Announcement: This Week in The Science Circle - "Virtual Worlds Teaching Manual" and "The Face of Dementia"

"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).

For more information, Click Here

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chilbo/167/53/97

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"The Face of Dementia"
by Robert A. Hendrix, MD

Sept 21, 10 AM to 11 AM SL time

DEMENTIA affects approximately 50 million of the human population globally. This presentation will review:

General definition of DEMENTIA

distinctions:

Lewy body dementia vs Alzheimer’s disease dementia

Alcohol-Related Dementia (ARD)

Symptoms and diagnosis

Phases of dementia

Etiologies and associated conditions

– head trauma

– including metabolic disorders including:

diabetes

liver dysfunction

– sleep disorders

– depression

– cigarette smoking, oxidative stress and inflammation

– drug abuse

– commonly used medications associated with dementia,

– nutrition factors

Treatment & prognosis

Artistic depiction by patients with dementia

Risk factors and Prevention

 For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/67/129/32