NMC 2007 - Thursday Morning Sessions

Great sessions today, so far, including an absolutely riveting Keynote presentation from Edward Castronova of Indiana University. Ed's background is in economics and, in fact, he studies the economies of on-line virtual communities. But that's just the start.

As Ed says about these 3D immersive communities "That new world is more than 3D; more than immersive; more than online; more than entertainment; more than communication. It is all of those things, and one more, a new source of Meaning."

That's "Meaning" with a capitol "M." And Ed sells this concept with considerable passion. When the NMC posts the audio and video of the session online, I'll link it.

UPDATE: Here's the audio. No video yet; I'll link it if it turns up.

Other sessions attended today so far:
- OneCleveland in Second Life - Wendy Shapiro and Sue Shick from Case Western discuss their initiative to partner with community organizations (Cleveland Clinic, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, county Library) to create a virtual Cleveland. UPDATE: Slideshow from the session.

- Student Video Projects: Supporting the Beginning, the Middle, and the End - Susan Simon and Robert Barry of Dartmouth College outline their program to support student video production within a curricular setting. UPDATE: No slideshow, but this is a link back to their site.