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On Thursday, Jan. 10, Faculty Development and the Center for Academic Technology Support are pleased to launch a collaborative, half-day symposium that promotes excellence in teaching and learning on Eastern Illinois University’s campus. We see this as an opportunity to learn from and discuss pedagogical practices and issues with EIU faculty who are actively engaged in examining teaching and learning in their disciplines. This year this conversation will be sparked by a visiting scholar, Dr. Michael Wesch, who will give the opening plenary talk. There will be a break out session following his presentation and then a working lunch in which faculty will have the opportunity to discuss with each other the concepts Wesch introduces.

Dubbed 'the Explainer' by Wired magazine, Dr. Michael Wesch is a cultural anthropologist exploring the effects of new media on society and culture. After two years studying the implications of writing on a remote indigenous culture in the rain forest of Papua New Guinea, he has turned his attention to the effects of social media and digital technology on global society. His videos on culture, technology, education, and information have been viewed by millions, translated in over 15 languages, and are frequently featured at international film festivals and major academic conferences worldwide. Wesch has won several major awards for his work, including a Wired Magazine Rave Award, the John Culkin Award for Outstanding Praxis in Media Ecology, and he was recently named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic. He has also won several teaching awards, including the 2008 CASE/Carnegie U.S. Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities.

Faculty are encouraged to bring their students to the plenary talk. Lunch will be provided for faculty who register. A detailed schedule can be found at http://www.eiu.edu/facdev/visiting_scholar.php. For more information, please contact 581-7051 or email facdev@eiu.edu. To register to attend, please visit http://cats.eiu.edu/FacultyDevelopmentRegistration/workshops.asp.

Here are the URLs linked to Michael Wesch's TED talk and other presentations:

1. http://ksuanth.weebly.com/wesch.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Wesch
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwyCAtyNYHw