Nassau Community College Launches the Long Island Writing Project
Fall 2023 Lecture Series:  “Navigating New Landscapes”

October 11, 2023, Garden City, NY - The Long Island Writing Project (LIWP) at Nassau Community College debuts its Fall 2023 Interactive Workshop Series “Navigating New Landscapes.” The series runs October 26 through December 2, 2023 with in-person and virtual discussions that highlight common themes and conflicts in today’s literary world.

“At the Long Island Writing Project we work with area teachers, K-college, who teach in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Brooklyn to improve the teaching of writing and reading across grade levels and disciplines,” said Prof. Darshna Katwala, Director of LIWP. “We are excited to launch the Fall 2023 event series which includes discussions with prominent speakers on today’s most relevant topics such as ChatGPT, AI and racial literacy. We believe that good education starts with effective teachers, and our workshops build on the knowledge and expertise that teachers already bring to the classroom.”

What is News Literacy and How Can It Help You Teach Writing?
Thursday, October 26
4 – 6 p.m.
This event is virtual.
Zoom registration link.

Presented by Howard Schneider, the Executive Director of Stony Brook University's Center for News Literacy and the former Founding Dean of what is now the university's School of Communications and Journalism, is the former editor of Newsday. Under his tenure as managing editor and then editor, the paper won eight Pulitzer Prizes. The course has been taught to more than 11,000 Stony Brook students and the curriculum has been adopted by more than two dozen other U.S. universities and by academics in 15 countries. In 2018, Schneider and his colleagues, convinced that instruction had to begin much earlier, created the Institute for News Literacy Education to support the work of the region's K-12 school districts.  

Teaching Readers, Writers, and Thinkers in the Age of AI
Saturday, October 28, 2023
10 a.m. – Noon
This event is virtual.
 Zoom Registration Link

Dr. Troy Hicks discusses multiple tools including ChatGPT, Rytr, Sudowrite, and Perplexity to get a sense of what AI tools are, as well as what they can – and cannot yet – do with and for students. Dr. Hicks is Professor of English and Education at Central Michigan University, where he collaborates with K–12 colleagues to explore how they implement newer literacies in their classrooms and teaches master’s and doctoral courses in educational technology. He currently serves as Chair of the Department of Teacher and Special Education. He is also Director of the Chippewa River Writing Project, a site of the National Writing Project. Dr. Hicks has received numerous awards including the Michigan Reading Association Teacher Educator Award and the Central Michigan University Excellence in Teaching Award, and is an ISTE Certified Educator, a trained facilitator in digital storytelling through StoryCenter, and an affiliate faculty member with the Media Education Lab. 

Building Racial Literacy & Writing the [Archaeology of] Self
Saturday, December 2
10 – 11:30 a.m.
This event is virtual.
Zoom registration link.

Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Ph.D., a Professor of English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University is founder of the Racial Literacy Roundtables Series where for twelve years, national scholars, teachers, and students facilitate conversations around race and other issues involving diversity. Dr. Sealey-Ruiz also is co-author of the multiple award-winning books Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces where she examines her concept of Archeology of Self in education. Individuals who develop racial literacy are able to engage in necessary personal reflection about their racial beliefs and practices and teach their students to do the same. Racial literacy in schools includes the ability to read, write about, discuss and interrupt situations and events that are motivated and upheld by racial inequity and bias. Through writing excavation exercises, participants will explore their racial literacy.

About Nassau Community College

Nassau Community College, a campus of the State University of New York, provides a comprehensive public college experience designed to transform lives through higher education. Serving 14,000 full-time, part-time and continuing education students, NCC offers more than 80 programs that lead to the associate’s degree or certificate. Through on-campus and online offerings, the College educates local and international students, and boasts 160,000 alumni. Situated on 225 acres in Garden City, Long Island, the college grounds reside in historic Nassau County, one of the most desirable locations to live in the United States and an epicenter for business and careers. Since 1959, NCC has earned a nationwide reputation for academic excellence, affordability, and ease of transferability to four-year schools. 

Media Contact:  Lindsey Angioletti | lindsey.angioletti@ncc.edu | C:  (516) 320-0695

ncc.edu/newsreleases
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