Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation (20 minute presentation)
Target Audience
Higher Education
Location
Room 210
Proposal
The world of research will soon experience a cataclysmic shift. As newspapers and more traditional venues of scholarly communication fold from pressure created by online news sources, Really Simple Syndication feeds, and news aggregates, the Composition classroom must aim ahead of the curve and teach students the essential skill of Environmental Scanning and Futuring. Environmental Scanning and Futuring are cooperative disciplines that seek to highlight trends and patterns within specific fields and disciplines using the plethora of data available on the World Wide Web. What makes these methods so useful in the face of the Communication Renaissance is their focus on updated and current information, their offer of greater freedom of expression, and their encouragement of students participation in their chosen fields, rather than relying on the favor of an elitist and closed institution such as a prestigious magazine or journal. Environmental Scanning and Futuring will become a new wave in the realm of education, and it is the responsibility of the Writing Composition instructor to usher in its reign and hone its pedagogy.
Short Description
Environmental Scanning and Futuring take data gathering to mind boggling new levels. Students must track real time information and communicate any findings in powerful ways to keep up with this revolutionary paradigm shift in research. By spearheading this trend, instructors can help students prepare for a world exploding with new ideas.
Keywords
Information literacy, Environmental scanning and futuring, Data gathering, Research skills
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Bailey, David, "Communication Renaissance: Environmental Scanning and Futuring in the Composition Classroom" (2009). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 73.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2009/2009/73
Communication Renaissance: Environmental Scanning and Futuring in the Composition Classroom
Room 210
The world of research will soon experience a cataclysmic shift. As newspapers and more traditional venues of scholarly communication fold from pressure created by online news sources, Really Simple Syndication feeds, and news aggregates, the Composition classroom must aim ahead of the curve and teach students the essential skill of Environmental Scanning and Futuring. Environmental Scanning and Futuring are cooperative disciplines that seek to highlight trends and patterns within specific fields and disciplines using the plethora of data available on the World Wide Web. What makes these methods so useful in the face of the Communication Renaissance is their focus on updated and current information, their offer of greater freedom of expression, and their encouragement of students participation in their chosen fields, rather than relying on the favor of an elitist and closed institution such as a prestigious magazine or journal. Environmental Scanning and Futuring will become a new wave in the realm of education, and it is the responsibility of the Writing Composition instructor to usher in its reign and hone its pedagogy.
