NMC Podcasts

2007 NMC Summer Conference Video

Alan Levine — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:02:52 -0700

If you are still deciding if you should attend the 2008 NMC Summer Conference June 11-14 in Princeton, New Jersey, then take a look at the video from the 2007 NMC Summer Conference held in Indianapolis.

In this 11 minute video, conference participants give you in their own words, a taste of the conference experience. All registered participants at the conference get their own copy of a DVD which not only contains this video, but copies of all the keynote presentations, and more content.

NMC CEO Larry Johnson Metanomics Interview

Alan Levine — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:40:54 -0700

On Friday April 25, NMC CEO Larry Johnson was a guest interviewee for the Metanomics series, the weekly live show that takes place in, and is broadcast live from Second Life.

As part of an event atClever Zebra's vBusiness Expo, in this interview, Metanomics host Robert Bloomfield asked Larry about the NMC's Virtual worlds programs and then discussed more on Larry's recent experience testifying before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet of the US Congress.

You can also find an audio recording of this interview plus soon a transcript, at http://metanomics.net/larry-johnson

Rachel S. Smith on Austincast.com

NMC — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:17:24 -0700

Rachel S. Smith, Vice President, NMC Services, was interviewed by Paul Walhus of Austincast.com on her experience at South by Southwest 2008 (SXSW). In the 20-minute interview, she describes sessions she attended, reflects on the energy of SXSW, and shares her impressions of the conference.

Video: Congressional Hearing on Virtual Worlds

Alan Levine — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:39:20 -0700

NMC CEO Larry Johnson was one of four leaders who presented testimony on the nature and state of virtual worlds Tuesday, April 1, before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Also presenting at the same hearing is Phillip Rosedale, founder of Linden Lab and the inventor of Second Life. For more information see Mr Pixel Goes to Washington and continue the conversation in our CommentPress published version of Larry's presented remarks. The video recording is now available: http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-ti-hrg.040108.VirtualWorld...

NMC Talks To Talis About Horizon Report

NMC — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:40:24 -0700

NMC's Larry Johnson, Rachel Smith, and Alan Levine were interviewed recently for a podcast now available on the Panlibus site. Speaking via telephone with Paul Miller in the UK, they shared the process and outcomes for the 2008 NMC Horizon Report .

NMC is quite honored, particularly since Miller's previous interviewee was Sir Tim Berners-Lee- what an act to follow!

Listen to the hour long podcast for the entire conversation.

Move Me! Interactions on Movement and Emotion in SL Course Designs

NMC — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:23:42 -0800

Presentation from the 2007 NMC Symposium on Evolution of Communication

Virtual Citations: Defining and Creating Ethical Content in Virtual Worlds

Alan Levine — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:21:40 -0800

Presentation from the 2007 NMC Symposium on Evolution of Communication

As the landscape of technology changes daily and new information is created, distributed, mashed up, and distributed again and again...the nature of how we communicate citations is becoming confused. While the Creative Commons license and the trend of public domain publishing exists, there are no intuitive ways to cite within virtual worlds, and governing bodies like the MLA and the APA have not provided directions to cite from virtual world documents (notecards, text chat, object text, and scripts). This lack of communication is frustrating to academics and students using virtual worlds for education and research.

This hands-on collaborative workshop will help participants create ethical content in Second Life by exploring available tools and discussing current trends. Participants will work together to create a user-friendly system for documenting within virtual worlds and from virtual worlds in real life writings. The resulting documentation will be published by Beth Ritter-Guth upon completion under the name "Virtual Documentation Style" (VDS). All participants will be listed as contributing authors, and the work will be released under the Creative Commons license.

What the Origin of the Alphabet Teaches Us about the Future of Virtual Reality

Alan Levine — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:19:15 -0800

Presentation from the 2007 NMC Symposium on Evolution of Communication

The first alphabet - proto-Sinaitic script - originated as graffiti shorthand among slaves in the copper mines of Sinai circa 1400 BC. Its promotion of revolutionary cognitive and cultural forms gives us a model for understanding the impact of contemporary and future technologies such as VR/cyberspace and exploitation of new wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Bridging the Lifelong Learning Gap

Alan Levine — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:16:54 -0800

Presentation from the 2007 NMC Symposium on Evolution of Communication

Many older learners still struggle to transition from traditional learning contexts to online environments that are becoming increasing prevalent in lifelong learning. Using technology to enrich online communication, educators are now better equipped to facilitate learner success by providing means for dialog, praxis, and visualization of ideas. This discussion will explore how advances in communication and social networking help bring essential elements of shared learning into online environments.

Evolution | Revolution: Architectures for Participation

Alan Levine — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:13:50 -0800

Presentation from the 2007 NMC Symposium on Evolution of Communication

This session will consider notions of openness and closure in relation to institutional use of 3D MUVEs and web access more broadly. While the virtual world is embracing user created content and peer driven community, many institutional settings are debating issues of liability, control, resources, and access. Many sites that are used to scaffold awareness, support immersion and underpin successful use of 3D platforms are blocked or deemed a threat to organisational IP, web security and copyright.

Communication and connections are essential in a modern context of learning; it is obvious that participatory culture is still a challenge to organisations founded in traditional models of academia, especially so when this is translated into virtual spaces. How do we contribute to guiding and developing effective mechanisms that enable timely and relevant access to new technologies and new modalities? Do we accept institutional colonisation, lead the revolution, or establish a new virtual public sphere?