EDTECH Island - Recently Updated Pages

About EDTECH Island

ldawley — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:27:55 CST

Training Teachers in Virtual Worlds

EDTECH Island is located in Second Life, and is a free resource for all teachers. We offer a variety of spaces for inworld education events and teaching, a sandbox, and an informational center. Limited condo space is available for free to teachers. IM Bcreative Wilde inworld to reserve event locations. Please see our event schedule at the teleport entrance. EDTECH Island was started in January 2007 by faculty and graduate students in the Dept. of Educational Technology at Boise State University to support virtual world teacher education. All are welcome. Learn more about CAVE Island, our partnership island next to EDTECH. More about EDTECH Island: * Rezlibris: An Educated Quest discusses Ann Jeffery's learning activities for "Teaching and Learning in Virtual Worlds" August 2009 * EDTECH island and courses discussed in rezlibris magazine: Training Teachers in a Virtual World August 2009 * EDTECH research discussed in Social Learning Theory in Second Life, June 2009 * EDTECHs virtual world courses featured on WCET,May 2009 * Particpant in 2008 Machinima Festival *Virtual Worlds Come Alive at AECT 2008 Convention * University Business Magazine interviews Lisa Dawley in Sizing Up Second Life * Nominated for Edublog's Best Educational Use of a Virtual World Award in 2007. * Learning Curves, Dagmar Kojishi, Metaverse Messenger, 2007.	Inworld Courses and Workshops on EDTECH Island: We offer graduate courses and workshops throughout the year on the island. Our fullly online classes are open to all individuals who have a Bachelor's degree, and you can enroll in single courses. Tuition is $1,044 regardless of location. • Spring 2010 - EDTECH 597: Teaching Mathematics in Virtual Worlds, requires synchronous meetings in Second Life, Thursdays, 3-5 PM PT. Dr. Randall Holmes (graduate course, 3 credits) Syllabus • Spring 2010 - EDTECH 532: Educational Games and Simulations, requires synchronous meetings in Second Life. Thursdays, 5-6:30 pm PT. Dr. David Gibson & Chris Haskell (graduate course, 3 credits) Syllabus  • Spring 2010 - EDTECH 531: Teaching and Learning in Virtual Worlds, requires synchronous meetings in Second Life Wednesdays, 3-5 pm PT. Ann Jeffery (graduate course, 3 credits) Syllabus • Construction Junction: Educational Design & Building in SL, Dr. Lisa Dawley (workshop; CEUs or PD credit available) http://constructionjunction.wikispaces.com/ Email Jerry Foster for enrollment information on our graduate courses jfoster@boisestate.edu Register at http://edtech.boisestate.edu/web/procedures.htm
Presentations by EDTECH Community folks: Sensory Learning in Virtual Worlds located in ARVEL SIG's new cave system http://slurl.com/secondlife/CAVE/46/242/22 BSU & Monash University interviews:BSU and Monash students form new collaborative partnership. EDTECH Island Two Years Later: Training Teachers in Virtual WorldsVW BPE 09 conference presentation, Dawley Evaluating Second Life Course Experience (AECT 08, Bedard-Voohees & Dawley) Learning to Teach in Second Life: A Hands-On Workshop (VSS 2008 presentation) Jeff Kurka's blog on Construction Junction Dalai Haskell's podcasts Blending Blackboard & Second Life, Interview with Dr. Mauri Collins Inworld presentation on Leveraging Social Network Knowledge Construction for Powerful Learning in Second Life May 2008, Dawley AECT In Second Life: Prims, Plans & Projects, 2007, Dr. Ross Perkins Webinar on Persistent Social Learning: An Emergent ID Model for Virtual World Design November 2007, Dr. Lisa Dawley Blog entry about a presentation on Math and Freehand Drawing by Dr. Randall Holmes (aka Leslie Beaumont). _______________________________________________________________________________________________	Events on EDTECH: Join our EDTECH Community group inworld. Membership is open and free. Ask questions, get support, receive event notices--our membership is now over 900 strong! We support AECT in Second Life!

EDTECH Island is located in Second Life, and is a free resource for all teachers. We offer a variety of spaces for inworld education events and teaching, a sandbox, and an informational center. Limited condo space is available for free to teachers. IM Bcreative Wilde inworld to reserve event locations. Please see our event schedule at the teleport entrance.

EDTECH Island was started in January 2007 by faculty and graduate students in the Dept. of Educational Technology at Boise State University to support virtual world teacher education. All are welcome.

Learn more about CAVE Island, our partnership island next to EDTECH.

More about EDTECH Island:
* Rezlibris: An Educated Quest discusses Ann Jeffery's learning activities for "Teaching and Learning in Virtual Worlds" August 2009
* EDTECH island and courses discussed in rezlibris magazine: Training Teachers in a Virtual World August 2009
* EDTECH research discussed in Social Learning Theory in Second Life, June 2009
* EDTECHs virtual world courses featured on WCET,May 2009
* Particpant in 2008 Machinima Festival
*Virtual Worlds Come Alive at AECT 2008 Convention
* University Business Magazine interviews Lisa Dawley in Sizing Up Second Life
* Nominated for Edublog's Best Educational Use of a Virtual World Award in 2007.
* Learning Curves, Dagmar Kojishi, Metaverse Messenger, 2007.

Inworld Courses and Workshops
on EDTECH Island:

We offer graduate courses and workshops throughout the year on the island. Our fullly online classes are open to all individuals who have a Bachelor's degree, and you can enroll in single courses. Tuition is $1,044 regardless of location.

• Spring 2010 - EDTECH 597: Teaching Mathematics in Virtual Worlds, requires synchronous meetings in Second Life, Thursdays, 3-5 PM PT. Dr. Randall Holmes (graduate course, 3 credits) Syllabus

• Spring 2010 - EDTECH 532: Educational Games and Simulations, requires synchronous meetings in Second Life. Thursdays, 5-6:30 pm PT. Dr. David Gibson & Chris Haskell (graduate course, 3 credits) Syllabus 

• Spring 2010 - EDTECH 531: Teaching and Learning in Virtual Worlds, requires synchronous meetings in Second Life Wednesdays, 3-5 pm PT. Ann Jeffery (graduate course, 3 credits) Syllabus

• Construction Junction: Educational Design & Building in SL,
Dr. Lisa Dawley (workshop; CEUs or PD credit available) http://constructionjunction.wikispaces.com/

Email Jerry Foster for enrollment information on our graduate courses jfoster@boisestate.edu
Register at http://edtech.boisestate.edu/web/procedures.htm

Presentations by EDTECH Community folks:

Sensory Learning in Virtual Worlds
located in ARVEL SIG's new cave system
http://slurl.com/secondlife/CAVE/46/242/22

BSU & Monash University interviews:BSU and Monash students form new collaborative partnership.

EDTECH Island Two Years Later: Training Teachers in Virtual WorldsVW BPE 09 conference presentation, Dawley

Evaluating Second Life Course Experience (AECT 08, Bedard-Voohees & Dawley)

Learning to Teach in Second Life: A Hands-On Workshop (VSS 2008 presentation)

Jeff Kurka's blog on Construction Junction

Dalai Haskell's podcasts

Blending Blackboard & Second Life, Interview with Dr. Mauri Collins

Inworld presentation on Leveraging Social Network Knowledge Construction for Powerful Learning in Second Life
May 2008, Dawley

AECT In Second Life: Prims, Plans & Projects, 2007, Dr. Ross Perkins

Webinar on Persistent Social Learning: An Emergent ID Model for Virtual World Design
November 2007, Dr. Lisa Dawley

Blog entry about a presentation on Math and Freehand Drawing by Dr. Randall Holmes (aka Leslie Beaumont).
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Events on EDTECH:

Join our EDTECH Community group inworld. Membership is open and free. Ask questions, get support, receive event notices--our membership is now over 900 strong!

We support AECT in Second Life!

CAVE Island

dalai — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:46:54 CDT

CAVE (Community of Academic Virtual Educators)
Located at http://slurl.com/secondlife/CAVE/168/217/29

Welcome to CAVE island. CAVE is an acronym for Community of Academic Virtual Educators. Within an island space in the virtual world of Second Life, five unique and influential organizations bring their significant resources to bear for teaching and learning. The partners include:

Boise State University's Department of Educational Technology
AECT_SL
iNACOL
ARVEL SIG
and the ICT Library.

Perhaps the most exciting element of this unique virtual world space is the metaphor derived from the community's name. The island itself has a system of caves created by its partners that will entice any virtual world explorer. Participating in embedded virtual world-games and scavenger hunts, participants can explore secret and beautiful subterranean caverns, tunnels, and rooms.

Boise State University's Department of Educational Technology (EDTECH) has been teaching and preparing virtual educators for nearly a decade. Adjacent to EdTech Island (the virtual campus for Boise State), CAVE and its partners leverage the resources of this world-renowned institution, its faculty, as well as its master's and doctoral researchers and students to assist with management of CAVE.

AECT_SL, the virtual worlds committee of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology also calls CAVE Island home.

ARVEL SIG is short for the Applied Research in Virtual Environments for Learning special interest group. Affiliated with the American Educational Research Association (AERA), ARVEL SIG is comprised of educators, scholars, and practitioners this group is dedicated to researching computer-mediated 3-D communities.

The ICT Library is a premier in-world resource for educational tools and resources. The ICT Library was established in 2006 by Ross Perkins while at Virginia Tech. Collaborating with some of the best virtual world designers, the ICT library is host to large stores of teaching and learning objects, tools, scripts, and resources. A library of this quality fits appropriately within the Community of Academic Virtual Educators.

Take the tour, see the space, and explore the creativity waiting for you on Cave Island, only in the virtual world of Second Life.

Photos from CAVE

Second Life New User Links

ldawley — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:09:19 CDT

It cannot be denied that Second Life can have a high learning curve. Even residents who have been on-line for years may still need help with skills they don't normally use. Thankfully there are any number of free tutorials and classes available both in Second Life and on the web.

NCI - New Citizens Inc.

"Designed primarily for new residents, but open to all, NCI offers in-person advice from our team of NCI Helpers and NCI Land Officers classes, contests and social events, interactive tutorials, freebies, help notecards and landmarks, sandboxes for building, a new residents mall, Ginny Gremlin park, games, and newsstands with free in-world publications."
(http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/New_Citizens_Incorporated)

NCI's Class & Event Web Site

SLURLs to the NCI sites. An SLURL is a link on a normal web page that (when pressed & SL is open on your computer) opens up a LM (landmark) that will teleport you to a Second Life Location.

NCI PDF Class Schedule – Remember SL time is Pacific Time US

Second Life Wiki
The Second Life Wiki offers community powered help on a variety of topics.

Video Tutorials http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Video_Tutorials

NMC (New Media Consortium)
NMC is an international not-for-profit consortium of learning-focused organizations dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies.

(http://www.nmc.org/about)
NMC freebie store

Please feel free to add and update this list!

Second Life Tutorials

ldawley — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:07:53 CDT

View complete list of Torley Linden's tutorials

How to open the Advanced menu

Getting Started

ldawley — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:07:11 CDT

1. Download the software at http://secondlife.com. A basic account is free.

2. Complete the orientation upon entrance. It will teach you basic skills to navigate SL.

3. After the orientation, teleport to EDTECH Island by clicking on this SLURL (Second Life URL).
http://slurl.com/secondlife/EdTech/110/135/25

OR

After your are logged in:

Click Map on the bottom right and enter "EDTECH" next to the Search button
You will see EDTECH highlighted with a red circle, click the Teleport button

The SJSU Second Life wiki has additional great directions
for getting started in Second Life.

Student Assignments

ldawley — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:40:44 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Photos

ldawley — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:34:02 CDT

David Gibson's fireside chat	Intellagirl (Sarah Robbins) explores avatar appearance	Roleplay in Caledon
Horseback riding	Jonathon Richter shares the Salamander Project	Eloise Pasteur discusses educational tools
Chade and Mali at the back-to-school party	Sharon Smaldino presents on EDTECH	Dancing the night away, thanks Bcreative!

Center for Virtual Educators

JennySW — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:35:38 CDT

There are many locations in Second Life that are perfectly built and empty while others are well built and helpful. The Center for Virtual Educators is a helpful ocation. This building has tool for educators and is a spacious, making it easy to move or pan around, which is so important to new users. The sim also loads quickly due to the light use of scripts and textures.

The Center is full of education and building tools as well as free textures (and a large texture organizer) from different SL providers. Information is also available about groups and communities. Come take a look. You might find just what you're looking for.

Rhys Ackmann (SL)

Teaching Spaces on EDTECH Island

JennySW — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:13:54 CDT

Magic Skybox, BSU EdTech Island

When you first arrive at the Magic Skybox, you hear an owl, birds, and crickets, and some lovely night sounds. You're in a forest environment. Fallling leaves really gently float downward, acorns are falling from the giant oak trees, and you sense you should have brought a sweater.

You look around at a tall stand of ancient trees. There are some green lights hovering around one tree; perhaps fireflies or something more ethereal. The lighting is a little dim through the canopy of leaves, and you sense that high above, there may be nests and families of fowl looking down on you. You get a sense you should whisper not to disturb the peace.

As you walk slowly through the stand of trees, you see a few animals bounding about, searching for food and scurrying into their hovels, perhaps hidden behind the huge ferns. Suddenly, you smell smoke, and realize there's a small fire, a campfire over in the distance. As you approach it, you can smell the mossy smells under your feet, the dark, rich earth and the fallen leaves and grasses. Around the fire you see eleven colorful cushions, welcoming, inviting. And do you smell camp food?

Sitting by the fire you count to seven logs. Others join you, and everyone feels welcome and relaxed, staring into the flames, listening to the friendly sparks from the fire and to one another. Everyone taking polite turns. The atmosphere calls for slow responses, reflection, relaxation.

There seems to be quite a depth to the texture of the forest...as if you can see 3D. Some of the trees are at the edges of the walls of the scenes so you feel they are part of your environment.

Looking up into the sky, you can see the trees are quite different at the tops, which makes for a varied effect. You gaze upward, wondering whether there may be a tree house, a fort, something high above hidden by the leaves. It brings a sense of mystery, of adventure, of potential.

SL Avatars from left: MLani Montgomery, Leslie Beaumont, SC Zunimoor, Snowflake Lannock. and ??
Magic Skybox seen from a distance in space

Sandbox, BSU EdTech Island

The sandbox has sand and is meant to be built on. Come try some experimental building and rezzing! Some grass is growing in the sand. There are a lot of fur trees around the sandbox on the one side to keep the sand from blowing away. On the other side is a stone wall and some buildings in the distance. There is a bridge leading to some tutorials and a freebie area. It almost looks like the sand area is flooded once in a while because of the bridge structure that leads to the tutorials. Look inside the lighthouse for free tectures!

There are some orange dots on the ground in front of the bridge structure. Not sure what they are for, perhaps for a class. There are prims hanging in the air in the distance.

A tree house is built in a giant brown oak tree on a small island next to the sandbox. There is a small bridge leading to the treehouse island. The proportions make it look funny. A tree that size can not possibly grow on such a small island.

There is a eagle circling in the clear blue sky. It cries out with intervals. I can hear some wind shimes as well. You can hear the wind and smell the water from the sea close by. The smell is carried in by the wind. Perhaps there is a little dust smell in the air as well - slowly carried around by the wind.

Come have some fun in the sandbox. Meet some friendly fellow builders and learn together. Don't be afraid to ask for help!

Leslie's Observations

leslie_beaumont — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:05:16 CDT

OF THE SKYBOX

It is a woodland setting. One hears creatures out of sight (birds and insects). A number of people are sitting around a fire.

If I scan downwards sideways or up I find myself in midair, but an illusion of space is maintained inside the box due to the backdrops on the sides.

all in all a very effective illusion.

I rather imagine I would smell the fire and typical background odors of a forest at night...

OF THE SANDBOX

I noticed in the sandbox that there is an awful lot that I don't usually notice, because I am usually intent either on building or on what people are doing there. There are wind chimes, the wind blowing, the eagle crying -- a lot of sound which gives a sense of place. There are trees and buildings visible all around that don't really normally intrude into my attention.

"e" or "M" learning

MissAnnie — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:17:10 CDT

M-learning, or "mobile learning", now commonly abbreviated to "mLearning", has different meanings for different communities. Although related to e-learning and distance education, it is distinct in its focus on learning across contexts and learning with mobile devices. One definition of mobile learning is:Learning that happens across locations, or that takes advantage of learning opportunities offered by portable technologies. In other words, mobile learning decreases limitation of learning location with the mobility of general portable devices.

The term covers: learning with portable technologies, where the focus is on the technology (which could be in a fixed location, such as a classroom); learning across contexts, where the focus is on the mobility of the learner, interacting with portable or fixed technology; and learning in a mobile society, with a focus on how society and its institutions can accommodate and support the learning of an increasingly mobile population that is not satisfied with existing learning methodologies.

M-learning. (2008, September 28). InWikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:26, October 4, 2008, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M-learning&oldid=241554864

Opportunities

There are many additional factors driving the trend in mlearning, from business to cultural to technologies and just the need for people to be increasingly mobile. Accessiblity both physically (e.g. travelling to work/school) and mentality (between students, their networks, education, personal/family) are key to meeting the individual and organizational needs. Individual needs refer to students having access to context, information and each other (including the instructor). Individual needs also deals with staying connected, informed and being aware of whats going on. This will contribute to the students participation and how they will participate. Organisational needs can be seen as keeping up with the growing technological demands of society and how to prepare students to meet those demands.

Consider what mobile apps are useful for virtual worlds.

Handheld computers and pocket PC's
PDA's
Handheld Voting Systems
Cell phones

Students using mobile devices in the classroom to enhance group collaboration among students and instructors using a Pocket PC.

On the job training for someone who accesses training on a mobile device "just in time" to solve a problem or gain an update.

Learning in museums or galleries with handheld or wearable technologies

The use of personal technology to support informal or lifelong learning, such as using handheld dictionaries and other devices for language learning.

Improving levels of literacy, numeracy and participation in education amongst young adults.

To provide audiovisual support in order to enhance training that has been provided in a corporate business or other classroom environment.

There are currently over 700 applications available from Apple for iPhones and iPod touches, not to count the iTunesU store.

What opportunities might there be for using mobile learning in virtual worlds?

What are the benefits?

M-learning has many advantages in the mobile world, in schools and workplace. In most countries, the mobile communications infrastructure expands a wider footprint than any other telecommunications network. It is also cheaper and more accessible than computers. Technology has made it possible to communicate over vast distances with a very wider audience, whether it be in the rural areas of the Carribbean or the hills of India. M-learning has reached out to many individuals who can now access learning materials at their own will regardless of their commitments.Other benefits include:^

Content is adaptable to meet individual needs

Easily accessible

Available in your pocket (unless you loose your phone)

More independent

Improved communications

No time constraints

Depending on where the item comes from there can e cost involved. eBooks come with a price just a normal book would.

Challenges What are the issues with mobile learning?Are there cost implications? What are the implications for virtual worlds?

More vulnerable to viruses and hackers
Connection costs can be expensive in areas where monopolies exist
Frequency interference with other devices (e.g. bluetooth, radio, wireless might be running on the same frequencies)
Require learner motivation

Examples

To what types of learning has M-Learning been adapted?Consider how can they be used and/or how can we incorporate them into our teaching.

Projects
m-Learningis a pan-European project funded by the European Commission under theEducation Area of the Information Society (IST) Programme. The three-year projectbegan in October 2001 with a programme co-ordinated by the Learning and SkillsDevelopment Agency (LSDA) in London. Participant organisations include universitiesand commercial companies based in three European Union countries: Ultralab and CTAD(Britain), CRMPA (Italy) and Lecando (Sweden).m-Learningharnesses mobile technologies to address three social/educational problemsspecifically relating to many young adults aged 16-24 in the European Union:

poor literacy/numeracy;
non participation in conventional education;
lack of access to web-enabled computers.

Read the whole documentm-Learning support for disadvantaged young adults

MOBIlearnis a worldwide European-led research and development project exploring context-sensitive approaches to informal, problem-based and workplace learning by using key advances in mobile technologies.

The MOBIlearn project is based on an international partnership which includes well-known Universities and public bodies, mobile operators, leading European software and learning technologies companies, World-class mobile devices manufacturers, market analysis consultants, publishers and content providers. Those partners bring a real cross-disciplinary know-how, with expertise in pedagogy, adaptive interfaces, collaborative learning, context awareness, business modelling and e-learning technologies.

References
Feel free to incorporate images, links, tools, ideas, thoughts.
Add any papers, presentations, blogs, wikis and tools that you find useful.

Sprint. Eric Madsen & Chris Whitinghttp://www.sprintmobilelearning.com/presentations/mLearning/
Tara Brabazon (2007)Mobile Learning: the iPodification of Universities.
Heppell S., Brown D., Richardson T., Pittard V., Parkin T., et alPresentations and podcasts from Handheld Learning 2006.
McConnetha, Doug (2007)Mobile Learning in the Classroom. Research paper on the use and effectiveness of using mobile phones for learning with college students using a commercial m-learning platform. West Chester University. Delivered at SALT Conference in Arlington, VA. August 2007.
Naismith, L., Lonsdale, P., Vavoula, G. & Sharples, M. (2005)Literature Review in Mobile Technologies and Learning. Report 11, NESTA Futurelab. Bristol: NESTA Futurelab.
Smith S.Alt-N Mobile Learning 2007Paper published by Alt-N which looks at different methods by which mobile learning objects might be created for handheld devices and some of the strengths and weaknesses of each method. Paper was first presented at Handheld Learning 2006.

Useful Papers:

Chen, C.-M., & Hsu, S.-H. (2008). Personalized Intelligent Mobile Learning System for Supporting Effective English Learning.Educational Technology & Society,11(3), 153-180.

Farrell, M.J., Rose, L. (2008). Use of Mobile Handheld Devices in Clinical Nursing Education. Journal of Nursing Education47(1), 13-19.

Franklin, T., Sexton, C., Lu, Y., Ma, H. (2007). PDAs in Teacher Education: A Case StudyExamining Mobile Technology Integration.JI. of Technology and Teacher Education 15(1) ), 39-57

Zurita, G., Nussbaum, M. (2007). A conceptual framework based on Activity Theory formobile CSCL.British Journal of Educational Technology 38 (2),211-235

Son, C., Lee, Y. & Park, S. (2004). Toward New Definition of M-Learning. In G. Richards (Ed.),Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2004(pp. 2137-2140). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.

Selected References Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-learning"

Wordle

MissAnnie — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:16:52 CDT

Wordle Examples
Source and Style

Created using Microsoft RSS Feed from a Social Bookmarking Site
Font: Headlight Rg
Color: Blue Meets Green
Mostly horizontal

Created from text on Social Bookmarking from Wikipedia
Font: Mail Ray Stuff
Color: Blue Chill
Mostly horizontal

Created text of Magic Skybox page
Font: Meloche Rg Bold Font
Color: Blue Meets Orange
Half Horizontal and Half Vertical

Observations

As you can see from my attempts, I used various sources to generate the word clouds. Although, each one was very pleasing and interesting to look at in terms of color, font, and arrangement - I doubt that my word clouds convey specific content. In the words of the Bible 1Co 14:9 (NIV) "Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air." So I guess my frustration lies around not being able to provide a more meaningful context. As the creator of a Wordle word cloud I can see some association of concepts, but I am not convinced someone else would come see the same. The interpretation of the word clouds reminds me of the famous Rorschach inkblot tests at best. Thus, highly subjective and may reveal more about the interepreter than the creator's thinking. I think in some instances the fewer words the better in terms of providing focus of meaning.

I did experiment with the random feature and looked at the different font, color, and style combinations, which are probably on the order of thousands of possible combinations.

As to using Wordle for a class of adult learners, it could be used as a creative exercise. It may be difficult in using it to convey explicit knowledge. I think it could provide some thought provoking dividing pages between PowerPoints or Manuals. The pages could be used to introduce topics or sections. The Wordle could provide major themes or ideas to be covered. Of course you could use it as an ice breaker or interpretive exercise in Second Life by creating the Wordle and uploading it on to an in-world presentation board to be used by Second Life learners.

The creator of Wordle expressed concern for using the application of Wordle in a classroom context in that he does not censor or delete content that may be inappropriate for younger students. However, Miss Fran O'Leary of the English and Media Studies department of Redruth School claims she has found some value in using Wordle in introducing new vocabluarly words. Although she is not certain as to why this method is successful.

Educational Value
Having students use worlde with their own vocabulary can be a unique way to learn. Students reading a book can be required to "wordle" vocabulary they don't understand, or words they need to learn. They can also do a "one-word" definition wordle to coinside with their vocabulary words. This site provides a very unique oppurtunity. Maybe one group of kids have to define the vertical words, or the orange words, while the others define the horizontal words or the blue words. The list of possiblities goes on and on. This can be used in every discipline as well. History teachers can use it for themes, math teachers for terms. Every discipline has a unique vocabulary. This is can be a nice time saver for teachers and fun for the students.

Observations and Reflections by Ginger

Working with wordle clouds is a fun, creative and visible way of capturing focal points and ideas of texts, paragraphs, documents, words (or group/list of words) and other resources. Wordle can be used to make catchy posters and attractive screen savers. Another useful example is having a wordle slideshow with a few pictures of your organization displayed at a booth (as I am doing now in Africa, yay!) or even at the entrance to an event or building. People immediately turn their heads and attention and 90-95% of the time stopped to watch and look around the booth. With the right and effective use of wordle, it can be inviting.
When first introduced to wordle clouds for this assignment, I could not see and grasp the correlation with social bookmarking. My basic understanding of how wordle works was the more you use a word in a paragraph, the more emphasis or bigger size it becomes in your wordle cloud. After using and understanding more about wordle, that was just one way of looking at it. Another way wordle is useful taking the key points of your topic and putting and emphasizing single words that would best capture those points and ideas. Wordle then becomes an accessible tool for all audiences in communicating, educating, advertising, socializing and many other fields.

Primtionary

MissAnnie — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:16:34 CDT

Introduction

Ever play Charades, Taboo, or Pictionary? Those are all games where creativity is paramount to success. “Primtionary” is a game similar to Pictionary but played with prims in Second Life; the event we were fostered to join in our weekly in-world meeting was run by Rowan Thursday in Asim Zahra (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Asim+Zahra/185/179/27) Instead of people acting out and giving clues or drawing, they create the clues by creating 3D objects.

How it works

The event proceeds as follows:

One person, standing on the stage, picks a level of difficulty (from easy to impossible) and is given by the host a word which he/she must try to build using basic prims;

That person then builds something that will give the rest of the audience cues;

The audience then attempts to guess the word and type guesses into the chat bar;

The first person to type in the correct answer wins and has the opportunity to be the next builder.

The rules of the game

The game consists of one player/builder building visual clues of a word to be guessed by an audience.
The player/builder tells the host what level they are building. (Building Levels are: Easy, Medium, Hard, Evil, Impossible)
The host will give the player/builder a word to build in Instant Messenger so the word will not be seen by the audience.
The first person in the audience to guess the correct word wins that round and 25 Lindens.
The winner is entitled to build on the next round.
If player/builder is stuck they may IM the host for help or have the host give some clues going to the audience.
Building letters is not allowed. But a letter can be used if the letter is not in the word.
Custom textures, colors for prims are allowed unless it is a part of the word.
Items from inventory cannot be used.
Use the green CC shaped prims to mean SOUNDS LIKE.
Use + between objects to break down the word into syllables.
Use a green arrow to point at what you want the audience to see or say.
No scripts or sculpties are to be used in the build.
Each word is must be completed before the clock runs out.

How it feels

When the primtionary site is idle, the atmosphere has all the characteristics of a medieval outdoor theatre with a half-a-dome-shaped cement/stone seats and a stage where artists and authors like Shakespeare and Beethoven put on their plays and symphonies. Once the action starts and the ‘building process’ begins, the stage is transformed into your modern drive-through movie theatre with big screens, lights, cameras and serving some good juicy burger and fries.

The primtionary setup allows for the audience to see and participate in the building process. The guessing process can be overshadowing to newcomers, especially when the responses are dominated by the regular members and those familiar with the participation process.

What instructional activities might be done there?

For those in a language teaching/learning and intercultural communication field it would be great to organize a game like Primtionary for the following reasons:

linguistic/didactical reasons: e.g. the game as a tool to enhance language vocabulary, writing skills;

intercultural reasons: explore the cultural differences through the connections made by students with various backgrounds between “words” and their “representation” through “objects/prims”.

In general it would be fruitful for social reasons: games like that can improve cohesion in the class group and represent the chance to use that game to open a class activity to a wider audience, that is, students of different classes and schools could interact in a sort of competition.

What could be modified to make it more comfortable or usable?

Tailoring the game to unique topics or to learner abilities could improve the game. Those new to SL will be likely to be intimidated to participate because of the appearance of complexity the game presents. Lacking building skills could make some feel very afraid to participate. Some of the builds require that the participants already have advanced camera skills so that they can see what is being built.

Personal Reflections:

Mike wrote:
The more time I spend on in Second Life the more I get hooked. This was no different, I love mind games, I love a good challenge. That was actually fun to do with further exploration all of Yummie's creations there are fun, a giant Connect 4, Suduko, and Battleship were right behind the stage. The details of the environment really make it easier to become so intrigued. I had logged in over the weekend and "brushed" up on my building skills, once I realized the one who guessed the correct answer had to build, I froze. My building skills were nothing like what I saw, the quick shape of objects and mass production of them was amazing. However for novice builders, activities like that are fun. It is like playing charades or pictionary. I did expect us to be building not playing a game, it was fun. I had a challenge, got to play a game, and learned more tools from Second Life.

At first the environment seems overwhelming. However the participants make you feel welcomed to participate. The more people shouting answers the more fun the game becomes. The collaboration of the different ideas made me think of different words. I personally thought some people who won were only there because they spring boarded off someone else's idea or was able to just spell the words correctly.

Ric wrote:
When I arrived on Asim Zahra island I was a bit disoriented and was not sure where to go for the event. As I spun my avatar around I saw a message that said to follow the footprints, which were imprinted on the ground. I still was not sure this was the place I was intended to be. Several of my class peers had arrived and I looked at my class peers for direction. During this, some type of text script named "Zort" addressed me by name and asked if I needed help and to respond "Yes" or "No." I had no clue what this Zort script was about, so I responded "No." Then curiousity took over and since this was a learning event, I thought what the heck, let's go for it. So I followed the green footprints and they led me to some steps. I was amused at the "Caution - Addictive Primitonary Ahead" sign. I went up the steps to find that I was in the back of a stadium or some type of arena. It appeared that the event was already in progress. I looked around the bleachers to see if any of my class members were already seated. Comfortable with the thought that I would not be in anyone's way, I found a nice place and sat down. While I was looking for instructions, a screen message informed me that I could receive an informational notecard by clicking on the podium, which I did. I read the notecard which helped me understand the game. First I sat and observed for a few moments. I was awed at the skill of the builders. My building skill paled in comparison. And once I realized that I was not going to be publically embarrassed by being asked to build a word, I found I was more able to participate and enjoy the experience. I was amazed at the creativity of the builders in providing object clues and decided to guess some answers myself.

The pedagologial applications for this activity are overwhealming. The obvious applications would be to enhance one's Second Life building skills. But in an academic vein, this could be used to support many topic areas, such as problem solving, creativity, thinking styles, and at an even more elementary level, spelling.

I was impressed by the design of the game. The stage was setup so that it was easy for all to view the items being built making it easier to participate visually. Of course, one can always use advanced camera controls, and with many of the participants being builders, I am sure they did. The gaming logistics were well integrated. There was a clock to let you know how much time was left to guess, which also increases the stress levels (increasing the level of completition and excitement) on both the part of the builders and the participants. The method for the moderator providing the word to be guessed via private IM was a good use of that feature. It appeared that engagement of the moderator, participants, and builders was very good. I was so impressed by this experinece that I bought the full version of the Spelling Assistant for Primtionary. I noticed that there was about 6,000 prims avaliable for the land, and you would probably need significant prim capabilty to host an activity like this.

Laura wrote:
It has been interesting to participate to the event even if I acted as a lurker rather than a player, the atmosphere was very funny and I perceived a strong feeling of “cohesion” among the participants, it’s true that behind the game there’s a real community.

As a non native English speaker I experienced the event as very challenging and I must confess that I was terrified by the idea to guess the word (maybe by chance) and be the next builder!

I believe that in such games, similarly as in social networks in general, to be comfortable and take the best from any activity you have to feel part of the community sharing its rules, communication habits, and feel that you can reach the goal (in that case having fun!) working (playing) together.

I really enjoyed the experience, it was a fruitful opportunity to reflect and I gathered a variety of inputs about a possible use of that game in my learning/teaching context.

Ginger wrote:
Attending my first Primtionary event felt like stepping in a triathlon where everyone was already starting the second event and I was just beginning the first course. To some point, you feel that pressure to catch up and keep up with everyone. It was overwhelming to just jump into an event where everyone was mostly in sync and familiar with the process and judging from the level (and type) of conversations, most people know each other or at least have a comfortable relationship with one another.

I participated in the guessing process and although my answers were far from correct, I was nervous that I might actually get one right and then had to go on the stage and build something, which then I would compare to being in the early stages of training for the triathlon. I was impressed with the vocabulary and list of words used in the Primtionary event. Like Laura, with English being a 2nd/3rd language, I couldn't make the connection between some of the builds and the words themselves even after it was explained :(. Overall, among many things, the Primtionary event not only improves building skills, but also builds your vocabulary.

The Magic Skybox

MissAnnie — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:15:58 CDT

http://slurl.com/secondlife/EdTech/130/125/684

How it looks

It’s a nature-like environment in which added animations like leaves driven by the wind, background wood sound and a fireplace contribute in giving the impression of an alive place without being distracting. When first arriving to Skybox, alone and lost, it was a very dark and creepy place.The name ‘Skybox’ was a bit misleading; as I had imagined it would look like a scene out of … Care Bears or other magical kingdoms filled with floating clouds, rainbows and blue skies, but instead, it was like a forbidden forest outside a kingdom with lots of mysteries, magic and sorcery, witches and warlocks, a place where evil and wild roam and a place with talking trees and animals and place with a life of its own.There were eyes staring at you and you could feel their presence.It made focusing a bit difficult.

The Magic Skybox theme is a forest. There is light, at least with the midday settings, but it is not direct sunlight. The forest trees keep much of the direct sunlight out. So the forest remains dark most of the time. However, there is a campfire that burns around the clock. The thought ran through my mind that Smokey the Bear may not be too happy about that. And then I thought, a virtual Smokey the Bear might be very interesting training tool and maybe he has already been created. The trees are not uniform in shape and size. If they were, it could be a sign of a newbie creator. The variety of plants and trees lends to the illusion of a forest, which is only broken if you run into one of the forest walls.

How it feels

During our first meeting we were provided with little furniture (table, chairs and cushions on the ground) just to make all feel comfortable in an informal space. Actually the atmosphere was "magic" and motivating, I can say very suitable to foster the flow of thoughts/brainstorming. The fireplace gave me a perception of familiarity and reminded me friendly environments similar to those sometimes dedicated to storytelling in Second Life; as shown in picture can elicit a sense of mystery and enchantment, variables that can strongly affect learning.

The atmosphere around the Magic Skybox has a sense of mystery to it.It has a sense that there is something new to discover behind every tree, under the rocks and behind the bushes.It also has a sense of struggle (good and evil and in our context as educators, between ideas).It feels like the last remaining frontier, a place where evolution has not yet reached and with our presence and the things we bring in (from clothes to tables and chairs to even ideas), we are disturbing, colonizing, and changing it.

Without others in the forest, this feels like a very lonely place. There is no one present for interaction. There is no social networking. There is no sharing or discussing of ideas with others. There is no friendly verbal bantering back and forth. The experience is not much different than an asynchronous web-based training course, just you and the computer. It is the people that change the feel of the place. The Magic Skybox provides a setting and a context in which social transactions may take place. After being in the Skybox, it is easy to imagine how it would feel when the forest is populated with people.Then it is transformed into a very engaging place.

What instructional activities might be done there?

After our class experience I began reflecting on the need of designing and using various environments in the different phases/steps of a learning path; the Magic Skybox is a very welcoming space for informal meetings but I guess there are a lot of ways an instructor can take advantage of such a lovely place, I believe it could be successfully used for a treasure hunt or for a storytelling session.

If gathering thoughts, staring and imagining are instructional activities, then the Magic Skybox is the place to do it.It also offers a good place to read, write, reflect and meditate.It can potentially be used to host on-line games like scavenger hunts/matching (find a word behind a tree, find a meaning behind a bush and match it; unlock an idea and match it with clues you have; or even our own class Primtionary space).

The environment of the Magic Skybox provides an appropriate context for many types of learning activities. However,due to the dimensions of the Magic Skybox itself and the technical constraints of having too many avatars in one place, the MagicSkybox is best suited for small group activities. Many of the same learning activities performed elsewhere in Second Life can be performed here; slide shows, lectures, group discussions and debates,group collaboration, and for an ice breaker perhaps a variation on the game of hide and go seek.The Magic Skybox can lend an element of fun around learning, transforming traditional methods of delivering training and making them interesting and even fun. Other types of learning activities that may be well suited for the Magic Skybox are those involving creativity and thinking outside the box (well maybe not outside the Magic Skybox) and brainstorming.

What could be modified to make it more comfortable or usable?

It would be useful to have a drop-box for collecting notes: after a brainstorming session or a learning activity a tool to collect immediately reflections and/or assignments that have just been noted down by participants/students can help producing further observations/reflections.

On how it looks:

I think some color would make it more comfortable, maybe with some purple, red, colorful flowers and plants and maybe even a bit of the blue sky.
On additional features:

Providing some options of opening other programs in Second Life (opening Internet window crashes my computer).
Providing recording (video, voice and data) learning sessions.
Lighting influences the mood inside the Magic Skybox. Even though individual residents have some controls over environmental lighting. It would be nice to have a global lighting control for the Skybox, so that the instructor could facilitate the appropriate mood for a learning activity. Also, it might be helpful to have a holodeck control associated with the Magic Skybox, where different forest seasons, such as fall and winter could be swapped in and out.

Primtionary presentation

MissAnnie — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:43:03 CDT

SITE 2009 - Charleston

Ann Jeffery, Emily East, James Dearnley, Salli DiBartolo

Introductions - 1 one each (James)

Explanation of session - (Annie/Salli) - 2 mins

This session is a brief introduction to a Second Life game, which is based on the well known board game, Pictionary. We've been exploring Primtionary with students, to develop team building, content creation and social networking skills at Boise State University. We've found Primtionary has been well received by our students, and would like to explore the educational potential of the game today. Rowan is going to give us an overview of how Primtionary works from in world.

What is Primtionary? - 5 mins (Rowan)

Hello everyone. Primtionary is a game similar to charades. One player is given a word by the host, and then uses the Second Life object creation 'Build' system to build that word on stage out of objects, while the other players try to be the first to guess correctly what he or she is building. Normally, the player who guesses correctly is then the player who builds in the next round.

Different words are given different levels- so, for instance, the word 'windmill' would probably be built by simply creating a model of a windmill on stage, whereas 'starboard' might be a star and a plank of wood, and at the far end of the scale 'inquisition' could be conceivably represented by a Spanish flag above a model depicting the notorious Monty Python "Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition" sketch.

These are extreme examples, but they do show some game's potential- a competitive challenge in building skills, combined with a shared social experience. Also, frequently the use of a shorthand of cultural ideas in building creates a rewarding cross-cultural exchange. Players from around the world often face the challenge of attempting to communicate, for instance, an idea or expression largely specific to American culture, in a way which will be understood by a German player, or vice-versa. This enables them to share their cultural experiences, comparing shared reference points and recognising differences, and develop skills in social networking with a potentially worldwide peer group.

Now that you've heard the theory, here's a few examples of Primtionary in action, with a short video, followed by a montage of builds from actual Primtionary games taken over the last few months:

VIDEO and RL discussion- then-- >

Some words are best depicted by breaking down into smaller syllables, just as in charades. Here, the player has chosen to represent the syllable 'it' in an amusing manner:

(Show slide- Primtionary Snapshot - IT )

Laughter has been called the universal language. The more humorous side of the words chosen is often brought out in this manner as the group becomes more socially involved with one another, and helps to draw players into the group, in addition to developing building skills, as, just as in real life, the ability to successfully entertain and amuse whilst carrying out a task is often regarded as a sign of consummate ability. Although not especially technically complex, the somewhat risque and absurdist humour of this build, indicating the adjective 'freudian', is an example of the use of humour in a build in a manner which aids communication and crosses cultural boundaries.

(Show slide - Primtionary Snapshot - Freudian )

Naturally, if cultural references sometimes cross boundaries, there are by contrast references which are specific to one culture, such as shown here:

(Show slide - Primtionary Snapshot - Chav)

... here, the word "Chav"- a UK slang term for a particular criminally inclined social group (we are informed that the US equivalent would be the word 'poor white trash') whilst instantly recognisable to the British members of the audience from the position and clothing of the figure in the build, was a mystery to a number of American players, provoking a subsequent discussion into the terms used to describe similar groups in the players' various cultures, and their equivalence.

There are of course other cultural boundaries than the geographical- the build shown here

(Show slide - Primtionary Snapshot - Codswallop) illustrates a term which has rather fallen out of use in contemporary language, but would certainly have been more familiar in times past. At the opposite end of the scale, occasionally builds- or parts of builds made up of syllables, as with 'IT' above, are developed using somewhat obscure mathematical or scientific references. While this is only encouraged in moderation, it and similar references do offer something of an 'easter egg' for those who understand them, allowing different and diverse players to recognise shared interests and experiences, and promote social bonding. Would anybody care to make a guess as to what the word being built here might be?

As you've seen, a build does not necessarily have to be overly complex to get across a complex idea. Abstract concepts are naturally the hardest to build, but, as this build of "ambition" shows, it is a question of the 'right' build, rather than necessarily the most technically complex:

(Show slide - Primtionary Snapshot - Ambition)

Another build, the word "Invasive" uses a more direct representation of the concept

(Show slide - Primtionary Snapshot - Invasive) - if this had failed, an alternative strategy for the builder might have been to depict, for example, an army crossing a border (a number of green-clad Prim 'people', as seen in previous builds, crossing a line, into a space with differently coloured prim-people in it), plus a colander or sieve.

http://snapshots.slbuzz.com/monalisa-robbiani/2009/01/24/35478

(Show slide - Primtionary Snapshot - Zeitgeist)

Finally, before we invite you to have a go at Primtionary yourselves, a rather more complicated build, once again illustrating a concept- note the 'impossible' rating displayed near to the top of the snapshot.

You may see on the left hand side of the build that the builder has used two different ways to depict the first syllable- the pair of eyes with lines leading to them, and/or the clock depicted beneath a German flag, while the second half of the word is shown on the right, with 'CC' a generally accepted shorthand for 'sounds like', thus 'sounds like' a translucent, glowing figure.

Again, I'd like to invite members of the audience here today to guess the word being shown, before we move into the practical demonstration itself.

Discussion - 20 mins

What skills are needed for a game like this?

What benefits might Primtionary have for real life educators?

How can this game or situation be adapted for different subject areas/curricula?

Can you see any advantages or disadvantages?

What pedagogies do you think are appropriate?

Do you think it's worth developing mixed reality skills for the future? If so, why?

James is going to talk about how Primtionary is being used to develop building skills for Finalist UG students at Loughborough Uni

Burning Life

MichaelRoss — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:02:39 CST

The origin

Burning Man is an annual event held in the Black Rock Desert, in Northern Nevada. From its origin in 1986 when Larry Harvey, Jerry James, and a few friends burned an 8-foot wooden man as well as a smaller wooden dog (this is where the name of the event comes from) it experienced a long variety of changing trends.
The event is described as an experiment in community, it has its own common principles but Burning Man does not have a single focus and according to “burners”' (participants) preferences can show different features which includeartwork,absurdity,decommodification, andrevelry.
The 10 common principles of Burning Man contribute to make the event a communal event based on cooperative and collaborative activities, those principle are: radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation, and immediacy.
To know more:http://www.burningman.com/whatisburningman/;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Man

Another way to view Burning Man is a week long party like Woodstock was. However this is very well organized, mixed with a lot more drugs and a rave like vibe to it. A lot of the people walk around nude, experiment with things, and just have fun. This is open to all walks of life, do your self a favor and "Google" Burning Man, check out the images. It is well organized. So well there is even a temporary air strip built so people may fly in. During the week people live like nomads wondering the Northern Nevada desert in search of fun. They usually find it along with their fair share of dust storms. Be prepared to get dirty!

From Burning Man to Burning Life

Burning Life is the second life version of Burning Man event , it is a Resident-Created Event held on Linden land and first held in 2003. the two events, RL one and SL one have a lot in common, both are completely non-commercial in fact you can experience there is no sponsorships, no logos, no advertising, but only gift-giving acts as a part of welcome message of the burning man culture and wish for participation.To know more:http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Burning_life#Visit_the_Burning_Life_HomePage

Burning Life, Community Building and Social Networking

Images from the event (see thread "burning life assignment" below):

album "Burning Life" in the wiki photo gallery
example of scrapblob:http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/Viewer.aspx?sbid=781707

Magic Skybox

RICROBINSON — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:57:17 CDT

http://slurl.com/secondlife/EdTech/130/125/684

How it looks

It’s a nature-like environment in which added animations like leaves driven by the wind, background wood sound and a fireplace contribute in giving the impression of an alive place without being distracting.
When first arriving to skybox, alone and lost, it was a very dark and creepy place.The name ‘skybox’ was a bit misleading; as I had imagined it would look like a scene out of … Care Bears or other magical kingdoms filled with floating clouds, rainbows and blue skies, but instead, it was like a forbidden forest outside a kingdom with lots of mysteries, magic and sorcery, witches and warlocks, a place where evil and wild roam and a place with talking trees and animals and place with a life of its own.There were eyes staring at you and you could feel their presence.It made focusing a bit difficult.

The Magic Skybox theme is a forest. There is light, at least with the midday settings, but it is not direct sunlight. The forest trees keep much of the direct sunlight out. So the forest remains dark most of the time. However, there is a campfire that burns around the clock. The thought ran through my mind that Smokey the Bear may not be too happy about that. And then I thought, a virtual Smokey the Bear might be very interesting training tool and maybe he has already been created? The trees are not uniform in shape and size. If they were, it could be a sign of a newbie creator. The variety of plants and trees lends to the illusion of a forest, which is only broken if you run into one of the forest walls.

How it feels

During our first meeting we were provided with little furniture (table, chairs and cushions on the ground) just to make all feel comfortable in an informal space. Actually the atmosphere was "magic" and motivating, I can say very suitable to foster the flow of thoughts/brainstorming. The fireplace gave me a perception of familiarity and reminded me friendly environments similar to those sometimes dedicated to storytelling in SL; as shown in the snapshot here attached this place can elicit a sense of mystery and enchantment, variables that can strongly affect learning.

The atmosphere around the Magic Skybox has a sense of mystery to it.It has a sense that there is something new to discover behind every tree, under the rocks and behind the bushes.It also has a sense of struggle (good and evil and in our context as educators, between ideas).It feels like the last remaining frontier, a place where evolution has not yet reached and with our presence and the things we bring in (from clothes to tables and chairs to even ideas), we are disturbing, colonizing, and changing it.

Without others in the forest, this feels likea very lonely place. I feel allalone. Thereis no one present for interaction. Thereis no social networking. Thereis no sharing or discussing of ideas with others. Thereis nofriendly verbal bantering back and forth. The experienceis not much different than anasynchronous web based training course, just you and the computer. It is the people that change the feel of the place. The Magic Skyboxprovides a setting and a context in which social transactions may take place. After being in the Skybox, it is easy toimagine how it would feelwhen the forest is populated with people.Then it is transformed intoa very engaging place.

What instructional activities might be done there?

After that class experience I began reflecting on the need of designing and using various environments in the different phases/steps of a learning path; the Magic Skybox is a very welcoming space for informal meetings but I guess there are a lot of ways an instructor can take advantage of such a lovely place, I believe it could be successfully used for a treasure hunt or for a storytelling session.

If gathering thoughts, staring and imagining are instructional activities, then the Magic Skybox is the place to do it.It also offers a good place to read, write, reflect and meditate.It can potentially be used to host online games like scavenger hunts/matching (find a word behind a tree, find a meaning behind a bush and match it; unlock an idea and match it with clues you have; or even our own class primtionary space).

The environment of the Magic Skyboxprovides an appropriate context for many types of learning activities. However,due to the dimensions of the Magic Skybox itself and thetechnical constraints of having too many avatars in one place, theMagicSkybox is best suited for small group activities. Many of the samelearning activites performed elsewhere in Second Life can be performed here; slideshows, lectures, group discussions and debates,group collaboration, and for an ice breaker perhaps a variation on the game of hide and go seek.TheMagic Skyboxcanlendan element of fun aroundlearning. Transforming traditionalmethods of delivering training and making them interesting and even fun.Other types of learningactivities that may be well suited for the Magic Skybox arethose involving creativity and thinking outside the box (wellmaybe not outside the Magic Skybox) and brainstorming.

What could be modified to make it more comfortable or usable?

It would be useful to have a dropbox for collecting notes: after a brainstorming session or a learning activity a tool to collect immediately reflections and/or assignments that have just been noted down by participants/students can help producing further observations/reflections.

On how it looks:

I think some color would make it more comfortable, maybe with some purple, red, colorful flowers and plants and maybe even a bit of the blue sky.
On additional features:

Providing some options of opening other programs in SL (opening Internet window crashes my computer).

Any chances of recording (video, voice and data) our sessions?
Lightinginfluences the moodinside the Magic Skybox. Even though individual residents have some controls over environmental lighting. It would be nice to have aglobal lighting controlfor the skybox, so that the instructor could facilitate theappropriate mood fora learning activity. Also, it mightbe helpful tohave a holodeckcontrol associated with theMagic Skybox, where different forest seasons, such as fall and winter,could be swapped in and out.

Teaching Spaces on EDTECH Island - The Magic Skybox

RICROBINSON — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:51:24 CDT

Teaching Spaces on EDTECH island The Magic Skybox

1. How it looks

The Magic Skybox looks like a mystical forest, such as one you would experience in a fairytale or a movie like Lord of the Rings. The skybox itself is a cube. The area of interaction inside is awesome. Leaves driven by the wind fall, there is a fire with the sound of wood burning, tree and plants are scattered everywhere. The cube walls are pictures of a forest. Looking at the walls, gives an illusion of depth. The spatial perception is greater than being in a small cube. The attire of the denizens create a distinctive atmosphere that this was a magical place.

2. How it feels

There is fairy dust twinkling on some of the trees. It is easy to become enchanted by the environment. Staring at the screen long enough feels like being in the forest. The fireplace reminds one of friendly environments dedicated to storytelling in SL. The experience feels magical and motivating.

3. What instructional activities might be done there?

The Magic Skybox is a welcoming space for informal meetings. It is a fun place for a treasure hunt or for a storytelling session. It would be suitable to foster any activities requiring brainstorming.

4. What could be modified to make it more comfortable or usable?

Adding a notecard distributor, such as a log object, would help inform other instructors the purpose and possible uses of the Magic Skybox. Or after a brainstorming or a learning activity, a tool to collect the thoughts, reflections and/or assignments would help.

Submitted by:

CorDeRosa Loire
gingerleip Michalski
Michael Aristocrat
Johnathan2007 Whitfield

Publications

ldawley — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:49:28 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Wordle Examples	Source and Style
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	Created from text on Social Bookmarking from Wikipedia Font: Mail Ray Stuff Color: Blue Chill Mostly horizontal
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EDTECH Island - Recently Updated Pages

About EDTECH Island

Training Teachers in Virtual Worlds

CAVE Island

Second Life New User Links

Second Life Tutorials

Getting Started

Student Assignments

Photos

Center for Virtual Educators

Teaching Spaces on EDTECH Island

Leslie's Observations

"e" or "M" learning

Opportunities

What opportunities might there be for using mobile learning in virtual worlds?

What are the benefits?

Projects

Read the whole documentm-Learning support for disadvantaged young adults

ReferencesFeel free to incorporate images, links, tools, ideas, thoughts.Add any papers, presentations, blogs, wikis and tools that you find useful.

Wordle

Observations

Observations and Reflections by Ginger

Primtionary

Introduction

How it works

The rules of the game

How it feels

What instructional activities might be done there?

What could be modified to make it more comfortable or usable?

Personal Reflections:

The Magic Skybox

http://slurl.com/secondlife/EdTech/130/125/684

How it looks

How it feels

What instructional activities might be done there?

What could be modified to make it more comfortable or usable?

Primtionary presentation

Burning Life

The origin

From Burning Man to Burning Life

Burning Life, Community Building and Social Networking

Images from the event (see thread "burning life assignment" below):

Magic Skybox

http://slurl.com/secondlife/EdTech/130/125/684

How it looks

How it feels

What instructional activities might be done there?

What could be modified to make it more comfortable or usable?

Teaching Spaces on EDTECH Island - The Magic Skybox

Publications

References
Feel free to incorporate images, links, tools, ideas, thoughts.
Add any papers, presentations, blogs, wikis and tools that you find useful.