Conference Preview from MIT in Boston

At the closing session of the 2011 NMC Summer Conference, Molly Ruggles, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, shared the video below as a preview and invitation to come to Boston, Massachusetts, for the 2012 NMC Summer Conference.

Opening Keynote Presentation

Opening Keynote Presentation
Innovation in Open Networks
Joichi Ito, Director of the MIT Media Lab
 

The combination of Moore's law and the Internet has changed everything. Innovation happens on the edges in ecosystems where standards are developed in non-governmental bodies, where intellectual property can become more of a burden to agility than an asset and where planning can cost more than doing. This massive reduction of the cost of production, distribution and collaboration has created an explosion of innovation in consumer Internet and software through startups. Hardware and biotech are going through a similar transformation.

Ito will discuss innovation in open networks, the nature of risk, startups and the role and trajectory of the MIT Media Lab in this environment.

 

Joichi Ito is the Director of the MIT Media Lab. He is also General Manager of Neoteny Labs, a startup fund focusing on Asia and the Middle East. He is the Chair of Creative Commons, co-founder and board member of Digital Garage JSD:4819, and on the boards of CCC TYO:4756 and Tucows AMEX:TCX. He is a Senior Visiting Researcher of Keio Research Institute and the Internet & Society Lab at Shonan Fujisawa Campus in Japan. He is an affiliate of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University ( http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/jito ). He is on board of a number of non-profit organizations including The Mozilla Foundation, WITNESS and Global Voices. He has created numerous Internet companies including PSINet Japan, Digital Garage and Infoseek Japan and was an early stage investor in Twitter, Six Apart, Wikia, Technorati, Flickr, SocialText, Dopplr, Last.fm, Rupture, Kongregate, Fotonauts/Fotopedia, Kickstarter and other Internet companies. He is an adviser to Twitter, Zynga and DeNA. He maintains a weblog  where he regularly shares his thoughts with the online community. He is the Guild Custodian of the World of Warcraft guild, We Know. He is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, an Emergency First Responder instructor and a Divers Alert Network instructor.

Ito was listed by Time Magazine as a member of the "Cyber-Elite" in 1997. Ito was listed as one of the 50 "Stars of Asia" by BusinessWeek and commended by the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in 2000. He was selected by the World Economic Forum in 2001 as one of the "Global Leaders for Tomorrow", chosen by Newsweek as a member of the "Leaders of The Pack" in 2005, and listed by Vanity Fair as a member of "The Next Establishment" in 2007. Ito was named by BusinessWeek as one of the 25 Most Influential People on the Web in 2008. In 2011, Ito was chosen by Nikkei Business as one of the 100 most influential people for the future of Japan and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oxford Internet Institute in recognition of his role as one of the world's leading advocates of Internet freedom.

NMC Fellows Award

NMC Fellows Awards and Closing Plenary
Education – No Silver Bullet?
Lord David Puttnam

 

In his presentation, Lord Puttnam will examine ways in which the ability of Information and Communications Technologies to transform education and learning outcomes could be radically accelerated. He will set out some concrete examples of how this could be achieved and will examine the broader impact that such an acceleration could have on young citizens and society as a whole.

David Puttnam spent thirty years as an independent producer of award-winning films including The Mission, The Killing Fields, Local Hero, Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone and Memphis Belle.   His films have won ten Oscar's, 25 Bafta's and the Palme D'Or at Cannes. 

From 1994 to 2004 he was Vice President and Chair of Trustees at the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) and was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship in 2006.

He retired from film production in 1998 to focus on his work in public policy as it relates to education, the environment, and the 'creative and communications' industries.   In 1998 he founded the National Teaching Awards, which he chaired until 2008, also serving as the first Chair of the General Teaching Council from 2000 to 2002.   From July 2002 to July 2009 he was president of UNICEF UK, playing a key role in promoting UNICEF’s key advocacy and awareness objectives.

David is the present Chancellor of the Open University, following ten years as Chancellor of The University of Sunderland.    He is President of the Film Distributors’ Association, Chairman of The Sage Gateshead, Deputy Chairman of Channel Four, Deputy Chairman of Profero and a trustee of the Eden Project.

He was founding Chair of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) and for ten years chaired the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television.  He has also served as a trustee of the Tate Gallery and the Science Museum. 

In 2007 he served as Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Draft Climate Change Bill, having performed the same role on the 2002 Communications Bill.   He has also been Chairman of two Hansard Society Commission Reports on the relationship between Parliament and the Public; he serves as Senior Non-Executive Director on two public companies.

David was awarded a CBE in 1982, a knighthood in 1995 and was appointed to the House of Lords in 1997.  In France he was made a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1985, becoming an Officer in 1992, and a Commander in 2006.   He has been the recipient of more than 40 honorary degrees from Universities in the UK and overseas.

Conference Session Paths

In 2012 in Boston, home to some of the most amazing and highly regarded learning institutions in the world, we want to frame the program in a new way, one very much focused on making the future happen. We want to use this setting to build a new kind of program for our conference — one that is action-oriented, informed by research and practice, but also inventive, creative, and visionary at its very core. We want to expose the energy and creativity NMCers bring to the event, and not only break new ground, but also stretch our own thinking and have fun doing it! 

As we think together, in breakouts and in plenary, we want to look outside the boundaries of our usual environments to consider learning in its full span, from the kinds of learning we do informally, or in settings such as museums, to the formal education that happens in schools, and of course, the settings we know best: college and university campuses. From the speakers in the plenary sessions to those that lead the 30+ breakouts, we want to push ourselves to imagine and then explore; to play and then create, to transform our ways of thinking about education broadly, and ultimately to reflect and learn from what we do in order to best move forward. 

To make that happen, we’ve decided to frame the entire conference around the six verbs, below, and try to create a fresh, new experience that is also deep with insights. We hope you find it as exciting to contemplate as we have!

Below each are some prompts related to the three areas of education we want to include, but they are not exclusive, nor are they complete. We see them as potential jumping off points for session presenters.

• Imagine
• Explore
• Play
• Create
• Reflect
• Transform

Imagine

In these sessions, we want to visualize the possible, to think deeply about alternative futures, and new ways of doing things.  This is where passion starts, and we’re looking for ideas that are fresh and new, and presenters that bubble with excitement about them.

• Higher Education: Bold new ideas, such as massive online courses, new visions for credentials, and other very different ways of thinking with the potential to radically change the ways colleges and universities operate.
• K-12 Education: Beyond reform — ideas that empower teachers and excite kids, BYOD, new models for learning spaces.
• Museums and Informal Learning:  Rethinking the museum and the role of the building, empowering visitors, extending the gallery beyond the physical space, and generally ways to make jaws drop routinely.
   

Explore

To get to a hoped-for future, we need to know what we have to work with, what tools exist, what new ideas might be adapted — and ultimately, where we look for ideas that work.  These sessions are ideal for showcasing research, practitioner-focused studies, and discussions aimed at better understanding what we do on campuses.  This is where we create new knowledge, and these sessions are where we’ll share it, reflect on it, and learn from it.

• Higher Education: Building on efforts in digital humanities, sharing research, new questions, new insights.  What can we use from decades of innovation at the edges to spur the core of institutions?  What do we know about learning spaces and libraries that should be changing pedagogy?  Where is the cutting edge right now?
• K-12 Education: We know there are all kinds of experimentation and new models being tried, from the Khan Academy to charter schools, to 21st Century Skills.  What should every school be doing that we know works? What can Higher Ed learn from these efforts?
• Museums and Informal Learning: Learning design in many leading museums is highly creative, and the experience is often as remarkable as the objects it relates to.  What is the secret sauce of successful learning? Where are the innovators we all should be learning from? What is the art to making informal learning as engaging and fun as it often is?

Play

This is the path where experimentation is celebrated, and what can be learned from the serendipity of discovery, the value of risk-free failure, and games for learning. Hands-on sessions are especially encouraged here, and learning by doing. This is where we try new things, combine ideas in new ways, and allow ourselves room for surprises.

• Higher Education: Where are higher education’s playgrounds and what kinds of things are happening in them? How can the serendipity and fun of discovery that is common to many labs be exposed in other kinds of learning? What is the role of play in other forms of learning, like staff development? What examples of integrating free exploration into formal learning can be highlighted? What is the role of leader and leadership in making informed play a part of serious work?
• K-12 Education: Almost every school has a playground — how is the notion of unstructured time used in top schools and by top teachers?  What are the lessons for education at all levels?
• Museums and Informal Learning: Science museums are masters at making science playful — what lessons do they have for schools and universities — and museums with other kinds of collections? Is playful experimentation something that forms compelling experiences for adults as well as kids?
   

Create

These sessions are ideal outlets for creatives of all types, for stories of how the new is brought to life, for production and implementation, and the ways ideas take form. Magic lives here, and hands-on creative experiences are definitely encouraged.

• Higher Education: From video and web production to solutions in support of teaching and learning of all kinds, to new certificates and degrees, to the integration of art and learning, to pure creative expression, this path is the place for things that have moved from idea to reality.
• K-12 Education: This is the place for sessions that show how schools can be places where creativity flourishes — the place to learn about new models and new strategies.
• Museums and Informal Learning: Sessions that highlight new ways of reaching audiences, dramatic new ways of using the gallery, maker faires, and more.  Museums of all kinds highlight human creativity, and this is the path for sessions that provide insights into the creative process.

Reflect

In every journey, there is a time when it makes sense to stop, to reflect, to look for overarching and deeper insight. These sessions are where we will do that, and they can be sessions in which it happens in real time, as the conference unfolds — but also sessions that share larger ideas that may have been in development for some time. This is the chance to reflect on why we do what we do, what is important, and the values that underlie our work. This is where our values will come to light, and where we can learn more about ourselves as teachers, as learners, as designers and builders, and most importantly as creators of the worlds in which we will live, work, and play.

Transform

This is where ideas that work are shared, where change is happening now, and where the futures we imagine are already being created. This is where a special excitement lives, because it is here that the future exists today. In these sessions, we move from ideas to action, from experimentation to implementation.

• Higher Education: A look across any modern campus today reveals myriad ways in which higher education has transformed itself in recent years, from the reinvention of libraries, to new concepts for learning spaces, to entire new programs such as those emerging in the digital humanities.
• K-12 Education: Challenge based learning is finding traction across the countries in the developed west. Other sorts of new models are emerging in places with different challenges like India, Latin America, and Africa. New schools are being built in inner cities expressly aimed at meeting the needs of the underprivileged. What is working?  What ideas are literally transforming schools right now?
• Museums and Informal Learning: Museums must balance a mission of conservation with one of access, and the process is one that consistently keeps museums thinking about how to keep their exhibitions and collections fresh. What are some of the most notable examples of transformation, especially around learning?

 

Conference Schedule

Please make note that there is a new schedule for the 2012 NMC Summer Conference this year.  The conference will now run from Tuesday through Friday (instead of Wednesday through Saturday, as it has in the past years).

Conference-at-a-Glance

View the conference schedule, sessions and descriptions.

 

Tuesday, June 12
9:00 am - 4:00 pm	Preconference Workshops
6:00 - 8:00 pm	Corporate Partner Showcase & Opening Reception
Wednesday, June 13
9:00 - 10:30 am	Opening Plenary Session Joichi Ito, Director of MIT Media Lab
10:45 - 11:45 am	Breakout Sessions
11:45 - 2:15 pm	Posters, Interactives, and Art Show Lunch provided
2:30 - 3:30 pm	Breakout Sessions
3:45 - 4:45 pm	Breakout Sessions
5:00 - 6:00 pm	Emerging Leaders Session
7:00 - 10:00 pm	Reception and Dancing at the MIT New Media Lab
Thursday, June 14
9:00 - 10:15 am	The NMC Perspective Series: Ideas that Matter
10:30 - 11:30 am	Breakout Sessions
11:30 am - 1:00 pm	Lunch provided
1:00 - 2:00 pm	Breakout Sessions
2:15 - 3:15 pm	Breakout Sessions
3:30 - 5:00 pm	Five Minutes of Fame
Friday, June 15
9:00 - 10:15 am	The NMC Perspective Series: Ideas that Matter
10:30 am - 12:00 pm	NMC Fellows Award presented to Lord David Puttnam and Closing Plenary

 

 

Session Types

Immersive Studio and Preconference Workshops

These extended-length workshops provide attendees the chance to explore a topic in depth or participate in hands-on training in a variety of new software programs. Immersive Studio workshops are generally 2 days in length, while the Preconference Workshops are 3 hours or 6 hours in length. Immersive Studio and Preconference Workshops require advance registration and payment of a special fee in addition to the normal Summer Conference registration fees. Immersive Studio Workshops will be held Monday/Tuesday, June 11-12 and Preconference Workshops will be held Tuesday, June 12.

Breakout Sessions

Breakout sessions are 60 minute (please note this is shorter than in previous years) presentations in a dedicated room. Time should be allowed for a 10-minute question and answer period at the end of a breakout session. Sessions can include presentations, panel discussions, and bring your own computer sessions. Topics for a breakout session should include any of the previously mentioned Session Paths.

Five Minutes of Fame

The NMC's signature event is back again in its original format! Demo your project in five minutes 'cause when the gong sounds, your Five Minutes of Fame are up! Technology blasts by fast and furious in this fun-filled and entertaining event. Short as it sounds, in five minutes you'll have time to talk about your project's significance; the choices you made in choosing the tools you used; challenges you faced in bringing it to fruition; and how it has been used and might be replicated and/or scaled -- but remember that the clock is ticking! Projects can include web-based courseware or learning objects; techniques for creating, managing and distributing content; and other creative applications of new media. Faculty projects are especially encouraged. As many as 10 projects will be featured, so add yours to the mix! The Five Minutes of Fame session will be held on Thursday, June 14.

Posters, Interactives and Art Show Session

Again this year, the conference will feature a Posters, Interactives and Art Show Session. Posters provide an opportunity to showcase a campus or museum project. As in the past, all posters will be evaluated by a group of peer judges. You may create your poster with any software that you like. The finished size of your poster should be no larger than 40" x 60". The Interactives are designed to showcase new media projects and materials, including online tools, research, and rich content. Art Show pieces will represent digital, technology and new media works. Wireless Internet connectivity will be available for all presentations in the Posters, Interactives and Art Show Session. If you need to use projection for your presentation, you will be required to bring your own projector and screen. The event will be held on Wednesday, June 13 and winners for the Posters, Interactives and Art Show will be announced at the end of the event.

Exhibition and Sponsorship

The NMC Summer Conference offers many opportunities for NMC partners to showcase their products and services that enhance programs and initiatives for teaching and leadership to a variety of colleges and universities. NMC partners are eligible to participate in the Corporate Partner Showcase as part of their membership. In addition, there are many sponsorship opportunities available for partners to participate in.

2012 NMC Corporate Partner Showcase

The Corporate Partner Showcase will be held in conjunction with the Opening Reception on Tuesday, June 12 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. The fee for participation at the Corporate Partner Showcase as an exhibitor for the Summer Conference is dependent upon your level of membership. Please refer to the corporate partner benefits in order to determine your fees.

For companies that are not currently NMC Corporate Partners, you will need to join the NMC at a minimum of the Sustaining Partner level, for which you will receive the membership benefits for the remainder of the year. See more information about NMC Corporate Partnership.

With participation in the 2012 NMC Corporate Partner Showcase you will:

• Be assigned one tabletop display (skirted table, two chairs)
• Receive special recognition on the conference website
• Receive special recognition in the conference program
• Receive special recognition at the conference
• Be eligible to participate in scheduled vendor prize drawings
• Electrical outlet and Ethernet connection can be ordered for an additional fee

2012 NMC Summer Conference Sponsorship

2012 NMC Summer Conference Sponsorship opportunities are available as follows and offer additional recognition for partner participation:

Tuesday Opening Reception & Corporate Partner Showcase - $10,000
Includes: right to display signage or banner with company logo at the event; special recognition in the conference program; special recognition on the conference website; special recognition at the conference.

Wednesday Evening Special Event at the MIT Media Lab - $15,000
Includes: right to display signage or banner with company logo at the event; special recognition in the conference program; special recognition on the conference website; special recognition at the conference.

Box Lunch - 2 of these at $5,000
Includes: right to display signage or banner with company logo; special recognition in the conference program; special recognition on the conference website; special recognition at the conference.

Conference T-shirts - $5,000
Includes: special recognition in the conference program; special recognition on the conference website; special recognition at the conference; funds will go to purchase high quality t-shirts with your logo and NMC logo.

Conference Tote Bags - $5,000
Includes: special recognition in the conference program; special recognition on the conference website; special recognition at the conference; funds will go to purchase high quality tote bags with yours and the NMC logo.

Fellows Award - $3,000
Includes: special recognition in the conference program; special recognition on the conference website; special recognition at the conference.

Continental Breakfast - 3 of these at $3,000 each
Includes: right to display signage or banner with company logo; special recognition in the conference program; special recognition on the conference website; special recognition at the conference.

Conference Badges/Lanyards - Sponsored by lynda.com
Includes: special recognition in the conference program; special recognition on the conference website; special recognition at the conference; funds will go to purchase high quality badge holders and lanyards with your logo.

Conference Computer Kiosks for Attendees - Call for more information
Includes: special recognition in the conference program; special recognition on the conference website; special recognition at the conference.

Sponsorship is on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are interested in participating as a sponsor, please call Nancy Reeves at (512) 445-4200 or email nancy@nmc.org.

NMC Perspectives: Ideas that Matter

Thursday, June 14; 9:00 - 10:15 am
Malcolm Brown, Lev Gonick, Sherry Lassiter, and Scott Sayre

New this year, the NMC Perspectives series highlights the ideas of trend-setting leaders within the NMC community.   Each of the Perspectives speakers brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to their work, and in fast-paced 18-minute talks, each will share a big idea with you and their passion around it.  In these two sessions, you will hear from four of these extraordinary leaders.  Their ideas are transformative and engaging — and sure to stretch you own thinking and perspectives!

Friday, June 15; 9:00 - 10:15 am
Helen Keegan, Keith Krueger, Vijay Kumar, and Ruben Puentedura