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Call for Proposals

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Call for Proposals: NAMLE 2013 Conference

Deadline: January 21, 2013

The Call for Proposals is now closed. We will announce the slate of sessions in late March. Information below is for reference purposes.

As a membership organization, NAMLE celebrates the diversity of voices, pedagogies and technologies that comprise the growing field of media literacy education. We seek to facilitate media literacy education among a broad constituency that includes children, families and adults of all ages, academic researchers, P-16 teachers, teacher educators, art educators, community leaders, media producers, non-profit partners, faith-based groups, pediatricians and other health professionals. For the 2013 conference program we anticipate a rich mix of conversation, brainstorming sessions, hands-on workshops, screenings and open space engagement with a variety of media and technologies.

2013 Conference Theme

Intersections: Teaching and Learning Across Media

Disruption is a watchword for the time we live in: competing social networking platforms, ever-shifting working styles, novel job descriptions displacing the old, manifold curricular and performance demands. With all these possibilities vying for our buy-in, it is vital to seek commonalities. It is at the intersections that we will begin to make sense and make use of a media revolution well underway and yet incompletely understood by our educational infrastructure. This conference will highlight the role of media literacy educators’ capacity to take a leading role in this nationwide task.

Media-savvy educators now have the chance to articulate how new pedagogies can erect road signs at the intersections where communication practices, platforms, and cultures cross paths. Disciplines of thought and method can merge to form innovative perspectives, refreshing the way we approach problems and generating paths of study relevant to 21st Century careers, citizens, relationships and lifestyles.

We are looking for proposals from media literacy educators, advocates, and researchers who use media as the backbone to teaching and who guide students to a thorough understanding of how to practice creative production and analysis ethically and responsibly across media. We are looking for evidence that this type of teaching can produce deeply engaged thinkers and communicators and that it can unify the broad demographics of our country, bridging gaps whether social, cultural or economical, that have proven resistant to traditional models of education.

The 2013 NAMLE conference will reflect the reality that education is at a cross roads, with opportunities to push the boundaries in mixing old and new media, as well as combining no-, low-, and high-tech interactions that encourage society to share in the cultural production process of sense and meaning making. Building on the conference theme of INTERSECTIONS, we seek proposals that accomplish any of the following:

  • Improves the knowledge base for those new to the field of media literacy education
  • Models new pedagogies for acquiring 21st century skills across multiple learning environments
  • Transforms technology integration into valuable knowledge and practice
  • Uses media literacy to mobilize civic engagement and new forms of collaboration
  • Nurtures social and cultural practices through inquiry-based learning
  • Fosters co-learning through joint media engagement
  • Keeps students at the center while still meeting Common Core Standards

Formats of Session Submissions

Conference veterans: Please note that session formats for this conference are different than in the past, designed to increase engagement and dialogue. Please read the descriptions carefully, watch the Info Chat on the right, and choose the one that best suits your proposal.

  • Workshop (choice of 60 or 90 minute session)
    A workshop provides presenters with an opportunity to exchange information or work on a common problem, project, or shared interest. Workshops should be highly participatory and offer hands-on exploration and adequate time for reflective discussion and interaction with workshop participants. The workshop format also allows for a more in-depth interaction with participants and can include hands-on experiences and practice of applications with participants.
  • Poke, Prod, Provoke Panels (60 minute session)
    Poke, prod and provoke panels provide opportunities to examine explicit problems or complex topics from a variety of perspectives. Panelists should represent a variety of viewpoints and offer alternative solutions, interpretations, or contrasting viewpoints on the subject. Each panel member is expected to prepare a brief position paper identifying central questions regarding the issue being discussed. Panels should have a moderator and can have 3-4 presenters who should visually share their position or project in under five minutes providing the majority of the time to provoke discussion from the audience.
  • Media Literacy Smackdown (2 minute presentation …you may submit up to 3 total)
    Ideas develop quickly, so we need a quick format to take in the breadth of the media literacy field especially since it is now so relevant across all curricular subjects. In a two-minute demonstration, a presenter will share a favorite tool, platform or application that effectively uses media literacy in practice. This might include, but is not limited to, a tablet application that promotes reading, a massively multiplayer online game that fosters collaboration, a computer-based simulation, or a new use for twitter in the classroom. Multiple Media Literacy Smackdown sessions will be scheduled as 45-minute sessions. The conference program committee will group Smackdown presenters by theme and offer a 25-minute “open mic” discussion with the audience in the second part of the session. These sessions are designed as a wonderful networking opportunity to identify MLE practitioners whose interests intersect with yours.
  • What Works: Gimme the Skinny (10 minute presentation …you may submit up to 2 total)
    Educators and researchers too often work in isolation from each other, and it can be hard to find time to share ideas with colleagues. The What Works sessions offer a chance for educators and researchers from all organizations to share their projects or initiatives and what they’ve learned through trial and error. In a demonstration, presenters outline their practice in a session shared with like-minded presenters organized by the Conference program committee. This might include, but is not limited to, a media-rich curriculum kit or materials, or an approach to media literacy that educates across media platforms.
  • Fireside Chats (choice of 60, 90 or 120 minute session)
    This is an opportunity for a public screening of your media project and an in-depth chat with the audience about what you’ve learned from the experience. We are excited about the unpredictable new directions taken by storytellers in an evolving web environment and aim to help exhibit innovative new work. With an eye towards the future, these sessions are a place to share projects that move across media platforms. We seek storytellers who would like to share their web series, interactive documentaries, rich media projects, data visualization and infographics, web generated content and many more possibilities. Please submit final project or a trailer / rough assembly if it is still in progress but will be complete by conference date.

Submission Process and Acceptance Criteria

The Conference Program Committee will accept proposal submissions until 11:59 PM PST January 21, 2013. All proposals must be submitted through our 2013 Conference Proposal form. Proposals will undergo rigorous review by a committee of NAMLE members. The proposal review committee will evaluate each submission based on the extent to which the proposal successfully communicates the following:

  • Gives VOICE to at least one of the many constituencies that comprise the growing field of media literacy education;
  • Reflects a GLOBAL/INCLUSIVE vision of media literacy education;
  • Magnifies the CORE PRINCIPLES of Media Literacy Education;
  • Identifies PARTICIPANT LEARNING OBJECTIVES that reflect the Core Principles of Media Literacy Education;
  • Aligns session goals/objectives with the CONFERENCE THEME;
  • Directly supports participant learning objectives by the proposed METHODS OF PRESENTATION in the chosen session.

Individuals who submit proposals will be notified of their acceptance status in the third week of February 2013. For additional questions about the review process contact the Program Coordinator, Tisha Dejmanee.

Submitting Your Proposal

The form includes informational questions about the presenters and description, as well as these descriptive questions:

  • Presentation Tagline: The essence of your presentation in 140 characters or less. If you had to get the attention of your audience in 10 seconds, what would you say?
  • How does your presentation relate to the conference theme? Intersections: Teaching and Learning Across Media.
  • How will your presentation engage its audience? This conference is all about interaction and engagement, what techniques will you employ to make sure your audience is involved in the presentation?
  • What experiences have led your team to design this presentation? Discuss presenter qualifications and expertise regarding the topic you plan to present.
  • How will the information provided in your presentation benefit the Media Literacy Education (MLE) community?

We recommend you refine your answers in a word processor, then paste them into the form fields.

Our deepest thanks for your time in preparing your ideas. We look forward to reviewing your proprosal.