Now that I have been able to log in, my interests center around how the populations of people in Appalachia use media.  This has profound implications because it indicates how organizations can communicate with populations within Appalachia, both from within and outside the Appalachia communities.  This communication can deal with vital information on health, safety, jobs, etc., or more basic information such as news and advertising.  So what media do people in Appalachia use and what media technology have they adopted or have shunned is the research I am looking into.

I propose a session about the potential to use the ArcGIS online application “Storymap” as a creative education tool.  All kind of media can be geo-located for a fun, interactive learning process.

I propose a session to discuss the identification, use, distribution, and creation of Appalachian Studies Open Educational Resources (OER). What online archives, current events materials, lesson plans, tutorials, videos, etc. do you use?  MERLOT II and OER Commons offer a few options with a search of “Appalachian,” but I’m betting there are many more out there. In addition to simply using and sharing OER, an interesting discussion topic could be: how might expanding access to Appalachian studies OER further encourage interest in and use of Appalachian studies materials in interdisciplinary educational contexts from K-12, to higher education, to professional settings?

I propose a session looking at means of digital publication and distribution (such as iBooks Author), including challenges and opportunities for such tools in Appalachian Studies at-large.

I propose a session in discussion of the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Appalachia-based humanities research, including but not limited to the pros and cons of specific tools (i.e. ArcGIS, KML layers, social media, browser-based SAS).

Registration for THATCamp Appalachia 2014 is open!

Please plan to join us November 15-16 for a dynamic conversation and exploration of the opportunities for Appalcahian Studies at the intersection of technology and the digital humanities in the heart of Appalachia at Radford University.

Explore the site through the menu above to learn more about the THATCamp format as well as details about our specific event. As November nears check back frequently for pre-camp proposals and discussion.

Read more about the THATCamp movement and browse other THATCamps at thatcamp.org.