WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:03.740 --> 00:00:12.090 welcome to the "The Right Write stuff" take off of the old movie 00:00:12.090 --> 00:00:18.420 name "The Right Stuff". I'm Tim I'm the editor of The Gazette and this 00:00:18.420 --> 00:00:25.800 presentation is to provide information about what it takes to write for the 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:31.410 Gazette and hopefully to encourage first-time authors and people who have 00:00:31.410 --> 00:00:36.329 thought about it and maybe just need a little bit of information to get over 00:00:36.329 --> 00:00:42.110 the hump and actually write something 00:00:43.170 --> 00:00:52.620 The Gazette has a a long history it's being around since 1962 which actually 00:00:52.620 --> 00:01:03.479 predates the OAME it started with the the OATM and the Ontario Math Commission 00:01:03.479 --> 00:01:13.170 which predate the OAME the OAME is actually the two amalgamated so I'm gonna focus 00:01:13.170 --> 00:01:19.920 on the Gazette but appreciate that there's also the Abacus which is usually 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:26.009 an eight page insert in the middle of the the hardcopy Gazettes that go out 00:01:26.009 --> 00:01:33.569 and you can find both of these in the online archives in the members only area 00:01:33.569 --> 00:01:43.500 of the website The Gazette accepts contributions where the abacus doesn't 00:01:43.500 --> 00:01:50.189 and generally the Abacus steers people who offer contributions to the 00:01:50.189 --> 00:01:58.490 Gazette and we follow up with that so the focus here is on the Gazette itself 00:01:58.490 --> 00:02:04.439 so the Gazette has published in September December March and June four 00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:13.890 times a year the current June version is in the final stages and what I think a 00:02:13.890 --> 00:02:19.440 lot of people maybe don't appreciate is the cycle for each edition starts about 00:02:19.440 --> 00:02:27.660 two months ahead of it when columnists have to submit their piece and there's a 00:02:27.660 --> 00:02:36.000 lengthy process that goes through for each each edition the editorial team has 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:42.660 five people and it really does take a coordinated effort of five people and we 00:02:42.660 --> 00:02:48.769 have a reviewer database as well and we'll speak about those different pieces 00:02:48.769 --> 00:02:54.980 during this session there is also an advertising manager 00:02:54.980 --> 00:03:00.890 and the board of directors for the OAME gives oversight to both the Gazette and 00:03:00.890 --> 00:03:08.209 the Abacus they also look after the website and that's who ultimately makes 00:03:08.209 --> 00:03:15.410 decisions for some aspects of the Gazette this by the way is the cover of 00:03:15.410 --> 00:03:19.480 the March issue of The Gazette 00:03:22.450 --> 00:03:31.970 so the editorial team I'm Tim and I'm the editor and if you email gazette@oame.on.ca 00:03:31.970 --> 00:03:39.760 those emails come to me you may get a response from my 00:03:39.760 --> 00:03:49.370 institutional email as opposed to that one but it's all all the same and I'm 00:03:49.370 --> 00:03:54.440 the go-to person as far as communications to do with anything any 00:03:54.440 --> 00:04:02.209 contributions for the Gazette and I look after the reviewer database so if if 00:04:02.209 --> 00:04:08.419 you're interested in being a reviewer for instance you email me and you ask about 00:04:08.419 --> 00:04:13.900 that and I'll throw a few questions at you such as what you feel comfortable 00:04:13.900 --> 00:04:23.510 reviewing whether it's you know which divisions and that sort of thing it's 00:04:23.510 --> 00:04:28.160 it's not lengthy by any means but it's more so that you're not getting a whole 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:35.090 lot of emails that you don't want so I'm the editor we also have behind the 00:04:35.090 --> 00:04:39.680 scenes Anne Yeager is a wonderful associate editor 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:47.450 she's very helpful and a lot of experience Jacqueline Foster is also an associate 00:04:47.450 --> 00:04:54.199 editor Robert Shirk looks after the advertising and he deals with the rate 00:04:54.199 --> 00:05:01.160 sheet and dealing with getting advertisements in in a fashion that can 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:06.440 go in the Gazette Gitta Berg looks after the proofreading 00:05:06.440 --> 00:05:12.560 and copy editing she's a wonderful person who knows how to use a comma 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:20.690 correctly which is more than I can say for myself and finally Penny Clemens who 00:05:20.690 --> 00:05:26.510 puts together the covers and she assembles the actual final product that 00:05:26.510 --> 00:05:36.200 you see and she lays it all out and makes it fit inside the physical copies 00:05:36.200 --> 00:05:43.310 and the electronic is really just a version of the physical one but the 00:05:43.310 --> 00:05:50.300 physical one has limitations that have to be respected such as the page count 00:05:50.300 --> 00:06:00.350 has to be a multiple of four so in terms of content and this is where I think 00:06:00.350 --> 00:06:09.290 most people need a bit of support when they're first thinking about writing on 00:06:09.290 --> 00:06:17.210 the straightforward level are things like letters to the editor and they're 00:06:17.210 --> 00:06:21.169 welcome they don't occur a lot but they're certainly welcome and a 00:06:21.169 --> 00:06:29.419 well-developed letter it's effectively a short article it's an opinion about 00:06:29.419 --> 00:06:36.980 something or it's making a case for something we have short pieces which 00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:41.570 I'll describe in a minute because they sort of don't get noticed but they're 00:06:41.570 --> 00:06:49.030 also an entry point book reviews there are advantages to doing book reviews and 00:06:49.030 --> 00:06:54.430 they're a good entry point of the person doesn't have much writing experience 00:06:54.430 --> 00:07:04.190 articles are a standard item and they give you time to develop ideas and they 00:07:04.190 --> 00:07:10.130 allow you to think things through a presentation like this you're on the 00:07:10.130 --> 00:07:14.750 spot and you have to think on the spot and you have to sure you've got planning 00:07:14.750 --> 00:07:20.780 but it's very much like a classroom where it's live-action where an article 00:07:20.780 --> 00:07:27.390 gives you time to mull things over to look things up find references this 00:07:27.390 --> 00:07:34.170 sort of the thing there are a number of columns in the Gazette and columnists 00:07:34.170 --> 00:07:41.580 write regularly and there's process for columns for those who are interested in 00:07:41.580 --> 00:07:49.290 that we also have reports and I'll mention them briefly because while we 00:07:49.290 --> 00:07:55.350 have some standard reports there are places where other reports might be 00:07:55.350 --> 00:08:03.060 welcome when people submit to something to the Gazette there is an author 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:07.200 agreement form which basically says that you haven't published this other places 00:08:07.200 --> 00:08:16.200 it sorts out it's an understanding of what you're getting into so it's it's a 00:08:16.200 --> 00:08:22.740 one page thing and it's it shouldn't hold anybody up but it's just to sort of 00:08:22.740 --> 00:08:31.789 make sure that we're sort of formally on the same page as it were and each article 00:08:31.789 --> 00:08:41.159 has a head and shoulders photo and a biography and that biography is less 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:48.510 than a hundred words these generally go in after all the leg work is done and 00:08:48.510 --> 00:08:54.540 the article is accepted but be aware of them it is if you don't like having your 00:08:54.540 --> 00:09:02.760 photo and it is feasible to just go with a biography but if the photo is a photo 00:09:02.760 --> 00:09:10.950 it's not a it's not a phony picture whatever you call those things you see 00:09:10.950 --> 00:09:17.550 on we's (???) and things We'll go through this 00:09:17.550 --> 00:09:23.190 list and talk a little bit about each one so with the letter to the editor as 00:09:23.190 --> 00:09:29.540 I said it's about expressing an opinion or making a case the 00:09:29.540 --> 00:09:35.509 details here are that it needs to be diplomatic and respectful it's got 00:09:35.509 --> 00:09:42.009 to follow the vision and mission of the OAME which are quite broad but clarity 00:09:42.009 --> 00:09:47.839 and being non offensive are really the key details here you may be fuming about 00:09:47.839 --> 00:09:56.800 something and you sort of have to put it in terms that can be in public and are 00:09:56.800 --> 00:10:01.360 respecting the fact that not everybody's going to see it the same way as you 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:07.910 letters the editor quite good for suggesting changes they're good for just 00:10:07.910 --> 00:10:15.620 raising an issue sharing something that's relatively brief with people if 00:10:15.620 --> 00:10:21.410 you think that you know for instance this virtual conference if you feel that 00:10:21.410 --> 00:10:30.350 the virtual conference had a lot of benefits that maybe should be considered 00:10:30.350 --> 00:10:35.420 by whoever sort of looks after that kind of thing you know that's a letter to the 00:10:35.420 --> 00:10:40.370 editor and you might just want to sort of say how wonderful this was that you 00:10:40.370 --> 00:10:50.149 are able to access it from wherever you happen to be and is it something that 00:10:50.149 --> 00:11:01.220 really should happen regularly? so the focus here is on clarity and you can go 00:11:01.220 --> 00:11:06.649 against the grain as it were but at the end of the day is it's something that 00:11:06.649 --> 00:11:17.589 people want to read? Is it a position that is appropriate to all of Ontario? 00:11:17.589 --> 00:11:25.180 you know if it's a chapter issue maybe not but if it's if it's broad-based 00:11:25.180 --> 00:11:30.800 perhaps it is something. We have an example in the June issue where there's 00:11:30.800 --> 00:11:40.069 a letter to the editor and it addresses the issue that remediation in community 00:11:40.069 --> 00:11:48.130 colleges speaks to needing to provide support for 00:11:48.130 --> 00:11:54.520 basic skills but on a timeline that's quite a bit different than when it's 00:11:54.520 --> 00:12:01.690 taught in elementary schools and the I don't recall the specific details of the 00:12:01.690 --> 00:12:10.500 letter but it's pointing to a need to sort of consider how that routinization 00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:19.240 goes on. Short pieces are something that a lot of people don't necessarily think 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:25.540 of as a contribution that they can make they're typically less than less than a 00:12:25.540 --> 00:12:31.930 page less than half a page they're usually relatively small they're 00:12:31.930 --> 00:12:39.070 not peer reviewed and where they come in is they fill in this space that's at the 00:12:39.070 --> 00:12:45.940 end of an article. Articles always begin at the top of the page and where they 00:12:45.940 --> 00:12:54.610 end there's quite often a hole it's maybe a quarter of a page. Those have to 00:12:54.610 --> 00:13:00.850 be filled and it's something that I generally look after but it's also 00:13:00.850 --> 00:13:06.580 something where I'd welcome contributions it's a good place for 00:13:06.580 --> 00:13:14.430 creativity imagination and I'm certainly not opposed to having student driven 00:13:14.430 --> 00:13:21.910 pieces such as having your students make stuff that could fit in there. There is 00:13:21.910 --> 00:13:28.120 the catch though that the timing for them to appear isn't clear because it 00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:35.950 depends on whatever space actually comes about you'll see on the slide a variety 00:13:35.950 --> 00:13:42.180 of examples there's a word search there's a thing with Scrabble there's a 00:13:42.180 --> 00:13:49.270 lengthy quotation from a movie there's some coins there's just a little pattern 00:13:49.270 --> 00:13:55.390 design a photo of an integer elevator these are all from 00:13:55.390 --> 00:14:03.190 the last from the March issue of The Gazette and you know there's a constant 00:14:03.190 --> 00:14:08.230 need for this kind of thing I know the June one is likely to have a jumble in 00:14:08.230 --> 00:14:17.070 it we've had different kinds of things I really have aimed for variety on these 00:14:17.070 --> 00:14:21.070 over the last few years and there's something that you're certainly welcome 00:14:21.070 --> 00:14:30.960 to do I would love to see some cartoons we did have one a year ago or so 00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:37.450 but having cartoons that could be slotted in would be good it's not 00:14:37.450 --> 00:14:44.470 something we have and everybody likes a good cartoon. To raise it up a notch book 00:14:44.470 --> 00:14:51.520 reviews with book reviews if you email the editor and you say I'm interested in 00:14:51.520 --> 00:15:02.350 reviewing this book then if if I approve that on behalf of the OAME then if you 00:15:02.350 --> 00:15:09.220 submit a review within a year and you submit your receipts and stuff then you 00:15:09.220 --> 00:15:15.130 will get reimbursed for the price of the book and really the approval is to make 00:15:15.130 --> 00:15:21.880 sure that we don't have too many going on which hasn't happened yet it's to 00:15:21.880 --> 00:15:26.410 make sure that we don't have more than one person reviewing the same book and 00:15:26.410 --> 00:15:33.940 it's to make sure that the price of the book isn't outrageous if you have a 00:15:33.940 --> 00:15:39.490 small book study going on four or five people and you want more than one person 00:15:39.490 --> 00:15:46.900 writing the review then email me and ask and we'll sort that out I have a couple 00:15:46.900 --> 00:15:53.650 of well there's really only one guide for book reviews I have two versions of 00:15:53.650 --> 00:16:00.550 it and it shows you the sort of general nature for doing it and gives a few 00:16:00.550 --> 00:16:06.730 pointers about it we typically have the cover of the book as a picture a 00:16:06.730 --> 00:16:11.950 thumbnail we usually have a little blurb about the 00:16:11.950 --> 00:16:19.090 author. We have the reference to where who published the book so that it can be 00:16:19.090 --> 00:16:28.270 found. Your review should focus on why people might want to purchase and read 00:16:28.270 --> 00:16:34.840 this book what's good about it it should address and diplomatically any 00:16:34.840 --> 00:16:43.660 shortcomings the book might have and in as much as every book sort of fits an 00:16:43.660 --> 00:16:50.440 audience you might say where that book leads to thinking of is this a case of 00:16:50.440 --> 00:16:58.000 its practices you'll take directly to the classroom is it more reflecting on 00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:04.810 your overall teaching is it a pedagogy focus if I was going to read a book 00:17:04.810 --> 00:17:11.290 review right now I'd be thinking is this book something that is to be acted on 00:17:11.290 --> 00:17:15.819 and go into the classroom or is it something to read on the deck with a 00:17:15.819 --> 00:17:22.600 glass of wine perhaps and just think about teaching over the summer while 00:17:22.600 --> 00:17:28.120 thinking about teaching over the summer when I'm sort of relaxed and have time. 00:17:28.120 --> 00:17:35.320 So those are the sorts of things that people look for. Typically these are a 00:17:35.320 --> 00:17:42.400 page or two and they go through the editorial process they're not reviewed 00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:54.870 but they do go through the editorial process. Articles are the main element of 00:17:54.870 --> 00:18:03.970 the Gazette. They take quite a bit of work on the part of the author and the 00:18:03.970 --> 00:18:14.800 editorial team and the reviewers. They take time. So I see my role as working 00:18:14.800 --> 00:18:20.200 with authors particularly if they are relatively new to writing. 00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:28.269 I see The Gazette as a constructive place for people to gain experience. It's 00:18:28.269 --> 00:18:32.619 suitable for grad students who might want to get their first publication for 00:18:32.619 --> 00:18:42.309 instance. It's because of that view that this presentation exists. I see it as a 00:18:42.309 --> 00:18:50.169 place where we need to engage the membership and allow that professional 00:18:50.169 --> 00:19:03.179 space to learn more about it. When you write a piece I encourage you to 00:19:03.179 --> 00:19:10.720 brainstorm, think about what you've done that is worthy of sharing and you almost 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:16.119 certainly will have you just have to think of what it is. When you write it 00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:22.330 see if you can place photos, were they photos or diagrams, where they get used 00:19:22.330 --> 00:19:32.109 in your article if there are any. If you have pictures with students in them if 00:19:32.109 --> 00:19:39.220 they're under the age of 18 then you need consent. Well you need consent 00:19:39.220 --> 00:19:50.279 regardless if it's individuals. Oftentimes there's a school board 00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:59.980 consent done at the beginning of the school year and so you just need to know 00:19:59.980 --> 00:20:10.239 whether or not you're allowed to have such pictures. With student work if you 00:20:10.239 --> 00:20:17.889 remove the names of the students for and anonymize it then you know that can be 00:20:17.889 --> 00:20:23.320 used. There's a little bit of a judgement call there and you certainly can talk to 00:20:23.320 --> 00:20:31.269 me about it but the point here is place them roughly where they belong in the in 00:20:31.269 --> 00:20:37.929 the file you prepare. We use APA 7. You 00:20:37.929 --> 00:20:43.690 don't need to sweat the details if if you're aware of it if you know how to 00:20:43.690 --> 00:20:48.940 use it that's fine. It's just a style guide it says references should be in 00:20:48.940 --> 00:20:57.880 this format and here are some standard procedures for things like headings and 00:20:57.880 --> 00:21:03.549 structure. If you're not aware of it then just take a previous Gazette and just 00:21:03.549 --> 00:21:10.899 try to mimic the style and we'll sort it out but don't let it don't let it hinder 00:21:10.899 --> 00:21:18.159 you. When you submit an article I typically aim to get back to you within 00:21:18.159 --> 00:21:25.289 a couple of days sometimes it's a week it just depends where my workload is and 00:21:25.320 --> 00:21:31.600 when I get back to you I do one of two things typically. Sometimes it's you know 00:21:31.600 --> 00:21:38.080 here are some things you should consider before we send this out for review or I 00:21:38.080 --> 00:21:45.820 say yeah I think this is good to go to review so let's do it and I look for the 00:21:45.820 --> 00:21:57.460 reviewers. We have a list. You're welcome to be on it of course and that 00:21:57.460 --> 00:22:04.840 process of finding reviewers to go over your article this is all blinded your 00:22:04.840 --> 00:22:09.669 name does not appear in the file that gets sent to them so they don't know who 00:22:09.669 --> 00:22:16.840 wrote it and you don't get to know who the reviewers actually are. That's known 00:22:16.840 --> 00:22:25.149 as a double blind. So the reviewers typically get back to me within two 00:22:25.149 --> 00:22:32.799 weeks that's what we aim for this is phenomenally fast. In academia it can 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:42.630 take months so we are impressively fast on this and what comes back is a 00:22:42.630 --> 00:22:47.800 decision well decision opinions from each of the reviewers and 00:22:47.800 --> 00:22:55.930 the editor ultimately takes the three opinions and makes a decision. Regardless 00:22:55.930 --> 00:23:03.100 of of the outcome you will receive the three reviews anonymized and you'll get 00:23:03.100 --> 00:23:10.660 the decision with justification. So as I mentioned the process is double-blind. 00:23:10.660 --> 00:23:15.850 The reviewers don't know who wrote the article. You don't know who the reviewers 00:23:15.850 --> 00:23:24.540 are. This is the highest standard for publishing that there is. Feedback 00:23:24.540 --> 00:23:30.760 there's a feedback form which is what you see on right in the orange that's 00:23:30.760 --> 00:23:38.730 the guts of it and the reviewers can use the track change feature in Word or 00:23:38.730 --> 00:23:49.480 comments in PDF files to provide very specific feedback inside the article. 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:53.080 In the orange you'll notice there is stuff like is the mathematical content 00:23:53.080 --> 00:24:01.720 accurate? Is it appropriate to the readers? Is it free of bias? Does it 00:24:01.720 --> 00:24:05.740 reflect the vision and mission? At the bottom here you'll see that there's 00:24:05.740 --> 00:24:14.170 publish as is which is very rare. There's minor revisions which is typically 00:24:14.170 --> 00:24:21.730 what's required and minor revisions means that subsequently you just deal 00:24:21.730 --> 00:24:27.850 with the editor so it's it may be things like wordings that need fixing up in 00:24:27.850 --> 00:24:35.350 this kind of thing. Major revisions which means that the article has to go back to 00:24:35.350 --> 00:24:42.820 the reviewers after it's been revised and then rejection of the manuscript and 00:24:42.820 --> 00:24:47.790 that's relatively rare thank goodness. 00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:54.390 When you initially send an article in my 00:24:54.510 --> 00:24:58.250 perspective is that I'm trying to make sure 00:24:58.250 --> 00:25:05.420 that it's a good bet for being minor revisions. I'm trying to avoid that major 00:25:05.420 --> 00:25:14.930 revision so I may give you advice. You may or may not follow it and really what 00:25:14.930 --> 00:25:19.340 I'm trying to do is help the odds that it ends up in that minor revisions 00:25:19.340 --> 00:25:24.500 category it makes less work for reviewers it makes less work for you you 00:25:24.500 --> 00:25:31.370 know this kind of thing. It's not necessarily a sure thing and you know 00:25:31.370 --> 00:25:37.460 major review or major revisions isn't the end of the world and if you speak to 00:25:37.460 --> 00:25:43.790 people who've written a lot they all have received that at some stage or 00:25:43.790 --> 00:25:51.620 another. But minor revisions is not that uncommon and means that a little bit 00:25:51.620 --> 00:26:01.880 more work and it's good to go into the editorial process. Recognize that writing 00:26:01.880 --> 00:26:12.850 an article takes time. When you get involved in it it's deceptive because 00:26:12.850 --> 00:26:19.240 you can work at your own pace as you prepare. Once you start interacting with 00:26:19.240 --> 00:26:26.660 the editor and the reviewers and you start getting feedback it sort of feels 00:26:26.660 --> 00:26:33.380 like you have to sort of address that and so if you have more than one article 00:26:33.380 --> 00:26:41.110 on the go it can add quite a bit of 00:26:41.770 --> 00:26:48.340 weight to that. So my advice is if you don't have a whole lot of experience 00:26:48.340 --> 00:26:54.350 just focus on one article at a time. See you know just follow the process. There 00:26:54.350 --> 00:27:00.500 will be ebbs and flows in the process and yeah you just follow it along and see 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:06.260 how it goes. When you're waiting for reviews for instance there will be you 00:27:06.260 --> 00:27:09.960 know at least two weeks where you will hear nothing. 00:27:09.960 --> 00:27:15.669 You know it's deceptive because once you do hear suddenly you've got three 00:27:15.669 --> 00:27:22.030 reviews and you're trying to figure out how to fix up the article to sort of 00:27:22.030 --> 00:27:27.340 address whatever they've pointed out. But recognize that it is excellent 00:27:27.340 --> 00:27:37.179 professional learning you will learn from it undoubtedly. And after the review 00:27:37.179 --> 00:27:43.710 process the article then goes through an editorial process and that usually is 00:27:43.710 --> 00:27:52.240 fine-tuning and the amount of interaction with an author goes down. 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:58.179 So when it gets to proofreading it's very rare that I actually have to while 00:27:58.179 --> 00:28:01.960 proofreading and copy editing it's very rare that I have to go back to the author. 00:28:01.960 --> 00:28:04.410 00:28:11.840 --> 00:28:19.049 Columns just to address this is not a starting place but if you have 00:28:19.049 --> 00:28:26.279 experience writing and you think you'd like to write a column then you need to 00:28:26.279 --> 00:28:32.460 apply to the editor formally and columns have to be approved by the 00:28:32.460 --> 00:28:38.340 Communications Committee. So it only happens at board of director meetings so 00:28:38.340 --> 00:28:45.480 there's a time issue with this. Columns have to have a focus and the authors 00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:50.610 need to be sort of credible and if if you're thinking well you know I've 00:28:50.610 --> 00:28:57.600 written the odd thing and I'm not really sure how I'm perceived. Well one way to 00:28:57.600 --> 00:29:02.370 deal with this is to write several articles for the Gazette and then argue 00:29:02.370 --> 00:29:08.480 your case that you've had several articles accepted by peer review and 00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:17.730 maybe it's time for a column. Columns however do have a schedule and they are 00:29:17.730 --> 00:29:28.110 due essentially on the 10th of the month two months ahead of the Gazette. So we 00:29:28.110 --> 00:29:38.100 are currently in April and April 10th was the deadline for the June Gazette. 00:29:38.100 --> 00:29:45.740 So they have deadlines and if you're interested in writing a column 00:29:45.740 --> 00:29:53.789 appreciate that it now that that puts it on a schedule and I can tell you what 00:29:53.789 --> 00:29:59.000 the schedule is. It's worked out every 00:29:59.630 --> 00:30:05.730 spring in fact I should be doing that within a week or two for next year. 00:30:05.730 --> 00:30:10.380 I'll mention reports we have a variety of them that occur regularly you'll have 00:30:10.380 --> 00:30:17.130 noticed the fields report. We have some that appear in specific issues such as 00:30:17.130 --> 00:30:20.610 there will be something about awards likely in September 00:30:20.610 --> 00:30:28.140 and we have a few reports where it's a little bit by who we find who can write 00:30:28.140 --> 00:30:34.380 one. So CMESG, we're always looking for who's actually attended it and can write 00:30:34.380 --> 00:30:45.870 a report about it. If you have attended an event and think it might be suitable 00:30:45.870 --> 00:30:57.419 for a short report ask me and really my focus on this is whether or not a report 00:30:57.419 --> 00:31:03.390 about it will be of interest to the broader readership. So if you go to the 00:31:03.390 --> 00:31:11.790 NCTM annual conference, yes we we definitely get a report on that. I might 00:31:11.790 --> 00:31:16.169 ask you though can you work with this person who's also been at it for 00:31:16.169 --> 00:31:22.770 instance. If it's perhaps a local event in say New York State that you went to 00:31:22.770 --> 00:31:27.419 then we're gonna have to have a little bit of a conversation about whether or 00:31:27.419 --> 00:31:37.500 not this really belongs and is of interest to all of Ontario. So there may 00:31:37.500 --> 00:31:46.710 be that sort of question-and-answer thing that goes back and forth. Just to 00:31:46.710 --> 00:31:53.850 mention a few pet peeves. The word "great" gets abused. Oh this is a great activity 00:31:53.850 --> 00:31:59.640 that's great for the kids because there's great learning opportunities. 00:31:59.640 --> 00:32:02.929 Use synonyms please. 00:32:04.610 --> 00:32:14.990 We do get scenarios where people will say something not be entirely happy with 00:32:14.990 --> 00:32:22.940 the way they've said it so they'll say it again seemingly differently and this 00:32:22.940 --> 00:32:28.010 sometimes leads to repetition and it it's a case where if it wasn't clear the 00:32:28.010 --> 00:32:35.750 first time maybe that just needs to be cleared up a little. It's not the end of 00:32:35.750 --> 00:32:45.230 the world but it's one of those things where if you write a piece and you 00:32:45.230 --> 00:32:51.559 immediately try to polish it what you'll find is you know it too well you remember 00:32:51.559 --> 00:32:57.169 it and you're not very good at polishing it because you know what you said. If you 00:32:57.169 --> 00:33:05.270 set it aside for a number of days and I typically say three days but say you 00:33:05.270 --> 00:33:09.679 write it one weekend pick it up the following weekend when you've had a 00:33:09.679 --> 00:33:15.679 chance to forget what you wrote and read it through and see whether or not there 00:33:15.679 --> 00:33:21.679 are specific spots where you know it hiccups you will probably find such 00:33:21.679 --> 00:33:29.150 things and it just helps to polish it that little bit. We don't have a whole 00:33:29.150 --> 00:33:34.705 lot of pet peeves so I wouldn't sweat it too too much. 00:33:36.865 --> 00:33:43.970 Why should you write? I haven't addressed this because chances are if you are attending this 00:33:43.970 --> 00:33:50.750 session that you have some interest in it but appreciate that because the Gazette 00:33:50.750 --> 00:34:00.500 hasn't lasted since 1962 without support by the organization and in fact there is 00:34:00.500 --> 00:34:09.139 an editorial where the editor of the day said this is the last Gazette that's 00:34:09.139 --> 00:34:16.330 going to happen. Luckily that was quite a long time ago and it's certainly not 00:34:16.330 --> 00:34:21.270 where things are today. What you'll find is through 00:34:21.270 --> 00:34:27.090 writing like all good communication with your own students is that you serve to 00:34:27.090 --> 00:34:33.540 clarify your own understandings so you will get something out of this and the 00:34:33.540 --> 00:34:38.580 readership will also gain something from it. Quite often when you're writing 00:34:38.580 --> 00:34:44.130 you'll think up extensions for activities and things and you can add 00:34:44.130 --> 00:34:51.420 those and you can also walk away and test them. You'll gain experience with 00:34:51.420 --> 00:35:01.200 the way you articulate yourself and the way you convey your ideas and that to me adds 00:35:01.200 --> 00:35:11.070 to professionalism. You can also put these things on your CV or use them in 00:35:11.070 --> 00:35:19.290 PD workshops with permission. The experience piece if you submit an 00:35:19.290 --> 00:35:25.140 article you can put it in your CV as submitted. If it's been accepted so it's 00:35:25.140 --> 00:35:39.320 through peer review and it's accepted as minor or as is then you can say impress 00:35:39.320 --> 00:35:47.820 effectively so that's it is there and eventually it comes out and it's quite 00:35:47.820 --> 00:35:56.160 powerful seeing yourself in print and it's one of the things that you don't 00:35:56.160 --> 00:36:03.870 see happening but it does is that when the Gazette comes out I contact authors 00:36:03.870 --> 00:36:11.450 who are in it and I say would you like a hard copy? So if you are in The Gazette 00:36:11.450 --> 00:36:17.040 then you'll get contacted as to whether or not you would like a hard copy of the 00:36:17.040 --> 00:36:20.150 Gazette mailed to you. 00:36:23.310 --> 00:36:30.270 So there's a lot of opportunities with the Gazette and I encourage you to to 00:36:30.270 --> 00:36:36.030 really think about it and consider it have a look at it and ask whether or not 00:36:36.030 --> 00:36:42.000 you could make a contribution and maybe it's a case of reviewing them so you 00:36:42.000 --> 00:36:48.930 sort of get a sense of of what's needed and reviewing causes you to take a much 00:36:48.930 --> 00:36:54.140 closer look. Reviewing might also be that little 00:36:54.140 --> 00:37:03.240 nudge that just periodically reminds you that there is an opportunity. Letters 00:37:03.240 --> 00:37:13.080 and opinions are certainly welcome. Short pieces whether it's you or you encourage 00:37:13.080 --> 00:37:21.570 your students we can certainly use an ongoing supply. Book reviews are a very 00:37:21.570 --> 00:37:25.200 good way of sort of gaining some experience and if if you're quite 00:37:25.200 --> 00:37:33.240 anxious about of writing maybe you find somebody that you could collaborate with 00:37:33.240 --> 00:37:40.940 and you know write a book review together that's an option. Articles again 00:37:40.940 --> 00:37:47.100 you can collaborate with them and stuff and share best practices and we 00:37:47.100 --> 00:37:56.820 all get better when we share good practices. So the Gazette really is 00:37:56.820 --> 00:38:03.240 your publication and it's the membership who makes it what it is and it's 00:38:03.240 --> 00:38:10.140 withstood the test of time. It has won awards and it's an excellent publication 00:38:10.140 --> 00:38:19.350 and I hope you are inspired to contribute something and there there's 00:38:19.350 --> 00:38:26.370 no particular rush. You can take your time but if you have any questions 00:38:26.370 --> 00:38:32.640 whatsoever you're certainly welcome to email the editor you'll find contact 00:38:32.640 --> 00:38:36.290 information on the first page of The Gazette. 00:38:36.290 --> 00:38:45.980 Its gazette@oame.on.ca and email your questions as far 00:38:45.980 --> 00:38:51.200 as things you're thinking you might contribute and if you need that bit of 00:38:51.200 --> 00:38:57.340 clarity we'll get it for you. All right well have fun writing and 00:38:57.340 --> 00:39:06.280 enjoy the rest of the conference and I'm looking forward to hearing from you.