DC: An interesting new form of mobility.https://t.co/PuhfM3Yz1k
— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) August 13, 2022
On 08/13/2022,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, creativity, emerging technologies, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, interaction design, interactivity, UK, United States, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, wearables, Web3, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
“Lawyers and the Metaverse”, 3 warnings re: virtual hearings, using tech to advance legal ed, & more
On 07/25/2022,
in 21st century, Access to Justice (A2J), Asia, Blockchain, business, Canada, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, copyright/ownership/NFTs, corporate / business world, cryptocurrencies, emerging technologies, experimentation, face-to-face, future, game-changing environment, human-computer interaction (HCI), immersion, innovation, interaction design, interactivity, law schools, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, new business models, platforms, privacy, society, strategy, telelegal, tools, United States, vendors, Virtual courts and law firms, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, wearables, Web3,
by Daniel Christian
How will the Metaverse Influence Business and Legal Processes? — from jdsupra.com
Excerpt:
While some will be hesitant to use the metaverse and adoption is difficult to predict, it is not going away and will undoubtedly affect internal processes, business dealings, case strategy, and more. Organizations should start thinking about the possibilities now to be better prepared for future challenges. Below are some predictions on how the metaverse will influence operations, strategy, and investments across different areas of the enterprise.
Lawyers & the Metaverse — from joetechnologist.com by Elizabeth Beattie and Joseph Raczynski
Excerpt:
In a new Q&A interview, Thomson Reuters’ technologist and futurist Joseph Raczynski offers his insight about the Metaverse and how it will impact the legal industry.
I have likely spoken to thousands of lawyers over the last several years. They are extraordinarily bright, but with one limiting factor — their dedication to their craft. This means that they do not have the time to lift their heads to see what is coming. All these emerging technologies will impact their practices in some way, as well as the business of law. At a minimum, lawyers need the opportunity to focus on the big four: AI, blockchain, workflow, and the grab bag of general emerging technology. There are a multitude of places to learn about these things, but I would include some of the classics such as Google Alerts, Twitter threads on these topics, and magazines like Wired, which should be a staple for everyone.
These legal issues should be on college business officers’ radars — from highereddive.com by Rick Seltzer
A panel at the National Association of College and University Business Officers’ annual meeting covered legal questions spanning many offices on campus.
Let’s not presume that virtual hearings are the best solution in family law — from canadianlawyermag.com by John Silvester
Excerpts:
Proponents argue that virtual hearings are less expensive for clients, leading to enhanced access to justice for those who cannot afford to pay for their lawyers to travel to a courthouse and then sit and wait for hearings to commence. Sounds reasonable, right?
Not so fast.
…
Virtual hearings are advantageous in some scenarios, but there are at least three reasons why moving to an almost entirely virtual legal world may prove problematic.
LawNext Podcast: CALI Executive Director John Mayer on Using Tech to Advance Legal Education and Access to Justice — from lawnext.com by Bob Ambrogi and John Mayer
Excerpt:
In this episode of LawNext, Mayer joins host Bob Ambrogi to discuss the history and mission of CALI and to share his thoughts on the use of technology to enhance legal education. They also talk about how and why A2J Author was developed and how it is used by courts and legal services organizations to help those who are without legal representation. Mayer also shares his thoughts on the future of innovation in law and on the future of CALI.
Louisiana Approves Virtual Custody Services and Proposes Virtual Currency Business Licensing Rules — from natlawreview.com by Moorari Shah and A.J. S. Dhaliwal
Excerpt:
Recently, the Louisiana lawmakers and regulators have taken steps to legalize operations in the state involving virtual currencies. On June 15, the Louisiana governor signed a bill that, effective August 1, 2022, will allow financial institutions and trust companies to provide virtual currency custody services to their customers as long as they satisfy certain requirements on risk-management and compliance. On June 20, the Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions (OFI) published proposed rules on licensing and regulation of virtual currency businesses in the state pursuant to the Louisiana Virtual Currency Business Act, which went into effect on August 1, 2020.
On 07/25/2022,
in 21st century, accreditation, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Augmented Reality (AR), Blockchain, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, communities of practice, copyright/ownership/NFTs, corporate / business world, Cost of legal services - including access, credentialing, cryptocurrencies, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, distance education, emerging technologies, engineering, entrepreneurship, experimentation, face-to-face, future, higher education, Holographic comms, human-computer interaction (HCI), hybrid learning, Hyflex learning, ideas, innovation, instructional design, law schools, leadership, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, learning spaces, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, Metaverse, Michigan, Mixed Reality (MR), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Near Field Communication (NFC), online learning, organizational change, pace of change, platforms, policy, productivity / tips and tricks, reinvent, robotics, skills, society, staying relevant, strategy, surviving, technology (general), telelegal, trends, Uncategorized, United States, universities, using teams, vendors, Virtual courts and law firms, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, Web3, workplace, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Given:
- the accelerating pace of change that’s been occurring over the last decade or more
- the current setup of the legal field within the U.S. — and who can practice law
- the number of emerging technologies now on the landscapes out there
…I think we’ve run out of time to effectively practice law in the U.S. — at least in terms of dealing with emerging technologies. Consider the following items/reflections.
Inside one of the nation’s few hybrid J.D. programs — from highereddive.com by Natalie Schwartz
Shannon Gardner, Syracuse law school’s associate dean for online education, talks about the program’s inaugural graduates and how it has evolved.
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
In May, Syracuse University’s law school graduated its first class of students earning a Juris Doctor degree through a hybrid program, called JDinteractive, or JDi. The 45 class members were part of almost 200 Syracuse students who received a J.D. this year, according to a university announcement.
The private nonprofit, located in upstate New York, won approval from the American Bar Association in 2018 to offer the three-year hybrid program.
The ABA strictly limits distance education, requiring a waiver for colleges that wish to offer more than one-third of their credits online. To date, the ABA has only approved distance education J.D. programs at about a dozen schools, including Syracuse.
Many folks realize this is the future of legal education — not that it will replace traditional programs. It is one route to pursue a legal education that is here to stay. I did not see it as pressure, and I think, by all accounts, we have definitely proven that it is and can be a success.
Shannon Gardner, associate dean for online education
From DSC:
It was March 2018. I just started working as a Director of Instructional Services at a law school. I had been involved with online-based learning since 2001.
I was absolutely shocked at how far behind law schools were in terms of offering 100% online-based programs. I was dismayed to find out that 20+ years after such undergraduate programs were made available — and whose effectiveness had been proven time and again — that there were no 100%-online based Juris Doctor (JD) programs in the U.S. (The JD degree is what you have to have to practice law in the U.S. Some folks go on to take further courses after obtaining that degree — that’s when Masters of Law programs like LLM programs kick in.)
Why was this I asked? Much of the answer lies with the extremely tight control that is exercised by the American Bar Association (ABA). They essentially lay down the rules for how much of a law student’s training can be online (normally not more than a third of one’s credit hours, by the way).
Did I say it’s 2022? And let me say the name of that organization again — the American Bar Association (ABA).
Graphic by Daniel S. Christian
Not to scare you (too much), but this is the organization that is supposed to be in charge of developing lawyers who are already having to deal with issues and legal concerns arising from the following technologies:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) — Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), algorithms, bots, and the like
- The Internet of Things (IoT) and/or the Internet of Everything (IoE)
- Extended Reality (XR) — Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR)
- Holographic communications
- Big data
- High-end robotics
- The Metaverse
- Cryptocurrencies
- NFTs
- Web3
- Blockchain
- …and the like
I don’t think there’s enough time for the ABA — and then law schools — to reinvent themselves. We no longer have that luxury. (And most existing/practicing lawyers don’t have the time to get up the steep learning curves involved here — in addition to their current responsibilities.)
The other option is to use teams of specialists, That’s our best hope. If the use of what’s called nonlawyers* doesn’t increase greatly, the U.S. has little hope of dealing with legal matters that are already arising from such emerging technologies.
So let’s hope the legal field catches up with the pace of change that’s been accelerating for years now. If not, we’re in trouble.
* Nonlawyers — not a very complimentary term…
I hope they come up with something else.
Some use the term Paralegals.
I’m sure there are other terms as well.
From DSC:
There is hope though. As Gabe Teninbaum just posted the resource below (out on Twitter). I just think the lack of responsiveness from the ABA has caught up with us. We’ve run out of time for doing “business as usual.”
Law students want more distance education classes, according to ABA findings — from abajournal.com by Stephanie Francis Ward
Excerpt:
A recent survey of 1,394 students in their third year of law school found that 68.65% wanted the ability to earn more distance education credits than what their schools offered.
On 07/24/2022,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Amazon, Apple, collaboration, digital learning, emerging technologies, Facebook / Meta Platforms, future, Google, Metaverse, Microsoft, multimedia, NVIDIA, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, wearables, web-based collaboration, Web3, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
The Metaverse Will Reshape Our Lives. Let’s Make Sure It’s for the Better. — from time.com by Matthew Ball
Excerpts (emphasis DSC):
The metaverse, a 30-year-old term but nearly century-old idea, is forming around us. Every few decades, a platform shift occurs—such as that from mainframes to PCs and the internet, or the subsequent evolution to mobile and cloud computing. Once a new era has taken shape, it’s incredibly difficult to alter who leads it and how. But between eras, those very things usually do change. If we hope to build a better future, then we must be as aggressive about shaping it as are those who are investing to build it.
The next evolution to this trend seems likely to be a persistent and “living” virtual world that is not a window into our life (such as Instagram) nor a place where we communicate it (such as Gmail) but one in which we also exist—and in 3D (hence the focus on immersive VR headsets and avatars).
On 07/16/2022,
in 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, art, Augmented Reality (AR), change, communications, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, digital storytelling, drama/theater, educational games / serious games, entrepreneurship, experimentation, face-to-face, future, game-changing environment, ideas, immersion, innovation, liberal arts, Mixed Reality (MR), multimedia, platforms, play, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
The following two items make me wonder how Extended Reality (XR)-related techs will impact theatre, gaming, opera, & other forms of entertainment.
AR Opera Glasses Could Change Broadway Forever — from vrscout.com by Kyle Melnick
Excerpt:
Immersive technology brings the stage to life like never before.
Students from the South Korean Hongik University have developed a pair of reimagined 19th-century opera glasses that utilize AR technology to immerse spectators in Broadway shows in a variety of unique and imaginative ways. The device is compatible with popular shows such as Wicked, Aladdin, Cats, Mamma Mia, and Frozen.
Reddot_Rene from ???/??????? on Vimeo.
What ‘Shakespeare Karaoke’ Teaches About the Virtual Reality Future — from edsurge.com by Rebecca Koenig
Does technology work better as a solo encounter or a group experience?
Excerpt:
To immerse, or not to immerse?
For professors designing virtual reality versions of Shakespeare’s plays, that is the question. The answer(s) may have implications for designing new edtech tools—and VR technology intended to be used beyond the classroom, too.
The Bard’s masterpieces, plays written in the late 1500s and early 1600s, have received all kinds of digital makeovers in the 21st century. Two current efforts designed by academics for use in teaching draw on extended reality tools that invite users to actively participate in scenes from works like “Romeo and Juliet.”
Play the Knave is a video game that helps users design actor-avatars they can direct with their bodies around virtual theater spaces. Shakespeare-VR is a project-in-development that will enable users to don a VR headset, step on to a virtual Elizabethan stage and perform alongside avatars voiced by professional actors.
On 07/09/2022,
in Augmented Reality (AR), Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, education technology, Emotion, engagement / engaging students, Mixed Reality (MR), society, sociology, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
Check Your Privilege In This Thought-Provoking VR Experience — from vrscout.com by Kyle Melnick
This AR Drum App Could Revolutionize Music Learning — from vrscout.com by Kyle Melnick
On 07/09/2022,
in 21st century, Amazon, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Augmented Reality (AR), computer science, data related items, emerging technologies, Google, Metaverse, Microsoft, Mixed Reality (MR), programming, society, tools, trends, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
Radar Trends to Watch: July 2022 — from oreilly.com
Developments in AI, Metaverse, Programming, and More
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
The most important issue facing technology might now be the protection of privacy. While that’s not a new concern, it’s a concern that most computer users have been willing to ignore, and that most technology companies have been willing to let them ignore. New state laws that criminalize having abortions out of state and the stockpiling of location information by antiabortion groups have made privacy an issue that can’t be ignored.
Also relevant/see:
- General AI News — from essentials.news
On 07/04/2022,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, attention, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, history, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
This VR Bus Takes You On A Tour Of Ancient Rome — from vrscout.com by Bobbie Carlton
