Radical Ecologies: (Re)Grounding Digital Pedagogy
A Special Session proposal for the 2014 MLA Convention
This special session seeks dynamic workshop-style presentations to engage participants in new ecologies of learning and leading edge ideas that connect ecological and educational systems. The session aims to explore the idea that technology and ecology need not be mutually exclusive and that they can play an essential role in the humanities classroom.
Drawing on points of intersection between experiential liberal arts education, digital humanities, biomimicry, sustainability, and ecopsychology, ‘Radical Ecologies’ will engage instructors and administrators in course development strategies and in helping students plan their own learning by using a systems approach to curriculum design.
This session is proposed to be an interactive and engaging series of workshops that enable participants to (1) take away tangible first steps to implementing ecologically-based digital course and curriculum design and (2) recognize the opportunities for learners at all levels in thinking experientially and ecologically about curriculum design.
Questions might include:
- How can ecological thinking provide a model for a more intentional and dynamic liberal arts pedagogy?
- Can digital technologies help us develop more ecologically focused learning environments and curricula?
- How can teachers integrate ecological thinking into new and existing courses, units, and overall curriculum design?
- Is there a role for ecological thinking in developing humanities curricula?
- How can ecological concepts (re)shape digitally-inflected pedagogy?
Please email questions and/or a 250-400 word abstract by 1 March 2013 to Pavel Cenkl at pcenkl@sterlingcollege.edu.
For more on the MLA and convention: http://www.mla.org/
Ecologies of Knowing 