May 14, 2008
TED Prize Winner Cameron Sinclair in Dialog at MOCA Cleveland Talaly Lecture
Last week's gathering here at Case Western Reserve University on Collaboration Technology and Community Engagement engendered plenty of conversation on extending the 'networked collaboration tools' to engage students, faculty, staff, and the broader community around us.
Anthony Williams, co-author of Wikinomics and keynoter at the Summit shared the impact of collaboration tools across an amazing breadth of social, economic, and learning environments (to the many who have asked, yes, Anthony's keynote will be available as a video stream --soon). One of my favorite TED Prize winners is architect and community activist and maverick open source humanitarian Cameron Sinclair. Cameron has leveraged collaborative tools for engaging both hundreds of architects (Architecture for Humanity) around the world but also engaging those architects in dozens and dozens of community projects both near and far. For folks in Cleveland, you have an opportunity to join us in dialog with Cameron Sinclair at MOCA Cleveland's Talalay Lecture being held on Wednesday, May 21, at 6 pm at the Idea Center in Playhouse Square here in Cleveland.
The devastation in Mynamar and China over the past 10 days provides a graphic backdrop for some of the conversation on socially-engaged architecture. Please join us, if you're in the neighborhood. For a backgrounder on Cameron see his TED talk below
Lev Gonick
Case Western Reserve University
May 13, 2008
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May 13, 2008
LinkedIn, Social Networking and Creating Value for Alumni at Case Western Reserve University
Quietly, and without a lot of fanfare, we began a project 30 days ago to create a "Group" for Case Western Reserve University using the social networking tool known as LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a professional networking platform technology that enables subscribers to create professional profiles. The value of the platform technology is its ability to allow you to sort your online Rolodex of contacts and, more importantly, the 3 or 4 degrees of association/separation, that is professional contacts of those people that you know and trust.
Today, the 400th LinkedIn subscriber joined the Case Western Reserve University Group. If you haven't created a profile, here is a link to the one I created 3 years ago. Back in October during an online exchange with Dan Nye, CEO of LinkedIn facilitated by the New York Times, I asked him whether LinkedIn was re-opening up the service to alumni and other-related University activities. Dan's response
suggested that the service was ready to open up to groups, in a big way.
I hope readers of the Bytes from Lev blog will make suggestions on the ways in which we can use the affinity group to advance the value of the social network. If you haven't already read Guy Kawasaki's top 10 ways to use Linked in, it's a terrific a starting point.
Here are some other ideas that I've been thinking about and I hope you'll offer feedback.
As some of our alumni know, I'm interested in an alumni 'visiting group' to help with specific suggestions and enagement on the ways in which we can use technology to create value for our students and our alumni. My first thought was to use the Case LinkedIn Group to ask for input and feedback. We'll probably use a structured wiki to convene the visiting group and structure dialog and suggestions on initiatives to explore.
Second, I've been amazed at the geographic diversity of the Case LinkedIn Group. While the university has alumni chapters in various large metropolitan areas, I thought the LinkedIn Group might be an interesting data source for inviting alumni to virtual meetings related to continuing professional development, updates, and opportunities for professional networking. We've held a number of these kinds of sessions in SecondLife and using Adobe Connect. Let me know if that is of interest to you, especially if you're not in a major city where we have a critical mass of other alum.
Third, there are a number of other organizational units within the University who are interested in structured feedback from diverse constituencies. Perhaps there is a way to use LinkedIn to facilitate regular feedback on everything from planning, to mentoring, to helping contact a prospective students in your area who has expressed interest in Case Western Reserve University.
Finally, let us know how you think using the network of 400 and soon 1000 alumni, faculty, and staff can advance your professional networking interests.
Lev Gonick
Case Western Reserve University
May 11, 2008
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May 12, 2008
Collaboration Technology and Community Engagement - Recap
Case Western Reserve University has a grand tradition of information technology innovation. Back in 1973, the University was one of the original nodes on the then ARPA Network (which pre-dates the commercial internet by 20 years). In 1986, the University created the Cleveland Freenet Community Computer System, a free public computer network which allowed dial-in users Internet access. In 1989, Case Western Reserve was the first campus in the world to use fiber optics to create a computer network. In 2002, Case Western Reserve was among the first campuses to deploy next generation switched gigabit network technologies and add pervasive wireless technology around the university. In 2003, we helped to form OneCleveland now known as OneCommunity.
This past week (May 08, 2008), with the help of a lot of friends and colleagues Case Western Reserve University launched Collaboration Technology and Engaging the Campus. We think we may once again be ahead 'ahead of the curve'. As reflected in our campus-wide conversations and strategic planning effort, the professional technology services community at Case Western Reserve University stands poised to offer the campus a portfolio of collaboration tools and platforms to advance the mission of the institution.
Online coverage of the gathering has been very positive with plenty of engagement from bloggers and others. The Cleveland Plain Dealer covered the launch of our collaboration with OneCommunity to extend the wireless cloud beyond University Circle into Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, and further into the City itself. Anthony Williams, co-author of Wikinomics and our lunch keynoter posted reflections on his his own blog on his short visit to Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University. Several different blogs linked to Andy Guess' piece from Inside Higher Education. Jeffrey Young, from the Chronicle Higher Education blogged about his experience in SecondLife during the conference. Karen Schaefer from NPR affiliate WKSU filed a 5 minute story on the gathering.
More than 300 persons came to the event at the Thwing Center with nearly 100 additional registrants watching some or all the event through the available stream or in SecondLife. The gathering had 40 speakers, two plenary panels, 16 breakout sessions, and our lunch hour keynote.
Here are some examples. Exploration of curricular use of wikis found blogs on "Ben Schechter from the Case School of Dental medicine's Clinical Manual. Jonathan Adler, from the Case School of Law was the lead-in to not only Andy Guess' story but also caught the attention of others in the blogsphere. A number of folks commented on their experiences at the conference in second life here and here. Other bloggers commented on the various lessons learned and opportunities to leverage their experiences at the gathering in their own environments. If you've blogged or twittered related to the gathering please let us know in the comment sections.
With the forthcoming release of the University's strategic plan, the technology community at Case Western Reserve University is committed to positioning these and other powerful collaboration tools to support the pursuit of scholarly and academic distinction consistent with the vision of the University. We hope that today might mark the first of an annual celebration of innovation and critical reflection on the transformation potential of collaboration technology for the University and the community around us.
Lev Gonick
Case Western Reserve University
May 11, 2008
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May 07, 2008
The Chronicle of Higher Education and the Cleveland Plain Dealer TechCollab 08 in SecondLife
A new and temporary media 'spin room' has been constructed on the lawn between Adelbert Hall and the Kelvin Smith Library on the Case Western Reserve University campus in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio. While the forecast is for rain tomorrow, the sun will be shining in SecondLife as more than 300 registered attendees will make their way through the construction sites on Euclid Avenue to the Thwing Center to participate in Technology Collaboration and Campus Engagement '08.
Not only will the sunshine be shining in SL with no construction sites and no hassle parking, we hope you will consider joining us for the day and take time to visit the press spin rooms that have been set up. Jeffrey R. Young from Chronicle will be in the Chronicle spin room and a number of different avatar/journalists from the Plain Dealer may 'drop in'.
In addition, we're pleased that NPR, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Inside Higher Education will be taking time to navigate the construction sites and parking hassles and make their way into the grand ballroom to cover the summit.
See you inworld and/or in person tomorrow.
Lev Gonick
May 7, 2008
Case Western Reserve University
Posted by lsg8 at 04:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Pre-Event TechCollab 08 Blog -- Research in Virtual Immersive Worlds
Tomorrow (May 8, 2008) Case Western Reserve University will be hosting a day long summit on collaborative technologies and community engagement. Although the event is sold out, readers who are interested can participate in TechCollab 08 in SecondLife or watch proceedings following this streaming link.
One of the breakout sessions tomorrow is on Immersive Worlds and Learning and Research. The program features Cory Ondrejka (University of Southern California, Co-Founder of SecondLife), Mark Turner (Cognitive Science, Case Western Reserve University), Edward Lee Lamoureux, (Bradley University New Media Studies), and Stacy Williams (Communication Studies, Case Western Reserve University).
Here is a clip of Stacy's 3 minute trigger video to help contextualize our conversation tomorrow.
I hope you'll continue to give us feedback on the day's events and the arc of activity that we now understand that it has already inspired.
Lev Gonick
Case Western Reserve University
May 7, 2008
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May 04, 2008
NEOhio's OneCommunity and the Future of the Broadband Economy: Interview with Robert Bell from the Intelligent Communities Forum
The Great Lakes Geek himself, Dan Hanson, has just posted a great background podcast with Robert Bell from the NY-based Intelligent Communities Forum.
The interview (part one of two) starts with an exchange over the politics of broadband. Reminds me of one of my favorite Colbert shticks.
Dan then take Robert through the various models around the world associated with the broadband economy. The final piece of this first interview explores the difference between muni-wireless as a strategy for economic development and contrasts it with the 'portfolio approach' to infrastructure investments necessary for a sustainable 21st century broadband economy.
Later this month, Scot Rourke, CEO of OneCommunity receives this year's "Visionary of the Year" award from ICF at the annual meeting in New York. Once again, NEOhio has been selected by ICF to be among the world's Top Seven most intelligent communities.
Lev Gonick
Case Western Reserve University
May 4, 2008
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May 01, 2008
Headliner Acts in the World of Technology Invade Cleveland
There are times when the distance between the West Coast and Cleveland feels like twice the distance from Cleveland to the West Coast. While many of us technologists find our ways to make a pilgrimage to San Jose, Austin and/or Rt 128 outside of Boston, somehow in order to sit at the feet of the 'oracles' you need to find your way to them because it often is too far to come here to the shores of Lake Erie.
No more.
Over the next three weeks Cleveland becomes the center of the universe for propeller heads, technocrati, and interested citizens. The great vortex begins next Thursday, May 8th when Case Western Reserve University hosts a day long symposium on Collaboration Technologies and Community Engagement held at the Thwing Center. Headlining that event is a lunchtime keynote by Anthony D. Williams, author and avid researcher examining the impact of new technologies on society, economy and the future of education. He is co-author of the widely acclaimed book, Wikinomics (http://wikinomics.com/). His work has been featured in Business 2.0 and Optimize magazine and widely circulated in syndicated research programs. Find out more about Anthony D. Williams at: http://anthonydwilliams.com
A week later (May 17), Tech Sync: Connecting Greater Cleveland's Network of Technology Excellence is back. This two day networking and celebration event caps off with a headliner presentation by Craig's List Founder, Craig Newmark on Saturday late afternoon at 5pm. Craig is a proud geek and double Case Western Reserve University alum and is looking forward to meeting all of the other geeks from the Great Lake cities of NEOhio.
Place: The Forum, One Cleveland Center, Downtown
Price: $40
Not even a week after that, NEOSA Best of Tech Awards Dinner is being held out Corporate College East on May 22 from 5:30-8 pm. (Price: $25 members, $40 non-members). Headlining the evening is Robert X. Cringely.
Formerly referred to as employee No. 12 at Apple, Cringely is the best-selling author of Accidental Empires, a columnist with InfoWorld magazine, and producer of more than a dozen tech industry films for PBS. He was even once the answer to a question on the game show Jeopardy.
Lots of good stuff going on in the technology world in Cleveland. Hope to see you at these three events.
Lev Gonick
Case Western Reserve University
May 1, 2008
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