The National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation is hosting BrainJams!: A Conversation on Technology presented by Chris Heuer, founder of BrainJam Workshops and Beth Kanter, Nonprofit Technology Consultant on Thursday, August 3rd at the Parc 55 Hotel in San Francisco. This all-day exploration of online technology and how it can be used by practitioners of dialogue & deliberation to enhance their work, offers an opportunity to learn directly from technologists who will join us for a day of demonstrations and conversations. These technologists, leaders in the cutting edge online technology often referred to as Web 2.0, will offer their expertise on a wide array of networking and collaboration tools (including Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts, Online Workspaces and Social Networks) through BrainJam’s signature "12 Five Minute Meetings" as well as a broader conversation using the World Café. With the goal of examining the opportunities provided by the many freely available Web 2.0 tools for both individuals and organizations, our BrainJam will explore several themes including:  

1. Why is having a basic understanding of the power of the internet more important than ever? Especially, with the impact that social networking and online collaboration is having on our day-to-day use of the web.
2. How can both individuals and organizations take full advantage of these cutting-edge tools and their capacity for social change, storytelling and information gathering? An introduction to the most commonly used Web 2.0 tools and the potential they bring to our field.
3. How can we build online communities that support real world counterparts? Considerations on how to use online tools to support our real world work. Specifically designed for beginners and seasoned internet users alike, this conversation is part of NCDD's pre-conference activities and can be registered for on the NCDD 2006 Registration form (BrainJams participants who will not attend the NCDD conference may still use this form to register for the workshop). Conference participants who have already registered but who wish to attend the BrainJams should contact Joy Garman (joy@thataway.org) with their interest.

The BrainJams will be held from 9am to 5pm at the Renaissance Parc 55 in downtown San Francisco. More information about the 2006 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation can be found at http://thataway.org/conference/. Event Website: http://thataway.org/conference/sessions/...