On Thursday, March 12, 2009, Drs. Cathy Mazak, Ellen Pratt, Rosita Rivera, and Mary Sefranek will represent the UPRM and our Department of English at the 10th annual Puerto Rican Educational Research Conference at the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras (http://cie.uprrp.edu/congreso/). Their panel presentation is titled “Navigating Digital Literacies in Puerto Rico: Multimodal Engagements in English Education” and will address their ongoing research in English Education in Puerto Rico in the public sector in the distinct contexts of elementary, higher, and teacher education. Their conference abstract reads as follows: An exploration of digital technologies in distinct sites of education in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will underscore how 21st century literacies are increasingly informing – and transforming – English language learning on the island. On-going research and practice in relation to digital literacies and language learning will be highlighted, including the use of technology to advance English Language Learning for first year agriculture majors at the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayagüez campus, the production of locally and culturally relevant bilingual digital narratives with third graders in a public school setting in rural San Sebastián, and the integration of blogging and e-anthologies in a writing project for K-12 language and literacy teachers in western Puerto Rico. It is important to note as well that M.A.E.E. candidate, Karrieann Soto Vega, will also be 
presenting her thesis-based research, “Rocking and Reading: Using Rock Music and Videos as Texts”, a topic she first presented to the public two weeks ago at English as a Field of Change and Flow, our Department’s 1st annual conference for undergraduate and graduate majors of English.
English Department – UPRM
University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez
