We are all buzzing from last night's #CLMOOC Twitter chat lead by the Tar River and UNC-Charlotte Writing Projects (thanks for hosting, guys)! There was great conversation and so many wonderful points discussed about equity and identity. Some of us were active participants while others of us lurked a little bit. Either way we all walked away with some great food for thought. An awesome event for sure.
We also had the chance to think about how we can stay connected to the University of Illinois Writing Project once the institute is over. Jenn and Christine came to talk to us about getting involved in summer camps for area students as well as colloquia that take place throughout the year. There are so many great things that the Writing Project does here at UIUC and it is always great to be reminded of all of the ways to stay involved. A good place to start is the UIWP Facebook page and the UIWP home page. |
Shalonda gave our last teaching demonstration of the week over using Google Classroom for collaborative writing in ELL contexts. Google Apps really have changed the way that writing happens in our classrooms. And while collaboration has been seen as an important component of student growth for a long time, the technological tools that have become available to students in the last decade have allowed learners to collaborate in new and different ways much more easily than ever before. Many of us can find the reality of today's technology to be daunting, but the benefits of such platforms are hard to deny. It was great to hear how these tools can play a role in literacy development specifically for ELLs.
The 3-minute Zumba break was especially welcome... |
In the afternoon we travelled over to the Krannert Art Museum to check out their current exhibit, "Versions and Revisions." From the Krannert's website: "... this exhibition features works from the permanent collection that directly reference canonical works of art, specific artists, and art historical styles. Some artists whose work is on display convey a sense of adoration for their subject—either playfully or with reverence—while others use their works to critique society, religion, or the art historical canon." Thinking about art in this way allowed us to consider remediation in a new way. Special thanks to Anne Sauteman for taking the time to talk with us about the exhibit.
After our tour we got to have our first official writing marathon using the artwork at KAM as inspiration. Not a bad way to end our second week.