I’m excited for our upcoming 39th Annual Fall Conference to be held on October 5, 2019 at Ivy Tech (on Capitol Ave. near downtown Indy)!

Our theme this year is cultivating creativity with our students’ writing in this era of standardized testing.  How can we use technology to foster creativity in writing?  How can we support special education students and ENL students in developing confidence and creativity in their writing?

I was just telling my seventh and eighth grade students the other day how I was not expecting much summary in their reading blogs due Monday.  Instead, I wanted them to discuss sentence starters such as the following:

• If I were the main character…
• I’d like to ask the author…
• This book makes me wonder…

My students are allowed to choose their own books, with guidance, and I want them to write about what their books are making them think.  I’m trying to tap into their originality, imagination, and curiosity.  What other technology could I be using to help my students explore choices in their writing?  How can I better support creativity among my students with special needs and those who are still learning the English language?  These are questions I look forward to unpacking more at the Indiana Teachers of Writing Fall 2019 Conference, and I hope to see you there!

-Ryan Batsie, Executive Director

Ivy Tech, the conference location for this year, has a beautiful downtown Indianapolis campus.