THATCamp New Souths will be here in mere days now!  We are a great group of campers with a really wide-ranging set of backgrounds–it should be a fantastic event.

Firstly, this is the week to roll out your session ideas in a big way on the THATCamp New Souths blog.  Remember that the first order of business Saturday morning will be to look over everybody’s ideas so we can set the schedule for the day–figuring out numbers of breakouts and which spaces should be used.  Please feel free to comment on and enhance one another’s suggestions–check back often through the week as new posts will be going up (below the current sticky post at the top).  Participation is the watchword of THATCamp! This is your event to create.

Some other housekeeping. This is the only time we’ll get this official (officious?), but there’s some important stuff here so please read through:

1.) Workshops: We’ve got a pair of great optional workshops to choose between on Friday afternoon. They run concurrently from 3pm-5pm:

a.) Omeka.net hands-on workshop. Erin White, Web Systems Librarian at VCU Libraries, will lead an introduction to Omeka. This platform is commonly used by individuals, libraries, archives, academic institutions, and others to host media content and create online exhibits. To make best use of the session, take a moment to check out Omeka.net, establish a (free) account, and bring your laptop to the workshop if you can.

b.) Digital storytelling.  Bud Deihl, Faculty Instructional Technology Consultant from VCU’s Center for Teaching Excellence, will lead an introduction to the art of digital storytelling. This can involve the use of many different kinds of tools, but for this session, you will receive an overview of the sound editor Audacity, the video editor WeVideo, and select principles of storytelling and storyboarding that you will be able to use subsequently to create digital stories. Please take a moment to check them out and establish a WeVideo account.

So that our instructors can plan, it’ll be helpful if we can get a feel for how many folks are interested in each workshop, so we’ve set up this handy-dandy sign-up form and ask you to indicate your preference (fear not, you can change your mind).

2.) Location and parking

All the THATCamp New South events will happen in the Academic Learning Commons (ALC) building at 1000 Floyd Ave., Richmond, VA.

Friday — workshops: check-in prior to the workshops will be on the fourth floor of the ALC in the fourth-floor lobby between the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Writing Center (right near the elevators by room ALC 4100) starting at 2:15 p.m.  We’ll also have drinks and snacks available for workshop participants.  We’ll direct you to rooms for the individual workshops.

Saturday — THATCamp proper: check-in begins at 8:15 a.m. in the first floor lobby of the ALC.  Note that the only door that will be open in the ALC is the handicapped door at the Floyd Ave. entrance to the ALC. This building is not normally open on Saturdays, so we have slightly limited access. We’ll get under way in ALC Room 1102 at 9am.  Coffee and breakfasty foodstuffs will be available.

Parking: you have options for parking in pay decks (West Cary St. deck or West Main St. deck) or street parking.  Street parking is more likely to be available on Saturday. Note that some street parking requires payment at a pay station (less likely on Saturday).

3.) Technology: wireless will be available through VCU’s guest wireless network (only thing you’ll need is a valid email address).  As THATCamp is a tech-related event, we recommend you bring laptop, tablet, and/or smart phone as you wish.  And if you have other tech you’d like to show or talk with folks about, feel free to bring it along.

4.) Dress code: there is none! THATCampNS is an entirely informal event, so wear what makes you most comfortable.

5.) Friday night: anyone who is interested is welcome to gather with fellow THATCampers at a local establishment to be named shortly.  We’re finalizing that location and will announce it well in advance of Friday night.  If you can’t make the workshops on Friday afternoon, we hope you’ll still join us that night at the restaurant/bar for some good fellowship.  We’ll try to make it obvious who we are, and we’ll post to the blog and the THATCamp Twitter account (@thatcampns).

Think that does it!  If you have other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask either Eric or John.  Watch the blog for any late-breaking announcements and, of course, to be a part of the discussion around session ideas.

Looking forward to seeing you at the end of the week.

Best,

Eric Johnson
edmjohnson@vcu.edu

John Glover
jglover2@vcu.edu