WE WERE THERE! by Edovation

Virtual Education Journal VWBPE – We Were There Highlights

May 2011

PLAYGROUND FUN

Bring Your Toys and Let’s Play! ISTE 2011

VEJ

Virtual Education Journal

In This Issue

•A Few Words from SIGVE Lowly High Grand Poobah •Beyond Virtual •Welcome to VSTE Island •Expeditions •ISTE Newcomer Socials •Virtual History – Virtual Learning •Neuland Travelbag •And The Wall Came Tumbling Down •ISTE SL Tours with Esme Qunhua •VWBPE – We Were There •Unlocking Potential at ISTE 2011

Hello Everyone, We have talked about it for over a year, and now it has finally happened! The first issue of VEJ is going to press. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this first edition. We have a wonderful start, as you will see as you begin to devour this issue. VEJ is only going to be as good as we, SIGVE Members, make it. We hope that VEJ will be a catalyst for change and a vehicle that pulls others into the vast frontier of virtual worlds. Please share the cutting edge work that you and your students are doing in virtual worlds. Let us know about new instructional tools, best practices, favorite sims, and places to hang with friends. As Rosie tells her staff, “None of us are as smart as all of us.” Together, we the trailblazers and pioneers of virtual worlds, can build our dreams and create a strong educational community of support. We hope you will join us in this endeavor. If you are not a SIGVE member, please join our group in-world as well as at http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net/Home . If you are at ISTE 2011 in Philadelphia PA please visit the SIGVE Playground. If you can’t make it to ISTE 2011, not to worry. Stop by sl ISTE Headquarters and be a part of the conference virtually http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Isla nd/96/58/501 . There will be a lot happening inworld as well as in Philly, so we hope you will join us for a lot of learning and a lot of fun! We are “Unlocking Potential,” at ISTE 2011 – June 26 – 29. For more information visit http://www.isteconference.org/2011/ . Hope to see you soon, in one world, or the other - - - or, better yet, BOTH! Keep Smiling  Roxie Neiro aka Rosie Vojtek & BJ Gearbox aka Bob Vojtek Editors Send all submissions, questions, and comments to rvojtek@edovation.com .

A Few Words from SIGVE Lowly High Grand Poobah Scott Merrick Hi, ya’ll, and welcome to the first ever Virtual Environments Journal. So you can have an understanding of the path that has brought us to this lovely celebration of community, innovation, and collaboration, I beg your indulgence in order to reminisce just a bit… At NECC 2009--the final iteration of ISTE’s annual conference under that nom de plume-- in Washington, D.C., the Second Life Playground was a hit despite the amazingly glaring ongoing solar phenomenon enabled by windows overlooking its setting. Off to one corner in the vast and beautiful Walter E Washington Convention Center , it featured dozens of presentations from attendees present both at the conference center and in remote locations. It was the first time the loosely arranged but tightly committed Second Life “tribe” streamed its Playground activities online with Ustream. The successes of that effort were shared in blogs like Kevin Jarrett’s “Welcome to NCS-Tech!”

Things seemed to be going well for the tribe. One concern arose, though, and discussion about it began to simmer: virtual worlds were grouped in with games, lumped in under the content of SIGGS, the Special Interest Group for Games and Simulations. What? Virtual Worlds can contain games, and do, and some platforms can pretty much be considered games, but was Second Life a game? Consensus among the tribe said no. And the metaverse was growing. The OpenSim Project, an opensourced virtual worlds platform project built from Linden Labâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sourcecode release in January 2007, had gained momentum and would continue to do so. Quest Atlantis, since its initial funding in 2001 by the John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation, had been building a robust global community of educators. These innovative teachers were guiding their young charges through hundreds of characterbuilding missions and quests all aligned with strong ethical codes and arranged around seven Social Commitments. Active Worlds was still, well, active with AWEDU, with Chris Dede exploring its potential for guiding his students through science and history in his River City Project. These are but a few of the already robust virtual environments projects underway. Clearly something was up. Conspiracies formed. Potentials were discussed. A plan was planned. A proposal was proposed. We needed a Special Interest Group for Virtual Environments. The fine folks at ISTE agreed in September of 2009 and it was around then that the SIGVE was born. From the cornerstone of the SIG, its wiki, at http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net: 4

SIGVE will provide a focal point around which the diverse interests of our ISTE Second Life members--as well as those interested in OpenSim, Active Worlds, Quest Atlantis, or any of the hundreds of developing VEs--can organize their efforts and learn from one another. Its membership can begin to take on some of the VE-related organizational and promotional duties that ISTE staff now performs, and to see that viable established efforts (best practices) are sustained as tradition and that innovation continues to thrive. The leadership of SIGVE seemed to settle by default into the hands of its formal proposer, who, as it happened, was moi. I gauged the temperament of our amazing tribe and made a deliberate decision not to formalize the group too very much. The “F” word was key to our organically (and perhaps despotically) devised leadership roles. That word is “Fun,” of course. As far as committees and sub-committees, perhaps not: We would celebrate our unique perspectives and sharing natures by trusting that interested participants would bring value to the party. That loose approach has its plusses and minuses, but I still believe that the former outweigh the latter; hence SIGVE’s arguably odd organizational nomenclature (see below). Organizational structure is a topic of the upcoming SIG Leadership Day this year at ISTE. Can we maintain our “unstructured?” Should we? This will certainly be a hot topic when we meet together at the SIG Birds-of-a-feather session in Philadelphia. Machinima Fest 2011 Tuesday, June 28, 6-7PM at ISTE 2011 Following in the tradition of Sundance and Cannes, ISTE SIGVE is hosting Machinima Fest 2011 featuring examples of the BEST Machinima in the educational realm. Machinima, video created using 3D virtual worlds or games, is a new form of media showing incredible potential for learning and communicating. Come to this epic event and join the excitement and fun. Learn why there is so much buzz about this new tool. Discover the possibilities of using Machinima in your classroom. Everyone Invited!

Now with over 1700 members aboard through ISTE membership and who knows how many peripherally attached via other organizations—joined in with the community in Second Life, lurking around the wiki, learning from one another in Reaction Grid or Science Sim, or joining in once a year like they did in Denver, when we unveiled our first “Virtual Environments Playground”—who knows where we’re going? Last year’s Playground hosted 35 back to back mostly half-hour presentations, ustreamed most of it, and had presenters join us in Denver virtually from as far away as Peru. Wow. Really? What’s next? I’m glad you asked.

SIGVE Playground for ISTE 2011 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/9 6/58/501 Be sure to get your FREE t-shirt in box at sl SIGVE playground.

This year we’ve scaled down the SIGVE Playground a bit, mostly so the volunteers who facilitate it (as well as significant numbers of SIG members who are drawn to it irresistibly) can partake of some other wonders of the conference. We’ll only be running for two days, Monday and Tuesday of the conference. We will need a few more presenters and many more facilitators onsite (Poobahs), in remote locations and in virtual worlds all over the globe. I have two links for you here or you can get them at ISTE Headquarters in sl (see picture below): 1.The link to volunteer for your own half-hour presentation in the Playground, and to express your preferences of time slots (not guaranteed but certainly solicited) and 1.The link to volunteer to help facilitate, either onsite or in Second Life or in some other platform (have your own platform? Host your own SIGVE Playground!) We’ll be in Second Life in a custom-built staging area high above ISTE Island, and we welcome anyone who would like to participate. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/9 6/58/501 Come on down. While you’re at it join our tribe in as many ways as are comfy for you. 7

And for the SIG itself? This year we’ll be rolling over leadership to new blood. Follow along closely: At last year’s Birds-of-aFeather, the Playground facilitation leadership change for ISTE 2010 was the first baby step toward refreshing the leadership cadre. Our first “Grand Poobah Emeritus,” Lisa Linn, was installed in that esteemed role after her years of service to the Playground. Andrew Wheelock took her place as Grand Poobah. This year I will step down to join Lisa as Emeritus and Andy will take my place as “Lowly High Grand Poobah,” a position which ISTE likes to call “SIG Chair.” Someone will be nominated and installed as our new Grand Poobah, in a position to follow Andrew’s lead for the 2011-12 year and move into the role of benevolent dictator the following year. These two leaders will co-facilitate the Virtual Environments Playground for ISTE 2012, which of course will be the best ever! Until, of course, the following year, when the process will repeat itself. What’s next? Stay tuned, ya’ll. Stay tuned to SIGVE. Life(s) is good.  8

Beyond Virtual By Andy Wheelock aka, Spiff Whitfield As so many of us know in the educational technology field, ISTE is the leading organization for educators from across the world to connect and collaborate to make learning more effective for our students. Through its many special interest groups (SIGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) ISTE offers a way for educators with varying interests and strengths the ability to better interact to enhance their pedagogy. One group, ISTE SIGVE- (Virtual Environments) has been using virtual world, Second Life, as a place to host innovative guest speakers that can bring their thoughts and ideas about Virtual World Education in a way that allows for our members to learn about the latest VE technologies from the comfort of their own homes. Our speaker series has really worked hard at providing not only interesting panelists, but speakers who can bring out the best in what virtual environments have to offer. Please see our SIGVE Wiki http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net/ to give you not only the listing of past guests but the audio from each presentation so you can hear the latest and greatest from a variety of virtual environment fronts. I think all of us in the virtual environment area would agree that open sim has opened up new and exciting possibilities that is just at the fledgling stage, but ready to burst with possibilities.

ISTE SIGVE Speaker Session 13: March 15, 2011, Kimmer Jameson and Joanne Henning on MISSION US Reaction Grid, and SciSim have been highlighted with presentations and certainly give educators a flexible environment to create all sorts of educational experiences. Our trip to Jokaydia certainly gave us a complete view of all that Opensim can be! There really is no end to what educators can build and create in these environments. We have also had two powerful presentations about Active Worlds based projects, Quest Atlantis and Central Eduni-NY. These platforms provide incredibly enriching environments that guide students through educational quests and project learning. Additionally we have had two highly engaging presentations about World of Warcraft in education. Dynamic to say the least.

Other new and unique environments like VunueGen and the ever present Sloodle Tools that can be used in Open sim and Second Life offer educators and businesses unique tools to connect real life and virtual. Please become a member and continue to follow our speaker sessions, and don’t be afraid to step up and offer to be a guest to discuss YOUR latest ventures. Our next guest will be John “Pathfinder” Lester who will share with us his unique virtual environment journey. Lastly, look for us at ISTE 2011 in both in Philadelphia and Virtual Environment based venues in June. We want to keep the innovation and creativity flowing. Join SIGVE, be part of the SIGVE experience every 3rd Tuesday in Second Life, ISTE Island.

Welcome to VSTE Island

By Mandie Mimulus aka, Marie Booz

The Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) is a real life organization serving the entire community of technology-using educators. Membership in VSTE is complimentary and you may register at www.vste.org. Current membership includes preservice education students, teachers, principals, specialists, instructional technologists, superintendents, university faculty, parents, businesses, and others who are interested in promoting technology’s role in education. As VSTE’s executive director, Karen Richardson, proudly states, “This is what VSTE does... professional development!” VSTE's mission is to support its membership through first-class professional development opportunities, including our annual conference. It's also poised to help members advocate for the role technology plays in today's school. With more than 6000 members VSTE is the third largest ISTE affiliate organization in the country. Our Annual Technology in Education Conference is the oldest statewide technology in education conference in Virginia. The 26th annual conference will be held this year in Roanoke, Virginia, December 4-6. VSTE also offers one-day regional mini-conference events in the spring and summer. The most recent event was a Mobile Learning Share Fair in March with educational consultant and iPad Pilot Coordinator, Chris O’Neal delivering the keynote. For members who prefer learning online, VSTE sponsors a variety of one-day regional mini-conference events in the spring and summer. 13

The VSTE in Second Life group holds meetings every Monday night at 5PM SLT providing its membership another avenue for professional development. VSTE in Second Life facilitators have been hosting weekly meetings since November 2008. Monday night meetings have featured nationally recognized speakers such as Kathy Schrock, Chris Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neal, and Matt Monjan, as well as a variety of professional colleagues presenting on emerging technologies and projects. Programs have included tours of educational sims in Second Life, how-to classes, building workshops, make and take projects, and we have held several book discussions. The VSTE Island facilitators also host a mobile technology user group.

Currently VSTE is planning to hold one of its mini-conferences virtually on VSTE Island this summer. Also, coming in Fall 2011, VSTE Island will be the virtual classroom for an undergraduate college course: EDU C438-50 The 21st Century Instructor: Transforming Education Through Technology (3 undergraduate credit hours) As technologies emerge and change the world around us, what are the main trends in educational technology today? The Center for Teaching Excellence at UVAWISE is proud to offer this course virtually on VSTE Island in Second Life. Students will explore five key trends for technology’s role in education through interactive presentations from experts in the field, virtual field trips to see these trends in action, and through working and learning collaboratively with peers through Sloodle http://www.sloodle.org/moodle/ . For more information, please visit us online at. www.uvawise.edu/cte . Understandably, not much stays constant in Second Life and here on VSTE Island, we are consistently adding new builds. In the summer of 2009 we opened the exhibit, First Africans at Jamestown. In December 2010 we opened the virtual recreation of Natural Bridge, a geological formation found in western Virginia. This year VSTE plans to recreate Virginia’s Luray Caverns beneath the main portion of VSTE Island and which will debut at VSTE’s annual conference this December. 15

In the summer of 2009 VSTE opened the First Africans at Jamestown exhibit.

Come check us out at VSTE ISLAND! SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/VSTE%20Island/128/128/24 YouTube videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp3bWD6ktYk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61wXSODOGI&feature=related 16

Expeditions By Matt Poole aka Cyrus Hush

“Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world. Push off, and sitting well in order smite The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds To sail beyond the sunset…” --Alfred, Lord Tennyson 17

Introduction About a year ago, I stumbled across an interesting Second Life build. It was an extraordinarily detailed cyberpunk-art deco town with a lot of interactive content and a lush, atmospheric ambiance to it. My mini-map revealed a tight cluster of avatars in one corner of this sim. Approaching to investigate, I found a goodbye party in progress. It seemed that the day of my first visit was the very last day of this sim’s existence; it was being closed down for good. At that point I decided to make a serious effort to wander about and keep up with the creative efforts of others in Second Life. I began a blog, an in-world group and a museum called Expedition Central, all with the objective of reviewing, advertising and cataloging as many cool and unusual builds in Second Life as possible. Many if not most of the 160+ sims that have been reviewed and cataloged to date are either of an educational nature or are related to Science, Art or Culture in some fashion. Now, thanks to the SIGVE organizers, I will have the honor and pleasure of sharing some highlights of these explorations with you. As you read about and hopefully investigate some of these builds on your own, you may find out about new tools, new best practices and new ways of using the medium yourselves. Or you may just find some new places to explore! ‘See you on the road… Cyrus ---------------------18

Volume 1

Okapi Island

The University of California at Berkeley has dedicated this sim to the accurate depiction and investigation of the 7,000-10,000 year old Neolithic archeological excavation of Catalhoyuk, in Turkey. This project obviously has a significant budget and lots of helpers. There are instructional videos, background music and interactive exhibits all through the place. You can climb in and out of reconstructed houses, examine artifacts and learn about the way of life for people who were just beginning to abandon the nomadic hunter-gatherer existence in favor of more permanent settlements. You can also learn about how an archeological dig is conducted and managed. 19

On the hillside behind the settlements you may notice a small round ball on the ground. Clicking this ball launches a short, educational and fun scavenger hunt for artifacts on the island. Clicking each item as you locate it brings you one step closer to the prize! http://slurl.com/secondlife/Okapi/30/200/23 ---------------

Tropical Dry Forest

Among other things, Costa Rica is home to much of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remaining tracts of tropical dry forest (meaning they actually have a hard dry season during the year). This type of ecosystem is quite rare, and remaining tracts are endangered. You can tour a recreation of the Palo Verde biological preserve at Tropical Dry Forest, nestled in the heart of the Costa Rica simsâ&#x20AC;Ś

Upon landing you will have the opportunity to take a boat tour of the build. The boat tour is narrated, extremely informative and highly recommended. The texture details and sound effects are wonderful! I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have thought you could do a convincing and worthwhile nature documentary in Second Life, but I would have been mistaken. Back at the gift shop you can purchase a monkey, coati or caiman of your very own! http://slurl.com/secondlife/Palo%20Verde/179/48/22 -------------------

Statue of Zeus

There are many lists of World Wonders, but the original list was the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This was a list of “must-see” Mediterranean attractions that were posted into Greek tour guide books around the First Century BC. All but the Pyramids are gone now, but several of them have been digitally reincarnated in Second Life and it certainly is fun to wonder what the original designers would have thought… “The Statue of Zeus was the fourth oldest of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. It was built in Olympia in 433 BCE by the famous sculptor Phidias to adorn the Sanctuary of Zeus, where the Olympic games were held each year. It was 40 feet high…” –retrieved from http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/wonders/statue.html Nautilus City is actually part of the Linden continent of Nautilus. Cut through by a deep-walled canal that runs through its length, Nautilus Island sports a number of impressive-looking classical buildings facing the canal, including a reproduction of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. Inside is the statue itself, which shows a seated Zeus leafed in gold. A number of other impressive Greek buildings are nearby, including a recreation of the statue of Athena from in front of the Austrian Parliament building in Vienna. This area is definitely worth a visit for any fan of classical history and architecture. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Nautilus%20-%20Elissa/132/49/31 ---------------------To be continued…

ISTE Newcomer Socials

Every Thursday from 5-6 pm slt, ISTE hosts a Newcomer Social for anyone interested in learning more about second life including tips and trips for getting around. It is also a great opportunity to meet new people, network with educators from around the world, and make friends. If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already, make sure you join the sl ISTE group as well as SIGVE. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/89/ 74/30 You can also learn more about ISTE at www.ISTE.org and join ISTE in rl too. 23

ISTE Newcomer Social Game Night May 5, 2011

Newcomer or not, EVERYONE is welcome to join the fun every Thursday at ISTE Headquarters 5-6 pm slt.

Roxie Neiro, Mandie Minulus, and Scott Merrick enjoying ice cream after a night of fun and games.

Virtual History - Virtual Learning Join The Virtual Pioneers

By Andy Wheelock aka, Spiff Whitfield

The streets of London 1891 are dark and seemingly cold. Walking along the alleys and cobbled streets there are glimpses of movement. Perhaps rats. Perhaps something more sinister. These times bring desperation, and even murder. You see, Jack the Ripper is on the loose, and safety is an elusive commodity. Sound intriguing? Well that is a brief description of a virtual tour of the Roleplaying sim in Second Life called Legacies 1891. Our group of history minded educators is spending the evening touring this sim to explore the possibilities of using role playing virtual environments for educational purposes. This sim certainly gives us plenty of food for thought on the fantastic potential for writing, roleplaying, history, and engaging kids in creative play. 25

The Virtual Pioneers have been exploring the potential for virtual environment education for over 3 years in Second Life. Starting out as a small band educators from Western New York, our group expanded exponentially and has members from all over the world. We have had tours of cultural sims like Ummah of Noor ( Islamic Culture), history based themes like the US Holocaust Memorial Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kristallnacht Exhibit ( An amazing recreation of this tragic event), Virtual Native Lands (a Native American Culture and history 4 Island sim) and even had networking events like our annual Historical Costume Party, as well as, our first ever Virtual Pioneer History Conference. Our group meets every other Sunday Night at 5pm SL time and is free and open to anyone with a Second Life account. Our membership is also exploring other Open Sim environments too, and may soon start expanding our horizons as only true pioneers do! This year we were honored at the VWBPE conference by winning an award for our Poster Area! We are humbled by this achievement primarily due to the fact that our group is truly a collaboration of so many people. It is the strength of our membership, our sense of exploration, and the ability to open our hearts and minds to innovative ideas and technologies that makes our group so powerful. Please join us or follow our progress as we search new frontiers in a virtual world. 26

The Virtual Pioneers Receive the VWBPE Best Instructional Practices in Education (BIPEE) Award for our Poster Area. Virtual Pioneer Info: http://grou.ps/virtualpioneers Facebook Fan page: Virtual Pioneers Photo page: http://www.flickr.com/groups/virtualpioneers Video Channels: http://vimeo.com/channels/virtualpioneers

Free at:

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Open-NeulandTravelbag-ITW-Freebie/246757 After months of secret developments we are proud to present a Gentleman's and Lady's solution for traveling in style into foreign virtual worlds: The Open Neuland Travelbag The Open Neuland Travelbag conserves the familiar outlook of your avatar for other grids, without any disturbing pyjama appearance, without any elaborate exports and imports, without any cumbersome reproductions, without any costly new acquisitions! You can finally be mobile in all the new grids and worlds: an evolution from the avatar to the mobiliar! Please visit our Market Hall at Cybavaria, the Bavarian Steampunk island of Ludwig II!

And The Walls Come . . . The Farewell Party for Montclair State University on April 29, 2011. Is it the end? Or, new beginnings for Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable ? VWER is moving to Bowling Green University at http://slurl.com/sec ondlife/BGSU%20Co mmunity/53/86/25 For more info about the New Home/New Schedule, visit http://www.vwer.org

. . . Tumbling Down!29

SL Tour May 1, 2011 9-10 am SLT

In honor of May Day I looked for sites having to do with International Workers' Day. Though I didn't find anything, I found the Zinn Center in honor of Howard Zinn (great historian of the people).The Zinn Center - Four Bridges The Zinn Centre, Four Bridges Project (146, 231, 24) http://fourbridgesproject.org/orgs.aspx Note the interesting use of virtual tools. Click and wear the book hud found on the first floor of the building next to which you rez. You will want to detach after looking at it as it takes up the screen. Click on the pieces of paper you find laying about. Click on doors and paintings - many you can enter to powerful effect. Note that doors lead to platforms but seem to tie the build together as a cohesive whole. Cross the bridges and see the other exhibits. Visit the website for events. 30

(Tours With Esme continued) Spring makes me think of water. Whitsundays Oceania Water fun http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Whitsundays/230/ 83/20 Pick up a free scuba or mermaid suit (and wear or not). Sit on a scuba pose ball (this is a vehicle which will rerez within a couple seconds if someone else takes it. Play with your view (mouse or camera controls) as you swim about the coral. Watch out for large tortoise and sharks. End up in a lovely cave. Note you can only stay her for 30mins. (or you will be charged $25L.

(Tours With Esme continued) Since April May is the time for egg hunts: This month visitors explored ISTE through an egg hunt which started at headquarters. Hope you were able to attend. Consider how such scavenger hunts can effectively teach skills, give freebies and encourage students to explore content! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/11 1/70/30 OR The Great Grid-wide Easter Egg Hunt http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Peacock%20Park/ 226/216/56 http://slegghunt.com/ http://slegghunt.com/Egg-Listing.html This is a commercial hunt - a kind of SL chamber of commerce event.

(Tours With Esme continued)

It is not a great site - in fact this is worth the trip just to see what NOT to do.

Too busy, too many signs, unclear purpose - why does the central dance floor take up so much of the build?

And, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s May! Global Love Day May 1, 2011 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Arete/142/228/22 http://www.thelovefoundation.com/Global_Love_Day.htm 33

VWBPE – We Were There!

Virtual Worlds Best Practices In Education 4th Annual Conference – March 17 – 19, 2011 http://www.vwbpe.org/awards

VWBPE 2011 This year 2,447 unique avatars attended the VWBPE Conference March 17 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 19, 2011. The average age of an Avatar at the conference was 30 months. The oldest avatar at the conference was 91 months old. The average minutes spent at the conference per avatar was 178.75 minutes (2.98 hours). Although North America had the most avatars attending the conference, avatars attended from 91 countries and territories. Most avatars attended between 8 am and 4 pm SLT. Attendance was very low between 10 pm and 4 am SLT. The top ten sessions with the most attendance at the conference were: 1. Opening Keynote: BotGirl Questi: Who Are You? Where is Here?: 324 Unique Avatars attend 2. AJ Brooks: VWER - Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable: 305 Unique Avatars attend 3. Peggy Sheehy: Keynote As the Worldz Turnâ&#x20AC;Ś: 211 Unique Avatars attend 4. Randy Hinrichs: 208 Unique Avatars 5. Dean Groom: Keynote: Games and Simulations: 175 Unique Avatars attend 6. Keynote: Veteran Dialogues: 172 Unique Avatars 7.Chris Gibson: Learning Systems for Virtual Learning Spaces: 171 Unique Avatars attend 8.Closing Ceremonies: 157 Unique Avatars attend 9.From Here to Where? Panel: 152 Unique Avatars attend 10.Barry Joseph: A Funeral for Teen SL: 139 Unique Avatars attend

VWBPE Awards for Machinima and Posters CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE WINNERS! Posters Best Example of Educational Practices in a Virtual World 1st Place NASA eEducation in Second Life, Stephanie Smith 2nd Place Dream Realizations Ute Frenburg, Cooper Macbeth, Maike Tierbal, Alexsis Kamala 3rd Place Senior ProjectÂ® at P4DL, Inc., Kathleen Norris Best Interactive Display 1st Place Virtual Pioneers, Spiff Whitfield 2nd Place NASA eEducation in Second Life, Stephanie Smith 3rd Place Rockcliffe University Library, Mel Krupinski Best Use of Design Theme (The design theme for VWBPE 2011 was Steampunk) 1st Place UnSymposium Rurik Bellingshausen, Kavon Zenovka 2nd Place Virtual Pioneers, Spiff Whitfield, Serena Offcourse 3rd Place Working Relationships, Deb Quintessa, Van Hoffnung, Trill Lomu, Gypsy Paz For more information and to get the Slurls visit http://www.vwbpe.org/awards

VWBPE Awards for Machinima and Posters (Poster awards continue) People’s Choice 1st Place Fragility of Spaces: Architectural and Design based Education and Practice Moira Hunter (SL: Busy Link) Lesley Scopes (SL: Light Sequent) 2nd Place Virtual Pioneers Offcourse

Spiff Whitfield, Serena

3rd Place NASA eEducation in Second Life Smith

Stephanie

Machinima To view entries go to http://tinyurl.com/4botfpg For more information and to get the Slurls for award winners visit http://www.vwbpe.org/awards Best Educational Machinima 1st Place SWIFT Virtual Genetics Lab Suzanne Lavelle

Paul Rudman,

2nd Place Kansas to Cairo Project I Bernhard Drax 3rd Place Muinji’j Becomes a Man Marlene Brooks Best Production 1st Place Muinji’j Becomes a Man Marlene Brooks 2nd Place Click: Immersive & Interactive Virtual Art. Lori Landay 3rd Place Kansas to Cairo Project I Bernhard Drax

VWBPE Awards for Machinima and Posters (Machinima awards continue) Best Story Line / Narrative 1st Place Time Travelers – Episode 1 – The Time Machine, PookyMedia 2nd Place Muinji’j Becomes a Man Machinima, Marlene Brooks 3rd Place WB Yeats – An Irish Airman Foresees His Death, Russell Boyd People’s Choice 1st Place SWIFT Virtual Genetics Lab, Paul Rudman, Suzanne Lavelle 2nd Place Mars Rover1, Ines Ogura 3rd Place Ask the Expert Water Cycle

Ines Ogura

For more information and to get the Slurls visit http://www.vwbpe.org/awards

At The VWBPE Award Ceremony

BJ Gearbox and Spiff Whitfield

Pooky Amsterdam

Roxie Neiro 39

Remember to check http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net/Home for the latest information about the ISTE 2011. In the meantime make sure to get Your Virtual Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Name Tag at ISTE Headquarters: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/107/64/30

All directions for taking pictures are posted at ISTE. While you are there, take a few pictures with your friends! LOL ď &#x160;

Hope To See You at ISTE 2011!

Roxie Neiro & Southern.Georgia