Virtual Education Journal - Two Worlds Collide by Edovation

J OURNAL

WhenT woWor l dsCol l i de

VI RTUALEDUCATI ON

Oc t ober2012

VEJ Vol. 2 Issue 2 Virtual Education Journal

In This Issue

Just last w eek it was all I could do to rub my key fob across the pad and hit the handicapped button to open the school door (RL). I stood waiting with my arms full of books, papers, my purse with iphone, my laptop and ipad, my lunch, and all the other items that get a free ride to and from work everyday. After all, how can I live w ithout them? While I waited patiently for the door to open, another teacher walked up behind me and said, “hi.” I said, “hi” back and then, w ithout thinking, I looked at her and added, “I’m waiting for the door to rez!” Our w orlds are colliding – not in a violent way, but definitely w ith a forceful impact that has the ability to change the world! People w ho live in virtual worlds know w hat I am talking about. That crazy feeling of sitting in meetings and thinking, is this RL or Second Life (SL)? Or being so engaged in an activity in World of Warcraft (WoW) or SL that you lose track of time and forget y ou are sitting in front of a computer screen w ith some of your best friends. Time flies when you are having FUN! And, for this issue, we have been having a lot of fun exploring many of the places we have always wanted to visit in RL but couldn’t afford, either because of time, expenses, or both. Each time I am late to work or getting on an airplane to go to a conference, I so wish travel w ere as easy in RL as teleporting is in SL. Like a turtle, in SL, no matter w here I go, I have all the things I can’t live without at the click of a mouse in m y inventory! What a life! In this issue we have some excellent articles and resources for newcomers as well as virtual world veterans. THANKS to everyone who contributed to this issue! Also, welcome to our newest columnist, Trevor Roe, w ho brings a student perspective to virtual education. This issue specifically highlights how virtual worlds and real life are colliding . . . and have the potential to change and enrich our lives in ways we can’t begin to imagine! After all, learning the culture, meeting the people, exploring the sites, experiencing the beauty, and seeing the world through the eyes of the creator(s) is what makes virtual worlds so vital to our existence. Like us, we are sure you will devour this issue – there are so many great morsels. Then, make sure to pass VEJ on to colleagues and friends, because this issue is too good not to share! Finally, as always,

VEJ – OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Keep smiling J Rosie Vojtek, aka Roxie Neiro (sl)

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Reflections by Lowly High Grand Poobah BJ Gearbox Aero Pines Park & Recreation Area: An Interview With Cindy Bolero Minecraft Simple To Complex 10 Places – Check Them Off Your Bucket List! Games MOOC: Online and Virtual – Synchronous and Asynchronous Game To Learn Build It & They Will Come If You Missed VWBPE 2012 . . . Capturing The Magic: An Interview With Kriste Beck The Political Machine: Real World and Virtual World Inner Workings We Need A Hero Educators Connect Virtually ISTE SL Tours 2.0 – Sunday September 9, 2012 Drum Circle Fun eXtension Virtual 3D, a New Kind of Experiential Learning Lightning Productions: An Interview with Coz Okelly Mexican High School Gets Into 3D Virtual Worlds G.A.M.E. Gamers Advancing Meaningful Education On Walkabout – Chapter 3 ISTE SIGVE Speaker Series: About Kitely Book Review: The Connected Educator Don Singleton In His Own Words In Loving Memory of Our Dear Friend, Don Singleton

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/ Follow us on Twitter @VEJournal or #VEJournal

A few days ago, I received a report on SIGVE from ISTE, the Annual SIGs Activity Report, for September 2011 to August 2012. It shows clearly that under the leadership of Scott Merrick and Andy Wheelock, SIGVE has grown. Membership increased by 20.4%, from 2057 members in 2010-‐2011 to 2476 in 2011-‐2012. As a parallel, The Virtual Education Journal (VEJ), has been viewed approximately the same number of times for the last three issues (between 2400 and 2900). This is all great news! It means we are certainly putting some solid numbers “on the board.” One of the many questions I ask myself is, “What do we do with this information?” It makes me wonder, “Is this a good size for SIFVE?” I think there has always been a feeling the SIGVE doesn’t want to become a MegaSIG. We tend to consider ourselves a small, friendly, nimble, grassroots group. So, if growing the group isn’t a top priority, then, as Roxie often says, “how do we become the best that we can be?” Answering this question is far broader than this article. It would require the collaborative power of as many of the SIGVE membership as we could muster for this conversation. One subset of this overarching question is, "how do we engage the membership of SIGVE?" Again, a multifaceted question, but in this case, I will give one possible answer backed by a description of two events that I attended in the last several weeks. A very fitting tale for this VEJ issue, when Two Worlds Collide. In short I am going to describe two professional development sessions, one in real life the other in the virtual world of second life. What they

have in common is Chris Dede, the Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies at Harvard's Graduate School of Education. He was the keynote speaker in both events. Upfront I need to say that one of my many personal biases is that Virtual Environments can be a great way to provide professional development. Educators are busy with the barrage of initiatives and school reform work. It is hard to get people to carve time out from the competing commitments to attend any event, either in RL, SL, or otherwise. If there isn't a clear answer to, “what’s in it for me," people aren’t going to attend, much less become engaged. In this example the issue and the answer just may be time. Some of you may have attended the SIGVE Speaker Series with Dr. Chris Dede. It was Tuesday, September 18th at 5:00 pm (SLT). I live on the east coast of the United States, so it was 8:00 pm for me.

That evening, I decide not to go to our home office, but instead to fire up my laptop in our kitchen, sit at the counter, get comfortable, put on my headset, and login to Second Life. I teleported to ISTE SIGVE on EduIsland 9 at http://tinyurl.com/sigvehome and picked up a notecard, as I almost always do. I find a seat and move the camera position so I don’t have any avatar heads in my way. (A definite advantage in SL). I can see Chris and his presentation in the background. My chat window is open and I’m selecting URLs posted in chat. During the presentation, I

view some of the video clips and comment on the resources back in chat with other participants. During the session, I didn’t take any snapshots facing the attendees, so the picture below gives you an idea of the SIGVE venue that was used for this session, “Blending Virtual and Augmented Realities for Authentic Simulations.”

Interesting that we have more than 2400 SIGVE members, yet we had approximately 40 people in attendance at this event. We clearly have folks that believe in the concept and offerings of ISTE SIGVE. After all, they have joined our SIG. The question now becomes, how do we actively engage the membership in quality learning opportunities like these special presentations and other SIG related activities? The second event was a Leadership Summit hosted by Texas Instruments on September 27, 2012 in Dedham, Massachusetts titled, “Transformation 2012: A Game-‐Changing Look at Learning with Technology in the Era of Common Core.” Again, Dr. Chris Dede was the keynote speaker. The Summit was held at the MIT Endicott House, in Dedham.

The Texas Instrument Leadership Summit focused on using technology in the classroom. They provided examples of using the TI-‐Nspire CX Family of Color Graphing Calculators and Software in math and science courses. For that event John, our District Math Coordinator, and I left Avon, Connecticut at 6:00 am for the two plus hour drive to the event. We braved the commuter traffic and Massachusetts Turnpike tollbooths only to arrive five minutes late. I must say that this 27-‐acre estate donated to MIT was a beautiful venue, including the detached conference and meeting facility. The large terraced lecture hall was nearly at capacity when we arrived. John and I had to sit in the back row against the wall careening our necks to see down the rows of attendees to the lecture podium. I could look on one side of the person in front of me to see Dr. Dede, or the other side to see the presentation slides. Admittedly, the response from Educational Leaders to see this presentation was overwhelming. And, we did, after all, arrive late.

At the first break our hosts pointed out several seats closer to the front that weren’t taken and John and I moved quickly to gain a better view. I have to admit, there were several breaks to get coffee, juice, or a continental breakfast… the food was excellent! These photographs are from the MIT Endicott House Brochure. For more details, take a look at http://www.mitendicotthouse.org/pix/brochure.pdf. After the presentation, lunch was provided on the terrace overlooking the garden. It was beautiful! The Endicott House is known for well-‐ appointed guest rooms and creative cuisine. Their brochure states, “We consistently prepare foods made from the freshest, ﬁnest ingredients, and present them in the most elegant of settings.” I believe this to be an understatement! As a matter of fact, I picked up a flyer for an upcoming event, Chef for a Day Weekend -‐ A Taste of Louisiana. On the drive back to Connecticut, John and I discussed the possibility of changing the paradigm in our district. We require students in eighth grade math to purchase a TI calculator now. The Nspire calculators that were demonstrated (along with the Navigator software) cost about $10.00 more than the current calculator we specify. The teaser from the TI Education Technology team was that there is a current special where you can save the barcode from 60 Nspire calculators and you receive a TI Navigator software package for free! We still had plenty of time to discuss the possibilities even though the drive home only took us about two hours. The evening commute had not yet started. This story is not intended to paint Texas Instruments in a negative light; they were the consummate host! Rather, my intention is to explain that the experience with Dr. Chris Dede’s presentations were, in my opinion, equally powerful in SL as they were in RL at the Endicott House. I do have to say, however, that the RL food was far more delightful than the

SL food. LOL I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I’ve had an incredible meal in RL versus the teaser script that emulates hoisting a beer or drinking a cup of coffee in SL. There is something about it -‐ I am always left feeling under-‐nourished and unsatisfied when eating and drinking in SL. So, I am left with this stark contrast in the two events – having nothing to do with the quality of the presentations or the take away, rather I see this significant impact on my time. The RL event cost me nearly five hours, multiple tolls (the Mass Pike isn’t free) and a tank of gas… among other costs. This example is one with a fairly modest cost all in all. It is nothing like a conference that requires an overnight stay with airfare. I see two opportunities here. First, virtual environments offer great possibilities for bringing groups together for professional growth, without the cost of time, money, and the hassles of travel, to name a few. I believe we have the capacity to offer quality professional learning events and, if we so choose, even generate revenue to help support our SIGVE sim. Secondly, we can generate more ad hoc sessions where there is no speaker, just likeminded folks that want to have a conversation. The networking and collaboration opportunities are endless! SIGVE has far fewer than 2400 showing up to our events. We want YOU to be the catalyst for a new topic, a new way to learn and connect with each other. So, what are you waiting for? Get involved. Let’s do it! In conclusion, I would like to encourage all of our SIGVE members to become actively involved with our special interest group. And, if you are reading this and you are not a SIGVE member, please join us in SL and on our wiki at http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net/. If you don’t see a topic that you are really interested in, let us know. There are probably others that would like to discuss the same topic. It will take all of us working together, in SL and other virtual worlds, wherever our work takes us, to SHOUT OUT our messages about the power of teaching and learning in virtual environments and to leverage the potential of synchronous virtual environments to create dynamic and engaging learning opportunities for ourselves and for every student. We look forward to seeing you in SL and beyond! Join us at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduIsland%209/88/113/22

Aero Pines Park & Recreation Area An Interview With Cindy Bolero (SL), Cynthia Stagner (RL)

By Roxie Neiro

Aero Pines Park & Recreation Area is sponsored and developed by The Bolero Group, an SL Solution Provider specializing in large-‐scale mixed reality events, hazardous occupations & first responder training simulations, and special music and machinima projects. For more information, contact Cindy Bolero (sl).

Some of the most fun activities in second life can be found on the grounds of the Aero Pines Park & Recreation Area – such as ice-‐skating and concerts on the pond in the winter and bike riding and hiking in the summer. In fact, right now you can join the fun exploring the Halloween Trail! This past year many people watched the live Kentucky Derby race from the Aero Pines stand, mint julep in hand! On September 11, 2012, I caught up with Cindy Bolero at the Annual Tribute To The Fallen Firefighters and asked if we could talk about her exciting work and special projects. The interview follows.

Once you have read this interview with Cindy about Aero Pines, you will want to visit it for yourself. Cindy graciously welcomes sl visitors to the park, offering fun and friendship. If you haven’t been to Aero Pines, it is comparable to any of the National Parks in America. Like Yellowstone National Park or Yosemite National Park, there is so much to see and do. Each season brings something new. So, stop by to ride horses, bike and hike the mountains and trails, or just find a quiet place to sit, relax, and enjoy the scenic beauty. It is truly magnificent! Roxie: How did you get started in SL? Cindy: I got started in SL with a recommendation by a friend who thought I would be interested. Later they said they were sorry they did! I became obsessed. On the first day I logged in, I knew it was going to be the next phase in the evolution of my occupation. At the time, I had just formed a location video webcasting company after getting downsized and having lost my full time contract at NASA. I had been serving many NASA technology research areas in education outreach doing video, multimedia, events, and exhibits support for about 10 years. Within my first week in Secondlife, I took the plunge. I rented a small beach lot at $15 US a month. I bought a prefab house, began to furnish it, and then realized I was bored and lonely. I wanted more land to create more environments. Within a month I had bought up lots around me as they became available and my new SL friends rented them. Within three months I had started a land group with more tenants who liked my concepts. Within 6 months we had expanded to several sims and open spaces. I had over 30 residents spread over ranch lands, tropical beach fronts, with riding stables, a diving reef, airport, etc. Being a rancher, equestrian, and motorcyclist, who grew up in a family of pilots and boaters, these were all elements of my real life background and lifestyles. The declining economy took most of those activities away. After 30 years of owning horses, I sold my last horse to buy my first sim. Secondlife became my new hobby, while my sims, community groups, and projects began giving me experience with what I needed to know about virtual worlds and serving clients in the future. Unexpectedly, I got a jump start...

A group at NASA found me in Secondlife and asked me to assist with a "mixed reality" event. A large conference was coming up at NASA Ames in the Silicon Valley. The requesters assumed I would be familiar with the conference center and all the red tape involved in carrying out this new and innovative concept. And yes, I do know the building and staff well, as well as the bureaucracy that would be in the way. It was quite the ordeal as NASA divisions (IT, Video, & PAO) were blindsided by the virtual mixed reality event. But since orders came from the center's Administrator, a path was cleared and we succeeded with bringing Apollo Astronaut Buzz Aldrin's keynote speech, and the next three days of the conference, to the NASA CoLab Theater in Secondlife. From then I became a mixed reality specialist. My real life video crews and Secondlife teams went on to support many mixed reality events on the West Coast from LA to Seattle, and beyond. We did several NASA conferences as well as events from the Tech Museum to the Tech Virtual, plus many other corporate and entertainment events. Some of the real life people I streamed live to the Web and Secondlife include: Doug Engelbart (Inventor of computer mouse), Steve Wozniak (Inventor Apple Computer), Philip Rosedale (founder of Secondlife), Peter Norvig (Google's Chief Research Scientist), Jill Tarter (Director SETI Institute), Ann Mulcahy (CEO Xerox Corporation), and Jeff Clark (Mavericks Surfing Pioneer), just to name a few. The following are some examples of presentations in rl and sl.

Second Life was prominently featured through the event

http://www.nasa.gov/50th/future_forums/sanJoseImage_SecondLife.html

Watch as Keynote Speaker Phillip Rosedale speaks at the Tech Museum of Innovation.

http://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=ZjUWK3PXtPk

How The Tech Museum uses Secondlife for designing museum exhibits (2010 Linden Prizewinners) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lbROp18lVw

Presenter at Program for the Future Streamed to Second Life

Mixed Reality at Program for the Future streamed to Second Life.

AbGradCon sponsored by Nasa”s Astrobiology Institute

Cindy: Another evangelistic endeavor I did, was teaching "introduction to Virtual Worlds" at several San Francisco Bay Area community colleges. My students included K-‐12 educators, students, musicians, artists, and designers. Meanwhile, the land group I founded continued to grow. By late 2008, I developed a 16-‐region continent with over 75 sponsoring residents. We had many different interests groups all using the same land. Equestrians, pilots and aircraft builders, firefighters, boat builders, bikers, and even mermaids made up the communities. Believe me, it was not easy at first having each group compromise for the others. Then one day, role-‐play cops showed up and started to bully me, our residents, and our guests.. The drama that followed cost me the loss of thousands of dollars and 16 months work. I broke off the partnership with our partner in the land group that endorsed the cop RP, and we moved on to build a new continent called Aero Pines Park. Roxie: What is your vision for Aero Pines Park and Recreation Area? How have you accomplished this vision?

Cindy: My vision for Aero Pines Park is to have an all-‐purpose facility for everything you can do with the Secondlife and beyond. While there are many others who build classrooms, conference centers, office buildings, etc., I feel those are sterile environments and would lay empty most of the time. With land being so expensive, why not create an environment with more variety and activities? Also, having such a large land mass (currently 10 regions) allows me to host large-‐scale events and gives me plenty of workshop space. Since 1980 I have served the education, corporate, government, technology, medical, sports, music, and entertainment industries. That is why there is so much variety in the events that we do in Aero Pines Park. Our main events area on our valley floor is much like your local city stadium. We change out builds for a large event once a month. We host or accommodate expos, conferences, exhibitions, holiday festivities, and more. You may land and find something different going on than the last time you were there. When there are no special events, the valley floor is our equestrian center featuring interactive riding arenas, rodeo grounds, and a racetrack. Roxie: Yes, you have a wonderful recreation area! I have attended many activities at Aero Pines Park such as the Kentucky Derby last year, ice skating, bike riding, a rodeo, and concerts. What have been some of your favorite activities? Cindy: All our events are a favorite or we wouldn't do them! Each event is expensive and time-‐consuming. We don't charge admission nor beg for tips. It’s our treat to offer the best in what Second life's multimedia technology can do for mass crowds. And to be honest, my team and I are just honing our skills each time we do a mega event. But the one thing that is always integral, every event is interactive. I do not build anything just to look at it. It must make it engaging. Examples would be our annual USA 4th of July Party. It’s a high quality concert video

streamed via private server only to our stage. Guests operate the fireworks, balloon cannons, flip burgers, and get beer from a keg.

At our Super Bowl Sunday event we offer free jerseys and cheerleader outfits, tailgate party interactions, cheerleader dance pad, and a jumbo TV screen bigger than life on the football field. Roxie: That sounds like a lot of fun! Cindy: Our 9/11 Stair Climb Tribute to Firefighters is another totally interactive build where we give visitors free fire gear to wear while they climb 110 stories of the ghosted World Trade Center towers in honor of The Fallen. And this month, our 5th Annual Halloween Trail is underway. We have over 30 interactive displays along the roads of 9 regions. After that? Well, thousands anticipate our Winter Festival. Aero Pines Park becomes a winter wonderland – with skiing, sledding,

snowboarding, sleighs, as well as our famous huge outdoor skating pond! Roxie: I can’t wait! I will be there! LOL Cindy: We have our annual events we've been doing since 2006-‐07. Our busiest time of year is fall and winter starting with our 9/11 Remembrance, all the way through Valentine's Day. As we head in to 2013, Aero Pines Park SL will decrease in size because the current SL economy no longer supports the funding it takes to support so many regions. Roxie: Tell us about your September 11th Tribute – How it began, what you do, and what you hope people take away from the experience. Cindy: My associate builder, Bethlee Spad, and I have been the nuts and bolts of Aero Pines's exclusive events. In the summer of 2010 we knew the 10-‐year mark of 9/11 was coming up. We wanted to do something special and unique. As 9/11 was only a week away, Bethlee saw a news report on TV of how local firefighters were organizing a stair climb tribute in an Atlanta skyscraper. Bethlee said, "That's what we are going to do, a stair climb tribute on our sim". We didn't even discuss it. We just went into build mode like never before. As I mentioned above, I must make our builds interactive and engaging. This interaction involved the visitor wearing full firefighter gear, and then ascending the stairwells. We were still working on the structures and interface as people were already starting to arrive days before. Other fire depts. in SL started donating statues, displays, gear, trucks, gifts, etc. When Sept 11 arrived, we were hit with hundreds of visitors every hour. Plus, much media attention! This type of event was not one for us to gloat about the success, nor be happy about all the attention, but Beth and I admit we did outdo ourselves. It touched so many, so deeply. It was difficult reading the entries in the guestbooks because of tears welling up in my eyes. It was much more emotional for the real life and role-‐play firefighters who train and practice in Secondlife. They arrived as whole fire department crews, to climb together in honor and in tribute to fallen brothers.

You can learn more about our 9/11 Tribute and Firefighter Training in Aero Pines Park:

http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2012/09/second-‐life-‐911-‐memorial.html

http://treet.tv/shows/designingworlds/episodes/firefighters

Roxie: You do many simulations and trainings for first responders in sl. Please share a few of the examples of what you have done with our readers.

Cindy: I serve mainly as host and administrator for such activities. I provide the land and a few builds. The training group subscribes to the land bringing their expertise and content. They are good at what they do, and I am good at what I do, which is taking those concepts to other levels. I embraced the firefighter training and hazardous occupations training concepts using virtual worlds. We did demos here and there, which led to other projects such as the Florida power company that trains electrical linesmen on substation controllers in SL, and our aviation 3D ground school development.

Rescue Workers Reach Truck and Extract Driver and Vehicle

Fire Crews Attack Hillside Wildfire Before It Spreads Roxie: What have you learned from doing training and simulations in sl that would help educators when providing similar experiences for their

students in virtual environments?

Real Life Electrical Linesmen at Substation Simulator Cindy: Regarding conducting classes, I try to get rid of all distractions to the students/users. A classroom needs to be in a place where they see only the content that is involved with the lessons. Even if that means a bland skybox. After the class, then turn them loose on the other content. Regarding using virtual world tools as part of the lessons or coursework, students or participants will have different levels of skill. I always assign the tutorials at the Ivory Tower of Prims before the first class or session. It really speeds things along. Regarding training simulations and teambuilding exercises – Leadership is the most important component of

teaming up online. Without good leadership and respect from the other users, you'll have too many chiefs. Positions need to be established prior. If everyone is well qualified to be a chief, then some will have to humble themselves and take on more subservient roles. In general, professionalism is required for success in simulations and especially those that involve role-‐ play.

Hazardous Work Area With heavy Equipment Demo For OSHA

Roxie: What has been most rewarding to you about your work at Aero Pines? Cindy: The most rewarding thing is the flow of messages from visitors such as these just in the last week: "This place is awesome" "This is my favorite place in SL" "This is the best event I've ever been to in SL" "I love Aero Pines Park! Keep up the good work!" "Can I bring my group here for activities?" "Are you going to do Halloween Trail again? Its so much fun!" "Are you going to do WinterFest again? Its the best in SL" "How can I be a part of Aero Pines? What can I do to support?" "Our friends told us about Aero Pines, it’s our first time here. OMG we're having a blast..." Roxie: What are your plans for the future? Cindy: We're not revealing too much right now, but Aero Pines Park 2.0 is

in development. I will say, that it is a web-‐based viewer, and the platform will have more realistic environments, more flexibility, and can host thousands of users at one event. We will be changing from very expensive land with lots of cheap content in Second life, to infinite land with very expensive content. Its a $30k US startup cost, and will probably take about $150k to get where we want to be. It will be primarily serving first responder training with a supporting virtual community like we have been doing. You are probably thinking, "Wow, that's expensive", but the reality is, to build Aero Pines Park from scratch right now, it would easily cost $30K. Roxie: You’re right! Not to mention all your time. Cindy: We will still carryout our annual events in Secondlife, but we'll have less regions making up the park. Visitors probably won't notice much of a difference. We have increased and decreased the size of our landmass several times over the years. But as far as large-‐scale events, I can't just stop throwing parties and conducting events that attract more than 1000 guests at a time. It’s so fulfilling to entertain and engage so many. I could never do that in real life. The cost would be millions of dollars. Roxie: I had no idea you attracted that many guests at a time! Cindy: The more we do this, the better we get at it. The world is going to need this experience and expertise when virtual worlds do become more mainstream. I have a 100% success rate with my professional mixed reality events, where so many others have failed due to the technical complexity and lack of experience. I couldn't brag about it unless I had done a lot of it. Aero Pines Park's events give me a lot of practice in between jobs. Many enthusiastic educators quit SL because of cost and other challenges. Those that stayed gained online social skills in the areas of community and virtual facility management. That is big! It’s one thing to build something, it’s another to maintain it and keep a user base. No matter what grid, server, or platform you're using, the community management and event and activity hosting skills go with you wherever you log in. Understanding of how people work, learn, and behave online, and keeping them engaged, are the most important skills for success at any level of

using virtual worlds. Anyone can make virtual chairs, getting and keeping those chairs occupied is the mission.

Roxie: I LOVE IT, Cindy! You are so right. I think that this should be our mantra, in virtual world education as in real world. I think I am going to make a poster and hang it in my office . . . “Anyone can make virtual chairs, getting and keeping those chairs occupied is the mission!” Than You for sharing all of this with our readers, Cindy, and especially for giving so much of yourself and your talent through Aero Pines Park to all of the residents in second life. Good luck on you next ventures. We all look forward to attending future events at Aero Pines Park! Thanks for making them so much fun!

Be sure to watch Cindy Bolero on October 1, 2012 “Firefighters” segment of Designing World's show with hosts Saffia Widdershins & Elrik Merlin at http://treet.tv/shows/designingworlds

By Trevor Roe

Now, I know many of us here at the VEJ are familiar with Second Life, and specialize in many other virtual realities, including Minecraft, but did you know that the modding community for Minecraft has increased faster than any other game and is larger than any other at the time? Google has been the only record keeper for the searching of “Minecraft,” and the term has gone through the roof! In classrooms, this simple game can be a valuable resource for connecting with students in ways that are effective and that they can easily understand. Being a student myself and being surrounded by gamers, I not only see the ideals of young people in school, but wish to help open up a world of possibilities to a young mind like my own. Of course, interaction and gameplay are very simple and easy on the surface, but for this entry, I’d like to focus on coding with Javascript. Minecraft in Computer Science was and is a very simple rendering of certain objects, which are blocks, entities, and items that interact with each other. For a specific example, I would like to introduce to you a very popular, very recent controversy, over potion effects. Currently in the game, 9 potion effects are usable through “crafting,” which uses a brewing stand. Similar to a furnace, a brewing stand supplies potions that induce certain effects. Certain food items, namely enchanted golden apples and rotten flesh, add 2 otherwise non-‐vanilla effects to the game that can be used on the player. Without the newest snapshots, there are 7 potion effects that are unusable in the game, but like the mob giant, are coded in. An effective programming project that can be integrated into the classroom is to create a “mod” that adds an

item that is considered food, which is specifically interacted with by using it to consume the object.

This food item must be referred to, after potion use, to become a glass bottle, and the potion can be given a crafting recipe using the brewing stand, and can be given a potion effect on consumption. This effect should be a non-‐vanilla effect. Here’s how, please select “create new item” and also read “create new crafting recipe”. This can be an effective project for intermediate coding in the classroom that has a result that can be understood by students, rather than stuffing lines of code down their throats. Overall, Minecraft is a valuable resource, and in many aspects, setting aside direct gameplay, is a comprehensive system of communicating ideas when used correctly. This journal helps educators better understand the ideas of not only other educators, but the very students they teach. The underlying point I’m trying to get at is that Minecraft is very simple, and can be changed for so many purposes, from artistic aspects to inventive ones. The simplicity of vanilla allows for easy understanding, and this betters your communication with students. Trevor is a high school student and we welcome him as a VEJ Featured Columnist.

ü 10 Places – Check Them Off Your Bucket List!

By Josain Zsun (sl) and Roxie Neiro (SL) Can’t get there in RL? No Problem! See them in SL! There are many reasons that we can’t or haven’t visited all of the places in RL that are on our bucket list of must see things to do. Likewise, there are places in SL that could or should be on your bucket list of “Must See Places” in SL. So, instead of “shoulda, woulda, coulda” . . . be sure to take time this month to “Fill YOUR BUCKET” by visiting these MUST SEE SIMS. Like us, you will be amazed at how true to life these (and many more like them) places truly are. The following are 10 of our Favorite Places where “Our Two World’s Collide!” ENJOY!!!!!

1. 7Days Magic Bakery Love to eat? Come play with your food! Meet rebellious robots and maestro bakers! Design, eat and trade your own custom pasties! A rich, whimsical bakery theme park … there's lots to do. An old, but well executed build, to entertain children of all ages!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/7Days Magic Bakery/247/18/25

2. Galaxy AFT – Queen of the Sagittarian Sea

Always wanted to take a cruise? You will not find a more luxury liner. This is the largest single build in SL. You can rent anything from a cabin to a Galaxy Suite and then enjoy the fun! There is a full calendar of events along with several rooms set up for conferences and business meetings. And of course, you can always veg-‐out without the worry of gaining a single pound at the Coral Lagoon Pool Deck Bar, have dinner at the Moonlight Terrace Restaurant, and dance the night away in the Starlight Lounge! So, what are you waiting for? Bon Voyage!

Information about the ship: http://www.ssgalaxy.net/ SLURL to Ship: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Galaxy%20AFT/68/48/21

3. WEDCOT – A Tribute To Disney’s Epcot Center If You LOVE Disney’s EPCOT Center in RL, then WEDCOT, an SL Tribute to Disney’s EPCOT, is a MUST SEE! Creator, Trevor Sleydon, has done an excellent job of bringing WEDCOT to life – including his partnership with some of the biggest names in SL food to his venue! Loaded with fun, be sure to check out the concerts and especially this month, the “Not So Scary Halloween Party! Also at WEDCOT is the Kingdom of Animals Park. To the left is a picture of the safari ride. Trevor Sleydon describes his work as “Two Parks – one world!” He says, “Let’s celebrate the future and make some memories at both the WEDCOT Center and Kingdom of Animals Parks! While visiting WEDCOT be sure to enjoy some of the park food venues.

SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fabulous%20Land/99/6/33

4. Ars Simulacra: NMC’s SL Artist Showcase Island

Interactive Art, Installation, Immersive, StormEye, Ripple, Art, Sculpture, Education, Kinetic, Culture, Beauty. Check it out – Real Art in a Virtual World. An Artist’s Paradise! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ars%20Simulacra/17/174/46

5. Inspire Space Park

To enjoy the beauty of this park, make sure to set your world to midnight. Then, you can meditate in a cosmic sci-‐fi ambient natural space galaxy, relax to psychedelic inspiring chill tunes while you fly through stars and hug the universe at INSPIRE SPACE Park.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shinda/85/196/1560

6. The Crooked House/Shark Reef

This is a realization of Robert A. Heinlein's 'Crooked House' by Seifert Surface. You will be amazed as you explore the multiply interconnected rooms of this house modeled on the 4 dimensional hypercube! It is truly a wonder to be seen!

To Crooked House http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Galaxy%20Quest/128/68/7 72 While you are at the Crooked House be sure to grab the Terra E-‐chute (a simple parachute), put it on, and jump off the platform. When you start to see land below, type “pull” and then land safely in the water! This is a reusable parachute, so type “close” and jump again! Happy Landing!

7. Steelhead City There is nothing like the great Northwest! Steelhead is made up of seven Sims built with a Steampunk/turn-‐of-‐the-‐century Pacific Northwest Theme. You will love climbing to the top of MT. Hood – or if you are short on time, click on the slurl below to get to the summit. The view is worth it! Check out the blog http://mattpoole.net/EC/ by our own Expedition Reporter Cyrus Hush (SL) and Matt Poole (RL) for more details. Happy hiking!

On the Summit of Mt. Hood http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Steelhead%20Boomtown/22 3/20/89 The Vista House with Mt. St. Helen’s and Mt. Hood in the distance.

http://maps.second life.com/secondlife /Steelhead Boomtown/165/13 9/28

8. The Chelsea Hotel

You can no longer visit the Chelsea Hotel in RL as it has been closed indefinitely. http://www.hotelchelsea.com/ But, if this historical hotel has been on your bucket list you can still learn how this hotel has always been at the center of artistic and bohemian activity. Many famous artists have stayed in the hotel including Sir Arthur C. Clark who wrote the “2001: A Space Odyssey” while living here (rl). Other artists who have stayed at the hotel include poets like Allen Ginsberg and Dylan Thomas. Be sure to check out Hotel Chelsea’s (sl) 4th Annual Halloween Parade With DJ Perky on October 31st 6-‐8 pm! 1000L$ prizes for best male and female costumes! http://maps.sec ondlife.com/sec ondlife/Lanestr is/79/182/104

9. Molaskey’s Pub

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wichi/140/199/31

There are many venues in sl, but one of the most authentic is Molaskey's Pub. Molaskey’s is an Irish pub built by Apple MacKay and owned & operated by Apple & Katydid Something. With Darts, a beach, a winter ice skating rink and constant music, it's a great place to meet friends. Live Music on Sundays and Mondays. This is a great place to relax at the end of the day by the fire in the winter or on the beach in the summer.

To hear Bright Oh (Soar) a concert at Molaskey’s Pub, recorded 3-‐8-‐2012 check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jJEvDwcBDY

10. 1920’s Berlin Project

If traveling back in time is on your bucket list, you will not want to miss the 1920’s Berlin Project in sl! Details about this project can be found at http://1920sberlin.com/ . The exhibit/ role-‐play is a collaborative project between the Berlin sim community and the TLA SL Library group. Background can be accessed in these videos: http://youtu.be/0DbXmQxIEtI and http://youtu.be/hLZJ1ESWiwY There is so much history related to this period of time to experience (e.g., Treaty of Versailles, The Great Depression in Central Europe). So, what are you waiting for? The only thing required is that you dress in 1920’s attire. If you do not have any clothes from this vintage, no problem, there are free outfits to be had at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/1920s%20Berlin/236/233/ 751

According to the notecard when you arrive, “authenticity and realism are very important.” They explain, “ We try to recreate a feeling, almost a journey back in time. That’s why we ask you to dress in style and to act the part. We want EVERYONE who visits to feel as if they are really back in time, really visiting the 1920s, so, please don't ruin this experience for others by ignoring the rules. You can learn more about Berlin at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1920s_Berlin

To begin my adventure, I found an outfit and boarded the train to Berlin. The first place I found was a cute little diner where I had lunch.

Then I was off to find my favorite spot from our rl summer vacation to Berlin 2012, and that was the Brandenburg Gate! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it! What a thrill to stand in the same place next to the Brandenburg Gate in sl that we stood in rl just a few short weeks ago!

AMAZING! SURREAL! OUR TWO WORLDS REALLY DO COLLIDE

Games MOOC Online and Virtual – Synchronous and Asynchronous By Karen Novak, aka Kavon Zenovka

The inaugural running or playing of the six week long Games Based Learning MOOC or Games MOOC ended on September 17, 2012. This was part of an initiative from Colorado Community College System’s Immersive and Games Based Learning Faculty Challenge project. There were a total of 301 registered participants. The Games MOOC was not on a closed learning management system (LMS), so anyone could visit and read without logging in. Rather than a traditional LMS, the gaming portal site shivtr at www.shivtr.com was chosen. This allowed the Games MOOC to have to have an asynchronous site that looked like it could belong to any gaming community.

The Games MOOC livestreamed gameplay in World Warcraft and took tours of the Massively Minecraft community http://massivelyminecraft.org/in the game Minecraft. The Games MOOC site ended up with 48,683 visitors, 86,862 page views and 283 threaded discussions. http://gamesmooc.shivtr.com/

The Games MOOC was accepted and is now listed in the US Department of Education’s Connected Educators Project’s Community Directory. Feel free to visit, explore and “like” the communities that appeal to you. The Games MOOC is listed at http://connectededucators.org/community/games-‐based-‐learning-‐ mooc/ The Games MOOC had over 30 videos of live educational presentations and discussions that were made over the course of the Games MOOC. This comes out to 19 hours of recording. The 30 videos have collectively had 3,003 views. There are currently 92 people subscribed to the

YouTube channel. All videos are creative commons with attribution licensed. http://www.youtube.com/user/gamesmooc The Games MOOC livestreamed a quick overview each Monday morning on Google Hangout on Air. The Games MOOC also had a tweetchat each Wednesday evening. On each Thursday, there was a livestreamed discussion or panel of guests through Google Hangout on Air and also through Second Life in the ISTE SIGVE Diner on EduIsland. If there was an opportunity to livestream a games based learning activity being done by another educational group during the Games MOOC – that opportunity was pursued. The Games MOOC participated in SIGVE Connected Educator and has been livestreaming and recording the monthly “It Takes A Guild – A Guild of Educators” webinar. Along with G.A.M.E., Gamers Advancing Meaningful Education, the games based learning tweetchat has been established at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm SLT every Wednesday. (A tweetchat is when people go on twitter at a specific time for a specific topic and everyone uses the same hashtag.) The hashtag #gamemooc is used. Every Wednesday as part of the synchronous learning the #gamemooc tweetchat has a discussion around 4-‐5 games based learning questions. The #gamemooc tweetchat lasts for one hour. For this MOOC, as suggested by Scott Merrick, perhaps M stands for modest compared to some of the large Stanford and MIT MOOCs. Currently a professor out of Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania is teaching an 80,000 person Gamification MOOC through Coursera. But this perhaps says it best. Below is a tweet from Rivenhomewood, who took the Games MOOC and is also taking the Gamification MOOC. Rivenhomewood tweets, “Coursera gamification12 is totally LMS. OTOH #gamemooc has morphed into a wonderfully supportive guild of educators.” The second iteration of the Games MOOC or Games MOOC II begins on October 8, 2012. The content is being revised for Games MOOC II and will not be identical. There will be a "brave beginner" track and questlines for people coming back or who would like to be more

seriously involved. These questlines are for two major badges that we will be issuing. The first badge, "Game Based Learning" is a task-‐oriented demonstration of mastery of material. The second badge is "Networked Educator" which will be based off the demonstration of creation and leadership in social network knowledge construction and the Connectivist theory of learning. If you are interested, please register at http://bit.ly/gamesmooc. For more information please contact Kae Novak at kae.novak@frontrange.edu

Be Sure To Read . . .

“Marianne Malmstrom is a technology teacher at The Elisabeth Morrow School, where she has worked with colleagues to develop a school-wide multimedia program that has received international recognition.” Click on the link above to read the article.

Build It & They Will Come By Andrew Wheelock (RL), Spiff Whitfield (SL) An old saying of mine is... in times of trouble and strife, “seek comfort in the arts.” The state of education in New York State where I teach has brought trouble and strife. Without going through the grim details let me just suffice to say... we have been enduring a period of rapid change that is uninspired and seemingly built not on proven educational values but on the thirst of Federal Race to the Top Dollars. These rapid fire “reforms” and standardized testing initiatives have created a sense of unease and stress that has teachers seeking a comfort zone in low level tech tools and paper/pencil scribbles and bubble form learning. And so I turn to the arts, and my friends and colleagues, for inspiration and for hope that these dark days of acronyms will one day pass and we will again get back to the empowering value of public education. My hope is lined with the notion that we live in an incredible climate for educators! We have access to an amazing array of technology tools that can bring our students instant access to people and ideas from all over the world. When I began my teaching career in 1994 the best hope a student could have of publishing their work was outside the hallway for Open House. Now their work, from music, to writing, to art, can be shared around the world, without a publishing company. Recent new pedagogies such as, “The Flipped Classroom”, and “Gamification of Learning” are offering new promise and intrigue-‐ if,

that is, teachers dare to try them. Which brings me back to the arts. The quintessential movie, Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner was a simple tale about a hardscrabble farmer who is coaxed into building a baseball field in the middle of his Iowa cornfield by a ghostly voice that says, “Build it, and they will come”. He builds it and the ghosts of baseball’s glorious past come through the cornfields to play. The film is corny, but highlights our traditions, values, and anchors to the past. Which brings me to MOOCs, (Massive Open Online Courses). At first blush, I thought... here we go again, ANOTHER Acronym in education. Can we please stop with the acronyms? Yet, once I was introduced to the concept through Kae Novak and Tanya Martin, I was intrigued. A light was starting to dawn on me. All these powerful social networking tools I have come to rely on combined with the virtual environment possibilities I have always dreamed of could come together in a learning system that was open and empowering! So using the Virtual Environment grid that I was able to create through the support of my work, The Western New York Regional Information Center (WNYRIC) along with their hosted Moodle Online Learning System, I had all the components of a great MOOC experience for teachers based around the powerful book, Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank. So the format goes something like this: 1. Teachers are given access to our Moodle Course and access to the Secret Annex virtual recreation via Adobe Connect. 2. Through the Moodle there are various directions on how to connect with the other participants using Flickr, Diigo, and Twitter. This gives us various communication modes to work from. 3. In the virtual environment, there are 10 common core-‐based assignments to work with, based on Anne’s Diary and World War II Holocaust. 4. We have weekly office hours scheduled for participants to stop by, ask questions, share resources, or just explore the Annex to learn and relate. 5. We have a final date where we will have a share time and provide

teachers with Badges for their website for completing the assignments and postings. While our first group has been small, less than 10 members, the concept of the MOOC format has been really amazing and inspiring for me as an educator that has been battered by a year of heavy handed reform initiatives. The notion of bringing people from all over the world to learn at their own pace with guidance and support not from a top down structure but a circular one where everyone’s voice is respected and honored is exciting and refreshing. It provides such a unique opportunity to gather minds and produce a result that works along a whole variety of learners and their unique talents and needs. So I encourage you... as an innovative educator, build a MOOC.... and they will come! The learning will come, it will blossom, and in that you will be inspired and have your class of teachers or students build an ark of learning to weather the storms of reform in the fast paced 21st Century.

If You Missed VWBPE 2012 Or, If You Want To Experience It Again . . .

Both the VWBPE Journal and Video from the VWBPE 2012 Sessions are now available at Treet. TV. Now you can watch all your favorites again. Be sure to share them with your colleagues and friends. Sessions for viewing you wonʼt want to miss, include: Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø

Representing Latino Cultural Heritage in the Age of Social Web Pedagogical Learning Technology Products and Content Using Virtual Worlds As A Tool for Project-Based Learning An Interview with Pathfinder Lester 3D Virtual Worlds in K-12 (International) Schools WoW in Schools: The Heroʼs Journey Keynote, Epic Win, Epic Fail And many, many more

Check them out at: VWBPE 2012 Video: http://business.treet.tv/shows/bpeducation/episodes VWBPE 2012 Journal: Journal page: http://ejournal.urockcliffe.com/index.php/JOVS Journal PDF: http://goo.gl/uAKIm

Capturing The Magic: An Interview With Kriste Beck By Roxie Neiro If you haven’t been to Magicland Park, you are in for a treat. Like Disneyland in rl, Magicland is by far one of the happiest places in sl! It brings out the child in all of us! From the attractions to the parades to the artistic builds, this is truly an example of the power of virtual world experiences that replicate the fun of real life. Certainly, Magicland has been one of my favorite spots since I arrived in sl. It has been an inspiration to watch the park take on a life of its own with each new attraction.

I am excited to have been able to talk with Kriste Beck about this huge undertaking, which is truly a “labor of love.” Enjoy the article . . . then grab your inner-‐child (and any other children) and let your imagination run wild as you experience the fantasy and adventure of Magicland! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bracket/253/123/27 Roxie: Kriste, how did you get involved with virtual environments, second life in particular? Kriste: In 2007, my supervisor at work asked me to explore Second Life as a possible marketing opportunity. I had never been into a multiplayer 3-‐D environment before, so I was a bit unsure of what to expect. My first day in Second Life was spent just learning the basics. Once I began to feel comfortable with the environment, I explored quite a bit, documenting how businesses were using Second Life at the time as a marketing tool. Although my supervisor at the time did not end up using Second Life as a marketing tool, I liked the environment so much that I decided to stay. Roxie: How did you get started building Magicland Park? Kriste: My friend, Pixie and I, are huge Disney fans.! We previously had worked together on building a fan tribute area to “The Little Mermaid. “ The area included rides, a dance floor, a playground, and an ongoing mini treasure hunt. People loved it because it was unique and different. Although we had loads of fun swimming as mermaids, we really wanted to do something that would appeal to an even wider audience. In August of 2008, we purchased a larger plot of land in Bracket where we began construction on Magicland Park. Roxie: How do you support the theme park? Kriste: Magicland is supported through the efforts of volunteers and through kind donations given freely by guests. There is no admission charge to enter Magicland and all of the attractions are free. Roxie: Do you have help with your building?

Kriste: From the very beginning, Magicland has always been a team effort. We have a core team of people who work regularly on projects in a wide variety of roles.

Castle with snow during winter

Roxie: Why Magicland? It is amazing – such a “labor of love”? Kriste: Pixie and I absolutely love the Disney Parks and have visited both Disneyland and Walt Disney World multiple times. Being that we live in California, however, we have more of a connection to Disneyland than any other Disney park. Since we intimately know Disneyland inside and out, we decided to create Magicland as a fan tribute that reflects an idealized version of Walt Disney’s original Magic Kingdom. Roxie: For our readers, who may not have visited Magicland, please describe the work you have done. Kriste: Magicland is a 3D tribute to Disneyland in Second Life, located at

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bracket/254/125/27 Magicland features a variety of beloved attractions and adventures that you can actually ride in Second Life. Magicland also offers various events and parades that occur throughout the year. There is so much to see and do, if you have not visited yet, we definitely invite you to stop by! Roxie: What obstacles have you had to deal with as you build this “magic kingdom?” Kriste: Most of the obstacles we have faced have been related to the technical limitations of Second Life. Every time we start a new project in the park, we always ask the question “How are we going to do this?” That may seem like a simple question, but in truth, it is a very complicated one. Every project typically involves the creation or use of custom scripts, sculpts, and textures and takes a lot of time, work, and research. Roxie: Have you had issues with copyright, especially with Disney, as many of the attractions at your sl park are very Disney-‐like?

Kriste: At the Main Entrance of the park and in City Hall, there is a lengthy disclaimer that says in so many words that we are not connected to Disney in any way and do not make any money. Magicland Park is a 3D

fan site and can be considered a “transformative work”, as we have taken a real life location and created a 3D environment based upon that location. Magicland, itself is an expression of our personal experiences and an expression of love for the amazing creativity that goes into the Disney Parks in real life.

Roxie: What has been your greatest accomplishment? Kriste: Our greatest accomplishment at Magicland is the ability to continue moving forward with new areas, attractions, shows, and parades with a wonderful core team of dedicated people. Walt Disney once said, “You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” Magicland truly exists because of the efforts of those who have made it a reality. Roxie: What advice do you have for educators who are working in sl – things you know now that you wish you would have known when you first got started, tips and tricks, etc?

Kriste: We have learned a lot as a result of building and operating Magicland within the last four years. I would consider the most important thing that we have learned would be to know how to administer access to land that you own in Second Life. Within the first year of operation of Magicland, we had some issues with unruly guests. After having those issues, we decided to put a security system into place. Another thing we learned very early on is the importance of working with an expert and/or mentor in Second Life. During the construction of Magicland, I realized that I had no idea how to make objects move. For most people in Second Life, that would be no big deal, but when you want to create moving attraction vehicles, that becomes a big deal very quickly. So, I hired an expert. Not only did he make our attraction vehicles move, but also he showed me how to use his mover to make virtually anything move in the park. The information he shared with me

allowed us to create multiple attractions and parades within our first year. If you are an educator who would like to get into Second Life, it is a good idea to have an expert assisting you; someone who has been in Second Life for a while and understands 3D content creation as well as programming.

Roxie: I agree – sl mentors are very important. That is why ISTE SIGVE has had newcomer orientations as well as social events – just to help people get acclimated in sl. What plans do you have for the future – either for yourself as a builder/designer in sl or for Magicland? Kriste: My friend Pixie and I work on Magicland as much as possible. Not only is it near and dear to our hearts, but it is something that we genuinely enjoy doing. We hope to be able to continue going forward with the park, making it entertaining, fun, and enjoyable for our guests. Roxie: Thank you so much Kriste for taking time to share your work with our readers and me. We eagerly anticipate your future attractions!

This author does not endorse nor discredit any presidential candidate; this is an educational article discussing political methodology and its uses online and in the classroom. If you haven’t heard by now, politics are in full swing this election year. Television, radio and even Youtube are seeing their fair share of political ads and mudslinging. But have you ever wondered what a game would be like with political objectives? Look no further, for as of last May, the massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG), TERA, is making waves. Previously from the Far East (South Korea), TERA has been rebranded and redubbed for an American audience just in time for the real world elections. In this game, you can truly affect the world and the progression of the game it takes when you take political action. As any Government teacher will tell you, United States (US) politics is simply the elections of an individual whom the people vote on and the winner proceeds to act for the best interest of the people. Like US politics, TERA, too allows for the player community to decide and vote for province Vanarchs. Similar to Presidents, Vanarchs have the ability to enact certain powers that affect the game for the rest of the player base. These powers range from setting up trade routes, activating special dungeons and administering taxes on shops. Even to be President, you have to meet a certain criteria; at least thirty-‐ five years old, natural-‐born citizen, and have lived in the United States for fourteen years. Being a Vanarch is no different, as a player must be at least level 50, be the leader of a level three guild with at least twenty members and be able to pay the candidacy fee. But meeting the criteria hardly makes you Vanarch, least not yet, anyway. Now, the Election Process comes down to making your platforms heard and gaining supporters; because as you know, the individual with the most votes ultimately wins.

As you will see this campaign year, there will be plenty of noise and ruckus following the campaign trails of the two major political parties; this is the same in-‐world as well. With big groups and supporters per candidate, the virtual world adds its own twist to the political stylings we have come to learn about. From campaign posters to machinima (video recordings in-‐game), candidates attract voters to their causes, as the virtual world of politics doesn’t stray too far from the real thing. Promises, blasts and reminders are sent out over “ALL Chat” to vote for them. Sometimes, popular candidates hold parties or dungeon raids to gain more supporters that are open to the public, waving the entry fee and making them free for anyone to join. If you aren’t apart of a Guild in-‐ world, it’s often hard and almost impossible to do dungeons by yourself. By attending these events, candidates hope to gain supporters and donations from the undecided players, bringing more votes their way. But what’s the catch? Becoming a Vanarch takes a lot of work and hassle to just reign for about a month and then your office is up for grabs again. Well, being a Vanarch has a lot of perks, as I’m sure being the President of the United States must have. Vanarchs and selected members in their Guild (usually Guild leaders or important members to their successful

campaign) gain an exclusive title and mount (the game’s fastest mount I might add) to let the world of TERA know just how important they are. Being able to adjust PVP, vendors, and trainers in a particular area is decent enough – who wouldn’t want to have access to exclusive vendors that sell things you can’t get? But I’m sure, as you know, as with any rite to office, there comes a time for money and economy. Being a Vanarch has the potential to give you more gold than you could ever get from doing a dungeon or selling rare equipment. Being able to set and adjust the taxes on shopkeepers, not only has an affect on their stock, but it also affects the flow of the game. Taxes also affect the pricing of certain services like flying and trade (i.e., auction house). Setting your tax too high will lead to stagnation and general unpleasantness with your peers. Do this well, and you have a chance at being re-‐elected! Failing to uphold your position will probably lead to area-‐wide depression among your shops (meaning very little to sell) and your supporters (even your guild members) will be displeased with your service; leaving many unhappy with you. You are probably wondering, how can I take this into my classroom? And quite frankly I don’t blame you. It’s not the easiest thing to get approval for, but hear me out for a second. I have heard of teachers simulating their own elections in class, (for higher educational political science classes, running an experiment in the virtual world of TERA should suffice) for Middle and High school classes bringing TERA in as an example for addressing politics and a wordy explanations is a start. Students at such a younger age (heck you have to be 18 to vote) don’t readily understand the need or the mechanics of politics. So while holding your own class campaign there are three things you need to address. One, what issues will they stand for? Give them the ability to affect the day-‐to-‐day events in your classroom. Do you have designated times for recess or reading time? Perhaps they can strive to adjust the set times for them? Maybe even for just a particular day? Why fight your students to learn or quiz them on Friday when they would rather be doing something else? Have your class President or Vanarch make an executive decision to push a Quiz to Monday? Imagine how many of your students will want to run and make that their platform?

TERA is a tool for your disposal because we aren’t all designers and powerpoints aren’t always going to make the cut or engage your student in the content. TERA is visually appealing and has lots of resources for you to have your students explore the world of politics without all the graphs and charts. Why force your kids to learn about Presidents if they don’t find it relevant?

Two, how will they let the other students know where they stand? Being an informed candidate is just as important as being an informed voter. So show them examples of political ads, videos, posters, slogans and the whole of campaigning. Where is identity displayed? What makes certain images stand out? What does this mean? Get them asking and analyzing the big questions. Creating political posters has always been a fun activity to do. Please address the immoral behavior of “mudslinging” or using scare tactics against your opponents. We don’t want anyone getting hurt, physically or emotionally. The information age has certainly changed tactics for campaign trails and a lot of voters are trying to be reached online through many different mediums, a discussion like this will certainly get your students saying a lot. Three, when do the elections and the powers of the winner start and end? Holding elections can be a double-‐edged sword when not careful. Avoid passing out ballots and having them vote at a single time. True to life, a voter has the option to vote throughout the voting day. Either have ballots next to your desk, have them accessible online/digital ballots or you can go so far as to have your own voting booth. Depending upon the size of the class, you can enlist one or two students to help with the voting process, whether to collect or count the votes. The winner should understand his or her powers and abilities when they take the office of class President. Going so far as having a Judicial or Legislative branch always seem to complicate things further, but you are welcome to try. Assigning point values to various activities is encouraged and will help the grading process. Teaching about the election during a politics unit can span from a week to a month depending upon your curriculum. Be sure to set the dates and deadlines

for certain activities so the points are awarded for both candidates and voters. It’s not always fun and games in TERA, and being a Vanarch isn’t for everyone, but certainly everyone is welcome to participate in any way they wish. From voting or running for a virtual office, TERA adds a new layer of play to its phenomenal gameplay and graphics. To find out more about Tera and the Political System please visit: http://tera.enmasse.com/game-‐guide/political-‐system K-‐12 political educational resource, please visit: http://kids.usa.gov/ Site targeting young adults, and informing them on their voting rights: http://www.voteourfuture.com/ TERA Campaign Poster citation: Amira. (2012, 24 5). TERA fans online forums retrieved from http://www.terafans.com/topic/38174-‐official-‐ tera-‐political-‐poster-‐contest/ Pandars Guild: Vanarch Campaign: PandasTera. (2012, 1 10). Youtube video database. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9evvxLHwnNc

The Introductory video to the Alternate Reality Game, “We Need a Hero.” The introductory video for the Alternate Reality Game, "We Need a Hero," part of the HUMN0300/SOCSCI0300 course on Social Media at Pitt-Greensburg, Fall 2012.

Check it out at: http://youtu.be/iDTXH-G1TuU

Stephen A. Schrum, PhD Associate Professor of Theatre Arts University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg

Educators Connect Virtually Submitted by T. Martin and C. Luchs

ISTE’s special Interest Group for Virtual Environments (SIGVE) continues to expand communication and collaboration among and between members, as well as with those who have not yet been bitten by the Virtual Environment bug. SIGVE embarked on the 2012-‐2013 school year by joining the Connected Educator movement. SIGVE hosted a multi-‐dimensional “Connected Educator Hour” in August

to provide information regarding ongoing activities to educators interested in using virtual environments for teaching and learning. Educators from around the country gathered in the virtual environments of World of Warcraft and Second Life in a collaborative effort to share and deliver an experience to fellow educators. This is not the only connected educator hour SIGVE has planned; in fact, A Scary Sim Crawl is planned for October 23, culminating in a 60 second Scary Machinima Fest. All SIGVE events, as well as those planned by fellow Virtual Digizens are posted on the Massive Open Online Calendar. The August tour began at SIGVE headquarters on Second Life and presented viewers with five additional destinations; Virtual Pioneers, Second Life Educators of Escambia County, Virginia Society for Technology in Education, World of Warcraft G.A.M.E., and Games MOOC at Front Range in Second Life. Participants had several options for attending. They could visit each of the worlds with their Avatar, keep the Avatar in one location and watch the streamed Google Hangout session live on YouTube (http://bit.ly/sigveconnected), or watch the recorded session at a later time. The August Connected Hour was a varied representation of what educators are doing around the country with virtual environments and education. Peggy Sheehy describing her experiences using World of Warcraft with her students as well as showing some key locations within the game. The teachers of the Cognitive Dissonance Guild showed up and hammed it up a bit for the camera; however, the discussion was a serious account of the positive impact the use of the game has had on students. The second stop of the tour was Front Range, Colorado's Front Range Community College's sim in Second Life. Kae Novak (Que Jinn in SL) and Vasili Giannoutsos (Bluebarker in SL) provided a tour of the evolving sim along with information regarding the educational games related activities planned for the year. Front Range is the “headquarters” for in-‐ world activity related to the ongoing Games MOOC. Marie Booz, (Mandie Mimulus in SL) of Virginia Society for Technology

In Education (VSTE) provided a look at the historical and geographic features of the virtual location along with descriptions of how these areas are used for professional development. After VSTE, the Second Life Educators of Escambia County (SLEEC) from Escambia County in the Florida Panhandle delivered an entirely different landscape taking the tour through swampland and palm beaches. Lori Weedo (Lori Galli in SL) and Lauren Thurman (Laural McCallen in SL) explained how SLEEC uses their island for professional development as well as for science instruction for middle and high school students. Mary O’Brien (Serena Offcourse in SL) dressed in historic attire, invited guests to the Virtual Pioneers headquarters in Second Life. Located adjacent to the SIGVE Island in Second Life, Virtual Pioneers holds bi-‐ weekly virtual field trips related to history, geography and culture with alternate weeks for Meet and Greet with Spiff Whitfield. The tour culminated at the new ISTE/SIGVE location on Second Life. Andrew Wheelock (Spiff Whitfield in SL) provided a tour of the new location including the blogger hut, 50’s Diner, fire-‐pit area, auditorium and conference room. He described the regularly scheduled events that take place including Office hours, Show and Tell, SIGVE Speaker Series, social events, machinima nights and more. Adjacent properties are owned and operated by educators who contribute time and use of property to enhance this innovative and growing interest in immersive environments. Come join us as we collaborate and try new ways of teaching and learning.

Everyone Is Invited! Please join ISTE SIGVE wiki at http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net/ Check the SIGVE Calendar at http://sigve.weebly.com/calendar.html Please join us at SIGVE Headquarters in SL at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduIsland 9/25/81/22 Hope To See You There!

ISTE SL Tours 2.0 Sunday Sept 9, 2012

By Cyrus Hush (SL), Matt Poole (RL)

The Palo Verde Biological Station, located in the scenic Costa Rican sims group is a extremely educational build that demonstrates the beauty, fragility and biological diversity of wetlands, and will leave you aching to visit Costa Rica! The thing to do here is to take the guided boat tour, which accommodates four avatars at a time and several tours can be running at once.

The automated and narrated jungle boat tour takes about ten minutes, and will deposit you at the gift shop when concluded. If you have any interest in purchasing a scripted jaguar for your living room, now’s your chance. The real life Palo Verde Biological Research Station, located in Palo Verde National Park, in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica, is a research station operated by the OTS in Costa Rica.

It is one of the foremost sites for ecological research on tropical dry forests, which are some of the most endangered types of tropical ecosystems in the world. Although they may get a lot of rain, tropical dry forests have a hard dry season during the year, which makes them very different biomes than tropical rain forests.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_Verde_Biological_Station -‐ cite_note-‐Janzen-‐0

The Organization for Tropical Studies is a consortium of 63 institutions from around the world that studies tropical ecosystems and the effects of industrialization, deforestation and habitat destruction. Matt Poole

DRUM CIRCLE FUN

Occupy Poetic Drum Circle 9am SLT Sunday, October 14, 2012 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Etopia Island/152/184/22 Make Live Music @ Drum Circle! FREE Occupy BOOK http://tiny.cc/1cswlw MEET THE AUTHOR! JL Morin (RL) gave away copy of her free book “Trading Dreams” for Kindle at this event. After the event you can purchase “Trading Dreams” at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com Host: Carl Solutionary (RL) Carlicann Resident (SL) A calendar of future Occupy Virtual Worlds events: http://tiny.cc/pab6lw Drum Circle Magazine: http://drumcirclemagazine.com/poetry?start=11

Carl Solutionary reports “FYI… our viral marketing campaign for JL Morin’s “Trading Dreams” was very successful… We got 5994 book downloads in 5 days… with ony 3 SL events… and the event advertising…. Second Life is a very fertile platform for Viral Marketing. As you know, the book “Trading Dreams” is #1 in Political Fiction on http://www.amazon.com .

Listening to poetry, playing drums, and enjoying the moment! Drumming Circle

eXtension Virtual 3D, a New Kind of Experiential Learning By LuAnne Phillips, aka Thynka Little (sl)

Before the existence of computers, at a time when 30% of Americans worked in farming, the agricultural fair was a hub of social activity, and annual gathering of neighbors, friends, and competitors, where livestock judging, farm equipment, and quilting displays mingled with cotton candy, thrill rides, and stage shows. Today, when less than 2% of people work on farms, county and state agricultural fairs serve to connect people with the source of their food and the roots of their heritage. Among the fried dough, flashing lights, and funky smells of

county and state fairs, visitors find grass roots learning opportunities in exhibits, displays, and demonstrations.

Cooperative Extension, a nationwide research-‐based learning network of farmers and scientists, was always the backbone of the fairs, promoting a "best of the best" ethic driving fair competitions in livestock, growing, and domestic arts. Learning by doing, formally known as "experiential learning," has been a core methodology for teaching practical skills in the agricultural era, and it remains an effective technique today. Now virtual worlds offer an opportunity for a new kind of experiential learning, where distance disappears and reach expands to a global audience through avatars moving about in a 3D space. Cooperative Extension entered the virtual world in 2007 with a single region in Second Life, named "Morrill." The eXtensionVirtual3D project is administered by Cooperative Extension's national web presence known as "eXtension" and has grown to five Second Life regions anchored by the Virtual State Fair.

The Virtual State Fair has several purposes: to recreate this iconic American tradition for a global audience, to expose visitors to Cooperative Extension's wide range of learning opportunities, to offer a place for Extension professionals to learn how to use virtual worlds for teaching and outreach, and to provide immersive learning environments and meeting spaces that any educator is free to use.

For further information contact project coordinator LuAnn Phillips (Thynka Little in SL) at luann.phillips@extension.org.

Lightning Productions: An Interview With Coz Okelly By Roxie Neiro Roxie: How did you get involved with virtual environments? What brought you to second life? COZ: I started in Second Life after reading about SL in the newspaper. Having been a computer enthusiast and involved in gaming, SL sounded like an interesting environment. Of course, once I touched it, I couldn't let go, much like touching a high voltage live wire. Roxie: [laughing] How did you get started with Lightning Productions and doing tribute concerts in sl? COZ: Getting started with tribute bands was just good luck. I had a friend who pulled me into Lightning Productions (LP). The friend had a friend in another Tribute Band group and there was ego conflict in that group. I helped develop the name for LP, then LP needed some stages built and it grew from there. Roxie: What goes into a typical production? (i.e., How many people are working with you behind the scenes? What is the setup time?) COZ: Tribute bands in SL are a fairly common occurrence, although DJ's are even more frequently seen and heard. Tribute bands are of course very different from DJ's in as much as the presentation concert brings the drama of live action to the music. LP consists of about twenty citizens and some alts. Building a stage for a particular band may involve 30 to 40 hours of build time including special texture for objects and backgrounds. I handle the Posters, Tee Shirts, Notices, Stages and Music myself with band members contributing any ideas to me to help develop the show.

Be Sure To Catch Lightning Productions

Pearl Jam

Saturday, October 27, 6pm SLT The Gallery

EDDIE VEDDER – vocals -‐ Plato BOOM GASPAR -‐ Keys -‐ MT JEFF AMENT – bass guitar -‐ Zonker STONE GOSSARD – rhythm guitar -‐ Shiva MIKE McCREADY – lead guitar -‐ Kat MATT CAMERON – drums -‐ Thor NEIL YOUNG -‐ Vocals/Guitar -‐ Mic PEARL JAM DANCER -‐ Rhonda PEARL JAM DANCER -‐ Luce PEARL JAM HOST – Penny

Roxie: How do you decide on the groups and the songs? COZ: The band group is picked and agreed to by the owner or event manager of the SIM. Usually the selected band will fit the lifestyle of the SIM and will celebrate a special event or scheduled event at the SIM. Selection of the songs is generally made by me, but certainly any request for particular songs or periods can be suggested by the SIM or one of our band members. Roxie: How are band members picked and are there new band members for each tribute band? COZ: Our bands members are usually referred to LP by staff members but in some cases loyal fans of the group have been asked to join the staff. In some cases someone has seen a show, found it interesting and approaches us about joining the staff. We have original members from 5 years ago that are still active and that include citizens from Finland, the UK and the US -‐ Eastern, central, mountain and Pacific time zones. Members can be used in any band and their availability at a particular time is taken into account as well as the type of instruments they have available. Instruments that are rezzed are provided with the stage, like drums and keyboards. The band member provides worn items like guitars and horns. Roxie: How do you coordinate and choreograph the shows? COZ: Since most of our band members are experienced the choreography is simple. LP provides the band citizen with a concert play list, the name of their role, instrument, and location on the stage. The member then changes their Avatar to look as closely as possible to the assigned band member. In some cases a complex production like Xanadu and The Rocky Horror Midnight Picture Show took several rehearsals to make sure our

interaction with avi's and music was good. Roxie: What skills did you need to learn to produce these shows? COZ: Several things are important but building and texture skills are most important because without those I'd be using someone’s stage without the customization for a particular band. Of course, knowing how to use lightning, particles, animations, scripts and other stage effects becomes important. Roxie: What is your favorite concert(s) and why? COZ: We have about 100 tribute bands from ABBA to ZZ Top so picking a favorite is tough but because it was my first major production and still one of the most fun, I would have to say Pink Floyd – The Wall. The Wall itself consists of about 60 prims covered with my brick texture made from a picture of the back of my brick BBQ then tinted white in paint shop that makes for a unique wall. During the concert taking some of the wall pieces and dropping them on fans and the band during the concert is great fun. We do hand out hard hats so no serious damage is done to any attending fan. Dropping the rest of the wall at the end with fans shouting “tear down the wall” is always a tense moment for me since lag can play havoc with timing. Roxie: [Laughing] I can only imagine! What fun! Where are your favorite venues in sl for performing and why? COZ: We have the best clients in SL, no doubt about it. We are asked back month after month, year after year. We just had the 5th year anniversary show at Dark Side Clubhouse. We do a show at Mango Theater every month, have ABBA every month at Eden Celebration, a show at Rinkland every month and our annual show for the VWBPE. We have many one time shows as well as the occasional birthdays, grand openings, and anniversary’s. Roxie: Yes, Like the BIG VEJ 1st Anniversary a couple of months ago with Jimmy Buffet. That was lots of fun! What obstacles have you had to deal with as you produce these shows?

COZ: The biggest obstacles are time, prim and space availability at the venue for stages. But, the availability of players is key to putting on a great concert. Roxie: What has been your greatest obstacle in producing the concerts? COZ: Just being available for 6 to 12 shows a month on weekends is my biggest obstacle. The only show we were ever asked to do but could not was The Pipettes because we could not find quality live recordings. Roxie: What has been your greatest accomplishment? COZ: The greatest accomplishment is the dedicated staff group. They are what make the concerts fun and easy to do. “What makes a rocker whine is having to do a Hannah Montana concert, smiling all the way to the end and actually thanking people.” Roxie: What advise do you have for educators who are working in sl – things you know now that you wish you would have known when you first got started, tips and tricks, etc? COZ: WOW, that's a tough question but I would say, create two avi's, with the second one as a back up because within 3 months you will have probably screwed up so badly you'll want a new start. I know I did! My original avi sleeps with fishes but his account is active just in case the world changes again. Roxie: You are right – I think many of us have several alts! What can we look forward to seeing in the future from Lightning Productions, such as new, upcoming concerts? COZ: We have new tributes almost every month but one band I know that is coming up is Chicago, including some of the music from the movie “Electra Glide in Blue” which has one of the best endings of any movie ever made!

Roxie: Anything else you would like to share about your work? Websites, url’s., links for readers. COZ: We have some friends postings of our concerts. We do not have an active website for fans, just staff. It would be nice to have one for fans, however no one has volunteered and I'm already busy. Here's latest picture of me, Coz, asking, does anyone know what time it really is? And yes, I made that clock.

Roxie: Thanks again for doing this interview, Coz. Like me, I am sure our readers will be amazed at how much goes on behind the scenes for one of Lightning Productions’ concerts. We look forward to seeing the Pearl Jam Concert on October 27th and all of the future tribute concerts produced by Lightning Productions as well! They are always a GREAT time. Thanks again!

Mexican High School Gets Into 3D Virtual Worlds By David W. Deeds (RL), Deed Davids (SL)

As of August 2012, I began my stint as Technology Integration Coordinator for Colegios Peterson (Peterson Schools, http://peterson.edu.mx). The private K-‐12 institution has over 2,000 students at four different campuses (Cuajimalpa, Lomas, Pedregal and Tlalpan) spread across Mexico City. I’m also the Diploma Program (the International Baccalaureate Organization – IBO, http://www.ibo.org – term for high school) and the Information Technology in a Global Society (ITGS) course teacher at the Cuajimalpa campus. In addition, I’m running a 10th grade Computer Workshop. Yes, I’m rather busy. ;) We have two overarching goals. Traditionally, Peterson Schools have juggled several sets of curriculum standards, e.g., the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico’s (UNAM, http://www.unam.mx) in addition to the IBO’s. One long-‐term objective is to transform the institution into a 100% IBO school. Our short-‐term priority is to implement “21st century learning,” which involves, among many other things, integrating technology into education and making learning more student-‐centric.

We’ve had a 1:1 program in effect for over a year. All 9th-‐12th grade students and teachers at the Cuajimalpa campus, e.g., have MacBooks. Our biggest experiments with putting students in charge of their

learning process to date are our ITGS and Computer Workshop classes. You guessed it…via 3D virtual worlds! ITGS is a two-‐year course, in the IBO’s Group 3, aka the Individuals and Societies category, so it’s not a technology class per se. Instead, it focuses on the social, ethical, etc., issues involved with computer usage. I like to say that it’s more about the meat ware than about the hardware/software, although it’s certainly geeky enough, since the study of IT Systems represents one of the three “strands,” or components. The other two? Social and Ethical Significance and Practical Applications. Students are expected to examine how technology is being used in…yes…our global society. They also must create a product or service, one that ideally helps others. What makes my approach so revolutionary…well, unusual, at least? The fact that our classes are held on our Second Life cybercampus!

Why have students sitting in a classroom reading about being members of a global society when they can actually BE members of a global society? My ITGS students will be operating via our Peterson Schools cybercampus on Teaching 6 (SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Teaching 6/180/132/23/ ). They’ll eventually be hosting students and teachers from around the (real)

world, as well as making virtual field trips to meet others. If you’d like to participate, as visitors or hosts or both, please contact me via e-‐mail in Real Life (ddeeds@peterson.edu.mx) or IM me in Second Life (there I’m Deed Davids).

We’re up for just about anything. Some of the ideas we’ve come up with so far include language exchanges (our students can teach you Spanish, you can teach them another lingo), visits to the virtual versions of universities our kids want to attend when they graduate, etc. It doesn’t have to be anything specific, however…our students could get together just for the fun of it! The product/service creation requirement typically involves…again…merely studying…in this case how businesses are run. My students will be really managing their own company, with both a virtual and real-‐life component. For example, in the past I’ve had learners selling virtual t-‐shirts in Second Life, while simultaneously offering real-‐life versions via websites like CafePress or Zazzle. The big concept…a stroke of genius, I know… is to make the product/service purpose to train other students as well as teachers how to use Second Life in education. We’ll start with our Cuajimalpa campus…then we’ll expand to the other Peterson locations… and ultimately take on the entire (real, or is it virtual?) world!

Their first project entailed creating houses. No detailed specifications…the main goal was to simply get them using Second Life’s Computer-‐Aided Design tools. Well, it was also their first attempt at project management using the IBO’s Design Cycle (Investigate, Design, Plan, Create and Evaluate) as a guide. Results were mixed…students this age typically don’t like to stop and design or plan…they prefer to simply start banging on keyboards…they’ll get over it…practice makes perfect!

Their current project is to put on an art/photo exhibit. Some students are also working on digital music productions so we’ll also be streaming audio into Second Life via a ShoutCast server. What makes this endeavor particularly valuable (not to mention interesting!) is that it’s cross-‐curricular,(i.e., subjects in addition to Technology are involved…as well as other students and teachers, too). The students are in charge of everything, from creating and choosing the art/photos to designing and building the galleries.

BTW, if you’d like a Second Life cybercampus for your school but you’re afraid it’ll be too expensive, lease your property from the New Media Consortium (NMC, http://www.nmc.org) like we do. The NMC has been doing a great job of keeping Second Life affordable for educators! And you can’t beat the customer service! Contact Carol Pfeifer (carol@nmc.org) if you’re interested. Second Life is only for students of age 16 and up, so for our 10th grade workshop we use an OpenSimulator virtual learning environment (we don’t use the word “game”!) instead. We lease our private sim from Dreamland Metaverse (http://www.dreamlandmetaverse.com). Again, affordable prices and great customer service! What I like most is my ability to manage my region via a user-‐friendly web interface. Contact Snoopy Pfeffer (snoopy.pfeffer@yahoo.com) if you’re interested. The Computer Workshop only lasts a semester. It’s one of our “traditional UNAM courses,” although we’ve modified the usual topics to include…yes…virtual worlds. The story goes that once the learners saw what the 11th graders were doing, there was no way they were going to be left out of the 3D fun. My official version is that I had planned it all along. ;)

The class so far is paralleling (is that a word?) with the ITGS class, but later the two courses will diverge so that the Computer Workshop

students can do more programming via Alice ( http://www.alice.org ) versus Linden Scripting Language. The students completed a house-‐building project and now they’re doing an art/photo show as well. Seems like half these kids are talented musicians/singers so sound is likely to be more of a focus for this course’s efforts. That’s all for now. I’ll write more about what we’re doing re: virtual education later. Adios!

New To Second Life? No Problem. Here is everything you wanted to know . . .

And a whole lot more!

Click on the website below to see the table of contents for the Hobo Kit. All the contents are on the web. The web page below is updated as new content is posted. Hobo Kit NEW table of contents, Summary, 2012 http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/2012/08/kit-hobo-kit-new-table-ofcontents.html

The Hobo Kit is a collection of articles with answers to questions frequently asked by new people in Second Life and by posts in the forums. Most of the posts in the Hobo Kit are updated frequently and will often have content later than the date of the post. For all the answers to your questions, be sure to check out the Hobo Kit! A special thanks to Selby Evans (rl) aka, Thinkerer Melville (sl).

By Kae Novak (RL) and Kavon Zenovka (SL) A community of educators that is meeting up online and in real life is G.A.M.E. (Gamers Advancing Meaningful Education). G.A.M.E is an online community of educators who game. At its core is an online synchronous gaming community but the discussion to start organizing for educational advocacy happened at a real life ISTE conference.

This intellectually curious network of educators develop curriculum, offer online open courses, webinars and F2F presentations on the opportunities and deeper learning that takes place in games. The Cognitive Dissonance Educator Guild in World of Warcraft is the "home base" where this group regularly plays online. Inevitable Betrayal is the touring and event guild on the Horde side. This community is involved in WoW in School, EduMachinima Fest, Virtual Worlds and Games UnSymposium, the Games MOOC and open courses on P2PU.

G.A.M.E. is for educators who game, want to learn how to game, and want to incorporate gaming strategies into teaching and learning. To see more about the guild and its members -‐ please watch “It Takes A Guild – A Guild of Educators” http://bit.ly/vejvideo “It Takes A Guild” is one of the new G.A.M.E. programs that does livestream interviews over Google Hangout and holds a back channel chat in Second Life at the ISTE SIGVE Diner. “It Takes a Guild” is an educator centric webinar series of interviews and panel discussions featuring practitioners who have successfully implemented commercial off the shelf games into their classrooms and learning environments. As a G.A.M.E. (Gamers Advancing Meaningful Education) program, its mission is to help all stakeholders see and understand the deeper learning, community, creativity, and entrepreneurship that is possible in online games. G.A.M.E. welcomes all educators -‐ novice, dabbler, and hardcore gamer. Come game to level up on teaching and learning! It’s more than an affinity space for educators who game – it’s a guild. http://g.a.m.e.shivtr.com/

Feel free to take a look at the gaming group flickr sites Cog Dis http://www.flickr.com/groups/cogdis/pool/show/ Inevitable Betrayal http://www.flickr.com/groups/inevitable/pool/show/ It Takes A Guild – A Guild of Educators It Takes A Guild is an educator centric webinar series of interviews and panel discussions featuring practitioners who have successfully implemented commercial off the shelf games into their classrooms and learning environments. As a G.A.M.E. (Gamers Advancing Meaningful Education) program, its mission is to help all stakeholders see and understand the deeper learning, community, creativity, and entrepreneurship that is possible in online games. #gamemooc Tweetchat Along with the Games Based Learning MOOC, G.A.M.E. holds a weekly game based learning chat on twitter every Wednesday at 9 pm ET. To join us, use the hashtag #gamemooc and feel free to www.tweetchat.com to follow along with the discussion. G.A.M.E. Badges G.A.M.E. is currently developing demonstrated mastery badges to be issued through the Mozilla Foundation’s Open Badge Initiative. These badges not only show mastery of a particular area but also recognize the contribution of the recipient to the community of gamers advancing meaningful education. These badges assess deeper learning in an open peer-‐ based learning community (e.g., Deeper learning, Assessment by members of the community). Groups of abilities are reviewed under 5 broad categories: analytic skills, interpersonal skills, ability to execute, information processing, and capacity for change/learning. Currently a Machinima Level 1 and 2 Badge is being developed.

On Walkabout By Matt Poole aka Cyrus Hush -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ -‐

(With thanks to Yevad Doobie)

Chapter 3: Jeogeot… the Korean Continent ‘Ready for another cross-‐country bushwack across Second Life? This time we will be tackling Jeogeot –the third mainland continent to be built in SL. This is often called the Korean continent because most of the sims have Korean names, and because nobody really knows how to pronounce “Jeogeot.” In my very unscientific survey I did not really see an unusual number of actual Asian residents in evidence.

Shaped roughly like a right triangle, Jeogeot has become a particularly fertile playground for the Linden Department of Public Works (aka the Moles). http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Department_of_Public_Works Briefly, this is a program wherein Linden Labs has recruited resident builders to do building projects for public use on the Second Life mainlands. Typically these resident builders adopt the last name “Mole” for their avatars, and you can find Mole-‐created content all over public areas of the mainland continents. It is, however, particularly heavy in Jeogeot.

Entry 1: Pyri Funfair We can begin our journey by dropping in on one of these Mole creations at the very top of the continent… Pyri Funfair. This is actually an island off the western coast of the northern tip of Jeogeot but connected to the main body of the continent by water Sims. You will materialize in the middle of a rather creepy circus… not actually scary but definitely spooky. You will see a ticket counter and you are supposed to obtain and wear a ticket. Once you have your ticket you can venture in to the Tunnel of Love for a big surprise! It’s not love. Let’s just say you will not reach the end of the tunnel before you go somewhere unexpected!

You can get killed here so be careful! Watch out for bunnies, mushrooms, and skulls. Along the shore above you can find free boats and other transportation to Jeogeot proper. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pyri%20Peaks/130/109/116

Entry 2: Space Base Jeogeot has basically two roads… Routes 9 and 10… that with some tributaries form kind of a net around the continent. We will have to head cross-‐country to pick up the Northern Spur Road on the eastern shore. Jeogeot is less well-‐organized than the other continents we have seen, with a cluttered landscape of constructs in various stages of completion. Looking out across the water you will be able to see another Mole creation here. Partly buried in an impact crater, Space Base is a large multi-‐level habitat that is well worth exploring. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mos%20Ainsley/146/91/48

Entry 3: The Great Tunnel Heading South on Route 9 we pass by a giant bunny, then come to a place in Dongyeongju where the road dives under a lake via a long tunnel. And, by long I mean three Sims’ worth. The Moles have been at it again. The tunnel is shallow and has transparent walls to allow you to see the aquatic attractions placed outside. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dongyeongju/210/95/26 Entry 4: Mystery Lake A bit further down Route 9 is a smaller round lake called Mystery Lake with an adjoining large and very nice art exhibit called the Center Ground Academy of Art. The gallery has multiple floors and some very nice impressionist paintings to check out. Mystery Lake itself is deep and has caves and big freaky-‐looking catfish in it. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Han%20Loso/179/74/64

Center Ground Academy of Art

Entry 5: Steampunk Another side trip… sorry… but a very cool one. Off the eastern shore of Jeogeot from Mystery Lake are three connected Islands called Steampunk, Idle Rogue and Hypatia.

These are pretty and very well done builds that celebrate the role of steampunk in SL. These are private islands –not the work of the Moles—but open to the public. Steampunk is gorgeous. Idle Rogue is a mess right now, but they have a sign up saying they are building something cool for Halloween. Be sure to check it out! Hypatia is Old European and contains a rather bare Renaissance art museum and a theater that advertises classic Hollywood movies. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Steampunk/100/105/27

Entry 6: Barneys Bay Popping straight back to the mainland the first thing we run into is a New England seaside town. The air is thick with the sound of crashing waves and Seagulls. This is Mole Central, complete with The Hogshead Tavern and Mole& Mole Travel Agency. This latter is a great spot to pick up landmarks to other Mole creations around the grid, including the Blake Sea, Ice Bay, Ahab’s haunt, Nautilus and of course Bay City. There is also a great New England lighthouse, a rez zone and free sailboats. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kinchugga/120/31/24

Entry 7: Chilbo Heading due north we strike Route 9 again, and taking that west brings us to a couple of Sims lodged between Routes 9 and 10 that are collectively called Chilbo. I’m sure you all know Chilbo! To quote from the Chilbo Road Press: “Chilbo is a community of artists, architects, educators, musicians, parents, hobbyists, students, and people from around the world who share a common vision that our interactions and experiences in virtual worlds can have a positive impact on our real world and our real lives. The Chilbo sim in Second Life is the cultural center of our community, but neither physical nor virtual location limits our ability to collaborate and share resources with one another.” (Retrieved from (http://www.chilbo.org/blog/about/ on Sept 22, 2012). http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chilbo/111/230/121

Entry 8: Lordshore Bridge: From Chilbo we head northwest, passing an interesting looking Asian temple that appears to be dedicated to furries and promptly crashes us. Upon recovering, we cross Wellington road and see a large gulf stretching out before us. Cutting across the tip of this gulf is another monument to those industrious Moles, the Lordshore Bridge. This massive suspension bridge stretches across three sims and is quite impressive. To really appreciate it you should try out one of the mistier Windlight settings. Occasional tanker trucks belching smoke cross over it. Remarkably, there is not much lag. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lordshore/200/165/42

Entry 9: The Volcano Think Hawaii here. In the middle of the large gulf of water that divides Jeogeot is a round island sporting a big volcano that rivals the ones in the Costa Rican Sims. It lies adjacent to a welcome center and serves as a scenic attraction for new residents. Interestingly, it is set to erupt every hour, streaming lava down the side and popping out glowing cinders of ash to rain down on the thatched huts nearby. On a comic note, a diving board is provided at the lip of the crater in case you are having one of “those” days. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ichelus/106/211/22 . So once again we have completed a high-‐level tour of a Second Life mainland continent. “Completed” is hardly the correct term, however; this journey has barely scratched the surface of what you can stumble upon in Jeogeot. There are many more Sims and attractions to see, but if you want to see them you will have to go explore for yourself. Thanks for coming along! Until next time, be well… Your friend, Cyrus

ISTE SIGVE SPEAKER SERIES: About Kitely OCTOBER 16, 2012

Co-‐Founder IIan Tochner presents Kitely. Spiff and Scott Host the presentation.

About Kitely Kitely enables you to get your own virtual world space for training, education, collaboration or fun. Log in with Facebook, Twitter or your email to create your free account and start using your own virtual world within minutes.

Work on Kitely began in 2008, with the vision of enabling people to use virtual worlds as an on-‐demand utility. It took the company more than two years of intensive development until it was ready to start its public beta in March 2011. Kitely is now the leading provider of affordable high-‐ performance OpenSim hosting solutions. The venture was named IVC-‐online's Company of the Month for February 2009, while it was still in its infancy. It has been in bootstrap mode ever since and is now in public beta. Kitely is the biggest commercial provider of OpenSim regions, hosting more than 2,500 regions (as of October 2012). Kitely is considered to have the most user-‐friendly administration tools in the entire OpenSim hosting industry. Kitely virtual worlds have been used for training, education, collaboration, simulations, art exhibitions, machinima creation, theatrical performances, role-‐playing, information centers, book promotions, 3D design, and entertainment activities. (Taken From http://www.linkedin.com/company/kitely/virtual-‐worlds-‐on-‐ demand-‐183188/product , October 16, 2012)

Roxie Neiro Visits Scott Merrick’s Place in Kitely

For questions contact: ilan@kitely.com Website http://www.kitely.com http://www.kitely.com/ -‐ !startviewers Machinima’s filmed in Kitely at http://www.kitely.com/ -‐ !search/q=karima+hoisan

Book review: The Connected Educator In the book, The Connected Educator, authors Sheryl Nussbaum-‐Beach and Lani Ritter Hall (The Solution Tree, 2012) introduce educators to the term “connected learning communities” as a vehicle for professional learning. They suggest that connected learning communities have three integral environments: the local professional learning community; the contextual personal learning network; and the global community of practice. The authors suggest that this new model for professional development can engage educators in building their knowledge and capacity with other educators no matter where they are in the world. Of course, this is no secret to ISTE SIGVE members who have worked and played in virtual environments, explored Google Hangouts, tweeted from second life during Tweetchats, and teleported their way through virtual worlds, etc. We understand the power of being connected to each other 24/7. Ask anyone, and they can give you a number of reasons why “they are here!” [For more information about “Why Virtual Environments,” see the March 2012 issue of VEJ at www.virtualeducationjournal.com ]. But, for our colleagues who have not ventured into a connected global universe, this is a MUST read for helping them to take those first steps. During September and October 2012, the authors lead a book study online for educators reading the book. The activities and comments from the book study group are achieved at http://theconnectededucator.ning.com/ . You can also get a Connected

Educator Starter Kit at https://dl.dropbox.com/u/38904447/starter-‐ kit-‐final.pdf to help facilitate a book study of your own. For other activities related to The Connected Educator activities see http://connectededucators.org/cem/ . There is a wealth of information at the Connected Educator website, including top 50 educators worth following on Twitter http://edudemic.com/2012/10/worldwide-‐ education-‐twitter/ , a resource I found very informative. Some I was already following – others I started to follow. But, back to The Connected Educator book. This is one of the most user-‐ friendly books I have seen recently for newcomers to social media and other online global learning tools to help us harness the power of professional learning online. Each chapter topic is easy to read and provides real-‐life relevant examples of how educators are using the tools. It also provides easy to follow, scaffolded directions for how to use the technology tools. Most of all it provides twitter hashtags and links that are easy to follow to help educators get started and connected to other educators. At the end of the book is a huge reference and resources section along with a glossary and other references including research to support the model. My own personal favorites in the book are the activities found at the end of the chapters that provide readers with the opportunity to explore different online learning tools. The Connected Educator is a wonderful resource for technology leaders to use with other educators in your school or district, especially those educators who maybe timid about using the computer for anything other than email, entering grades, word processing and/or watching YouTube videos. The Connected Educator will also be an invaluable resource for school leaders who are interested in learning how to create a professional learning community both locally and globally. Most of all this book will provide school leaders with tools to help build a connected learning community that actively engages administrators, faculty and staff in continuing their own professional learning as well as the potential for building the capacity and complexity of all school/district educators. Check it out – it is a MUST READ!

Book Review by Roxie Neiro (sl) Rosie O’Brien Vojtek (rl)

DJ Earnshaw’s 2009 Presentation to NPC: In His Own Words

The following is from a notecard in my (Roxie Neiro’s) inventory from a presentation that DJ Earnshaw (Don Singleton in RL) gave on Friday July 17, 2009 to NPC. I am reprinting it here because I thought it would be of interest to all of his many friends. I am DJ Earnshaw (Don Singleton in RL). In RL I am a Director of APCUG, the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (http://apcug.net), and in SL I am in the process of opening an office for APCUG in Plush #9. It is a work-‐in-‐process, but I have set up a couple of communication areas in two of the corners, for Avatars to sit and talk about the Computer User Groups their humans are members of. UGs we know of that have had avatars visit our office have their group's logo displayed on the wall, and if you click on a group's logo it will take you to that group's website. I am in the process of gathering LMs of interesting places in SL and will be making notecards of them available in the APCUG office, with hopes that User Group members will demonstrate SL to their User Group. They will first visit the APCUG Office, and pick up notecards of places to show their member. If you have any suggestions of places they should go, please let me know.

In RL I am also President of HelpingTulsa, and we are on the waiting list for space for an office for HT in SL also. HelpingTulsa http://www.helpingtulsa.org/ takes donated computers and refurbishes them and donates them to schools, churches, and non-‐profit agencies in Real Life. Here in SL I am working on a Wiki Page http://npsl.wiki.techsoup.org/RL-‐>+SL+and+SL-‐>RL+Communications which is the start of a Cookbook I will be developing. The Communication Cookbook will help Non Profit Groups implement different forms of "Real Life to Second Life" and "Second Life to Real Life" communications, up to, and including dual RL/SL Events. I have hopes of getting it working by the end of August, in which case I will do a mini dual RL/SL event between the APCUG Office at Plush #9 and APCUG's Annual Meeting at the Ohio Midwest Regional. Here in SL I teach at Happy Hippo Education Centre where I (or rather my teaching alt Professor Viper) has been invited to teach a "Teach the Tools" series at Happy Hippo. This series is a bit different from most of your classes in Second Life. I certainly don't mean to imply the other teachers are doing anything wrong; I have nothing but praise for all of the instructors that have taught me what I know now. But in Second Life, there are several ways to do the same thing. For example you can bring up Build menu by: (1) "Clicking Build", or (2) "right click the ground and select Create from Pie", or (3) "Tools, Select Tool, Create", or (4) "Ctrl 4", and probably others. One teacher may teach one way, and it can confuse the student when the next teacher uses a different way to do the same thing. My "Teach the Tools" series will take one tool, and try to cover all it can do: beginner, intermediate, or advanced. The higher-‐level stuff the student will not use every day, but hopefully when a student is confronted with one of the other ways of doing something, he will not be confused.

Right now I am teaching a new class each week, at 7pm Tuesday, and then at noon Wednesday. This week I covered Camera Controls. Next week we will cover parts of the General and Object tabs of the Edit menu. The following week we will finish the Object Tab, then in subsequent weeks we will cover the Texture Tab, then Features Tab, then Content tab, starting a multi week series on Scripting. Penguin asked me to ask you for subjects you would like to see NPC offer. IM either Penguin Kuhn or DJ Earnshaw. I have just rezzed a gift box. Inside is a LM for the APCUG Office, and an APCUG T-‐Shirt. Stop by the office, and you can get other color shirts. I am also including an LM for Happy Hippo Education Centre, and a notecard with everything I have said today. But the real prize is a Help Cylinder. I use them in classes where students may need help. They click on it and it does three things: (1) it shouts they need help, (2) it emits red particle balls so someone can find them, and (3) it provides an SLURL to the location of their cylinder, so a helper can TP right to them. I am working on something even better. Consider a Master Board on which you can put a texture with a schedule of upcoming classes, events, etc. Now consider another board that you can put copies of in many places (like each classroom) in the SAME SIM, and when you change the texture on the Master Board, all of these Classroom Boards change to the same schedule texture within 5 seconds. Sound useful? Now consider a Remote Board, that you can put anywhere in Second Life (any sim). It will take more than 5 seconds (maybe 30) but each of them will change texture too. One question: do you see a need for one of this Remote Board to be a Sub Master Board, that slaves off of the first Master Board, and allow the Class Boards in their region to get the schedule texture from them? The three Viper Boards should be ready in one to two weeks, and will be made available here. And of course, the rest is history! Thank You, DJ Earnshaw aka Don Singleton, for all you taught us in SL!

In Loving Memory of Our Dear Friend, Don Singleton

The following is from the March 2012 VEJ article, “Why Are You Here?”

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., ” Don told VEJ in March 2012.

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

Watch Interview with Don Singleton at http://goo.gl/IPH6w

You Will Be Missed!

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