NMC CAMPUS: The NMC is hosting a Symposium on the Evolution of Communication to be held in Second Life December 4-5. Registration is open on the New Media Consortium Web site .

This symposium will explore how communication is changing as a result of the use of technology. Technology has improved the ease with which we acquire small bits of information instantly. People around the globe are connected and many are in contact constantly. The communication tools and technology have made long distance communication essentially free, enabling work and social events to happen over a great geographic distance. This Symposium explores the way technology is changing how we interact with others and how we understand those interactions.

Howard Rheingold, author, teacher and all-around tech-communication-guru, will be giving the Keynote Presentation on December 5 on the topic of “Co-evolution of Technology, Media and Collective Action.”

Rheingold is an author of many books, among them “Tools for Thought,” “The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electric Frontier,” and most recently “Smart Mobs.” He is an observer, a commentator and a full participant in various methods of communication, social networking and in all things related to the virtual world.

Tuesday, December 4’s schedule offers:
-- R U 1337? Exploring Changes in Internet and Virtual World Discourse, given by Cynthia Calongne, Colorado Tech University
-- Virtual Spaces, Authentic Relationships: The Nature of Friendship Online, given by Kieran Cannistra and Doug McDavid, IBM Almaden Research Center
-- Digital Tattoos, Digital Hoarding and Social Networking: Turning Gold into Lead, given by Jared Bendis, Case Western University
-- Critical Analysis of Literary Works Using Virtual Worlds, given by Heidi Trotta, Mary Zedeck and Mary Balken, Seton Hall University
-- evolution | revolution: Architectures for Participation, given by Kim Flintoff of Edith Cowen University and Alexander Hayes of the Australian Flexible Learning Network

In addition to the keynote address, Wednesday December 5 features workshops on:
-- Move Me! Interactions on Movement and Emotion in SL Course Designs, given by Cynthia Calongne, Colorado Tech University
-- What the Origin of the Alphabet Teaches Us about the Future of Virtual Reality, given by David Porush, State University of New York
-- Virtual Citations: Defining and Creating Ethical Content in Virtual Worlds, given by Beth Ritter-Guth, Lehigh Carbon Community College
-- Bridging the Lifelong Learning Gap, given by Jason Mellen and Brian King, Bowling Green State University
-- SL Conversations: Recreating Romance In-World, given by Phyllis