CFP: Online Environments: Databases in the English Classroom (2/22/01; SAMLA, 11/9/01-11/11/01)

From: Alicia Middendorf (amidden@siue.edu)
Date: Thu Feb 08 2001 - 18:02:21 EST

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    Call for Papers: A panel proposal to be submitted for the South
    Atlantic Modern Language Association Convention to be held in Atlanta,
    November 9-11, 2001.

    Online databases have become a staple in English writing, literature,
    and pedagogy classes. Databases such as Academic Search Elite,
    WilsonSelect, Periodicals Abstracts, America: History and Life,
    ABI/INFORM, PsycLIT, General Science Index, and even Britannica Online
    and OED are readily available. What are the problems and benefits that
    come with using electronic databases such as these to create online
    environments in the English classroom? What types and extent of
    training are required for teachers and students to use the online
    environments in the English classroom? Do databases interfere with or
    invigorate the invention stage of writing? Do students conceive of
    their topics, organize their ideas, and revise their writing because of
    the use of these electronic databases? Does the availability of
    electronic specialized encyclopedias--featuring brief, merely factual
    entries on literary figures, history, and genres--preclude in-depth
    investigation by students of literature? While all databases are “on
    the shelves all the time” and libraries have vastly multiplied the
    number of sources available, some databases offer full text while others
    do not, some databases include only the most recent items while others
    do not, and some valuable databases are not user friendly. How do these
    characteristics affect student writing? These and many other questions
    arise as English teachers integrate online databases into their
    classrooms and students encounter the brave new world of information.
    The proposed panel, “Online Environments: Databases in the English
    Classroom,” is intended to consider these issues and other issues raised
    by panel participants.

    Please send vita and abstract to Alicia Middendorf at amidden@siue.edu
    by February 22, 2001. Queries are welcome.

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