Hello All again,

Everyone is back safely from Indianapolis and it was a wonderful experience.
We were well represented with a total of 15 participants. OSU Writing
Project sent 9, so we won...if this were a bedlam series! The two projects
met for dinner, but there were so many of us that we had to split up along
the way.

OWP members have gone on to be very active in other states and we are proud
to claim alumni ‹ Joye Alberts, Cindy O¹Donnell-Allen, Gail Tompkins, Beth
Hammett, and Shelbie Witte.

We are able to be so active partly because of our vigorous scholarship
program. We usually try to fund 10 scholarships of approximately $750 each.
Last year and this year we had more applicants than funds, so one committee
developed an application form and a second committee developed a rubric
based on the application. We have tried to make the selection process as
fair and consistent as possible.

This year we had 18 applicants for 10 spots. It was especially difficult
because everyone who applied was a competent qualified TC. Those who worked
on the committee have decided to release the rubric so that anyone who is
interested in applying next year can maximize their score.

The process privileges those who are presenting or who are participants in
one of the NWP Network initiatives ‹ Rural Sites, Urban Sites, English
Language Learners, Teacher Research, State Networking, and the E-Team
(eAnthology). To a lesser degree, it also privileges first time attendees
and the most recent summer institute participants.

Your application also gives you a chance to improve your score by telling us
how the national convention will specifically help you be a better teacher
and be a better TC. Do you want to learn more about summer writing camps? Or
TC exchange programs? Or digital portfolios? Or rural sites? Or teacher
research? Or technology?

Janis Cramer recently forwarded material about the various NWP intiatives
and that would be a great place to start making yourself a sure-fire
recipient next year ‹ in Pittsburgh.

N.C.T.E. Has already posted a call for proposals for 2005 at

    http://www.ncte.org/announce/118762.htm

If you find fault with the application or the rubric, you can always
volunteer to be on next year¹s scholarship committee. Remember that this is
your writing project and the more people who are involved the better we will
be.

Please contact me if you have any questions or comments.

Later,
Sandra Effinger
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Technology Liaison
Oklahoma Writing Project
http://www.ou.edu/special/owp