[Air-l] CFP - Social Software in the Academy Workshop

[aoir.z3z at danah.org]

Social Software in the Academy Workshop
May 13-14, 2005
Annenberg Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
http://www.annenberg.edu/ssaw/

Call for Participation
(Submission Deadline: March 31, 2005)

Tools for collaboration and communication have proliferated in academia. 
Students and professors regularly communicate via email and mailing lists and 
course materials are commonly made available via the web. Students regularly 
use instant messaging and cell phones to communicate with each other, enhancing 
relationships and building support networks for college life. A new wave of 
tools for communication and collaboration has surfaced under the name 'social 
software' including tools like weblogs, wikis, del.cio.us, Flickr, tagging, 
etc. Researchers are exploring how these tools fit into everyday life and how 
they can be employed in professional contexts.

The goal of the conference is to bring together researchers working in a 
variety of academic disciplines to understand current and possible uses of 
social software in the academic context. We invite submissions for papers, 
panels and demonstrations of relevant research tools.

Possible topics might include:

- The social/learning issues of using backchannels in the classroom
- How weblogs and wikis can be employed in support of teaching and learning
- The possibilities and challenges of using folksonomies for organizing 
academic knowledge
- Wikipedia as an encyclopedic tool
- Designing better social software tools for the classroom
- The use of social software as assistive technology
- The role of instant messaging in learning
- Models for using social software to collaborate across disciplines and 
universities
- Using social networking tools to create and/or enhance campus community
- Methodologies for researching the use and impact of social software tools on 
various aspects of campus academic and non-academic life

We are looking for three different types of submissions: papers, discussion 
panels and demonstrations. Papers are 10-20 pages, and cover new research and 
development projects. Discussion panels consist of 3-5 participants who will 
collectively discuss and explore key questions or issues in the field. 
Discussion panels should be constructed before submission and are not connected 
with paper submissions. Demonstrations offer an alternative format in which to 
present posters or media or technology simulations in a setting that encourages 
interaction between presenters and participants. Please note: demonstrations 
are meant to highlight research developments, not promote products. If you have 
an idea for an alternate format for presenting your research, please contact 
us.

Individuals interested in participating in the conference can apply by 
submitting the following: the author's bio (name, email, affiliation, relevant 
publications), a brief description of current research, and a 500 word abstract 
describing the paper, discussion panel or demonstration. Video, sketches or 
other relevant media are welcome as additional material if appropriate. Each 
member of a panel should prepare a brief position statement in addition to the 
500 word panel abstract.

Submissions for consideration should be mailed to danah boyd 
(dmb at sims.berkeley.edu) and Sarah Lohnes (scl2103 at columbia.edu) by no later 
than March 31, 2005. Some travel support is available for student and 
underemployed speakers. Please indicate in your submission if you need 
sponsorship to attend.

Papers presented at the conference will be considered for publication in either 
a journal special issue or a book on this topic. Please indicate in your 
proposal if you are interested in submitting your presentation as a formal 
document for publication. Full and short papers will be considered. Panels and 
demonstrations may also be publishable in some form.

This conference is being sponsored by Annenberg Center for Communication at the 
University of Southern California. If you have any questions, feel free to 
contact the conference chairs.

CONFERENCE CHAIRS:
danah boyd - University of California, Berkeley - dmb at sims.berkeley.edu
Sarah Lohnes - Columbia University - scl2103 at columbia.edu

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE:
Todd Richmond - University of Southern California
Mimi Ito - University of Southern California
Justin Hall - University of Southern California