Human Communication & Technology Division

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Human Communication and Technology Division
Conference Programming Highlights

We're looking forward to seeing you at the Human Communication Technology Division's twenty-three sessions in Boston this November. We have a diverse program on communication technologies, relevant communication theory, and the application and effects of communication technologies in classrooms, relationships, communities, and the workplace. We've organized 57 excellent papers (74% of the 77 papers submitted) into 13 panels (and wish we could have scheduled more). We've also scheduled nine competitively selected panels (36% of those submitted). In total that's an increase of two sessions (23 sessions, including the business meeting), from last year's 21 sessions. Good job HCTD members!

Some highlights:

– Reserve Saturday afternoon for HCTD's top paper sessions and the HCTD business meeting. All are in the Marriott Suffolk View room. The Top Student Panel is at 12:30, the Top Three Papers in Human Communication and Technology is at 2:00, and the Business meeting is at 3:30.

– Friday afternoon's sessions in the Sheraton's Beacon B room are anchored by theory focused competitive papers. The papers in one session test Walther's Social Information Processing Theory. Walther coauthors one of the papers. The following session explores additional theoretical perspectives associated with Human Communication and Technologies.

– Friday morning features both our top ranked competitive panel on the predictive value of communication theories in assessing the prospects of new media.

– Thursday afternoon's sessions, at the Sheraton, start at the the CMC user interface and expand out to the effects of communication technologies on relationships and communities.

– Thursday morning's sessions at the Marriott focus on communication technologies in the classroom. Sessions explore virtual teams, electronic group interaction, laptops in the classroom, and (our number two ranked panel) on collaborative web sites.

– Sunday morning has excellent panels featuring International Perspectives on Communication Technologies and the effects of communication technologies on the workplace and community.

In particular, don't miss our sequence of sessions on Saturday that feature the top student papers (12:30 PM), the division top three (2:00 PM), and the business meeting (3:30 PM). You're particularly encouraged to come to the business meeting, where we’ll be deciding the future of the world – of HCT.

In keeping with the conference theme, "The Health of the Discipline," much of the content draws comparisons or distinctions between the past and the present, one theoretical approach and another, or issues that remain the topic of spirited debate after decades of research. We think that's exciting - at least for people like us, who get their kicks from cogitating about these issues.

Thanks to all the authors who submitted papers and panels, to the legion of reviewers who read through our 100 plus submissions, and to everyone who has agreed to chair and respond at panels.

See you in Boston!

--- Davis Foulger and Andy Finn, Co-Chairs, Programming