Welcome to the Literacy Narratives wiki

The purpose of this wiki is to provide a place for showcasing the writing, and the stories, of learners at the Literacy Network of Madison.  Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone has a voice worthy of being heard.  At the Literacy Network, learners continually produce excellent, powerful writing.  Some of this writing appears in the regular newsletter or on the walls of the Network itself.  We intend this site to extend the venue for writing produced by, and together with, learners. 

We intend this site to be useful in 3 chief ways: 

1) by making learners' writing available to other tutors and learners at the Literacy Network.  Why share this writing? Because shared writing provides both a resource and an encouragement for others.   Tutors and learners may want to use these writings as reading material for their own lessons.  They may also simply enjoy discussing the experiences shared by other local adults. 

2) by linking to useful resources for incorporating writing into ESL or ABE learning.  Check the sidebar's pages on the right for access to these resources.  Right now, you will find little more than blank pages.  As you find useful resources, feel free to edit these pages and add to the list of resources that you found helpful.  Keep in mind that a wiki is unlike a regular website.  It grows in value as more and more users add their own content, so feel free to add liberally here. 

3) by becoming a "holding site" for writing by leaners, in anticipation that this writing might be further distributed via print.  In cooperation with an English 201 course at UW Madison, the Literacy Network is compiling an anthology of learner-generated writing.  At present, we anticipate the final version will resemble a literary magazine, and we plan to distribute the finished version within the Literacy Network, to the learners who participated in its creation, and to portions of the community at large.  Like this wiki, the anthology should become a resource for those at the Network.  Even more though, we hope it will offer concrete sources of pride for those who contributed as well as demonstrate the authentic perspectives of learners to the community. 

How to use this site:

The wiki "Literacy Narratives" is part of a larger writing project.  By April 2011, we hope to create an anthology of writing by learners at the Literacy Network.  Principally, this anthology will focus on learners’ narratives about their own lives.   If you are working with ESL or ABE learners, consider explaining our project and inviting them to contribute.  The sections below explain how you can join and contribute to this site.  If you prefer, you may also download a pdf handout with this information.

How to join this site: 

This site is a wiki, which means that anyone who has permission may add or even edit content.  If you are a tutor or teacher at the Literacy Network of Madison and you would like to add writing to this site, please click the "request permission" button at the top, right-hand corner of the screen.  Once you have been approved, you may add content or even edit some pages.  Read the “How to share learners’ writing” and “How to add other content” sections below for instructions on how to share writing on this site.  

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How to navigate the site:

On the center of the Literacy Narratives frontpage, you will see a series of information about this site.  On the right hand side of the screen, you will see a box called "Navigator" that contains folders, pages, and files.  This is the easiest way to browse the wiki's contents.  Just click on a folder to see the pieces of writing that have been shared under that folder name. 

If you are looking for a specific kind of writing or writing on a specific subject, click the "search" button at the top right hand side of the screen.  Enter a keyword search and any relevant pages that have been tagged with this keyword will pop up. 

How to ask for permission to share learners’ writing:

After a session in which you and your learners produce writing, consider asking them if they would like to share it with others at the Literacy Network.  If they would, ask for clear permission before  you actually create a page of their writing on this site.  Simply, please, do NOT add writing created by, or in conjunction with, learners unless they have given permission for you to do so.  You should obtain oral permission at the least.  Preferably, use something like the permission form at the bottom of this instruction sheet.  If you choose to use a permission form, make a copy for yourself, the student, and for the Literacy Network--in case the Network asks for a copy from you.  We suggest showing the wiki, the writing within it, and the anthology project to your learners before asking permission to post their work. 

Sample Permission Form

Name: __________________________  Tutor's Name: ________________________

I want to share my writing with other people at the Literacy Network.  I give my permission for the Network to put my writing in a magazine, newsletter, or website; the Literacy Network also has my permission to use my writing to train new tutors. 

Sign name: ___________________________ Date: __________________________

If the Literacy Network uses my writing, I want them to: (choose just one)

use my real first name:      ________________ (put a check mark here if the answer is yes)

use a pseudonym:               ________________ (if yes, write the pseudonym in the blank)

leave me anonymous:         ________________ (put a check mark here if the answer is yes)

How to share learners’ writing:

To share students’ writing, you have two options.

Option 1: Email the writing to dphudso at gmail.com..  Feel free to send a Word document of the writing you and your student want to contribute to the email address above. 

Option 2: Create a wiki page of your learner's writing 

Step A) From the homepage of our site, (http://literacynarratives.pbworks.com), click "Create Page." 

Step B) This will take you to the next main screen.  Here, enter a title for your page.  We suggest your title should include your student's first name (or pseudonym) and the title of his or her piece of writing.   So, for example, if your student's name is Michael and he wrote a piece called "How I got over," your wiki page would be titled "Michael--How I got Over."

On the space below the title, click the option to choose a template.  Select the bottom option that says "Template--learners' writing." 

If you look to the bottom of this same screen, you will see a list of folders.  These are categories of writing.  If your student's contribution fits one of the categories, you may want to add it to the appropriate folder.  To do this, select the folder you want to place your student's writing within. 

Once you have named your page and selected the options you want, click "Create Page" at the bottom of the screen.

Step C) Fill in the information in the places provided by the template.  When you are finished, press "Save" on the bottom left hand side of the screen.  Congratulations!  Because the page you created is a wiki page, you can also edit it later if your student wants to make revisions. 

To edit the page, just click the "edit" button near the page title.  Don't forget to click "save" when you are done so that you do not lose your changes.