Virtual Education Journal March 2012 by Edovation

Virtual Education Journal

Educators Share Why We Are Here!

March 2012

MEMORIES, STORIES, PICTURES & MUCH MORE

ISTE Island Tribute. . . ISTE Headquarters, Then and Now Interview with Casandra Jackson of FOOD AT-‐CAS Visit VEJ Poster at VWBPE 2012 See the new Café Dining Set BEING EPIC: VWBPE 2012 Schedule Inside

VEJ Vol. 1 Issue 4 Virtual Education Journal

In This Issue • • •

Hello Everyone, Like many trailblazers and pioneers before us, there comes a time when you now it is time to move on. We, ISTE SIGVE, have reached that juncture. It’s time to go. As I write these words, I am sitting alone at the campfire where we spent happy hours listening, learning, and dreaming of what we could do to improve, enhance, and engage our students in authentic learning. For so many of us, ISTE Island was our first home in sl – our home away from home! Each newbie was welcomed with open arms, given the tools needed to survive, and taught the skills needed to build a new life in this strange land. Like a family we grew up together, sharing our joys and sorrows, creating digital pictures, stories and memories we will cherish forever. We played, we danced, we worked, we had fun, and with each step forward we celebrated our accomplishments. Together, we have left infinite digital footprints for others, who may someday follow our trail. Today, as I strolled around ISTE Island, it is quiet. Eerie quiet! There is no one here. The Bloogers Hut stands empty. The treehouse that Lori Galli describes still stands tall, yet lonely. ISTE Headquarters is an abandoned ghost town, filled with artifacts from bits and bytes, etched within the walls and reluctantly left behind. But our past has caught up with our future, the wagons are loaded and ready to roll. “WESTWARD, HO!” as we journey to Eduisland! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduIsland 9/20/75/22 Here we will rebuild the community we left behind and establish a gateway to new adventures into other virtual worlds. Get rid of your horse and buggy. Trade your cowboy hat for your space helmet, and then HOLD ON, because ISTE SIGVE is launching – ready for takeoff, to learn, explore, and claim a place in other virtual worlds as we did in second life. Hold On. . . its Light Speed ahead! We hope you will join us and become an active member of our SIGVE powerful exploration team. You won’t want to miss the next chapter of ISTE! A Place Called Home! Help ISTE SIGVE rebuild. Check out contest details, pictures, stories, and more, at: http://sigve.iste.wikispa ces.net/ In this special issue of VEJ, we pay tribute to what ISTE SIGVE was and look forward to what ISTE SIGVE will become. We celebrate the stories of nine educators who share with us “Why They Are Here.” And, best of all, as we go to press on the eve of VWBPE 2012, we preview the highlights and look forward to the excitement and joy of learning and having fun with each other as we share and network with people around the world and metaverse at the Virtual Worlds Best Practices In Education 2012 Conference. To register for the free conference, visit www.vwbpe.org. Be sure to check out the posters (VEJ poster included), have fun at the socials, attend the Machinima Fest, attend several sessions, and take a tour of at least one virtual world you have never explored! Pooky Amsterdam is hosting the VWBPE Awards show on Saturday, 4:00 – 6:00 pm slt. You won’t want to miss it! Sit back, relax and get ready to indulge in this special issue of VEJ! It will take you out of this world! Bon Appetite! Roxie Neiro (sl) Rosie Vojtek (rl)

• • •

• • • • • • •

Reflections on Six Years of ISTE in Second Life by Jennifer Ragen-Fore (rl) Too Much House by Scott Merrick (rl) ISTE Island Memories by Spiff Whitfield (sl)/Andrew Wheelock (rl) Reflections on Iste Island by Lori Galli (sl) Lori Weedo (rl) Got MOOC by Kavon Zenovka (sl)/Kae Novak (rl) Food At CAS: An Interview With Owner and Creator, Casandra Jackson by Roxie Neiro (sl)/Rosie Vojtek (rl) Café Dining Set by Food At CAS by Roxie Neiro (sl)/Rosie Vojtek (rl) The Library Art Gallery at Info Island by Samantha Chester (sl) A Virtual Kickoff to a F@F Conference by Kavon Zenovka (sl).Kae Novak (rl) 9 Educators Share “Why They Are Here” BE EPIC – It’s Time for VWBPE 2012 Epilicious is VWBPE 2012 by Izzylaunder.Kara (sl) VWBPE 2012: Where to Go, To Stay In The Know, including master schedule

To Read VEJ online visit: http://www.virtualeducationjournal.com/ For more information about ISTE SIGVE or to join the fun, visit: http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net/

Reflections on Six Years of ISTE in Second Life By Jennifer Ragen-‐Fore

I can recall the exact moment when I first heard of Second Life—it was early 2005, I was still living and working in Seattle, and a co-‐worker of mine was describing how she and her boyfriend had created accounts in Second Life and were setting up house. When I found out they paid a monthly fee for the privilege of leading this double life, I admit I was a little incredulous, and at the time, couldn’t quite wrap my head around the concept. Little did I know that a year later I would begin using the tool in a professional context. My first few visits in Second Life were somewhat unremarkable. My main motivation for exploring Second Life was finding a good platform for building ISTE’s sense of community amongst members. In mid 2006, there were a few educational spaces starting to set up shop, but only a small handful of educators in world at any given time. Seeing what could be built intrigued me and appealed to my interest in design and programming. Still, it was a lonely affair in those early days and I considered looking for other tools and letting the whole Second Life idea go by the wayside. That is, until I ran into my first ISTE member, quite by accident, on EduNation’s island. We chatted for about

20 minutes, and it was a deeply rewarding experience—really the first time I’d been able to have that type of real-‐time interaction with a member outside of a f2f conference.

ISTE Breaks Ground After a few more of these interactions, I started putting the word out through the grapevine that ISTE would be interested in renting some land and connecting with educators in world. We weren’t sure what would come of it, but we were open to experimenting. We were lucky enough to be introduced to Lori Bell who had set up an island for librarians and was about to launch a new space called EduIsland. We quickly jumped at the chance to become a tenant, and started building our virtual presence. In those early days, we really felt like pioneers—there was a strong sense of community on EduIsland and the tenants all helped each other learn how to navigate in this new environment, marveled at each other’s projects, and sometimes grumbled at conflicting events that created full sims and locked out participants (just a sign of the growing popularity!). As ISTE started hosting a weekly social event in January of 2007 and soon after a weekly speaker series session, the sense of community grew—Peggy Sheehy,

Lisa Perez, Marianne Malmstrom, Kevin Jarrett, Scott Merrick, Lisa Linn, Christie Thomas, Lindy McKeown, Caren Levine, Scott Swanson, and many others became regulars and helped form the backbone of our little PLN. We soon outgrew the space on EduIsland (even with our lovely skypark that was perfect for hosting our events, we found that most events bumped up against our 60-‐person cap and we ended up turning members away each week). It was time for a private island and we needed reinforcements!

The Docent Program is Born Before we made the transition over to our new island, we recognized that we needed a way to handle all the newly generated interest from members and educators coming in to Second Life in droves. Staff could only be at the building certain hours (usually in the evenings) and there were many hours throughout the day when the building would be empty. I remembered my first few forays into Second Life and how lonely it was on most islands and how thrilling it was to talk to real person—not just a person, but a peer—and I knew that was the key to making our space a vibrant one. After putting out a query to our group, I was happily surprised at the overwhelming response. About 30 people were interested in signing up for regular “docent” shifts to greet visitors and help them get started in Second Life. This was before the days of voice in Second Life, of course, so those early training sessions with

docents were carefully constructed copy and paste jobs from notecard to chat. By the end of a two-‐hour session, my fingers were tired and I was embarrassed at my sometimes poor spelling/typing skills, but I was recharged by the relationships being built and the exciting work being done. Life on the Island With the docent program up and running, regular programming and socials happening each week, and a look ahead to the upcoming NECC in Atlanta, we set about creating the island—landscaping, terraforming, and envisioning spaces that would best support connecting and learning together. Why set up traditional meeting rooms when yoga treehouses, perched high upon pine trees and looking out over the crashing surf, could serve the same purpose? Why have formal conference tables when crackling campfire circles work so much better?

More and more volunteers stepped forward to share best practices, serve as tour guides, welcome visitors, and host events. The community grew exponentially and everyone looked ahead to our first opportunity to meet each other face to face at NECC Atlanta. We made plans to host an activity for SLers during the conference opening reception which was held at the Georgia Aquarium that year, and featured our first mixed reality event: an inworld reception in a replica of the Georgia Aquarium complete with the sea life, exhibits, and learning resources found in the real aquarium.

That event was such a touching, fun experience—members greeted each other as long-‐lost family, most meeting face to face for the very first time, as hugs, shrieks, and laughter were exchanged. Scott Swanson acted as the ringleader (or maybe the barker), welcoming people in and inviting them to learn more, create an account, and join us back on ISTE Island after the conference. Later in the conference, the group held its first playground and lounge and this was the moment when the community really took hold.

Building a World That first year was such a springboard for the years ahead, as we added three islands, hosted several mixed reality events, started an island rental program for ISTE affiliates and other educational groups, and undertook numerous professional development projects.

One of my all-‐time favorite projects was building the Alamo to coincide with ISTE’s conference in San Antonio in 2008. Working with the talented Malinda McCormick of the local San Antonio PBS, a generous builder who created the major structures, and scores of ISTE volunteers, we replicated the grounds of the Alamo down to the smallest detail, right down to artifacts and additional learning resources in each of the buildings. During the opening reception of the 2008 conference, we hosted a mixed reality event in which we recreated the live band playing in San Antonio, streamed the live band into Second Life, and displayed the in world reception on large monitors next to the physical world band. We were pushing on the technology so hard during that event that I ended up with a fried motherboard before the end of the evening, but a volunteer generously stepped forward with a quick replacement to get through the rest of the event, which was a success.

Other favorite projects include hosting the in world proceedings of the 2008 SLEDCC event, working with Linden Labs on the Experience Pathway project for educators, and launching ISTE’s in world television talk show, ISTE Eduverse Talks—all possible because of the tremendous support and work of our ISTE member network and volunteers.

The Network Evolves In November of 2008, ISTE’s new SIG for virtual environments was officially launched under the leadership of Scott Merrick, who’d been with the group since the very beginning and was the perfect person to unite the various volunteer efforts on ISTE Island. A monthly speaker series, a build on the Reaction Grid, a new machinima fest, and the digital journal were all launched. New faces (and new talents) stepped forward to help plan socials, provide programming, and take the lead on creating the conference build and mixed reality event, this time an amazing replica of the Denver Convention Center and highlights from Colorado history.

As the volunteer structure took on more and more of the leadership of the island, my role in Second Life scaled back, but I have no less appreciation for the work and creativity that happened there during this most recent stage of ISTE Island’s history. No doubt the network has countless memories to share from this period of time in addition to the highlights I offer here.

A Look Ahead With this look back at ISTE in Second Life, I find myself excited and curious to see what the next chapter will hold for the group and its exploration of virtual worlds. As I write this, SIGVE volunteers are leading the effort to set up a new space back on EduIsland. While it’s bittersweet to retire ISTE’s private island, I know it also offers new frontiers for exploration—both of the neighbors in ISTE’s new backyard, and of other virtual worlds and spaces. It’s been such a journey in Second Life to this point and this PLN has been the genesis of so many wonderful opportunities—from meeting some of my very favorite ISTE members and volunteers, to learning about and being involved in so many projects and activities that pushed the field forward. I’m grateful to each and every pioneer who took the chance to be bold and innovative, and to step forward and contribute expertise, creativity, and passion to this community over the years. And I look forward to seeing where the community goes next!

Too Much House

by Scott Merrick

Back in the first half of the first decade of the twentieth century (can you tell this is going to be a historically-‐themed piece?), just before the housing boom exploded into a nightmare field of shattered dreams and foreclosed mortgages, my lovely wife, Lee Ann, and I decided that we were living rather ridiculously beyond our means. Don’t ever doubt that we loved our house, a 1930’s-‐built Cape Cod Cottage home in a historic neighborhood bordering the "uppest-‐scale" one (Belle Meade) in the fair city of Nashville, Tennessee. In an odd set of circumstances, partly related to parental pressure, partly self-‐ delusion, we had expanded it out the back, doubling its square footage to 5,000+ while preserving its original “street face.” Now, with our daughter just a year or so away from moving out to attend college, leaving just the three of us to ramble around all those square feet, it was looking like too much house. There were many things we loved about that house. For me, the detached garage turned study, where I first encountered Active Worlds and Second Life on my desktop computer; the brick patio I had fallen off one Saturday morning, crushing two metatarsals in my hand; the lovingly hand-‐ crafted wooden jungle-‐gym and slide play structure; the spacious upstairs master bedroom (which we had to restage on the 1st floor to help with the sale); and the Vignamaggio-‐themed painted window that I had crafted in the master bath to accommodate the backyard expansion where a real window had been—those things I will always miss. The Green Hills home was conveniently located in that first iteration of suburban Nashville, minutes away from everything of importance in the city. Still, it was too much house. Very long story short: We managed to sell and purchased a nice, reasonable, 70’s ranch style home in West Meade, further out away into suburbia, just a mile or two from the ranch style home in West Meade where I grew up, if one can really say I ever did that. Now we love our new home. It’s comfortable, stylish (thanks to my style-‐conscious honey), and excellent for entertaining. We are surrounded by great neighbors and we’re more or less

living within our means. We plan to remain settled here for the foreseeable future, to sustain our family in our cozy home. Do you see where I’m going here? Cut to Second Life. Back in the first half of the first decade of the twentieth century, the International Society for Technology in Education forayed into virtual worlds in the form of a leased property on Eduisland. That’s where I discovered them. I had been in the environment for a couple of years, having used it really as a kind of second life, playing some games, role-‐playing, hanging out with a completely disconnected community at the Elbow Room-‐-‐a legendary tiny bar that would more often than not be packed with avatars from every corner of the globe, just dancing elbow to elbow as the name implied and trading clever repartee about every subject imaginable. Once I discovered ISTE in SL, my second life merged with my first life in ways that I will forever cherish. I even killed my first avatar and became Scottmerrick Oh. One of the first avatars I met there, as I began to make the little ISTE building on Eduisland a frequent stop, was a pony-‐tailed fellow in business attire. His avatar’s name was Kyle Thorn. When I met him IRL (in real life), of course, I called him Scott, since his real name was Scott Swanson. I referred to him more often than once as “the other Second Life Scott.” He was the first. We lost him in 2010 when he finally succumbed to long-‐standing illnesses, but he I will always remember him as the other Scott.

I met many other fine educators, soon, and about that time ISTE noticed something happening, a growing online community whose dynamism drove

them to upsize their Second Life home. In a unique set of circumstances that was fueled by visionary optimism over the potentials of this life-‐changing virtual world, ISTE purchased their own island and named it “ISTE Island.” It would boom, of course, into a four island property, but it would retain its “street face” with its real-‐world replicating Headquarters while adding, over time, a television studio, many rental properties, and at various conference times a beautiful and accurate replication of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas and the Denver Conference Center with Red Rocks Amphitheatre behind it. Those were good times, and the many evenings Scottmerrick Oh, my avatar, stood on the front porch of ISTE Headquarters and “wircled” (my coinage for the frequent event of stepping back to widen the circle) to accommodate the arrival of new friends and colleagues into vibrant discussions of educational issues or teaching strategies, or cooking, or music, or art, or child-‐raising…oh, my, god—those were good times. We met there in 2010 to pay our respects to Scott/Kyle and to share memories. It was a poignant meeting of dear friends. I looked around the front porch. Knowclue Kidd, Maggie Marat, Kittygloom Cassady, KJ Hax, Roxie Neiro, BJ Gearbox, Padlurowncanoe Dibou, Clare Lane, Komputer Merlin, Corinne Fleury, Lori Galli, Maggie Larimore, Mandie Mimulus, Louise Borgnine, Esme Qunhua, Henny Zimer, Joie Despres, Julie Sugarplum, ScubaChris Wollongong, Victoria Gloucester, Zsuza Tomsen, Mo Hax, Spiff Whitfield—more Second Life friends, more cherished colleagues than I can name. Most of them were Second Life Docents, a group of ISTE educators who regularly dedicated time to helping newcomers see what this “sense of place at a distance” can mean.

I would quote the entire list of them at http://secondlife.iste.wikispaces.net/docents here but for space. Most of them I know. Most are friends not just in Second Life but friends I see and share time with every summer at ISTE Conferences and talk to several times a year via Second Life or Skype or Facebook or Twitter. This is important: I would likely know none of these fine educators had we not met in Second Life. There is certainly no way I would have ever met or grown to know and love the quirky, brilliant, sometimes problematic Scott Swanson.

ISTE front porch meetup for Kyle Thorn Cut to the present. Toward the end of the first year of the second decade of the 21st century, our nation’s economy was, well, a nightmare field of shattered dreams and foreclosed mortgages. ISTE itself had suffered major layoffs and restructuring. They looked at their investment of thousands of dollars a year into virtual property in Second Life. They decided they had too much house. Turning to SIGVE, the Special Interest Group for Virtual Environments, a group born from the metamorphosis of annual conference Second Life Playgrounds into Virtual Environments Playgrounds, ISTE asked for a plan to downsize. The discussions went on for months and considered all angles that might be supported by the generous though greatly reduced continuing support from ISTE, and those discussions are chronicled in the task force notes at http://tinyurl.com/isteislandtf for your reading enjoyment, and,

indeed, for your ongoing contribution. We have moved into the virtual equivalent of a cozy ranch style home in suburbia. It’s comfortable and excellent for entertaining. We are surrounded by great neighbors and we are more or less living within our means. There, on Eduisland 9 at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduIsland%209/1/102/23 we plan to continue sharing and sustaining and nurturing our virtual family in our cozy home for the foreseeable future. Come share with us. Anytime.

One closing note: Our new Headquarters on that property is being designed via a competition that runs through March 31 and it shall be comfortable, stylish, and perfect for entertaining. There is one implicit requirement not, stated in the rules, but one that perceptive competition entrants will have no doubt already incorporated into their design: It must have a front porch. For wircling.

ISTE Island Memories By Spiff Whitfield

Image from Jokaydiagrid.com. http://jokaydia.com/wpcontent/uploads/2008/06/alamo2.jpg

I remember..... The Alamo! No, this isn’t in reference to the classic line from the movie, “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure”, although there were many big adventures on ISTE

Island. The Alamo build at ISTE Island was a stepping stone for me in so many ways, but also a powerful symbol of the work and meaning that many of us do with virtual world education. As a “newbie” when the Alamo exhibit was created in 2008, I was captivated by the thought of being able to re-create such a powerful piece of American history through a virtual world. I remember touring the space with my avatar, clicking on the links and notecard givers, and interviewing some of the tour guides. Here, the realization came to me that I was hooked on Virtual Environment Education. If this simple structure could be captured, think what else could be done? And this was the beginning of the group I would later found, The Virtual Pioneers. As a matter of fact our group’s name came from the pioneering spirit of the western settlers. Our group remains strong and vibrant, with new members showing up at our meetings and tours. As of this writing my work continues beyond Virtual Pioneers with my student-centered work on the Islands of Enlightenment. This space is dedicated to bringing students into historical builds, like the Secret Annex detailed in “The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank”. To watch students faces as they interact and create powerful narrative content using avatars is an amazing way to bring history to life. The kernel of that idea all began with the Alamo Exhibit. Perhaps, had I not seen that, I would have harbored my first impressions that virtual worlds were nonsense and had no role in education. Yet, the pioneering analogy carries on in various ways with virtual environment educators, doesn’t it? When our SIGVE Task Force meetings were going on, we often discussed the pioneer notion of the work we are doing. And that analogy is so powerful for those of us that use and believe that virtual environments offer great avenues for learning for students AND adults. We are doing the pioneering work in so many ways. We are often dismissed and ridiculed like all pioneers are but we know better, don’t we? Why? Because we have looked over the mountain and seen the other side, that other educators have only guessed at. So, carry on, we must. Perhaps, The Alamo, represents our current state doesn’t it? As we leave behind ISTE Island, we could easily be daunted and depressed over its loss as that of the Alamo’s tragic history. Yet, our pioneer spirit remains intact, just as America’s pioneer spirit.

So yes, I remember the Alamo, and I will always remember ISTE Island and its inspiration to my ideas and the awesome collaborations I have made since then. But what remains is so much more meaningful, for I have great friendships, innovative ideas, and the renaissance of new undertakings to pursue! Full speed ahead. Citations: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure: The Alamo http://quietube2.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cHLoHou8u Y&feature=youtu.be http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089791/fullcredits The Virtual Pioneers: http://virtualpioneers.weebly.com The Islands of Enlightenment http://bit.ly/theilsands

Cherished Memories ISTE Island was one of the first supporters of the work of Literature Alive! in Second Life, and, truly, was one of the best places an educator could go within the virtual world. I am sorry to hear of its closing down, but do understand that the education community has dwindled down since the grids merges and educator discounts were discontinued. I will always remember the friendly faces of the (so so so) many people that made up ISTE...especially Komputer Merlin and the Docent Gang! My favorite memories include campfire chats and hanging out at the Docent station. Best of luck to all in their future endeavors!!!! Desideria Stockton (SL)/Beth Ritter-Guth (RL)

Reflections On ISTE Island

By Lori Weedo (RL), Lori Galli (Sl)

Thanks for the memories ISTE Island! Memories for me at ISTE Island first consisted of "living" literally in one of the treehouses. My colleague (Laural McCallen) and I made this treehouse our "home." We logged on and logged off in this spot for two years, while we learned to change clothes, went shopping and came back to open packages, etc. I will never forget one time when a docent flew up to see if I needed help and I was dressing. It was such an odd feeling to be embarrassed, as if it was my real self, standing there half naked and not "just" an avatar. This treehouse will always hold special memories and I have tried to replicate it to the best of my ability at SLEEC Island as a tribute to ISTE Island. Here is the location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLEEC Island/234/184/37 People are welcome to come visit anytime (they have to be a member of the group SL Educators of Escambia County) and reminisce about fun times at the ISTE Island treehouse. I am missing one very vital component -‐ the Nirvana Snowy Owl, in which I have tried desperately to track down but with no luck so far. I will

continue trying. The owner is Carrie Grant and the owl is Nirvana Snowy Owl (medium) if anyone has one they can sell me! The creator is hardly ever in SL anymore, but I have sent messages, notecards, and left a notecard at her customer support area. Thanks for any help with this! I am giving you two pictures as a comparison that I took of the replica: ISTE Island Treehouse and ISTE Island Treehouse @ SLEEC http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLEEC Island/234/184/37 The other wonderful memories I have of ISTE Island besides all the great professional development meetings I attended, are the incredible amount of collaboration and friends I made while I was docenting every Monday evening. Good times were to be had almost every time I volunteered and I was always learning something new and loved helping others. I am so happy to have been a part of this great community!! It will be exciting to continue being a part of it at the new location and I look forward to more learning experiences, fun times, and great friends!

Tree house pictures taken March 1, 2012

Got MOOC? By Kavon Zenovka (SL) Or, should we say the VWMOOC is coming! MOOC – Massive Online Open Course A MOOC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course) is a course based on the learning theory connectivism. Since 2008, there have been a series of these free open online courses offered. The “Tour of Virtual Worlds, Games and Education” course is informed by their design and implementation. VW MOOC – Virtual Worlds, Games and Education is divided into 2 parts. The first part (pre-‐conference portion of Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education) will take place on this wordpress site http://vwmooc.wordpress.com/ which is functioning as the Virtual Worlds, Games and Education Portal.

The second part, which is the actual MOOC, starts the week after the conference and runs for four weeks. This portion will be held at P2P U. http://p2pu.org/en/ The second part, which is the actual MOOC, starts the week after the conference and runs for four weeks. This portion will be held at P2P U. http://p2pu.org/en/ Program streams from the conference volunteered to continue the discussion started at VWBPE. So for VWMOOC here are the discussion topics and dates: Week 1 – Virtual Worlds Tours Mar 19 – 24 •

Facilitator – Aevalle Galicia

Week 2 – Machinima Mar 26-‐ Apr 1 • •

Facilitator – Tanya Smedley (Gridjumper) Mentors -‐ Machinima Working Group

Week 3 – World of Warcraft Apr 2 -‐8 • • •

Facilitators – Biggersby, Tashidelek, and Zarrasia Discussion/Social Media Facilitator -‐ Catherine (Cat) Flippen Mentors – Cognitive Dissonance Guild Members

Week 4 – Bleeding Edge Apr 9 – 16 • • •

Facilitators – Abacus Capalini and Aly Warrior Discussion/Social Media Facilitator -‐ Catherine (Cat) Flippen Mentor – Kavon Zenovka

Follow along in social media: Hashtag #vwmooc Flickr group http://www.flickr.com/groups/1893308@N24/

Food At Cas: An Interview With Owner and Creator, Casandra Jackson By Roxie Neiro I was so excited the other day when I was at Food-‐for-‐CAS http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Voti/198/36/23 and ran into Casandra Jackson. We spent a few minutes talking about her projects and her work. While we were talking, I told her that I stopped by to get one of her waiters for our VEJ Poster at the 2012 VWBPE Conferences. She told me that she had something better and showed me the café dining table that you see on the cover of this issue of VEJ. I asked Casandra if she could put the issues of VEJ into the menu script and she said, “yes.” If you are at the 2012 VWBPE Conference make sure to stop by the VEJ poster to see the table and a special picnic blanket with several different poses, copies of VEJ, and different food items, also from Food-‐by-‐CAS. In addition, we have one of the tables at the VWBPE Social area. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduIsland%208/90/11/22 Take time to sit and play with the table and chair animations and then, be sure to VEJ-‐Out on this new March 2012 issue! Casandra also gave us a picnic blanket with some of our VEJ issues for those long, lazy sunny afternoons and trips to the beach. What FUN!

Casandra is a fascinating and very talented Second Life entrepreneur. We have used her food products for many ISTE socials. Here is some of our conversation so you can get to know Casandra Jackson, too. Be sure to visit Food-‐by-‐CAS http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Voti/198/36/23 and check out all the food items. Bon Appetite! Roxie: When and how did you get started in second life? Are you in other virtual worlds? Casandra: I heard about Second Life in Beta Test while I was playing a MMPORG called TheSimsOnline in 2002. I had been a Beta tester for TSO, so I applied to Linden Labs to test out SL, but never heard back. TheSimsOnline had been promising user created content for a long time, but that never materialized. TheSimsOnline ended up stagnating because it was so limited for the players. I tried THERE as well, but found it too cartoony, everyone there looks like Dora the Explorer going through puberty. A friend and I decided to try out Second Life (at that time, there were no free accounts, you could do a trial week for free, then you had to pay a monthly fee or your avatar was deleted). After being on Second Life for 3 days, I bought a premium membership and paid for a year upfront. The possibilities of Second Life were astounding. I loved that your avatar could fly, that the world here was so varied and that almost all in-‐ game content was user-‐created. It was clear to me that what you could do here was only limited by your own imagination and skills. Roxie: What projects/work do you do in Second Life? Casandra: My main area of creation is food and drink items which I started making in 2005. However, the idea of food expands into furniture and dining room items as well. Other items I have created are furniture (dining room, living room, bathrooms, kitchens and small houses), home decor, animations (for use in my food/drink items), textures (for my own use in my food/drink items), prim jewelry, hair, shoes, simple clothing items, fashion accessories, animation overriders and avatar shapes. I dabbled in other items when I found myself bored with making food and drinks and needed a little break, but I always came back to food, its what I'm best at. Roxie: What projects/work in virtual worlds are you most proud of?

Casandra: The first item of mine that was a big hit was a bartender that could change its image and gave out 32 drinks via drop down menu. That idea was widely copied by many. The second item would have to be my food placemats that I created in early 2007. My first placemats rezzed 32 food items and were used all over Second Life in restaurants and homes. My current placemats rezz out 69 different sculpted foods and 49 drinks.

Roxie: WOW! That is quite an accomplishment. I love your placemats. BJ and I have a set in our Second Life home! They are a lot of fun! What made you decide to focus on designing and scripting foods in second life? Casandra: I loved the idea of avatars on Second Life eating food, it fascinated me how realistic it seemed. One thing I noticed about the food on Second Life is that it stayed attached to your avatar unless you manually detached it. Eating would be much more realistic if you "finished" your food and it was no longer on your avatar, so I ensured all my animated foods had a auto detach function built in. I started making simple treats based on things like cookies and baked goods.

Much to my surprise and delight, other people thought they were cool and bought them. That was a big boost and I remember thinking, "What else can I make that people might like to eat or drink?" In the very early days, I would daily make several food or drink items that would dispense. As time progressed, my items became more complex, requiring more time to complete. My platters (which give out a plate and fork to be used concurrently), took 6 hours from start to finish for each platter due to custom textures specific to that food. It takes much, much longer to finish a project now since food items I make now are much more complex. The new placemats took over a week to make. Roxie: It sounds like a lot of work – but it is always so much fun to visit Food-‐ by-‐Cas and see your new food items. It seems like every time I stop by you have something new, especially for the different holiday seasons. So, who are your customers and how do they use your products?

Casandra: My customers are from all walks of Second Life, from Lindens to new players. They use my products in their homes to entertain guests, to feed their

Second Life families and to provide an atmosphere of welcome in their home or place of business. One of the ways we show we care for people in our real lives is that we provide them with nourishment, we feed them, we break bread with them. It should come as no surprise that we do the same here. Roxie: Funny you should say that, because on of the skills we show newcomers to Second Life is how to eat or drink. It is a fun way to help new people in Second Life learn how to use their inventories and how to “wear” different items. But, you are right. There is something about food and drink that makes people feel warm and welcome. You have designed and scripted some amazing food products and furniture. As I said, we have used your products at many of our ISTE and SIGVE socials and events. What design and scripting tricks and tips have you learned that you can share with other educators who are helping students learn how to design and script similar objects? Casandra: I would suggest attending live inworld classes to learn basic building skills or scripting skills. They teach good basics such as proper alignment of and texturing prims and basic scripting language. Some classes teach creating basic sculpts with free 3D programs and a few teach how to create textures from scratch using GIMP or PhotoShop. Currently, Builders Brewery and Danish Visions give weekly lessons that are open to the general public. Roxie: Actually, I was just talking with one of my friends about doing that very thing. I am so not a builder and so much a consumer. It looks fun to build new items in Second Life. From your perspective and experiences in Second Life, what knowledge and skills do you think educators need to know and/or be able to do, to help promote education in Second Life and to make learning meaningful for students? Casandra: Perhaps an orientation program of the basics would be helpful, in order to get over the "growing pains" of coming to a world like Second Life to get over all the confusing parts, like "Where do I find things in my inventory?" "How do I put on new clothing?" I think it’s hard to learn if you are distracted or confused by a new environment. Roxie: Even after several years in Second Life, I still need to learn how to organize my inventory so I can find the things I own! I either can’t find something or I am amazed when I stumble across something that I had

forgotten I even had! So many people I have talked to in Second Life will tell you that they need someone to help them organize their inventories! It might just be one of the biggest headaches in Second Life! LOL You have designed a new cafe dining set that we will be using at our VEJ Poster for VWBPE 2012. Please describe the features and how you envision avatars using this dining set. Casandra: The Cafe Set is comprised of a table and two chairs. The chairs have 29 animations to choose from to mimic eating, drinking, typing, reading and different variations of sitting. The Cafe Table holds 18 International meals, French, British, American, Asian, Italian and Mexican themed meals and 2 sets of magazines. Simply touch the table to choose which nationality of food you would like to appear. You then get another blue drop menu which has 5 options of foods and magazines. Make your choice and it will appear. If you are pleased with that choice, just click ignore, when another blue drop down choice window appears. Touch the food plates to get cutlery to use with your meal. Touch the pitchers or coffee cups to get cups, bottles or drinks to wear. Simply wear the cutlery or beverages and choose the appropriate animation via the chair. Sit on the chair then touch the chair again for the menu of animations. There are 3 pages of animations to choose from. Click which animation you want your avatar to be doing, eating, drinking, typing at a computer or just sitting. Try all the poses, its fun ! Roxie: I agree! We have been having a lot of fun trying out the different options with our friends. I also like the timer so that you can set it up so it stays one way or have the dishes cleared and put away after a set period of time. If only someone could design a system like this for real life! J What are your future plans and goals for your work in Second Life or other virtual worlds?

Casandra: I have a long "to do" list of new projects to make, older items to revise and update. Customers often make suggestions on items they would like to see here, so those are added to the list. I am constantly revising my previous items to look and function better. I have created literally thousands of items here, so there is never a shortage of things to do. Roxie: I can only imagine! So, in your free time, if you have such a thing when you are in Second Life, what do you enjoy doing for fun? Casandra: I love the myriad of events going on in SL, and enjoy exploring great builds. I played in the Xmas Zombie Event, you received a HUD and different levels of weapons to kill zombies that rezzed randomly over 2 sims for 1 week. The Zombies could also attack and "kill" your avatar. Your avatar would be "dead" on the floor and could not interact for 30 seconds. You had to pick up pieces of energy left by your killed zombie in order to keep up on energy points. Occasionally after a Zombie kill, a small reindeer would rezz presenting you with a gift ticket which you could redeem for a prize at the participating merchants sponsoring the event. The amount of work that went into holding that event was enormous, from the gifts that were given, to the creation and scripting of weapons that interacted with both your avatar and the zombies, to the website that updated constantly with new game stats. It was a game within a game, incredible! I revisited the Drowsy sim http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Drowsy/209/77/27 , which sadly, is closing at the end of March. The sim is just so whimsically pretty and mystical, everything there makes me smile. I recently visited the area, Captain Nemos Adventures http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA11/102/106/21 built by Aley who is the alternate avatar of the famous Arcadia Asylum. Wow, what a fantastic build, underwater and above ground, its a pirate/Captain Nemo theme and will only be up through this month. If you have not visited these two incredible places, you really must before they are gone forever. Don't miss the sea serpent at Drowsy!

VEJ Poster at VWBPE 2012

Roxie: Thank you for sharing those two sims with us. I can’t wait to explore the two sims and hope our readers will be able to visit them too before April 1, 2012. Thank you for taking the time to share your work with our VEJ readers. The items you make are truly amazing! Once again, I would just like to remind our readers to check out the VWBPE Social Sim, the VEJ Poster at VWBPE (pictured above), or Food At Cas after the VWBPE Conference to see the wonderful items you have made! Thanks again, and to all of our readers,

Bon Appetite!

CAFÉ DINING SET by FOOD AT-‐CAS by Roxie Neiro/Rosie Vojtek BJ and I sat down and checked out the new Café’ Dining Set. We were very impressed (do you think?) with the design and scripting options on the new Café Dining Set by Casandra Jackson. You can see the Café Dining Set at FOOD AT-‐CAS, http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Voti/206/28/23 Or, better yet, visit the VEJ Poster at VWBPE 2012 in the Poster area for the conference March 15 – 18 at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduCommons%20Alpha/205/124/2 5 or on the VWBPE Social Sim http://slurl.com/secondlife/EduIsland%208/92/10/21 You will be amazed at the details in this dining set. Once the table and chairs are rezzed, the set will load the menu. When the menu is fully loaded you can touch the table to rezz your meals. There is also timer option that can be set for so you can choose the length of time you wish your meal to stay rezzed.

The prim count for meals rezzed varies from a low of 10 to 30 prims. Only the Owner of the table can set the timer to choose how long meals stay on the table. The Timer option will not appear for anyone else but the owner of the table. To rez the meals, touch the table. The Meal Options are: Mexican Burritos&Margaritas Laptops&PanConPepitas Magazines&Cups Tacos&Beer American HotDogs&Fries Laptops&CinBuns Magazines&Cups Burgers&Fries Italian Pizza&Zinfandel Laptops&Biscotti Magazines&Cups Spaghetti&Meatballs British Fish&Chips Laptops&Tea Magazines&Cups Bangers&Mash French Cheese&Wine Laptops&Croissants Magazines&Cups CoqAuVin&PinotBlanc Asian Sushi&GreenTea Laptops&Mochi Magazines&Cups

ChineseTakeout&Tea

BJ and Roxie enjoy Italian Spaghetti Dinner

Every plate gives out a folder of cutlery when touched to use with the animated chairs. Plates with the laptops give different breakfast pastries. The glasses and cups rezzed on the table are for decor and do not give out glasses. If there is a bottle or beverage container on the table it will give out beverages to hold. There is a 19th option available with every nationality of food to rezz out magazines and cups for decor. If meals are rezzed on top of each other, just press CLEAR to remove all meals. If food is rezzed and the table is moved, the table loses the ability to clear those plates already rezzed and the plates will have to be removed manually. Regarding WineGlasses, CoffeeCups, TeaCups, JuiceGlass, WaterGlasses, Chopsticks, Spoons, Forks and Knives, with the infinite variety of shapes for avatars on SecondLife it is impossible to fit every avatar. Simply wear and adjust positioning of said items. There is also a copyable vase of lilies (1 prim) to add to your table as you wish. The dining chairs have 29 menu driven animations to choose from, to vary your dining experience. This is the most animations per dining chair in SecondLife. There are 4 eating animations, 3 drinking animations, 2 reading animations and the rest are for seating. HAVE FUN!

The Library Art Gallery at Info Island by Samantha Chester (SL)

The Library Art Gallery at Info Island reopened March 1st with an exhibit by Isabel Hermano. The Library Art Gallery began scheduling exhibitions and events on Info Island in late August 2007. The Library Art Gallery is a non-‐for-‐ profit art gallery that exhibits artistic creations in Second Life for display

purposes only (art on display is not for sale). Artists provide notecards describing how to buy their art. Artists interested in exhibiting at the Gallery should contact Sam55 Chester. We enjoy hosting fine art of all formats and genres: painting, still life, modern art, contemporary, photography, abstracts, stained glass, pottery, sculptures. We offer live music and/or DJs with our exhibition openings and other special events and programs. The Library Art Gallery is also available for art librarians, art aficionados, other individuals in the Arts & Humanities and Education community to hold their own events such as open forums, Q&A sessions, or tutorials. Those individuals or groups should contact Sam55 Chester for details and scheduling

Our goal is to highlight progressive artists who fully utilize SL as a creative medium. We'd like to see the Library Gallery grow to participate in broader SL arts/media events if possible. We are open to partnering with other groups and organizations, within and outside of the SL library and arts communities. We hope that events at the Gallery Space can evolve into inclusive conversations with artists, scholars, and guest curators, from RL and SL. Info Island is part of Info Archipelago started in 2006 by the Alliance Library System of Illinois. .

The Library Art Gallery resides on Info Island (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Info%20Island%20Library%20Gallery/31/83/ 23/

A Virtual Kickoff to a F2F Conference By Kavon Zenovka (sl)

The Second Life SITE Building Group for The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) 2012 Conference http://site.aace.org/conf/ invited all educators to their conference kickoff in Second Life on Sunday, March 4, 2012 In honor of Austin, the city hosting the F2F Conference, the theme of the build is Cowboys v. Aliens! The build SITE CITY LIMITS was designed by volunteers from SITE, ARVELSIG and VWBPE and is hosted on EdTech Island in Second Life. The build includes Machinima City -‐ an Old West set that is currently showing the winners of the EduMachinima Fest from VWBPE 2011 Machinima contest (http://www.vwbpe.org/blog/poster-‐and-‐machinima-‐winners) , a stunt corral with information on social presence in virtual worlds, a Blogger's Saloon ( http://slurl.com/secondlife/EdTech/185/179/24/ ), a "Western Epic" seating area, the Gadgetz's Workshop, A Tours Office created by Aevalle Galicia and the 3D Games Lab House (http://3dgamelab.org.shivtr.com/).

The hoe-‐down kickoff included DJ -‐ Barely Texan and Aliens v. Cowboys costume contest. The winner of best cowboy costume was Roxie Niero in a deconstructed western ball gown and cowboy hat. Edith Halderman won the best alien costume in a version of an avatar from Pandora (on next page). SITE CITY LIMTS is hosting sessions at the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference from March 15-‐ March 17, 2012. The Blogger Saloon is also the inworld location for the TweetChats being conducted for the Virtual Worlds MOOC (http://vwmooc.wordpress.com/) and will be the general inworld gathering place for the MOOC. Screenshots are up at the SITE CITY LIMITS flickr group (http://www.flickr.com/groups/1860777@N25/)

Edith Halderman wins the best alien costume

Second Life SITE Building Group Lisa Dawley, Boise State University Trina Davis, Texas A&M University Chih-‐Feng Chien, Texas A&M University Sabine Lawless-‐Reljic, Ed.D., Ashford University Aevalle Galicia/Stasia Weston, University of South Alabama Wrath Constantine, Constantine Air Werkz Sandra Jett, Texas A&M University, KATE Project Consultant

Kae Novak, Boise State University Chris Luchs, CCCOnline

Be EPIC – It’s Time For VWBPE 2012! Hold on to your hats and glasses! Here are just a few pics to wet your appetite for 48 hours of networking,, learning, sharing, and just plain fun. Check out the VWBPE master schedule at www.vwbpe.org . Follow the conference on Twitter #VWBPE,

Epiclicious is VWBPE 2012 by Izzylaunder.Kara

One of my friends, a fellow Second Life resident, asked me why should she care about the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) Conference? What could have prompted this question from this educator who is inworld every day? Possibly, it’s because I’ve been so busy working on my part of the constructions at the Social and Poster Presentation venues that I’m not able to spend time exploring the many wonderful spaces developed in Second Life by educational and special interest groups. Why do I give up so much of my time to work on something that will last for three days then disappears into the digital ether? This year’s VWBPE Conference is “Be Epic”. What do you envision when you see the word “Epic”? Is it the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Great Wall of China, human footprints on the moon, or the discovery of the Rosetta stone? Of course, all of these were epic accomplishments of human kind. But then, so is VWBPE 2012! VWBPE 2012, by its very name is EPIC! How is it epic you might ask. For one, it’s Virtual! Everything from the ground conference goers stand on to the presentation or machinimas exists only as ones and zeros in computer simulations supported by a vast network of servers and routers. Prior to 2003, how many of us thought that we would one day be immersed in a computer simulation, a network of virtual worlds? But, it is these virtual worlds that make it possible for thousands of educators from all over the world to simultaneously collaborate on a unified dedication to the sharing of ideas, research and experiences that add to the advancement of Best Practices in Education. Yes, best practices in education. Can you envision anything more epic than the education of the human mind? All the epic accomplishments mentioned at the beginning of this writing, were they accidental achievements? No, they’re all the result of educated human minds working together toward a common goal. So, in this modern age, I can think of nothing more epic than the VWBE

conference. Thousands of avatars, representing human minds from all over the world, will converge to educate and learn from each other about how to best use virtual worlds as learning environments for the digital natives that are our future. This is what makes VWBPE, “Epiclicious”!

The VWBPE Social Tea House Izzy built. Izzy is playing the flute in the middle. Celebrate the Year of The Dragon Join The VWBPE 2012 Dragon Parade Thursday, March 15, 2012 1:00 pm slt VWBPE Social Sim

Free Dragon Costumes At Shopping area on VWBPE Social

VWBPE 2012: Where to Go, To Stay In The Know Official Website: www.vwbpe.org Master Schedule: http://vwbpe12.vwbpe.org/ Twitter: @vwbpe and Hastag #VWBPE Official Social Groups: Conference LinkedIn Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Virtual-Worlds-Best-Practice-in3754644?gid=3754644&trk=hb_side_g Conference Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/vwbpe Conference Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/67701516968/ Pinterest Board: http://pinterest.com/ruriknackerud/vwbpe/ Listserv: SLED listserv Flickr VWBPE Social http://www.flickr.com/groups/vwbpesocial/ VWBPE Posters http://www.flickr.com/groups/vwbpeposters/ VWBPE http://www.flickr.com/groups/vwbpe/ MOOC Virtual Worlds MOOC http://www.flickr.com/groups/vwbpeposters/ Bloggers: GridJumper’s Blog http://gridjumper.net/ Tanya SmedleyVirtual Outworlding http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/ Selby EvansCenter4EduPunx www.center4edupunx.org Kae Novak, Chris Luchs, Karla Schorzman, Kate Hagerty and Rurik NackerudCtrl + Alt + Teach http://www.ctrlaltteach.com/ Cat FlippenSouth Alabama’s Educators in Second Life http://saeslgroup.wordpress.com/ Stasia Weston Alive Learning http://blog.edu.gr Stylianos Mystakidis Daniel Voyager’s Blog http://danielvoyager.wordpress.com/ Daniel Voyager Immersive Technology 4 Learning http://immersivetechnology4learning.ning.com/ Gordon Holden, et al…Oh Virtual Learning! http://scottsecondlife.blogspot.com/ Scott Merrick Virtual Worlds, Games and Education http://vwmooc.wordpress.com/ MOOC Working Group

We asked our readers, “Why Are You Here?” We had many interesting responses. On the next few pages you will meet 9 individuals who share their passion for working and playing in virtual worlds.

W Name:

William Burns

Why Are You Here? I'm a virtual environment SME with about 15 years in the industry. I am here because from the first day I saw a virtual environment (Blaxxun) I knew that the Internet was destined to be in three dimensions and our perception of communication and experiential reality would be altered for the betterment of mankind. As a result of this vision for our future, I have devoted my academic and professional career to the advancement of this technology in all forms. Asking what I like to do in Second Life and narrowing it down to two pictures is hard. I love to build, write, hang out with my partner, go dancing, listen to music, visit art galleries, attend shows, and so much more. More importantly, two pictures may be what I don't like doing in Second Life. However, I've tried to narrow it down to four. What Virtual Worlds do you work or play in? Worlds - 1994 ActiveWorlds - 1996/97 SecondLife - 2007 Quite a lot of others, if you would like to delve into the past as well as beta testing purposes. What is your avatar’s name? Aeonix Aeon in SL What year did you enter that virtual environment? 1994 Email Address: darianknight@gmail.com

47 Â

Aeonix at Home: Building/Design is one of my passions, and also video games. Hanging out at home and playing a TRON arcade cabinet that I made as a collector item.

Aeonix at IEEE: As the Object Interoperability Lead for IEEE Virtual World Standard Group (P1828), I enjoy working with the group to handle complex tasks such as our Stargate Project. Pictured here is Tom Starai, Kevin Simkins and myself.

Name: Tom Layton Why Are You Here? My goal is to discover the best virtual world teaching and learning configuration for individual educators and their students. My current experiment is “Teach From The Beach” http://maps.secondlife.com/sec ondlife/Cheshire Island/70/132/22and consists of four beautiful, completely furnished, homes on a homestead island in SL. Educators coordinate with each other to make sure that no more than 20 avatars are on the island at any given time. This provides attractive comfortable affordable intimate settings in which to engage with students.

If successful, these “Teach From The Beach” islands will completely surround Alice Academy http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Alice%20Academy/137/129/31 , a Full Region dedicated to teaching SL skills and culture to educators and their students.

Alice Academy also provides shared facilities that can accommodate larger groups for short term events.

Educators in the first trial include Joel T. Keener (Cheyney University of Pennsylvania), Pam Wicks (Aurora University) and Sumitra Srinivasan (University of Toledo). There is currently one TFTB house remaining. Anyone interested? Alice Academy = http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Alice Academy/153/128/31 Cheshire Island (TFTB) = http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cheshire Island/67/129/21 What Virtual Worlds do you work or play in? Second Life What is your avatar’s name? ArthurConan Doyle What year did you enter that virtual environment? August 10, 2006 Email Address: Thomas.G.Layton@gmail.com

Name: Peter Leong Why Are You Here? I teach and conduct research in Second Life. My passion for exploring virtual worlds for teaching and learning stems from my desire to create truly immersive learning experiences for my online distance students. I have been teaching online since the early 2000s. One of the challenges of online distance education is the geographic separation between the instructor and students. I have used different communication technologies through the years to teach at a distance and the virtual world environment has, by far, the most potential to provide students with an engaging and immersive learning environment. I quote from one of my student’s course reflection, “It felt as if we were meeting face-to-face which made me pay attention a little more than in other (online) synchronous classes.” What Virtual Worlds do you work or play in? Second Life What is your avatar’s name? Ikaika Miles What year did you enter that virtual environment? 2007 Email Address: peterleo@hawaii.edu

Here is the slurl of our College of Education's SL island: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UHawaii COE/112/193/26

Touring the Polynesian Voyaging educational simulation created by my students

Name: David Dixon Why Are You Here? I teach graphic design, illustration, and related computer art courses at East Tennessee State University. I began using Second Life to stay informed of emerging graphics technologies, and found it to be a fascinating platform for testing and sharing creative ideas. I maintain a virtual gallery on the ETSU site that includes a variety of student work: graphic designs, illustrations, paintings, drawings, and photographs. I use the Second Life gallery as a resource for demonstration purposes and as a virtual studio for student projects. Students gain practice in using conventional graphics software for creating designs in RL, and use the virtual gallery as a venue for presentation. Students have tested their logo designs on t-shirts created in my Graphic Design I class. They have also used the building tools to make 3d models that would be cost-prohibitive and wasteful to produce in RL, such as human-scaled, point-of-purchase displays for my Display and Package Design class. My illustration class has used SL for creating illustrated narratives, too, taking snapshots to use in scenes that would be impossible in RL.

I have found that some students love it and some students hate it for a variety of different reasons. But either way, they are discovering the new and important role graphic design and illustration skills play in emerging technologies for visual communication.

Here is a blog that has a few pictures that show how I'm using SL: http://etsuvirtualart.blogspot.com/ Here is a personal website that provides some biographical information about me, and also recent examples of my work, some of which is directly connected to Second Life: http://daviddixon.artistwebsites.com/ What Virtual Worlds do you work or play in? Second Life What is your avatar’s name? Professor Bimbogami What year did you enter that virtual environment? 2007 Email Address: dixon@etsu.edu

Name: Dr. Jim McDermott Why Are You Here? Since my doctoral research in 1995 on virtual reality simulation I have focused on the power of science simulation. In a nation of collapsing school budgets the virtual world offers both a low cost and effective solution for engaging the digital generation. Inside Second life I build science labs and holodecks in support of any school which is serious about conducting a course in world. The good news is many schools are serious and I am providing support for their success in science. We need more models of success in conducting actual classes inside Second life. This will provide the tipping point for broad use across the academic spectrum. My 5 years in Second life suggest the only limitation is your imagination and the cost of a region is dirt cheap if it is actually used for real courses. The faculty champions need to step forward and embrace what is possible in serious pilot projects leading to formal courses. ---ProfJ Merlin

What Virtual Worlds do you work or play in? Second Life What is your avatar’s name? ProfJ Merlin What year did you enter that virtual environment? 1990 --(2006 for Second Life specifically) Email Address: drjim75142@yahoo.com

Inside a science holodeck Profj Merlin activates an acid-base chemistry titration lab using the NaOH titrant and the HCL titrate to demonstrate how it can be done in the virtual world. Profj Merlin will send you a lab cube containing a chemistry, physics, and biology lab upon request through the Second life IM system.

Name: Don Singleton Why Are You Here? To learn, and then to teach, building and scripting, and to explore the use of Virtual World for communicating with others. I am disabled and homebound, yet through the use of Virtual Worlds I can teach people not just in the US but Europe, Australia, etc. What Virtual Worlds do you work or play in? Second Life Inworldz Avination What is your avatar’s name? Second Life, DJ Earnshaw, 11/8/2007 Second Life, Professor Viper, 5/15/2009 Inworldz, DJ Earnshaw, 9/17/2010 Avination, DJ Earnshaw, 3/2/2011 Avination, Professor Viper, 10/9/2011 What year did you enter that virtual environment? Noted above

Email Address: donsingleton@cox.net

Name:

Ray Hart

Why Are You Here? While the number of visitors to the SL shop is less than to the website however more information is gleaned about the visitor and so better online communication and market research. Online is cheaper than fuel for car/train/plane and greater range is achieved than walking/cycling. Following a documentary on BBC TV about social networks I was very surprised at how popular virtual goods are and people around the world are prepared to buy them.

I'm pictured standing with some book stands at the book shop h2rh Trading at Emmelia(160,228) The shop has changed in its look slightly since. This is where I sell RL new and used books. The prims link to web pages and you can buy the RL books via PayPal. Payment for these with Lindens may be coming soon. We now also have an arrangement to sell books through Epiphany Island and are looking for any other suitable outlets. Web site www.knowlebooks.com which includes other things as well. (e.g,. Trumpet lessons within a 10 mile radius of Bristol UK.) We also sell virtual Solar Panels. These can be bought with Lindens. They are also used on the roof of h2rh Trading. An example of our real DIY solar installation can be seen at www.sunshineenergy.co.uk What Virtual Worlds do you work or play in? SecondLife Avination tried OSgrid, Worlds, Active Worlds What is your avatar’s name? Ray2009 Hazelnut What year did you enter that virtual environment? 2009 Email Address: rh@h2rh.com What is your website?

http://www.h2rh.com

Name: Dudley Turner Why Are You Here? I’m busy with 2 things in SL: (1) I bring students in for a less threatening approach to “being different” and continuing with discussions of diversity, perceptions, judgments and dealing with others. (2) I am developing a quest-based game for first year students at our institution to give them an opportunity to learn about services and opportunities on our campus in ways other than lecture, speaker, or “go find it yourself” - a pilot this semester to see if this approach that is more interactive, flexible, and different is somehow “better” in helping them learn or want to learn. What Virtual Worlds do you work or play in? I am in Second Life (only) What is your avatar’s name? Dudley Dreamscape (and Zoeken) What year did you enter that virtual environment? I started in 2008 (under another name) Email Address: dbturner@uakron.edu

Name: Aggeliki Nikolaou Why Are You Here? As knowledge management has been gaining more importance among organizations and the luck of professional development opportunities are taken into consideration, 3D virtual environments are seen as a promising solution of transmitting both types of knowledge explicit and tacit knowledge (tacit is hard to take a shape and to be transmitted to other people).

Interacting in Two Fish Art Landscape: Unconventional aspect of Art by Rose Borchovski. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cariacou/100/113/21

Moreover 3D virtual environments allowing users to communicate interactively, asynchronously and synchronously: • contribute to the diffusion of the most valuable body of knowledge (the tacit knowledge) •

provide opportunities for self–paced learning in both formal and informal context,

•

facilitate communication among like-minded-people globally,

•

encourage and facilitate users to create and develop their one learning networks.

But mainly 3D virtual environments, as Second Life, provide conductive venues for informal learning. SL provides me a way: •

to access the collective knowledge by exchanging resources and learning tools among educators,

•

to improve my teaching and learning practices,

•

to engage me in consistent dialogue,

•

to deepen feelings of trust and connectedness with the participants of my learning network in world.

This learning network is different from other social networks, because it focuses on learning and on specific professional interests.

Collaborative activity: Open workshop by the Library and Information Center of University of Patras. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/University%20of%20Washington/61/96/501

Concluding, I would like to add that the nature of informal learning in SL is self-directed, highly social and participatory. These are very important affordances for life-long learning and consistent evidences of future adoption of 3D environments as tools of knowledge diffusion. What Virtual Worlds do you work or play in? SL What is your avatar’s name? Ageliki Mekanic (sl) Email Address: anikola@freemail.gr email

ISTE Island Past . . .

ISTE SIGVE – New Horizons