Austin, TX — October 13, 2005 — Proposals for presentations for the NMC Online Conference on Educational Gaming, a special 2-day, live online event to be held December 7-8, 2005 entirely via the Internet, are being solicited through November 4, 2005. See the NMC site for details.

"Educational gaming has seemed tantalizingly close, yet somehow not quite within our reach for a number of years," said Larry Johnson, CEO of the New Media Consortium. "The singular focus of the Online Conference on Educational Gaming, part of the NMC Series of Online Conferences, is to explore the state of this art, where things are heading, and what might be on the horizon."

This unique online event will include sessions on topics from using games in practice to gaming research, from gaming and engagement theory to implications for multimedia and web design, and more. The event will be conducted online in real time and asynchronously using conferencing tools and real-time facilitation approaches provided by NMC distinguished partner LearningTimes.

The conference is designed to continue the very engaging and rich dialogs begun at the recent NMC Regional Conference at Yale with a broader audience, and further explore how to meet the expectations of technology-savvy digital natives coming to campus looking for visually rich learning experiences and collaborative activities that build on their years of familiarity with massively multi-player role-playing and other games.

Sessions are encouraged in any of the following areas, but selections will not be limited to these categories:

— Using games in practice
— Gaming research
— Gaming and engagement theory
— Exploration of differences between and potential uses of scenarios, role-playing games, team-based games, multi-outcome games, quests, and other game types
— Open-source gaming engines
— Incorporation of learning objects within games or vice versa
— Assessment strategies
— Implications for multimedia and web design

Proposals may be submitted online at http://www.nmc.org/events/2005fall_online_conf/proposals.shtml

This event is the sixth in the ongoing series of specially focused online gatherings that explore new ideas and issues related to technology and learning. The series is itself an exploration of emerging forms of collaboration and tools, and this particular conference will be the first in the Series to conduct all conference sessions interactively in real time.

Attendees of NMC’s previous online meetings have enjoyed a wide range of features commonly associated with their traditional face-to-face conferences, including interactive sessions from engaging presenters, “hallway” conversations, exhibitions, chats with exhibitors, chances to ask presenters questions, and more. With the LearningTimes collaboration, several new approaches to this rich aspect of the NMC Series of Online Conferences will be unveiled.

NMC Plus members enjoy up to 10 free registrations to online conferences. Regular NMC members will be able to participate at the discounted NMC member rate of $125 per person. The Conference is also open to nonmembers at the regular rate of $195.

Additional information about the conference can be found at http://www.nmc.org/events/2005fall_online_conf/

Stay tuned to LearningTimes.org and to NMC for program information. The registration period opens on November 8, 2005. Please circulate this announcement to any and all individuals and departments at your organization that may be interested in participating.

About the NMC
The New Media Consortium (NMC) is an international 501(c)3 not-for-profit consortium of nearly 200 leading colleges, universities, and museums dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies. The consortium serves as a catalyst for the development of new applications of technology to support learning and creative expression, and sponsors programs and activities designed to stimulate innovation, encourage collaboration, and recognize excellence among its member institutions. Through its many projects, its comprehensive web site, and its series of international conferences the NMC stimulates dialog and understanding through the exploration of promising ideas, technologies, and applications. For more information on the NMC, see its web site at www.nmc.org.

About LearningTimes
LearningTimes, LLC, designs and produces online learning conferences, communities and events, and provides the platforms, applications and promotional expertise that make them successful. The LearningTimes Network of over 70 online communities and 130,000 members connects each member institution with other learning-oriented groups and provides unique opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. For more information, contact John Walber at 215-884-7321 or info@learningtimes.net. Visit LearningTimes on the Web at http://www.learningtimes.net.