Prairielands

I have tried to upload a pciture of the group at PLWP without success.  Mary

I wanted to say that the blogs I posted were only bits and pieces of the work we did at Nebraska City May 18 and 19th.  We all came away with a sense of direction.  There are still more questions, but we do have a focus and some direction.   Also I have opened this blog to some of my fellow participants of the revisioning retreat.  Some of them wanted to try blogging and I thought this might be a place to start.  I have a picture, but I am going to have to edit it because it is a bigger file.  Mary

Final session: After looking at many sites we are looking at multiple sites.   Discussion established what would be good for a PLWP site presence.  A committee will be looking into how to celebrate PLWP site’s 20th anniversary. Mary

Satrday May19 afternoon session.  We are exploring the Wiki of NWP sites with a web presence that “Bud” put together.  http://webpresence07.pbwiki.com/WP%20Web%20Presence%20Portal%20Page  PLWP core values:  Writing, sense of community of writers and learners, network of people, support, content cycled back through with reflection, and reframing the teaching of writing.  Writing–personal, professional, PLWP.

Audiences:  TCs, TC alums, Teachers, Preservice teachers, administrators, parents,  professionals,  business and community, youth, and students.  Now is the time to do web exploration for looking at web sites to showcase PLWP’s core values and audience.  Mary

PD at PLWP how does this information get out to the schools?  Who should get this information?

Looking ahead to the future.  PLWP Graduate Certificate in teaching of writing.  Youth writing camps are maxed out with an overload of applicants. 

Institute report– Third writing is weak and there is a need to try to improve that situation.  TCs gain confidence, and began to believe they are writers therefore taking that back to their classrooms.  Inquiry demonstration–how is this lesson being learned by our students.

Continuity and teacher leadership–how to stay connected to with the TCs.  Mentors visit the TC in their classroom.  This should be at the invitation of the TC on thier time.  High school writing day invite businesses to show how writing is used in their work on a daily basis.  Communication take a more causal tone.  Use a survey to help PLWP to understand what schools needed.  Can we take our seminars on the road?

Metaphor for teachers.  What is PLWP?  Does it do with we expect it to do?  What do we do next?   12:10 pm it is time for lunch.  Core values and coherance?????  Mary

May 19    Morning  The members are wondering in after a wonderful breakfast and some have been out for a walk among the many trees in full foliage at Arbor Day Farms and Lied Lodge.  Yesterday evening session began giving us a sense of who we are as a site.  I am sure today we will look at where we are going.  Our group use a grahic organizer to look at audience, spheres,  who does the work of the site.  Our work and spheres are very intertwined.  The first group used a tree as their visual   The second group used the idea of stating the beliefs of PLWP.  The used a graphic of a tree of knowledge plus a group of stick-figure teachers to equal a graphics to represent a prairie.  The third group used the slogan PLWP Pass It On.   Are we a cliqu or a community?  How do we make the community concept a reality?  Open house with short presentations of what the PLWP does?  Examples:  Writing group, book group, open institutes, advanced institutes.  Create a link so that administrators/workforceget to the data driven information.  Leadership is homegrown.  It starts with the teacher who takes what they learn at PLWP back and expands it to thier school district.  Has PLWP kept in contact with the TCs or have the TCs made the connection back with PLWP?  How can PLWP find out/make connections to what is happening in the classrooms?    Idea a theme with several meetings through the year to equal a graduate hour on your resume.  Break time.  Write–What are your thoughts about with has been discussed?  Mary’s thoughts– We are so comfortable with the PLWP community that we think everyone should be that comfortable.  They are not.  Maybe we need to nurture those TCs who have lost connection with PLWP.  How do we get those who seem reluctant to get past the conception of PLWP and to get to the reality of what is PLWP.  Mary’s idea–Mentors may need to make a special effort to stay connected with those they mentor in the Summer Invitational.  Send an email aksing how the first quarter went.  An email to be answered over Christmas break asking if they have integrated writing into their area.  How did it work?  What worked what didn’t?  Ask them to demo a special expertise that they have at a PLWP activity.  Feature a story of the month on the web site of who is doing what where.  Example– Debbie’s book study using Because Writing Matters and then the expansion of that book study to district wide PD. 

May 18, 2007  Evening   “How can we build a promotional and informational online presence which effectively reflects our site core values to our various audience?”  Groups discuss their ideas and share.  Givens–Clean design and cutting-edge technical format,  Portals of entry at top of differing audiences, teachers, adminsitrators, Prairie Lands alumni, Left-out you hand menu showcases prioritized programs.

Who we are as a site?    How would you describe the identiy of your writing project site?

What stands out for you most vividly about your writing project site?

What people, activities, places most define your writing project site?   Mary

Writing #1

What metaphor would you use to describe yourself as a teacher?  Jane as a stop light to stop and listen for instruction.  A vegas show the females showing too much skin.   Bongs and trumpets.  Terri, a roller coaster.  A roller coaster ready to be dismantled and recycled.  A hat store for Mary.  A teacher wears many hats.  A hard hat to construct knowledge for students to learn.  A Sherlock Holms hat to solve the mystery of a student’s mind.  Susan’s metaphor a garden.   

How has your involvement with PLWP effected you as a teacher?  What do we as teachers get from PLWP?  It is a network of people for get resources.  It is a cult that is nation wide network that clicks no mater the differences.  “PLWP is food for my soul.”   A network to support each other.  How do we expand that network and keep individuals coming back?

Evening of May 18, 2007  The evening began by all members exploring identity of the PLWP site.  What stands out for you as most vividly about the site?   What people, activities, places most define your writing project site? After group discussion the groups presented their findings with posters, and graphic organizers. 

Mary Lee

May 18, 2007 Lied Lodge Nebraska City, NE   Almost all participants are here.  Some are driving here after their school day.  We are about to view a welcom presentation on the history of Lied Lodge and Arbor Day Farm.  We are focusing PLWP’s web presence  I will post more as the revisioning retreat progresses.  Mary Lee Meyer