VWPBE Conference Ends (Officially)

 

 After three days of discussions, the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference, the VWBPE officially ended on Saturday evening. The closing ceremony was at 5PM and an evening dance from 6 to 8 PM. But there were a few events on the program afterwards, including March 27 and 31. There's also one on April Fools Day. 

 

While the Newser could not be at all of the Discussions, it was at some, such as "Catching Up With The Lindens." We'll report more when time permits.

 

For those who want to visit the grounds, including some activity areas, https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Grasslands%20Gateway/128/123/23 .

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Cartoon of The Day: Dragon Orca

 

 Taken at the VWBPE conference. There was a dragon-sized avatar in the audience who looked a lot like an orca. So how could that have happened? I thought of one possibility.

 

By Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Philip Linden Gives VWBPE Keynote Speech, Takes Questions

 

Yesterday, Thursday March 19 at 12 Noon, The Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education held it's Keynote. The man giving it was someone familiar to every longtime Second Life resident: Philip Linden, aka Philip Rosedale, the founder of Linden Lab, the company behind this virtual world.

 

Today, we have the distinct honor of hearing from a man who actually made gatherings like this one possible. Our keynote speaker is a physicist turned coder turned visionary,  someone who looked at the early internet and saw not just a network, but a world waiting to be built.
 

 He founded Linden Lab and created Second Life, the virtual world that has been home to educators, artists, researchers, and dreamers for over two decades. He has since explored spatial audio, open-source VR platforms, digital currency, and even the frontiers of machine consciousness. And in October 2024, he returned to Second Life as CTO, bringing fresh energy and new ideas to a platform many of us call home.

Someone was saying close to a hundred people were in the area the event took place, an intersection of four sims, Philip on a small cliff overlooking the crowd, "I feel like a king standing on a high rooftop *laughs* I see people I recognize, it's the magical things about Second Life." He thanked the educators for their work in this virtual world. He would talk about AI and how it was impacting society, saying at one point a comparison could be made to the Industrial area when machines did the work of the muscle power of many men, "Now we have gone much father with replicating how our mind works. ... the progress was very quick lately ... we are living in strange times- there are tremendous risks, there are more bad than good impacts at the moment."

After the keynote, Philip took questions, and there was talk about not just AI, but other topics such as Second Life, "It's interesting to reflect on the fact that SL hasn't grown as rapidly as we thought or liked." One subject was about how people often rely on facial expressions, hand movements, and other cues in real life but that was absent in Second Life and other virtual worlds. It was also brought up that being hired to correct an AI could be a roundabout way to do the job of a programmer for a fraction of the cost. Someone also joked it AI had an alignment, it would be "Chaotic Neutral." It was also brought up that there hasn't been a real-life Second Life Community Convention since 2011. Philip Linden did wonder if the possibility of doing another deserved some thinking about. 

 

The conference was broadcast live, and may be available to see later on the VWBPE Youtube channel later.  

 

*Addition*: It's available now.  

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 

Saturday March 21

 

    ~*~

 

At 9 AM PST  (2 hours)

 

Moon Base Selene

 

Lead Presenter: Vic Michalak / Phil Youngblood, PhD
Co-presenter: Sumo Itano / Natalie Foster, PhD

 

More info here: https://www.vwbpe.org/event/ie-moon-base-selene-lunar-space-elevator-hub 

 

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/71/128/30

 

    ~*~

 

    NOTE: Non-members required to register once

    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝  

 

VWBPE Conference Starts Today

 

 Today is the first official day of the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference for 2026. A few events actually started earlier, but the keynote is today at 12 Noon SL time, given by Philpi Rosedale / Philip Linden. 

 

 From today to Saturday March 21 will be a number of discussions. There are also some exhibits and a few activities. 

 

 For more information on the conference, go to https://www.vwbpe.org/  .

 

SURL to entrance:  https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Grasslands%20Gateway/128/123/23

Schedule: https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe26-program 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Press Release: VWBPE 2026 Conference INSIGHTS 19-21 March 2026 in Second Life®

 

 

The 19th annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference, beginning on Thursday, March 19th, 2026, will be an online distributed conference happening in multiple virtual spaces. This conference focuses on the use of immersive virtual environments for educational purposes, including virtual and augmented reality. 

This year we are returning to our Earth build. Each region represents a different terrestrial biome, including wetlands, desert, badlands, grasslands, and forests. Conference attendees will be able to explore 3D immersive virtual representations of these biomes.

The conference regions will be open to the public on Sunday, March 15th at 9:00 am SLT (Second Life Time / Pacific Daylight Time).

**VWBPE 2026 GATEWAY** 
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Grasslands%20Gateway/128/123/23 

To the best ability possible, VWBPE provides educational and networking opportunities that are relevant to educational curriculum development utilizing virtual environments and “best practices”. These include

helping to build community through extension of learning best practices to practical application of those ideas and techniques;
providing networking opportunities for educators and the communities that help support education; and
providing access to current innovations, trends, ideas, case studies, and other best practices for educators and the communities that help support education

One of the key challenges faced by the educational community is how to make the best use of new immersive technologies in a way that is sustainable and accessible based on limited budgets available to both instructors and students. Platforms that are free or open source, or that can be shared across a broad audience, are showcased, including methods and research around best practices in their use and applicability.

Our theme for this year is Insights.

The 2026 theme, “Insights”, invites us to look deeper—beyond the tools and platforms—toward the lessons, challenges, and opportunities that are redefining education in an age of rapid technological transformation. For more about the theme, see the blog post here: https://www.vwbpe.org/vwbpe-news/welcome-to-vwbpe-2026-insights.

Join us as we all share experiences and successes in how virtual technologies used in the classroom have helped shape education for the better.

This year's keynote speakers are Philip Rosedale, Ryan Schultz, and Mark Childs. Invited speakers include representatives from Linden Lab, and many of the Thinkerer Award winners. 

The VWBPE conference keynote speakers and their respective presentations are featured on the conference website (http://vwbpe.org), along with a program of exciting presentations, social activities, and networking events that will set extraordinary discussions in motion.  

The VWBPE Immersive Experiences showcase unique and interesting work being conducted across the metaverse. We invite you to join us as we explore eleven interactive and engaging locations across five virtual environments. The Immersive Experiences are scheduled from March 14th through April 1st (exclusive of the conference dates). Details and access instructions for the experiences are found at https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe26-program.   

Additionally, this open and free conference would not be possible without the generous contributions of our VWBPE sponsors. https://www.vwbpe.org/vwbpe-2026-sponsors.   

The Rockcliffe Registration Portal is open for people to register new Second Life® avatars and find out more about the VWBPE conference in-world. Go to https://www.enroll.onl/secondlife.php . The instructions are there to get you and your friends started at this educator-friendly newcomers’ region in Second Life®.

The full conference program is online here: https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe26-program. 

You can also view presentations live on YouTube at http://vwbpe.org/watch. 

All of the conference events will be in Second Life® this year, and the locations are included in the listings. When you click on a conference event and click Add to Calendar, you can add the event to your own calendar (Google and more).

NOTE: Daylight Savings Time
In most of the United States and Canada (and in Second Life), Daylight Savings Time is in effect as of 8 March 2026. In Europe, Great Britain, and many other locations, DST is in effect as of 29 March, 2026, after the conference begins. Check this page to find out when (and if) a time change is in effect for you: https://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/2026.html.


**VWBPE 2026 GATEWAY**
SLurl: 
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Grasslands%20Gateway/128/123/23 

**VWBPE 2026 SOCIAL VISITOR CENTER** http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Wetlands%20Marsh/175/158/21 


**KEYNOTES**
https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe-2026-keynotes  

KEYNOTE:
Philip Rosedale / SL: Philip Linden
CTO, Linden Lab
Thursday 19 March 2026
12:00 pm noon SLT @ VWBPE Auditorium

KEYNOTE: 
Ryan Schultz
Science & Agriculture Librarian, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
Friday 20 March 2026
9:00 am SLT @ VWBPE Auditorium

KEYNOTE:
Mark Childs / SL: Gann McGann
Senior Learning Designer, University of Durham (Durham UK)
Saturday 21 March 2026
9:00 am SLT @ VWBPE Auditorium


**INVITED SPEAKERS**

ABOVE THE BOOK: Catching Up with the Lindens
Host: Kevin Feenan / Phelan Corrimal
Linden Lab Guests: TBA
Friday 20 March 2026
1:00pm SLT @ VWBPE Auditorium

ABOVE THE BOOK: Catching up with the Thinkerers
Lynne Berrett / Lissena (Wisdomseeker)
VWBPE 2021 Thinkerer
Saturday 21 March 2026
3:00 pm SLT @ VWBPE Auditorium


**WEB PAGES**

Conference Information: http://vwbpe.org 
Program: https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe26-program   
Registration: http://vwb.pe/register  
Sponsors: https://www.vwbpe.org/vwbpe-2026-sponsors 
Rockcliffe Gateway to Second Life®: https://www.enroll.onl/secondlife.php 
Watch VWBPE Livestream: https://www.vwbpe.org/watch 

**MAJOR SPONSORS**

Linden Lab
https://www.lindenlab.com/

Rockcliffe University Consortium
https://urockcliffe.com/ 

Knomaze Corporation
https://knomaze.com/ 

Virtual Ability
https://virtualability.org/ 

Agile Dimensions
https://www.agiledimensions.com/blog/ 

Whole Brain Health
https://www.agelessmindproject.org/  


**CONTACT**
Bevan Whitfield
VWBPE Communications Chair
marketing@vwbpe.com 

Exploring Creativity and Scientific Inquiry Through the Metaverse: Our Journey in the Student Building Challenge

 

Among those at the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference was Marcel Mosswood. She came back from her hiatus from the Newser to report on one of the events there, in which she guided three groups of students on three different projects. So what did they accomplish?

 

Read Marcel's article in People.

 

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 

 

Saturday April 4

 

    ~*~

 

    At 10 AM PST   

    Lifelong Learning Roundtable

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/llr/

    Presented by Lissena (Lynne Berrett, Whole Brain Health)

    VWBPE Desert Hinterlands (107/81/23)

 

    ~*~

 

    NOTE: Non-members required to register once

    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝

Virtual World Best Practices in Education 2025 Conference

 

Tomorrow at 8:30 AM is the start of one of the more educational yearly events in Second Life, the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference, or VWBPE.  It is "a global grassroots community event, which focuses on education in immersive virtual environments." This year's theme is Transitions. Dancerina Starlight wrote about the event for the Newser.

 

Read Dancerina's article in Events. 

 

VWBPE - Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable

 

The Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference took place from Thursday March 14 to March 16. But not everyone could be there, and some who were could see only a little. But there were smaller events after the conference was officially over. One was a "roundtable" on Thursday March 21. Editor Bixyl Shuftan happened to be available, and dropped by.

Read Bixyl's story in Events.

Scenes From The VWBPE Grounds

 

The Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference is over. But the grounds remain for anyone to explore, for now, and there are videos of the various events people can watch. Gemma Cleanslate was a voulunteer there, and was able to get some pictures.

 

See Gemma's pictures in Design

VWBPE Conference Starts Today

 

 

 Today officially marks the start of the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference. This three day event will have numerous discussions and lectures on the event sims. 

The kickoff takes place at 8AM SL time at:

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Grasslands%20Gateway/128/123/23

 

At 12 Noon SL time is "What's Up With The Lab," with Lindens (and maybe Moles) joining the host to discuss what Linden Lab has been doing lately. Almost certainly, the mobile viewer will be discussed, as well as PBR Materials,

 

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Rainbow%20Basin/232/247/21

 

Backup locations

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Canopy%20Point/27/243/21

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Floating%20Meadows/237/28/22

 

Press Release: VWBPW Conference 2024 - Mythic Orgins

 

 The 17th annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference, beginning on Thursday, March 14th, 2024, will be an online distributed conference happening in multiple virtual spaces. This conference focuses on the use of immersive virtual environments for educational purposes including virtual and augmented reality.

This year we are returning to our Earth build. Each region represents a different terrestrial biome, including wetlands, desert, badlands, grasslands, and forests. Conference attendees will be among the first to be able to explore!

To the best ability possible, VWBPE provides educational and networking opportunities that are relevant to educational curriculum development utilizing virtual environments and “best practices”. These include

helping to build community through extension of learning best practices to practical application of those ideas and techniques;
providing networking opportunities for educators and the communities that help support education; and
providing access to current innovations, trends, ideas, case studies, and other best practices for educators and the communities that help support education

One of the key challenges faced by the educational community is how to make the best use of new immersive technologies in a way that is sustainable and accessible based on limited budgets available to both instructors and students. Platforms that are free or open source, or that can be shared across a broad audience are showcased, including methods and research around best practices in their use and applicability.

Our theme for this year is Mythic Origins.

Mythic stories can provide a way to engage students in critical thinking and analysis, as well as developing their creativity and imagination. Mythic origins can provide students with a deeper understanding of their own cultural heritage and how it has evolved over time. It allows us to explore the origins of our socially constructed myths and legends that have inspired educators and their various works.

Join us as we all share experiences and successes in how virtual technologies used in the classroom have helped shape education for the better.

This year's keynote speakers are Wagner James Au and Dr. Nellie Deutsch. Invited speakers include representatives from Linden Lab, and the 2020 Thinkerer - Renne Emiko Brock.

The VWBPE conference keynote speakers and their respective presentations are featured on the conference website (http://vwbpe.org), along with a program of exciting presentations, social activities, and networking events that will set extraordinary discussions in motion.  

The VWBPE Immersive Experiences showcase unique and interesting work being conducted across the metaverse. We invite you to join us as we explore eleven interactive and engaging locations across five virtual environments. The Immersive Experiences are scheduled from March 9th through 31st (exclusive of the conference dates). Details and access instructions for the experiences are found at https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe24-program.   

Additionally, this open and free conference would not be possible without the generous contributions of our VWBPE sponsors. https://www.vwbpe.org/vwbpe-2024-sponsors  

The Rockcliffe Registration Portal is open for people to register new Second Life® avatars and find out more about the VWBPE conference in-world. Go to https://www.enroll.onl/secondlife.php . The instructions are there to get you and your friends started at this educator-friendly newcomers’ region in Second Life®.

The full conference program is online here: https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe24-program.

You can also view presentations live on YouTube at http://vwbpe.org/watch.

All of the conference events will be in Second Life® this year, and the locations are included in the listings. When you click on a conference event and click Add to Calendar, you can add the event to your own calendar (Google and more).

NOTE: Daylight Savings Time
In most of the United States and Canada, Daylight Savings Time is in effect as of 10 March 2024. In Europe, Great Britain, and many other locations, DST is in effect as of 31 March, 2024, after the conference ends. Check this page to find out when (and if) a time change is in effect for you: https://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/2024.html.

=================================================
**VWBPE 2024 GATEWAY**
SLurl:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Grasslands%20Gateway/128/123/23

**VWBPE 2024 SOCIAL VISITOR CENTER** http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Wetlands%20Marsh/175/158/21

 

 

 

VWPBE Conference Starts Thursday, March 14

 

 

One of Second Life's big yearly events, the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference, will soon be starting. Describing itself as discussing "the use of immersive virtual environments for educational purposes including virtual and augmented reality," the event will feature numerous discussions on a variety of topics. This will include talks with the Lindens about what's going on with Linden Lab, and more.

The kickoff event is on Thursday March 14 at 8AM SL time, at VWBPE Grasslands Gateway (128/123/23). Shortly afterwards at Noon SL time is "What's Up At The Lab?"

 

Officially, the conference concludes Saturday night at 6PM. But there were still be some events at the VWPBE for several days afterwards,and beyond. 

For a look at the schedule, Click Here. Already there are a few pre-conference events taking place. 

 

Lorivonne Lustre/Lorraine Mockford of VWBPE Has Died

 

Some sad news for the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) group in Second Life. Lorivonne Lustre, also known as Lorraine Mockford or just LV, has passed away.

 

 On Friday, February 2, 2024, Lorraine Mockford (LV / Lorivonne Lustre) passed away. Lorraine has blessed the educational community and numerous charitable organizations within Second Life for over 17 years. Her involvement in Second Life and Open Simulator extended to numerous organizations including Virtual Abilities Inc., Nonprofit Commons, SL Midwives, and Rockcliffe University Consortium, which runs the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference. 

Lorraine was part of the original organizing committee for the Second Life Best Practices in Education conference in 2007. Since 2009, she has been an instrumental Director of the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education including Communications and Programs.

We are all saddened by the loss of a beautiful soul that was taken far too soon.

More information from the family and an in-world celebration of life will be coming soon.

There will be an open memorial to LV on Thursday February 8 at Rockcliffe Village. It will take place at 11 AM and again at 5PM. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rockcliffe%20Village (181/157/1728). The event is organized by the VWBPE Organizational Committee.

Hat tip: Bevan Whitfield

Bixyl Shuftan

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 

 

Saturday, April 15

 

    ~*~

    

    At 10 AM PST   

    Recap of the 2023 VWBPE conference on Second Life

    By Dr. William Schmachtenberg (Dae Miami SL) and Linda Morris Kelley, BA (Delia Lake SL)

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/vwbpe-2023/

    Auditorium

 

   The Science Circle (72,129,30)

      

    ~*~

 

    At 9 PM PST   

    ChatGPT and AI

    By Jes Stannard

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/health/

    SC Meeting Spot

 

   The Science Circle (72,129,30)

 

    ~*~

    

    NOTE: Non-members required to register once

    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝

 

 

Weekend in Brief

 

 

 Saturday March 25 was the last day of the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference. Among the events were the closing ceremonies, in which the annual Thinkerer Award was given to Sheila Webber (Sheila Yoshikawa). The theme for next year was also announced, "Mythic Origins."

 

At one point, the staff told everyone, "We always have help from the bloggers who cover Second Life and virtual worlds. We held another Press Day this year, which gave them a sneak preview of the conference regions.

 

"I’d like to especially thank Bixyl Shuftan and Gemma Cleanslate of the Second Life Newser."

We at the Newser appreciate the recognition.

Some of the presentations over the three days were recorded. They can be seen in the VWBPE's Youtube channel. 

Sunday March 26 had Bay City's Food Truck Festival in North Channel, organized by Marianne McCann. For two hours, people danced to the tunes of DJ Gospeed Racer, some checking out the various food trucks. There were all sorts from taco trucks to portable bars offering just booze to zombieburgers. Presumably that last one was offering scrapple. 

What did you do this weekend. Feel free to send the Newser a reader submission of what happened with you.

Bixyl Shuftan

At The VWBPE Conference

 

Today marks the third and last day of the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference. There have been a number of discussions, and today a few more before the official close.

Among the discussions was one featuring Patch and Grumpity Linden, "What's Up at The Lab?"

Much of what Patch and Linden talked about was already discussed in the Lab Gab earlier this month, though there were a few additions, such as Grumpity Linden saying the beta release of the mobile viewer would be unlikely before the fourth quarter of 2023.

For the VWBPE conference schedule, check https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe23-program .

Bixyl Shuftan

VWBPE Starts Today

 

 

One of the more noteworthy yearly educational events, the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference, starts today. From today until Saturday, there will be numerous discussions and other events. The Opening Ceremonies start at 8 AM SL time (11 AM EST) and are scheduled to take place at VWBPE Grasslands Gateway (128/123/23). The Keynote will take place at 9AM at VWBPE Canopy Point (27/243/21).

To check the program schedule, go to https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe23-program .

Bixyl Shuftan

The VWBPE Grounds

 

After weeks of preparation, the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference is set to start tomorrow. From Thursday to Saturday, there will be numerous discussions and other events, including one with the Lindens. The theme this year is "Uncommon Realities." Gemma Cleanslate, who volunteered to help out again this year, took a good look at the the area the event will be taking place on. And there's quite a lot.

 

Read Gemma's story in Design.