Conference Tracks

The 2010 NMC Summer Conference will offer four tracks:

• Emerging Technologies
• New Media and Learning
• New Media and Leadership
• Tools and Techniques

Emerging Technologies

Emerging technologies bring interesting opportunities and challenges of their own. This track explores emerging technologies as they are applied to learning, communication, research, and creative expression, especially those featured in the annual Horizon Report. Sessions may include demonstrations, pilot projects, examples, techniques, and lessons learned from employing technologies and practices on the horizon. Themes include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Mobile applications and tools for learning
• Cloud-based applications in practice
• Geolocation technologies and applications
• Augmented reality
• Applications of collective intelligence
• Discipline-specific applications for emerging technologies
• Discussions of challenges and trends related to educational technology
• Projects that employ the Horizon Report in any capacity

all conference tracks

New Media and Learning

New media technologies take many forms within the classroom and in other learning settings. A wide variety of applications exist, from highly experimental, cutting edge projects to tried-and-true tools and methods for facilitating the learner's experiences. This track is the place to explore new media tools and techniques as employed in teaching and learning of all kinds, from traditional classroom settings to independent study. Themes here include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Applications for educational gaming and virtual worlds
• Digital storytelling techniques and applications
• Open source and open content projects
• New forms of scholarship and publication
• Inter-generational learning
• Supporting and working with faculty or curatorial staff
• International and multi-institutional projects
• Immersive learning environments

all conference tracks

New Media and Leadership

The work of supporting and implementing new media and emerging technologies across an institution or department entails challenges at a different level of the innovation-to-implementation process. Sessions in this track examine these issues from an administrative or organizational viewpoint, taking a broad perspective and exploring high-level questions about policy, physical and virtual learning spaces, assessment, and other topics that apply on an organizational level. Themes in this track include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Identity management
• Allocation of resources
• Support and integration of course management systems
• Learning space design
• Support of technology environments on and off campus
• Use, creation, and management of open content
• Fair use, intellectual property, and copyright issues
• Accessibility issues
• Assessment and evaluation
• New media programs and degrees
• Supporting a global student body
• Global outreach programs and activities

all conference tracks

Tools and Techniques

In every organization, there are people who just have the knack for getting the most out of certain software and tools. This track is where those people shine -- it is the place to show off the newest tools, share creative uses for old favorites, and of course pass on hacks, tips and tricks. Sessions in this track are generally hands-on (but not always), and attendees appreciate online resources related to what they have learned. Themes in the Tools and Techniques track include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Mobile delivery of educational content
• Social networking tools and techniques
• Cloud-based applications and tools
• Semantic-aware tools
• 3D and animation techniques
• 2D animation and motion graphics
• Digital video production and delivery
• Demonstrations of new software from NMC partners
• New techniques involving established software
• Tools and techniques for online research and collaborative work

all conference tracks