problems and to enhance their own writing skills; and (3) Teachers from all grade levels andcontent areas should interact.The Ozarks Writing Project mission is to provide teachers of southern Missouri a space to write, both personally and professionally, and to talk with others who want to learn more about the artand science of teaching writing. The OWP is selective in that it encourages the best of the bestteachers to apply and then be accepted to the Advanced Institute on the Missouri State campus.The OWP recognizes teachers’ authority and expertise in the world of teaching and asks teachersto demonstrate what they know about teaching writing. OWP participants are encouraged to promote writing in their classrooms, their schools, and in their school districts by offeringworkshops and inservice programs.Because this is not a lecture-style course but a professional development course for teachers, wedo not consider ourselves as instructors, but facilitators. If you need supplies or resources, we will be glad to assist you.
Goal:
The goal of this project is to encourage teachers and students to incorporate communityengagement and cultural awareness within their own classrooms. The workshop will provide teacherswith access and information about the culture, heritage, and environment of the Ozarks and to providethem opportunities to write, read, and explore community through digital storytelling. Teachers will be provided with professional development in order to learn how to use the technology for their own project and implement the project into their classrooms.
Product:
Participants will develop digital stories about place and community. They will create their own digital stories and view and analyze examples of student and teacher work. These digital storieswill be archived on the Ozarks Writing Project web page found athttp://owp.missouristate.edu. Thisarchive will act as publishing and as a resource for other teachers who did not attend the institute whomay be interested incorporating digital storytelling or community research into their classrooms.
Using resources from the Ozarks Studies Institute, the Missouri State Libraries Special Collections,and local sites, teachers will experience placed-based writing which will encourage communityengagement and community as a research topic for teachers and students. These digital stories willmake use of instructional ideas and activities shared and highlighted during the Advanced Instituteand/or could be organized around themes related specifically to the Ozarks or themes such ascommunity, place, journey, discovery, Ozarks, Missouri, and American History, etc. The thinkingbehind this topic is that teachers need to find and take opportunities to learn in places outside of classand connect history, the arts, economics, ecology, science, geology, and botany using digitalresources. As teachers in other parts of the state have explored the same theme, we hope that ourcollected writings and lessons of place may make a collection worth publishing and sharing withteachers in Missouri and beyond.
Participants:
We welcome applications from teachers at all levels, in all content areas, with all levelsof writing and tech experience. Teachers will fill out an application and be chosen based on diversityof grade level and school districts. Teachers will receive free graduate credit (3 hours) and use of digital equipment to create their digital stories. In addition, Fellows will be able to take home withthem, digital resources that they can then use in their own classrooms.
Cost:
Registration is $100.
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