to submit articles to our magazine
and to join our blogging and social networking communities. On the
flip side, we believe that we provide a valuable service for the many
NWP members who have had the opportunity to publish their work in our
magazine, particularly for the authors whose pieces would be
considered too unconventional for other journals.

We are eager to continue the connection with NWP, so please encourage
the members of your Writing Project chapter to submit pieces, and
please visit the site and let us know what you think. If you like what
you see, help us in our outreach effort by letting others know about
us and by joining our community. It is totally free, we will only send
you notices of new issues, and we will never give your address to
anyone.

Thanks for your support and keep in touch,

Jonathan Maier
Editor
FacutlyShack Magazine
www.FacultyShack.org

Week 6: About the Reading and Personal Reflections

2009-04-06T19:44:00.004-08:00

April 6-12
Your readings focus on assessment and grading this week. Here are a few guiding questions to start the conversation.

Do state assessments reflect the achievements of your student?
What assessment and/or grading procedures do you use?
How can we differentiate between grades and assessments? What do you see as the value/shortcomings of each?
What type reports, information on acievement or report cards do you share with parents and students?
Do you use the Six Traits to teach or evaluate writing? If so, what do you find effective? What issues to you have with Six Traits?

Week Six April 6-12-Instead of Rambling.....

2009-04-06T17:45:00.005-08:00

So what in the world are you going to do this week? Proceed with the writing! This week each of you will post your writing—a memoir or the alternative decided upon by your group—and you need to respond to what others in your group write. Plan to post your first draft by Thursday so that responses can be made by Sunday. It is important to be timely with these posts because others are depending upon you.You will post both drafts and responses on your group blog, google docs or via email, again depending upon what means your group established last week.

Being a good responder is not easy. For response, you need to offer specific comments on the writing that lets the writer know what you think is working well, what moves you, or what you relate to particularly. You should also make honest suggestions for improvement, clarification or extension. As a writer, you need to let your responders know what you want from them. For example, you might ask the group for help with your beginning or conclusion. Thus they become more empowered to comment on that section. The writer can then accept or ignore the suggestions, but at least, s/he has had other viewpoints and affirmations before completing the final draft which will be due the end of next week.

Status of the class ending Week Five beginning Week 6

2009-04-05T10:11:00.006-08:00

I thought you might all appreciate a status of the class.

What an intersting week this has been on my end. My mailbox has been filled with well over two hundred emails:I quit counting. These emails outlined your progress in finding a space and getting started on the response group projects. The process has been so fascinating and varied. Some groups are using blogs, one google docs and one may be just using emails. Two groups are planning group projects while the other two are doing independent writing and getting response from other members. I am still confused on the final name selections so if one person from each group would respond to this email and let me know what your handle is and if I have all information correct, I would greatly appreciate it. Here are the specifics as I see them:

The Canniest Composers are working on creating text for Flotsom. They are using Google docs to communicate. The group includes Jeanne, Lance, Debbie, Darla, and Jan. Their organization so far has been outstanding.

The Poets are also working well together creating work modeled a bit after Silko’s “Sky.” They created a concordance of words to use in their personal writing. The group includes Dawn, Robert, Ruth, Molly and Shelly. I believe they do not have a site but are just using email for communications. Is that correct?

Creed, Janet, Sandy, Deanna, and Jerrilyn are using another blogspot. One has even posted a piece of writing for response. Be sure and check out the blog at aswcmemoirs.blogspot.com. Good work! I am not sure yet what name they have selected. (Update: Alaska Gems)

Another blog has been set up on Wordpress which gives us a chance to check out places to blog. AK Writers, Caitlin, Cortney, Kylie, EJ and Marlie, are in the group (sorry I am unsure of the name) that has akwritersblog.wordpress.com as a home. Be sure and take a look at their neat layout which looks like it will work well. (Update: Alaska Writers Blog)

I am pleased with every group and the coordination that has gone on. I have observed good initiative and leadership in every group. That said, unfortunately, some of you have not been actively involved. This process requires that each of you do your part. That will be doubly important next week when all of you will need to post and respond to others in a timely manner. This is a priority. If you have back assignments, leave them behind and work with your group.

Ramblings for Week Five March 30-April 5

2009-03-29T15:49:00.004-08:00

You do not need to post ramblings this week because you will be setting up response groups and starting to decide what you will write for a personal narrative/memoir. You all should have received an email with your group instructions for the week. The length, genre and topic are up to you. I have had poems, scripts,short stories, and traditional essays completed for this assignment. This is your opportunity to write what you wish, how ever you wish. Use your group to brainstorm possibilities this week. And be there to respond to other group members. Write on!

Week Five March 30- April 5: About the Readings...

2009-03-29T13:55:00.009-08:00

This week's readings deal with teaching to standards and an article about mandating teaching practices. The National Council of Teachers of English has developed their own set of standards linked here. Review the Alaska content standards for writing for your level.

In Chapter Five, the text states that "State curriculum documents and assessments are now carrying a new message: writing should no longer be "the silent R" of learning...Improving writing is now seen as important for learning subjects other than English." Here are a few ideas to discuss in regard to the reading:

Do you feel both these statements are true at your site?
How important are state standards to your daily teaching?
How "mandated" is what you do?
Have you ever been forced to teach in a way you did not feel was a good fit for your philosophy or style?
What are some of your own "standards" or goals as a teacher of writing?
If you could change or revise some of the state standards, what changes would you make?

Let's save discussion about assessment and qualifying exams for next week.

Week Five begins National Poetry Month

2009-03-29T11:47:00.006-08:00

As some of you have already noted, this week is the beginning of National Poetry Month. If you have some favorite sites, lessons or poems you would like to share, post them at this link. Here are a few sites I use and have found helpful in teaching poetry. Poets.org has some suggestions for easy ways to include poetry along with other resources and poems to share. I also like that it includes a section on Alaska. This is another link to ideas for all grade levels from Scholastic.

Week 4: About the Reading and Personal Reflections

2009-03-22T19:17:00.007-08:00

March 23-29
Use this link to post your weekly conversation on the text and your own classroom. The text chapters two and three deal with learning to write and writing to learn. So many studies are covered that it feel a bit like the Readers' Digest of writing! Let's deconstruct a bit. What strikes you as particularly provoking, challenging or helpful?

Your assignments this week also include a reflective piece on a typical day in your classroom. What works,and what do you wish worked better? (I called it "A Day in the Life" or "The good, the bad, the ugly." Pick any title that fits your musings.) You may post that writing here or if you have a personal blog, you can post it there with a link here.

Ramblings For Week Four, March 23-29

2009-03-22T16:24:00.006-08:00

Georgia Heard is another of my favorite writers who specializes in encouraging others to write. She has a range of books for teachers and for writers that you may have already discovered. Check out her website at http://georgiaheard.com . Many of her books focus on the teaching of poetry. Perhaps my favorite, however, is Writing Toward Home: Tales and Lessons to Find Your Way (Heinemann), a thin, inspirational volume that encourage us to write from close observation and past personal experiences. She challenges us to see the ordinary in an extraordinary way. On her website she writes: “Whether you are a student, teacher or a poet I believe our challenge is to find the poetry all around us every day. Children are often the best teachers of this. That's one of my goals when I teach poetry is to help every student find the poetry inside.” Perhaps we can try to find what is inside us or buried in our ordinary lives for our ramblings this week. Your goal is two posts.

Another outstanding Heard publication we may look at later is The Revision Toolbox which gives all teachers tools for approaching revision with students.

Getting started on the Virtual Tour

2009-03-17T18:05:00.002-08:00

Even though we can't meet in person, you can share your classrooms through a virtual tour.
During the next two weeks, you should be working on a virtual classroom tour. This assignment has two goals. First, all of us will get a sense of the wide variety of schools and classrooms represented in our Virtual Institute. Secondly, I would like each of you to play around a bit with using technology as a means of publishing writing and sharing your classroom. Your tour should include several photos with captions or narration.

After you have taken pictures and written about your classroom, pick a specific place to share your work. You can create a blog like mine through Blogger; you can create a website like the one on which I have put the assignments; or you can create a PowerPoint and share it with us on Google Docs at docs.google.com . The Google options are free and relatively user friendly.
Each venue has a brief tutorial about how to use it most effectively.

If you already have a website or Blog, you can place your tour there and share the link with us by responding to this post. If all this technology drives you crazy, please just send me a PowerPoint, and I share it with others. The most important part of the assignment. after all, is sharing your classroom with the rest of our class.

Caitlin has already finished her tour and published it on her Blog which is on WordPress, another place you might consider putting yours. She has done an outstanding job. I am posting hers as a model; however, I don't expect all of you to have one with this much detail. I am sure you will enjoy her photos and accompanying narration. This is a link to Caitlin's tour.

Ramblings For Week Three, March 13-22

2009-03-15T17:59:00.009-08:00

In honor of the Irish (I was blessed with an Irish mother), you might consider a toast, joke, limerick or other such "blarney" for ramblings this week. If you wish, you may limit rambling posts to only one since you are also responding to our readings and beginning to create the virtual tour of your classroom.

Last week's posts would have given even the likes of Yeats, O'Casey, or Joyce a wee pause. Well done, lads and lassies!

Week 3: About the readings....

2009-03-15T17:05:00.005-08:00

Week beginning March 16:
Not much has been written yet about our readings. Use this as a place to discuss the readings for last week, this week, and the first chapters of our text Because Writing Matters. (I hope more/all of you have a copy by now.)

Some guiding questions for thought:

What do you see as your role as a teacher of writing? Rickards and Hawes see writing teachers as "models, coaches, assessors, planners, and consultants." Do you see yourself in all these roles? Which roles are the most problematic for you?
Let's keep the piece by Higgins, Miller and Wegman in mind throughout our Virtual. They challenge some current practices and reaffirm others. Do you feel the article offers support to your beliefs or contradicts them in any ways?
In Because Writing Matters, Nagin starts by asserting that "writing is a complex activity: more than just a skill or talent, it is a means of inquiry and expression for learning in all grades and disciplines." How does this view affect the way we might approach our teaching? Why is writing so complex and what challenges does it pose on our schools?

Do not let these questions limit your discussion. They are just a few suggestions that might help start a conversation. Post at least once here this week.

Ramblings For Week Two

2009-03-07T17:09:00.005-09:00

Last week's Ramblings got us off to a great start. Here is more inspiration from Natalie Goldberg, author of many books on writing including two of my favorites, Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind. She writes:

"The basic unit of writing practice is the timed exercise. You may time yourself for ten minutes, twenty minutes, or an hour. It's up to you....What does matter is that whatever amount of time you choose for that session, you must commit yourself to it for the full period." (Writing Down the Bones)

"A writing practice is simply picking up a pen, a fast-writing pen, preferably, since the mind is faster than the hand, and doing timed writing exercises. The idea is to keep your hand moving for, say, ten minutes, and don’t cross anything out, because that makes space for your inner editor to come in. You are free to write the worst junk in America." (interview)

So in the Virtual Open, you are challenged to take just ten minutes out of your day to write. The next step is to post your writings in Ramblings. Post at least three times each week. The important thing is to practice writing. As Goldberg says, "The more you do it, the better you get at it."

Join --Once Again

2009-03-04T16:59:00.005-09:00

Just when you thought you were completely connected, I discovered a newer gadget to help us communicate. Please also JOIN under the sidebar label "Connections". This should help us communicate and share more easily. So join in now and see if you are even further connected. I would also like you to create a GMail account as we mentioned on the audio. This allows us to chat during office hours and synchronous discussion. Try completing all this before our next audio on Monday so we can troubleshoot if you have problems.

Ramblings For Week One

2009-03-02T17:51:00.001-09:00

This is your spot to start a conversation, post a reflection, poem, random thought, or anything you want to write. These are NOT polished pieces; rather they are a chance to play around with writing. Have fun. Also respond to others who post. Your goal is to post three times a week. The picture is one that I took only two weeks ago in Kruger National Park in South Africa.

Where are all the readings?

2009-02-28T15:59:00.005-09:00

To find the weekly readings and assignment updates click here Weekly Reading.

Week One: Who are we?

2009-02-28T06:51:00.006-09:00

Let's get to know each other. For your first assignment, introduce yourself to the rest of the class by adding a comment to this post. Use your name as the title to your introduction. I have started by posting a little about myself.
In addition , post a picture and a short statement in your own profile. You can also view my profile as a sample.

First Audio Conference

2009-02-26T13:50:00.000-09:00

Here is the important information on our first audio. Call in on Monday, March 2 at 6 p.m. Call in number: 1-800-570-3591 Participant # 6400627 Hope to hear from all twenty of you then!

Welcome letter

2009-01-13T12:40:00.000-09:00

Greetings and welcome to “Writing Matters,” Alaska State Writing Consortium’s Virtual Open Writing Institute!

As the teacher-leader for the class, I am excited about beginning our process together. This is the forth year I have taught this online institute. I realize for many of you, this is your first experience with a writing institute while others will have taken some classes and workshops in the past. Either way this class is a completely unique offering, utilizing online discussions and including the reality of your daily instruction.

You are probably in the busiest part of your school year so “Writing Matters” will allow you to make the best advantage of what you are currently doing in your classroom You will have the opportunity to reflect upon and evaluate methods and strategies with your class. You will have the opportunity to discuss ideas with other teachers. Finally, you will have the opportunity to experiment with personal writing. We will be using a combination of audio conferencing, online discussion, and web-based instruction. You will be receiving an email soon from our technical support explaining how to our site. As soon as you receive the information, begin trying everything out so we can quickly catch any glitches. Our blog site is http://aswcvirtual.blogspot.com/.

Our text is Because Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in Our Schools by the National Writing Project and Carl Nagin. You may send for a copy of the book through The National Writing Project website at http://www.writingproject.org/Publications/books.

For now, just get excited about the possibilities. We will schedule an audio conference during the first week of the class. You will have an opportunity to hear from the other members of the class and ask any questions that come to mind.

I look forward to talking to all of you and “seeing” you online. Email me with questions at pfsep@uaa.alaska.edu or call me at 907 982 1456. I will be available after February 22.

Sondra Porter, teacher-leader

Welcome to Writing Matters! Alaska State Writing Consortium's Virtual Institute

2009-01-13T11:20:00.002-09:00

The Goals of ASWC are reflected in our 9 Week Course.

ASWC goals have been and continue to be the following:

To promote the writing workshop approach to teaching writing.
To help teachers prepare their students for the Alaska High School Qualifying Exam and the Standards-Based Assessments.
To provide teacher training for Writing Across the Curriculum.
To integrate the Writing Process and the Six Traits of Writing K-12 in all subject areas.
To assist teachers in understanding and applying the Alaska Grade Level Expectations (GLE’s).
To offer training in developing writing workshops at both the primary and secondary levels.