Culture, Multimedia, Technology and Cognition
June 25 ? June 28, 2009, University of Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Call for Papers
Recent developments in computer multimedia technologies provide new
means for enhancement of teaching and learning. Improvements in
teaching methods could arise from harnessing the power of multimedia,
but which ways of exploiting media for learning are the best? At what
point, for example, does multimedia overtake rather than enhance
teaching? Research on effective ways of using the opportunities
provided by multimedia is still in its infancy, but early results
strongly suggest the necessity for collaboration across disciplines
for answers to questions about the best uses of multimedia for
education in a cultural context.
Since 2001, a multidisciplinary group drawn from the University of
Prince Edward Island (UPEI), the University of New Brunswick, and
l?Université de Moncton (New Brunswick) have pursued research on how
electronic media can enhance education in a cultural context under the
aegis of the ?Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Culture,
Multimedia, Technology, and Cognition? (CMTC). The CMTC has secured a
significant infrastructure for research, including a large digital
library, multimedia production facilities, multimedia classrooms, and
visual and auditory perceptual testing equipment, all housed at UPEI.
The research goals of the CMTC are
a) to develop a model of the mind of the learner (perceiver/user of
multimedia) in order to predict how best to use media (including
digital images, text, and sound)
b) to promote learning and develop versions of course materials that
exploit multimedia resources based on theories of the learner and
learning
c) to test a range of versions of course materials and course delivery
for different cultural groups, and ? on the basis of the findings ?
d) to develop automatic techniques for altering course materials (or
learning objects) for end-users from different cultures.
The CMTC is holding this conference to gather researchers focused on
using images, technology, and sound in teaching, to discuss their
work, share their results, and develop recommendations for best
practice.
The conference will
a) reflect on and analyse new digital media, multimedia, and
text-based computing technologies, and integrate these into research
in the humanities and social sciences
b) bring together theorists, experimentalists, and technologists from
different disciplines, to share ideas and methods that stimulate
advances in research through the use of audio-visual and text-based
technologies
c) facilitate the creation of regional, national, and international
networks and partnerships among researchers, industries, governments,
and individuals to promote and sustain research and develop resources
across disciplines and cultures.
Proposals for panels, papers, posters, and workshops are invited from
individuals, academics, teams, and institutes whose research and
activities involve any aspect of the conference?s mandate. Submit
abstracts electronically to http://ocs.vre.upei.ca/index.php/hits/,
attached as an anonymous, titled, single-spaced document of not more
than 400 words in a Microsoft Word file, if possible. The name,
address, contact information, and affiliation of the researcher should
be included in the body of the e-mail. Within the body of the e-mail,
please indicate any audio-visual equipment needed. Those wishing to
propose panels or special sessions should contact the conference
co-convenor (Udo Krautwurst) about submitting an abstract for the
panel together with abstracts for each of the constituent papers. Time
allotted for each presentation will be 20 minutes for delivery of the
paper plus 10 minutes discussion. Papers will be distributed on a CD
of proceedings at the conference or published in a book growing out of
the conference.
Deadline for receipt of abstracts is March 15, 2009. Notification of
acceptance will be sent out by April 15, 2009.
Limited funds are available to support conference travel. Special
consideration will be given to graduate students presenting papers or
posters.
The CMTC organizing committee gratefully acknowledges the generous
funding provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council (SSHRC), making this conference possible.
Organizing Committee
Convener:
Annabel J. Cohen, Department of Psychology, UPEI; Project Leader, CMTC
Co-convener:
Udo Krautwurst, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, UPEI
Review Committee for Submissions and Conference Proceedings:
Anne Furlong, Department of English, UPEI
Catherine Innes-Parker, Department of English, UPEI
Executive Operations Committee (CMTC) and the Tri-University Council:
Sandy McAuley, Department of Education, UPEI
Pamela Courtenay Hall, Department of Philosophy, UPEI
David LeBlanc, Department of Computer Science, UPEI
David Cormier, CMTC and Robertson Library, UPEI
Mark Leggott, CMTC and Robertson Library, UPEI
Chadia Moghrabi, Informatic, Université de Moncton
Wladyslaw Cichocki, Département de français, University of New Brunswick
Communications :
Anna MacDonald, UPEI Communications Officer
