In this special episode from the American Association of Museums Annual Conference, Jonathan sits down with Nina Simon, author of the Museum 2.0 blog, who shares a fascinating approach to exhibit creation that turns the process inside out — and it involves the use of three-dimensional online worlds. Nina also shares her vision for museum experiences that adapt to visitor's interests in real time.

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About the Guest:
Nina Simon joined the Tech Museum of Innovation in October 2007 to curate their Tech Virtual Museum Workshop project, a collaborative, distributed approach to exhibition design that merges online, Second Life, and real-world content development. She also maintains Museum 2.0, a blog about ways that museums can integrate social networks, user-focused design, and etc. into their institutions.

Nina Simon, author of Museum 2.0, at AAM in Denver, CO.

In this special episode from the American Association of Museums Annual Conference in Denver, Jonathan steps into a voting booth created by the Liberty Science Center. Using a touch-screen voting interface, museum visitors in Jersey City, NJ, see — with graphical results tallied in real time — how they match up to current presidential candidates and other “voters” on scientific issues. Wayne LaBar of the Liberty Science Center walks Jonathan through the experience and its context.

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Wayne LaBar demonstrating the virtual voting booth that is currently in action at the Liberty Science Center.

About the Guest:
Wayne LaBar is Vice President of Exhibitions and Featured Experiences at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey.

In this extended edition of the Real Time Minute, Jonathan shares excerpts of a conversation with four museum professionals using three-dimensional virtual worlds to conduct meaningful learning activities in real time.

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Chris Lawrence, Nora McCartney, Paul Sparrow, and David Klevan at AAM in Denver.

Show Notes:

In this special edition from the American Association of Museums Annual Conference in Denver, Jonathan catches up with four museum professionals immediately after their panel session entitled, “Charting New Territory in Virtual Worlds”. The conversation featured Chris Lawrence, Nora McCartney, Paul Sparrow, and David Klevan.

About the Guests:
Paul Sparrow is Vice President/Broadcasting and Programs at the Newseum.

Chris Lawrence is Supervisor of Distance Learning Programs at the New York Hall of Science.

Nora McCartney is Educational Technology Curriculum Manager at the New York Hall of Science.

David Klevan is Education Manager for Technology and Distance Learning Outreach Technology at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Related links:

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
“Witnessing History: A Teen Second Life Exhibit” – Video on YouTube
Newseum
New York Hall of Science
PowerUp the Game

During the panel session on virtual worlds, Chris Lawrence acted as a human “applause meter” to gauge audience interest in various topics the panel was prepared to discuss. Seeing a live demo of virtual worlds in action topped the charts.