[This is a collaborative post written by Brian Croxall, Ryan Cordell, and Adeline Koh.–@bc]
As of this week, registration for the 2013 MLA Convention has begun. While there is always lots to do at the convention, we want to draw your attention to three associated events that you may want to sign up for as well.
1. A Digital Pedagogy Unconference
If you would like to talk with other people working in the modern languages about different methods, philosophies, or assignments for integrating digital technology into the classroom, you might be interested in the Digital Pedagogy Unconference. This three-hour preconvention workshop on 3 January 2013 will use the unconference format that has been popularized in academia by THATCamp.
The unconference will provide an opportunity for participants to come together, share ideas and experiences with one another—including things that didn’t work out so well—, and possibly even create some new assignments. The workshop is designed for those who are brand new to incorporating technology into their teaching as well as those who have been doing it for years. Registration for the workshop is on a first-come, first-served basis. Those who enroll will propose sessions using the workshop’s website and on the morning of 3 January they will collectively create the program.
The unconference is limited to 50 attendees, so if you’re interested, don’t wait to long to sign up!
2. Get Started in Digital Humanities with Help from DHCommons
If you have an idea (or have started on) a digital humanities project and would benefit from advice and training from experts in the field, then DHCommons’ “Get Started in DH” preconvention workshop can help. This four-hour preconvention workshop on 3 January 2013 will welcome scholars who wish to pursue or join digital scholarly projects but do not have institutional infrastructure to support them. The workshop will build on the model developed for and tested at the 2012 MLA Convention in Seattle. DHCommons, which was launched at that event, connects innovative scholars with mentors and opportunities for collaboration and increases the community of participants for established projects and centers. Representatives of major digital humanities projects and initiatives will share their expertise on project design, outline available resources and opportunities, and lead small-group training sessions on DH technologies and skills. Experts will come from projects such as 18th Connect, Hypercities, Neatline, NINES, Scalar, TAPoR, and the Women Writers Project, as well as the Association for Computers and the Humanities and the NEH’s Office of Digital Humanities. You can learn more about our experts at http://dhcommons.org/mla2013-experts. Workshop participants will leave with a plan for getting started in the digital humanities and a resource for connecting to scholars and projects in their disciplines.
If you’re interested in DHCommons’ 2013 workshop, you should apply in advance using the form at http://www.dhcommons.org/mla2013—which is also where you can learn more about the workshop and DHCommons.
3. THATCamp MLA
The day before MLA—January 2, 2013—Northeastern University will host THATCamp MLA, an unconference for convention participants interested in a different kind of collegial gathering. If you’re not sure what a THATCamp is, our many previous posts here at ProfHacker should help. As of this post, applications for THATCamp MLA are now open! Visit http://mla2013.thatcamp.org/ to learn more or http://mla2013.thatcamp.org/apply/ to apply.
Choose Wisely
It’s worth noting that the Digital Pedagogy Unconference and the DHCommons Workshop will happen concurrently. So if you’re interested in these events, you can apply for THATCamp MLA and one of the two pre-convention workshop. Hopefully this post and the attendant websites for the events can help you determine which workshop is right for you.
Finally, all three of these events are being organized in part or completely by members of the ProfHacker team. We’re not sure if that’s much of an endorsement, but we’ll pretend it is if you do! Will you sign up for any of these workshops at the 2013 MLA? Let us know in the comments!
EDIT: Added a last section to clarify that two of these events overlap.
Lead photo: Boston_Exterior_0001 / KINKISHARYO / CC BY 2.0
