It's the first day of the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference, or VWBPE. Despite real-life nipping at my heels, the lag, and the crashing, I was able to catch a little of the Keynote and talk with Patch Linden. There's many other discussions, so come on over and see things for yourself.
In every culture, from China in the east to the Indigenous cultures in the west, the phoenix as a symbol of hope and renewal is ubiquitous across the ages. Whether it is referred to as Feng Huang, Garuda, Ho-Oo, Bennu or the Quetzal bird, in every case the phoenix ushers in an era of prosperity and transformation that goes beyond the individual to encompass our home and surroundings.
The world is forever a changed place. Those in education find themselves on the front lines of how the next generation of students are going to perceive and integrate a post-COVID society into opportunities for growth, for renewal, and for a redefinition of the values that once drove us.
The past two years have represented a global case study in real time of the merits and limitations of virtual education: what works, and what doesn’t. Educators have immersed themselves in online learning methodologies that have been mostly talked about but never implemented on a wide scale until recently. There is now a plethora of real-world evidence supporting the practical application of teaching virtually that we have never truly had access to until now.
Like the newly reborn phoenix arising from the ashes of its previous life, virtual education is also experiencing a renaissance of abundance and transformation. Whether it be fully immersive or simple video conferencing, the practical application of tools and techniques over the past two years represents a wealth of inspiration for connecting teachers and students in ways that are comprehensive, progressive, and meaningful.
"Choking on Red Pills, A Biological Take on Modern Dating Dynamics"
Saturday November 20,
10 AM to 11 AM SL time
The basic tenet of biology is reproduction to continue the species. Evolution and genetics has programmed every species’ to follow behaviors to ensure the next generation. Sometimes this has resulted in seemingly contradictory behaviors like male spiders sacrificing themselves after mating.
Given this pattern of programming in sexually reproducing species, it is flabbergasting that some people are choosing to exit the mating pool consciously. These movements (Men Going Their Own Way, Involuntary Celibates, parts of The Manosphere, etc) espouse very different interactions in the mating game, primarily to exit it. Collectively using the term “Red Pill” (a reference to The Matrix) this philosophy claims to now be awakened to the truth of how society oppresses men.
This presentation will explore initially the biology of sexual reproduction in vertebrates and humans then look to reconcile or at least understand better the current society/cultural situation.
"Virtual Teaching Tactics to Help a Divided World"
Saturday November 20
9 PM to 10 PM SL time
Educators can be Covid-challenged to keep students and funds flowing, while promoting healthy and enriching academic options. Virtual World learning may provide immersive hands-on experience for engaging students and offering a sense of place and belonging, so important to student success and retention in online education.This presentation covers: evolution of virtual world learning, academic necessities for learning alternatives, socioeconomic drivers and gains, fulfilling student desires for immersive experience, benefits of experiential learning, providing dimensional sense of space, sample in-world learning centers, forming partnerships between academia and emerging technology, effective gamification of learning, bridging the digital divide, and self-guided field trips to Virtual World campuses.
"Virtual Teaching Tactics to Help a Divided World"
Saturday November 13,
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM SL time
Educators can be Covid-challenged to keep students and funds flowing, while promoting healthy and enriching academic options. Virtual World learning may provide immersive hands-on experience for engaging students and offering a sense of place and belonging, so important to student success and retention in online education. This presentation covers: evolution of virtual world learning, academic necessities for learning alternatives, socio-economic drivers and gains, fulfilling student desires for immersive experience, benefits of experiential learning, providing dimensional sense of space, sample in-world learning centers, forming partnerships between academia and emerging technology, effective gamification of learning, bridging the digital divide, and self-guided field trips to Virtual World campuses.
In 1890, a bone surgeon by the name of William B. Coley was profoundly moved by the loss of a 17-year old patient (Bessie Dashiell) to bone cancer and endeavored to find an effective treatment for the disease. Amidst reviewing hospital records, Coley learned of a patient with a similar disease who recovered after (dramatic pause…) coming down with an infection.
“Say what now?”
Yes… Coley (after verifying that wasn’t a singular case) went on to treat malignant tumors with injections that induced infections. While he was successful in some cases, an explanation for the positive outcomes wasn’t available at the time. Today, we understand that components of the toxins Coley used tuned his patients’ immune systems, stimulating responses that lead to tumor regression. The understanding of our innate defense system’s potential in fighting cancer has instigated the development of a marvelous form of treatment – immunotherapy.
In this presentation I aim to introduce the principles that underlie immunotherapy, discuss various forms of the treatment like immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and dendritic cell vaccines, and explain the challenges involved in harnessing our immune systems in the war against cancer.
Chemistry World was established as a joint venture between Texas A&M
University and the Florida Institute of Technology by Dr. K (Dr. Wendy
Keeney-Kennicutt) and Winkelmann Teichmann (Dr. Kurt Winkelman) as part
of NSF-funded research to examine the effectiveness of virtual worlds in
the teaching of chemistry content. They worked with Xandi Mars and
Random Cole, SL designers who are based in Texas and who work
extensively with Texas A&M. The results of the study were published
in the Journal of Chemical Education.
The result is an asset to the chemistry education community in Second
Life which supports a realistic teaching environment which includes a
laboratory, a classroom, offices to meet with TAs/faculty, and space to
“hang out”. In addition there is an area for practicing camera skills,
and a series of platforms which host two laboratory experiments which
include an ideal gas law activity and a precipitation titration
activity.
Amidst the SARS-COVID-2 pandemic in late Spring 2020, Dr. Shaw assumed
management of the region. The idea was to use its facilities to
supplement the lab activities for a freshman chemistry for engineers
course in Fall 2020. In spring 2021, it will be used to supplement an
advanced Bioinorganic chemistry class. This tour will highlight the
facilities built as part of the original study, will show the current
builds of 3D bioinorganic models, and will show the current state of the
Solid-State Models activity developed since April 2020. The logistics
of implementing these SL activities will be described.
"Virtual Worlds Teaching Manual"
by Gregory Perrier
Sept 19 , 10 AM to 11 AM SL time
Experience has shown that Virtual Worlds (VWs) can provide students a
unique interactive educational experience that many students see as a
fun way to learn. VWs go beyond just offering text to read or a video to
watch. In VWs students interact with objects. For example, a student
can study the diagram of an ear online or in a textbook; but in a VW the
student can walk through the ear, a whole different experience. Studies
have shown that students learn more from doing, than from reading or
listening to a lecture, and VWs have the potential to provide this
hands-on learning experience in a cost-effective manner.
Furthermore,
teaching students to function in virtual environments provides them with
skills that will be beneficial, if not critical, for success in the
future job market.
The aim of this manual is to help educators incorporate VWs into
their courses in ways that enhance student learning. It will guide one
through getting started and show them how to use VWs to make classes
more fun and interesting. It will help them avoid the common errors
educators make in VWs and allow them to build on the successes of
others. The advice presented here comes from work in the VW called
Second Life (SL), but much of this advice applies to other VWs, such as
Open Simulator and Kitely, as well as to virtual reality (VR).
“Lessons from Seven Years of Teaching in Second Life” By Greg Perrier, Ph.D., USA
Friday, September 15th
10 AM PDT
I will give a retrospective of my seven years of working in STEM
education in Second Life. This presentation will summarize lessons
learned focusing on what has worked and what did not work in our
initiative to use Second Life as an educational tool for Biology. I will
end by examining how these lessons from the past can inform our future
endeavours.
From Draxtor Despress on April 10, 2017, "Professors Tuncer Can and Irfan Simsek from Istanbul University use the
virtual universe of Second Life with hundreds of students every day.
"Why?
They would probably cite the fact that SL empowers students from all
over the world to rise above their own expectations: 'The freedom that
students have through their avatars and their ability to create worlds
in the context they need in the classroom can not be found anywhere
else!' is their paraphrased credo that keeps coming up in conversation.
"For
almost 10 years now Tuncer and Irfan use Second Life to train English
teachers in the physical classroom and via remote instruction: students
collaborate in role-play, do homework or film Machinima to use as custom
supplemental materials.
"But Tuncer and Irfan don’t stop there:
Educational technologists who study to become advisors on digital
learning platforms in other schools and universities, examine the
advantages [and pitfalls] of using SL in the classroom by designing
proof of concept games for math instruction and climate change.
"Istanbul
University with its 200.000 students is the city’s oldest university,
founded in 1453, and a perfect example of how Second Life can work in
education - when used by passionate teachers who are embracing the
unique affordances of a world where boundaries collapse and cultural
exchange is not only possible but an essential feature.
"As the
buzz about how VR is going to revolutionize education is growing, it may
be useful to remind ourselves: there is a digital world out there, used
by countless educational institutions day in day out, ripe with
possibilities and not going anywhere!
Most longtime residents, especially builders and scripters, know about the "Ivory Tower of Primitives." For those residents wanting to learn how to build and script at their own pace, this library if infor mation in the Natoma sim is the most well known and one of the best places to go to. The one behind this library of instructions and tutorials was Lumiere Noir, whom created the Tower very early in Second Life's history, possibly shortly after it's begining in 2003, and has since helped maintain it, with the help of Avi Arrow and Kennylex Luckless.
It has been recently revealed that the person behind the avatar Lumiere Noir has died, passing away on Monday August 10, 2015.
I chatted briefly with Kennylex, " I do not know so much about him personal, but he was the Founder of the Ivory Tower. ... He was the one and only that did build the tower I think." He explained the Tower wasn't originally built in Natoma, but "The first Tower was located in Noyo, It was a huge party here when the tower was moving here, it was a big event for the whole of Second Life."
Kennylex went on to say, "Natoma and The Ivory Tower was one of the first places I did come to in SL and the reason that I did stay so long."
Kennlylex pointed to an article in the "Not Possible in Real Life" blog. There in an interview with Bettina Tizzy, Lumiere identified himself as Vince Frost of Plano Texas, a teacher of English as a second Language. "I love to make things and I love to teach," Lumiere spoke when asked where the idea for the tower came from, "Making the tower was a natural thing for me as a teacher." He didn't like teaching inworld, so he created the tutorials.
Lennylex told me that Lumiere's avatar was active, but being used by a friend to make some adjustments to the tower.
Torley Linden did a video about the Ivory Tower of Prims in May 2008 (link), "Its kind of like visiting a candy factory to see how your favorite sweets are made," came one of the comments. He also took a number of pictures in his Flickr (link).
Lumiere was known for appearing in a "Black Spy" avatar, of "Mad Magazine's" "Spy vs Spy" comics.
In the Linden Blog, what's being highlighed is a course inworld aimed at teachers from Spanish language areas to help them make use of Second Life to help teach.
Back in April we blogged about the University of San Martin de Porres Perú
is offering a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) called "Introduction to
Second Life for Educators" that was specifically designed to help
Spanish speaking educators leverage Second Life for educational
purposes. Since then the course has been improved and updated, and a new
session is set to start on September 29th at Second Life Para Docentes.
About the course:
The Virtual Worlds Project of The University of San
Martin de Porres from Perú starts this September 29th the second edition
of the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)
entitled "Introduction to Second Life for Educators 2nd. Ed.". The
course is free and is designed to train Spanish speaking educators on
the use of the virtual world Second Life, and to provide knowledge that
allows educators to benefit from its potential, especially in the
education field.
If you or someone you know might benefit from a course like this, you can watch an introductory video (in Spanish) and register at their website. Start Day: Sep 29th.
The post, along with Spanish translation, can be found Here.
By Draxtor Despress, ""The students using the replicated lab in Second Life had better
retention of information than the students only using the physical lab!"
Wendy Keeney-Kennicutt from Texas A&M University is excited about
the preliminary findings of her study about how the unique affordances
of virtual reality platforms like Second Life can facilitate and enhance
the learning process.
Conducted together with Kurt Winkelman
from the Florida Institute of Technology, the study comparing physical
lab and virtual lab is funded by an NSF grant and slated to be finished
in April 2015.
While the findings [so far] maybe indeed
eye-opening for many who have not engaged with virtual reality in an
educational context, for pioneering teachers and enthusiastic students
alike they can hardly be seen as a surprise: learning in virtual worlds
creates a strong sense of being together and collaborating in one shared
space irrespective of physical location powerfully transcends - via
avatar-based interaction - a multitude of social issues.
Some days ago on ABC News on TV, there was a story about Second Life. Nova Southeastern University, has been using the virtual world as a training tool for it's medical students. The story came from a local station by Kristi Kruger, whom had reported on what the students were doing.
At the university's College of Osteopathic Medicine, students can use virtual patients to practice diagnostic skills, as well as communication with them. "The key to great health care is building a relationship, a partnership
if you will, between the patient and physician, and -- the more
comfortable and the better listener he is, the more relaxed, and the
better that communication is -- the better the health care outcome is
going to be," spoke Marti Echols, one of the university's teachers. The students can go to the virtual clinic "anytime, anywhere" to practice.
The university has also gotten a million dollar grant to use Second Life to help amputees (news story). Sandra Winker, a researcher and assistant professor at Nova's College of Health Care Services, was awarded the three year grant "in funding from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality to pursue her study. The
project costs will be 100% financed with federal funds."
Amputees from all over the world will be able to join "a support group with no time or space limitations." As avatars can be made more or less into whatever appearance one wants, they will be able to choose whether or not their avatar is also missing a limb, or not. By going about Second Life, such as in the jet ski activities the news program showed, the virtual world will help them "regain their balance and mobility."
"Patients will be able to enter our virtual island and simulate what it
is like to once again use their missing limbs," Winkler explained in the online article, "This has
the possibility to make life better for so many amputees, and all they
will need is an Internet connection."
Ms. Kruger had gotten her own avatar to help in reporting the story, calling the Second Life activities "A fun way to do some very serious learning and growing."
Nova Southeastern University has it's main campus located in Fort Lauderdale Florida. One can learn more about the school at: http://www.nova.edu/ .
JessicaBelle Dayafter is noted for two things in Second Life. One is being a top pilot in the New Bastogne WW2 combat RP. The second is for being a designer of planes designed for use in this and similar combat RP areas, as well as fun for casual flight. Her German FW190 is her best known plane, but also developed a rendition of the US Navy Grumman Hellcat.
During the planning of the Second Life Newser party JessicaBelle Dayafter agreed to put up one of her JessicaBelle Aeronautic Productions planes as the big prize. The choice of planes was awarded during the second party to Kikas Babenco. We told her to contact Jessica for the plane, as well as sending Jessica a message.
Later on, I had a few words with Jessica. She gave me a few screenshots, “ I took the pics near the Flying Tigers sim, ‘cause the sim owner has my planes on display. She loved them so much.” She told me she had gotten in contact with Kikas and they met up. Kikias was given the choice between the FW190 and the Hellcat, and chose the FW190. There was one small complication, “It was her first time flying in Second Life. So I was trying to teach her.”
The results of Kikas’ training were, interesting, “The FW-190 is real fast. I told her many times this, and not to go above 40% throttle.” Trying it out in the Flying Tigers area, the plane flipped over, and she accidentally pressed the throttle, and the plane “was dragging us along the dirt.” So she had her guest-pilot a slower Stuka. It worked better, “had a leisurely ride around the combat sim,explained in great detail,and was about to have her try again but she had to log.”
The two met up later in the day and training resumed, but they soon found they weren’t alone. One of the opposing team’s pilots had spotter her, “He must really not like me. I was showing her how to fly in the Stuka, we're still almost 2 thousand meters up, and he comes gunning at us. Hee-hee.” And without VICE turned on, the fighter inflicted no damage for all his efforts.
