Media education scholars, gaming experts converge at “New Agendas for Media Literacy” conference, June 6-7

Event: You can’t swing a USB cord these days without hitting someone immersed in a digital world—Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Second Life, the list goes on. But what, exactly, are these digital natives learning? And how can educators—the majority of whom are digital immigrants—use new forms of literacy to teach and inspire?

Media education scholars from across the U.S. will come together with experts in gaming, simulations, journalism and education to explore the potential of new media for learning at the “New Agendas for Media Literacy” conference. Some of the topics to be addressed during the conference include:

• Literacy in Action: Media Literacy in Community Based Settings

• Beyond the Classroom: Games, Simulation and Virtual Environments

• New Media Literacy in the Formal Classroom

• Preparing Teachers for Digital Learning Environment

The pioneer theorist who established early links between literacy and media, James Paul Gee, will deliver the keynote address: “Digital Media and the Future of Learning (If There is a Future).” Rodney Gibbs, executive studio director of Amaze Entertainment and chairman of the Digital Media Council of Austin, will introduce the Saturday afternoon session “Beyond the Classroom: Games, Simulation and Virtual Environments.” His presentation is titled “The Intersection of Digital Media and Learning.”

When: 4:30-6 p.m., Friday, June 6; and 8:15 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, June 7

Where: The Lady Bird Johnson room in the College of Communication on The University of Texas at Austin campus.

Background: Open to the public, “New Agendas for Literacy” is the fourth in a series of 10 academic conferences featuring up-and-coming scholars studying important issues in communication. Each of the 10 conferences will culminate in a volume of research edited by College of Communication faculty members and published by Lawrence Erlbaum/Taylor & Francis Publishers. Future topics to be covered in the series include: language and learning, international communication, ethnicity and media, media convergence and media emotions.

For more information about the “New Agendas for Literacy” conference, speaker bios and a detailed itinerary, visit: http://rtf.utexas.edu/medialiteracy/.

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Contacts:
Kathleen Tyner
512-471-3852

Erin Geisler
512-475-8071