October
2009
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The Gallery of
Writing now contains more than 20,000 pieces! Local galleries
have been established in more than 2,000+ locales across the nation, and 19 national/international partners had joined the initiative.
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Will
We See You in Philadelphia?
Many Council groups, such as
affiliates, assemblies, Sections (elementary,
middle level, secondary, and college), committees, commissions,
Conferences (CCCC, CEE, CEL, WLU), and Associations (TYCA) hold
sessions, luncheons, or workshops during the Convention; search the Convention
Program for these events (working meetings aren't
listed in the Program; if you need information on when your group is
meeting, please contact your group's chair or NCTE).
Here are just a few of the sessions
being offered in the Learning
Lab in NCTE Central:
The National Gallery of Writing: A Comprehensive Look at Writing
Today That Would Be Incomplete without You!
Make a Difference in Federal Policy
Supporting Schoolwide Professional Development Efforts with
Pathways for Advancing Adolescent Literacy
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NCTE
Makes History with the National Day on Writing
and the National Gallery of Writing
by Kent
Williamson, NCTE Executive Director
From the outset,
this was a bold undertaking. Those familiar with Council history may
place it in the same category with the "Experience Curriculum,"
the "English and the National Defense Report" (which led
to the inclusion of English in the National Defense Education Act,
providing funding for Project English and a series of Impact
Conferences), and the NCTE/IRA national Standards for the English
Language Arts project in terms of its ambition and scope.
From an institutional perspective, it represents an audacious claim
of authority on behalf of our professional community -- a claim that
the practice of writing is so profoundly different today, so
essential to 21st century living, that it needs a fresh look, a day
of its own, and even a new kind of digital gallery where it can be
appreciated, celebrated.
What
Do We Know about the Gallery
and the Day
So Far?
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In the month of
October alone, the National Day on Writing/National Gallery of
Writing story was picked up in at least 100 articles or
broadcasts, reaching a circulation base in excess of 3 million.
This doesn’t count 202 blog hits (including a feature in The
New York Times education blog), nor public service
announcements (like the National Day/National Gallery of Writing
piece produced on the EMU campus that ran in the Detroit
market), nor many local radio and TV news spots.
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Every
U.S. state is currently represented in the National Gallery, as
is American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Austria, Canada, England,
Germany, Iraq, Japan, Mexico, and New Zealand, to name a few.
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The submission
formats in the Gallery are widely varied: 73 videos, 169 audio
files, 185 social media postings, 120 text messages, 118
PowerPoints/presentations,155 visual displays/artwork, 623
emails, 131 pieces composed on a good ol' typewriter, 4,501
pieces initially composed with a pen or pencil, and 7,201 pieces
composed with a word processor.
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The unanimous
Senate vote recognizing the National Day not only
came at a propitious time for the Council and proved that that
august body could agree on something, it marked the first time
that NCTE had written a bill that was passed by a body of
Congress -- an historic accomplishment. A careful reading of the
resolution text shows that it not only recognized the day, it
recognized important Council beliefs about writing.
Don't
Miss These Convention Sessions for Council Leaders
Section
Get-Togethers
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Thursday,
4:30-6:00 p.m. (note this year's new time) |
Elementary,
Middle Level, and Secondary
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Open
Hearing on Resolutions |
Friday,
9:15-11 a.m. |
comment
on resolution drafts prior to the vote
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Affiliate
Representatives Meeting (session E.02) |
Friday,
4-5:15 p.m. |
join
NCTE and affiliate leaders for discussions and more
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Annual
Business Meeting for the Board of Directors and Other
Members of the Council |
Friday,
5:30-7 p.m. |
award
presentations, talks by NCTE leaders, vote on resolutions,
announcements
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Affiliate
Breakfast
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Saturday,
7:00-9:15 a.m. |
roundtable
discussions, talks by NCTE leaders, award presentations
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NCTE and CEE Nominating Committee Meetings
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Saturday,
12-12:45 p.m.
Sunday, 8-9 a.m. |
nominate
yourself or a colleague for office during these open
meetings
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Council-Grams,
a bimonthly newsletter
for NCTE members who are leaders in the Council (committee chairs,
executive committee members, editors, affiliate or assembly officers,
etc.), is distributed by email by the National Council of Teachers of
English, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096; 800-369-6283. If you
would like NCTE to have a different email address on file for you, please
email Council-Grams@ncte.org.
Email a Friend.
Copyright 2009 National
Council of Teachers of English
NCTE...The Professional Home of the English Language Arts
Community
Some linked documents are provided in PDF format and can be viewed using
the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program. To download a copy of Adobe
Acrobat, visit the Adobe
website.
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