National Day on Writing 2013

The National Day on Writing first took place on October 20, 2009.  This year, since the day falls on a Sunday, celebrations of writing will be held October 20-21.  The day, sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), asks Americans to consider the role of writing in everyday life.  Here are some ways you can get in on the celebration.  This year's theme is "Write to Connect".  Writing today is the way we most often connect--through texts, status updates, blog posts, and multimedia compositions.  Writing is also the way we connect across disciplines and connect to other writers, thinkers, and innovators.

• Twitter chat on October 20 with Penny Kittle (@pennykittle) and Katherine Sokolowski (@katsok) at 8:00 PM ET. Use the hashtag #nctechat to follow their discussion on writing with technology (in honor of Connected Educators Month #ce13) and how to write to connect across K-20 curriculum.
• On October 21, tweet out the ways you use writing to make connections using the hashtag #write2connect and, if space allows, #dayonwriting.
• The conversation continues on October 21 at 7:00 PM ET with NCTE members Sarah Mulhern Gross (@thereadingzone) and Meenoo Rami (@meenoorami) and the #engchat discussion, which takes place every Monday.

Aside from the Twitter chats, the National Writing Project is encouraging everyone to share their actual writing in all forms via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Instagram.  

Here are some "Write to Connect" resources for educators:

• Connected Educators
• 5 Ways to Celebrate Connected Educator Month
• Resources for Connected Educator Month
• Digital Is...What exactly
• What's New or What's Good:  On Writing Connectively
• Engaged Writers:  Crafting New Texts
• Making and Creating