Media ecology “unplugged” is a reminder that media technologies are not simply plug-in devices. The “unplugged” theme captures the wide span of environmental mediation prior to the wired and plugged-in revolution of mass media. This mediation includes architecture, literacy, urban design, transportation, art, and other discursive and non-discursive forms. The “unplugged” theme also turns attention to recent and cutting-edge technologies that have de-tethered users from the plug. These include satellites, nanotechnology, robotics, genetic engineering, modern pharmacology, cell phones, Bluetooth, e-readers, solar cells, green technologies, neuroscience, and much more. Featured Speakers Morris Berman Morris Berman is a poet, novelist, essayist, social critic, and cultural historian. He has written eleven books including The Reenchantment of the World, Coming to our Senses, and The Twilight of American Culture. He has also written more than one hundred articles, and has taught at a number of universities in Europe and North America. During 2008-9 he was Visiting Professor of Humanities at the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico City. His latest book, Spinning Straw Into Gold: Straight Talk for Troubled Times, has just been released.
Lance Strate Lance Strate is Professor of Communication and Media Studies and Director of the Professional Studies in New Media Program at Fordham University. One of the founders and a past president of the Media Ecology Association, and a founding editor of the MEA's journal, Explorations in Media Ecology, he is the author of On the Binding Biases of Time and Other Essays on General Semantics and Media Ecology, and Echoes and Reflections: On Media Ecology as a Field of Study, and is currently completing Amazing Ourselves to Death: Neil Postman's Brave New World Revisited. Dominique Scheffel-Dunand Dominique Scheffel-Dunand is Associate Professor in Linguistics at York University (Toronto, Canada), Director of the McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology, and the current Director of the York University Research Centre on Language Contact at Glendon College. Her research encompasses Language Ecology and Linguistic Landscapes; Semiotics; Discourse and Conversation Analysis; Pragmatics and Cross-cultural Communication; Interlinguistic or Intertextual Contacts; and Second and Multiple Language Acquisition. She is currently investigating paradigm shifts introduced by digital media in the analyses of texts perceived and assessed as “canonical” by diverse readerships. Housing The official convention hotel, the Amway Grand, offers special rates of $137.00/night—the same price applies for up to four occupants. To reserve a room at the convention rate, you must call the hotel directly at 1-800-253-3590 and mention the MEA convention. Please note: After May 21, 2013, the convention room rate will no longer be guaranteed – so book early! The convention hotel is walking distance from the Richard M. DeVos center and Loosemore Auditorium on Grand Valley’s downtown campus (where the majority of the convention will be held). The convention hotel and GVSU are approximately 15 minutes taxi ride from the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, and are located in the heart of Grand Rapids, Michigan (a three-hour drive from Detroit, and two and a half hours from Chicago). There are many places to eat, from inexpensive eateries to fine restaurants, all walking distance from the convention hotel (within a few city blocks). Sites of interest also within this range include the Grand Rapids Art Museum (with a lovely collection of rare and valuable prints), the Public Museum of Grand Rapids, the DeVos Performing Arts Hall, the Van Andel Arena, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. If you are planning on staying in Michigan for a longer time, either before or after the convention, we offer the following links: Transportation Grand Rapids has a bus system "the Rapid" and there are bus connections from the airport to the hotel. This would take some time, but it can be done. For more information please visit: It may be that flights will have more than one convention-goer on them, since there aren't tons of flights into Grand Rapids. Finding someone to share a taxi might also be a possibility. A taxi ride from the airport is about $35.00. Other information about transportation from the airport can be found at: http://www.grr.org/Ground.php
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