The 13th Annual Great Plains Alliance for Computers and Writing Conference: WIDE Open Spaces will be held at North Dakota State University Oct. 8 and 9. The conference will feature presentations, performances and projects related to the themes of: WIDE (Writing in Digital Environments), open (source, access and possibilities) and spaces (virtual worlds, digital places, online instruction and rhetorical spaces).

The conference aims to blend traditional academic presentations on research and teaching with free-form, unconference collaboration.

Friday’s program will be held in NDSU’s Memorial Union from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will consist of 15 minute presentations or 45 minute panels, keynote addresses and vendor displays.

The keynote speakers are from Michigan State University’s WIDE Research Center, (www.wide.msu.edu). Jeff Grabill, Stacey Pigg and Bill Hart-Davidson will present “Mapping the Writing Lives of College Students: A Story About a Study in Three Parts,” which will discuss the history and trajectory of WIDE’s continuing research about the writing practices of college students. 

Saturday’s events, the unconference portion, will be held at the Fargo Public Library and aim to share ideas and build alliances that will extend beyond the conference. The unconference can be a brainstorming, teaching or collaborating time. To learn more about unconferences visit www.unconference.net/unconferencing-how-to-prepare-to-attend-an-unconference.

Participants are encouraged to attend both days, but Friday-only, or Saturday-only participation is welcome. Friday’s sessions will be free to NDSU affiliates, $10 for non-NDSU students and $25 for non-NDSU faculty; the unconference has a $10-25 fee to cover facility rental and food.

For the complete conference schedule, visit www.socialmedia.ndsu.nodak.edu.