VEJ April 2015 by Edovation

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

APRIL 2015

JOURNAL

The Reality of Virtual Learning Personal Professional

Collegial

VEJ Vol. 4 Issue 1 Virtual Education Journal June 2014 In This Issue Hello Everyone!

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The Reality of Virtual Learning is that it is one of the best-kept secrets outside of the metaverse. For many reasons (most notably the quirky looks you get when you merely mention the word “avatar”) many of us have shied away from talking about our ventures into virtual worlds, except with like-minded, kindred souls. But, that is about to change. Why? Two reasons. First of all, if you visit an elementary school, or talk to your children or grandchildren, you quickly learn what they are doing with avatars, and how they are connecting with and learning from each other in virtual environments such as Minecraft. As the June 19, 2009 PBS “Learning in Virtual Worlds” video http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/resources/virtuallearning/ explains, “kids play games socially” in collaboration with each other in virtual communities. Our children outside of school are learning skills that we do not teach in schools using a variety of desk and mobile devices. Yet, these skills are essential for them to live successful and productive lives as adults. In the medical field, this would be considered malpractice. I see it everyday in my elementary school. Students want to build, to lead, to teach, and to mentor their peers as they create and transform a blank virtual space into worlds that are only limited by their own imagination and technical know-how. The bigger question is not what the kids are doing, but what educators can and should be doing to harness this enthusiasm and challenge student thinking and abilities to achieve the knowledge, skills, and dispositions they need to be creative entrepreneurs and successful global citizens. Educators (and especially key stakeholders and decision-makers) have a lot of work to do to catch up to where our kids are today outside of school in order to move them forward and make learning relevant in school. Second, and what makes me most excited, is the work that educators and others are doing across the metaverse in virtual worlds, new and old, to teach, mentor, coach, support, and build communities of learning and practice. As you will see in this issue, and from watching the archived video footage from VWBPE2015 at https://www.youtube.com/user/VWBPEas it becomes available, educators and social workers are providing quality experiences for people that extend what they are able to do in real life and give them back a quality of life (e.g., socially, emotionally, spiritually, and yes, even physically) through their interactions with their personal avatar(s). The potential and ability is already here to transform and change peoples’ lives thanks to the important work many are already doing in Second Life, OpenSims, and beyond. I am in awe – inspired, emotionally charged, and rejuvenated with a new enthusiasm after learning about the work of Virtual Ability Inc., championed by this year’s recipient of the VWBPE2015 Thinkerer Award, Gentle Heron (sl), Alice Krueger (rl). You “must read” the complete interview with Gentle Heron. Also, make sure to watch the two Draxtor videos she mentions and visit Virtual Ability Island to discover this amazing work. The Reality of Virtual Learning is it has the ability to actively engage ALL persons, with and without disabilities, in effective and enhanced high-quality personal, professional, and collegial learning experiences that transform and enrich our lives in ways we can’t yet imagine. Look out on the horizon . . . The Reality of Virtual Learning is here! We know you will want to devour this issue – so don’t wait, take your first byte! You will discover, like always, VEJ is “Out of this World!”

Keep Smiling J Roxie Neiro (SL), Rosie Vojtek (RL)

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VWBPE 2015 Thinkerer Award Winner, Alice Krueger (rl), Gentle Heron (sl) An Interview with Gentle Heron (sl), and Alice Krueger (rl) What I Learned From VWBPE Get Your Mojo On . . . House @ Blue’s Corner EdTech 532: Educational Games & Simulations Art Begets Art Virtual Stonehenge: A Computer Simulation Expanding Horizons for Archaeological and Historical Context for a Virtual Audience Backstage @VWBPE15 Top 10 Tips To Be Professional In Virtual Worlds Machinima Mania is Back for 2015 VEJ, Share Your Story: EPIC Learning in Virtual Worlds/Environments Rift and Ready for Immersion VWBPE Selfie Moments At The VWBPE Crossroads . . . Oh, Yes, We Did Have Fun!

Cover Photo by BJ Gearbox (sl), Bob Vojtek (rl) To Read VEJ online visit: http://www.virtualeducationjournal.com/ For more information about ISTE SIGVE/VEN or to join the fun, visit: http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net/ Follow us on Twitter @VEJournal or #VEJournal 2

©Vej is a n Edovation Publication

CONGRATULATIONS ALICE KRUEGER (RL), GENTLE HERON (SL)

VWBPE2015

THINKERER AWARD

The following is the speech read by Dirk McKeenan at the VWBPE2015 Closing Ceremony on March 21, 2015 when the Thinkerer Award was presented to Alice Krueger (rl), Gentle Heron (sl). You can view the entire ceremony at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =-‐6Uul2d4QLc Gentle Heron in Poetry Garden on Cape Serenity In 2014, the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Organizational Committee instituted a new personal achievement award to recognize an individual who has provided outstanding service to both the field of education and the virtual world community at large. The THINKERER AWARD is presented to an individual whose deeds and actions have shown a consistent selfless service towards the promotion of learning, community, educational practices, and who exemplifies the spirit of cooperative development within immersive environments. Recipients of this award are not simply outstanding professionals in their field. Award recipients must characterize transformational leadership qualities to • envision and guide change; • enhance the motivation, morale, and performance of both peers and pupils; • promote best practices and continuous improvement; and

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inspire others through their words and actions.

One such individual is ALICE KRUEGER, better known to many of us as Gentle Heron. Ms. Krueger is the founder and President of Virtual Ability, Inc., a real world non-‐ profit organization based in Colorado, USA, with a well-‐established presence in Second Life. She holds a Master of Science degree and is a mother of three. After a career spanning nearly 40 years in education, teaching regular and special education, then program management, professional development and research, Ms. Krueger became fully disabled with multiple sclerosis. But this didn’t stop her. To combat the isolation, which commonly besets people with significant disabilities, she founded a 501(c)(3) with a mission to bring people with disabilities into online virtual worlds by providing a supporting environment in which to thrive there. Gentle Heron first rezzed into Second Life when the Heron Sanctuary was established in 2007. Virtual Ability, Inc. officially adopted the new name in 2008 after having helped numerous people get “up and running” in Second Life. The original group has grown in size from about 150 individuals to nearly 1000 members, with an ever-‐stronger reputation within Second Life as the leading cross-‐disability community of support for people with real world disabilities. In 2009, VAI won the first Linden Prize for providing “a series of courses and resources to help people with real-‐world disabilities get acclimated and start using Second Life” and for its ground-‐breaking new resident orientation course on Virtual Ability Island. Since that time, Virtual Ability has collaborated with researchers in disability studies and with projects to enhance the lives of people with disabilities. VAI has worked on such diverse projects as

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Virtual programs for military amputees with the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command; Participation in EmployAble, a Kessler Foundation grant project of the University of Hawaii’s Center on Disability Studies; and Virtual Health Adventures, led by Nova Southeastern University, College of Health Care Sciences.

As a mother, activist, educator, researcher, and leader, Gentle’s contributions as president of Virtual Ability have resulted in the escalation of discussion, for and about people with disabilities in virtual world settings, to a level, which did not exist before 2007. Her virtual world efforts are a reflection of her tireless work in all worlds: • Real world speaking engagements on disability-‐related topics • Featured speaker at the Second Life Community Convention in 2009 • Authored and co-‐authored articles on assistive technologies and virtual worlds • Featured in the “Login 2 Life” project, described as “on the very edge of civilization, documenting a lifestyle so entirely new, that few have managed to look beneath the surface of this emerging phenomenon” Ms. Krueger has raised the bar for bringing equality in education for persons with disabilities into both the political and corporate boardrooms. Her efforts have led to significant changes at local, national, and international levels. It is for all these reasons, and more, that the VWBPE Organizational Committee proudly confirms Alice Krueger as the VWBPE 2015 Thinkerer Award recipient.

An Interview with Gentle Heron (SL), Alice Krueger (RL) By Roxie Neiro I was thrilled when Gentle Heron agreed to our interview while we were enjoying the VWBPE15 Eric Clapton Tribute Concert after the Closing Ceremony. The speech made by Dirk McKeenan when he presented the award (see previous tribute article for speech) explains why she was selected for the 2nd annual Thinkerer Award, the highest honor given from VWBPE. I hope you enjoy reading this article as much as I enjoyed talking with Gentle. In here own words, please meet Gentle Heron, one of Second Life’s most influential global citizens. Roxie: Tell us about yourself. Who you are in rl, sl, and any other virtual environments and what you do?

Gentle: I am a very different person in the physical world now than I would have predicted ten years ago, or even one year ago. Life has a way of sneaking up and tripping you when you are least aware. I no longer have a career by which I define myself. I must spend much more time taking care of myself than I would ever have suspected would be necessary. I no longer have freedom of movement to go where ever, whenever I please. Instead I am part of a community in Second Life to which I am devoted, and which supports, educates, entertains, and sustains me. Roxie: Yes, the Second Life community is amazing! When and how did you get involved in Second Life? Gentle: I came into Second Life with some friends back in April of 2007. We felt that as our disabilities increased, we were losing our ability to socialize and becoming more isolated. We wondered if we could use a virtual world, if that would offer more freedom than our shrinking physical worlds provided. We all chose the last name Heron from Linden Lab’s list for new avatars at that time, and formed The Heron Sanctuary on land donated by Lorelei Junot on one of the EduIslands she ran at that time. It started as a spot for people we invited to join us in Second Life where they could learn basic skills and hang out. As our capacity and population grew, I realized we needed to have a physical world presence. This led to forming the 501(c)3 nonprofit, Virtual Ability, Inc., which could then interact legally with other legal entities through contracts and other formal relationships. You can learn more about Virtual Ability, Inc. at our website www.virtualability.org.

Roxie: (Laughing) I wondered how the Heron Sanctuary got its name. Since Heron Sanctuary has become Virtual Ability, Inc. it has increased its membership to nearly 1,000 members. Who are these people and what is it that attracts so many people to Virtual Ability? Gentle: We are a cross-‐disability peer support community. This means that our members with disabilities may have physical, mental, emotional, developmental, or sensory disabilities. We know that about a quarter of our membership are people who are not yet disabled. These people may become disabled as they age, or through accident or illness. They are family members or friends of people with disabilities, caregivers, medical professionals, researchers, or others interested in disability issues.

Roxie: Describe Virtual Ability Island. If our readers were to visit the Virtual Ability Island, what could they expect to see when they teleport there?

Gentle: Virtual Ability Island (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual Ability/128/128/23) was our first public sim. It has a tropical ambience. The main portion of the island is taken up by our New Resident Orientation Path (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual Ability/170/96/23), where newcomers who sign in through our website can enter Second Life and immediately learn the basic skills (movement, conversation, inventory and buying items, orienting in the world, and modifying appearance) that will make virtual life richer for them. The orientation was designed using the theory of andragogy (http://elearningindustry.com/the-‐adult-‐learning-‐theory-‐andragogy-‐of-‐malcolm-‐ knowles) and the principles of Universal Design (http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/). Also, on the island is a large auditorium (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/57/174/23). The Sojourner Auditorium is named for one of the first peer support group leaders in Second Life. Soj, as she was known, was a member of our initial advisory board.

This was the first Mayo Clinic presentation in SL, in our Sojourner Auditorium.

Gentle: There are also two smaller classrooms (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual Ability/47/132/23) that are used for public conferences and community educational events throughout the year.

Activity Schedule Board Roxie: I looks like you have several activities happening each day. What are some of the activities and events that people can engage in at Virtual Ability Island? Gentle: Newcomers of course are welcome to use the orientation path, and in fact many who do not have disabilities do so each year. Entire cohorts of students in classes ranging from nursing to social work enter Second Life through our website. They can enter SL for the first time at the beginning of the orientation path and take their first steps toward avatar competency as they walk along the boardwalk learning basic skills. We encourage professors who wish to bring in entire classes at once to contact us, and we will have mentors waiting to assist the new students. Roxie: [Laughing] I so wish there had been a place like this when I first got started in second life! Even though the technology has progressed, there is still a huge

learning curve. This is a wonderful place for newcomers to Second Life to come and hone their skills in a nurturing environment. I highly recommend teachers and professors take you up on this opportunity for their students to practice their navigation and social skills here. Thank you!

Walking on the Orientation Pathway Gentle: Your welcome. In addition, persons who use assistive technology to access their computers are encouraged to contact Virtual Ability by email (info@virtualability.org) before they attempt to sign into Second Life for the first time. We can walk them through the account creation process, help them understand how to interface their technology with the Second Life user interface, and guide their first virtual steps as a brand new avatar. For instance, our blind users come into Second Life using a text-‐only third party viewer. They need orientation that is specific to that viewer, so we have a group of sighted and blind mentors who can work directly with them. Experienced SL residents as well as newcomers can attend two major professional conferences each year. In the spring we host a one-‐day Mental Health Symposium, and in the fall we hold the International Disability Rights Affirmation

Conference. This year’s Mental Health Symposium will be held May 2, so be watching for more details soon. Roxie: Definitely! There are other sims that are part of Virtual Ability, Inc., such as HealthInfo Island, Cape Able, Cape Serenity. Tell us about them and what each of these sims has to offer people.

Health Info Island Gentle: OK. Healthinfo Island (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo Island/128/128/24) is our second public island, directly to the west from Virtual Ability Island. It contains information on health and wellness in a variety of formats. We emphasize health and wellness rather than disability, as healthy living is an area of interest for both people with and without disabilities. The Path of Support on Health Info Island (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo Island/150/73/23) lists over 120 different peer support groups that exist in Second Life. While people don’t come into a virtual world seeking peer support, I think it’s a real bonus that they can find it in this environment. There is also a Research Pavilion

(http://maps.s econdlife.com /secondlife/H ealthinfo Island/126/20 2/30) where people can learn about research opportunities, both RL and SL, in which they may choose to participate. The research Pavilion Our two Cape islands are residential, with public areas in the center. The waterfront areas all around each island are private residences. When you visit, please respect the privacy of our supportive residents and do not enter their spaces without an invitation. There are several public areas on each of the Cape islands. A library (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cape Serenity/72/125/23) and poetry garden (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cape Serenity/88/105/22) on Cape Serenity. Library at Cape Serenity

Alice Krueger in pavilion Denver Botanic Gardens Gentle Heron in Poetry Garden on Cape Serenity Gentle: There is also an art gallery on Cape Able (http://maps.secondlife.com/se condlife/Cape Able/116/121/23) that feature works of literature and art by persons with disabilities. Our community likes to focus on our

abilities, rather than our DISabilities. Roxie: As it should be. I am so amazed at all of your work! Truly inspiring! Photos of a wheelchair dancer at the art gallery May 13 2014 Gentle: Also on Cape Able you will find a branch of the Cooperstown, NY Fenimore Art Museum (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cape Able/146/120/23) Gentle: This is where you will also find the only Starbucks-‐authorized Deaf Chat Coffeehouse in a virtual world (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cape%20Able/181/171/22).

Deaf Chat Coffee June 7 2013

Roxie: I Love the Deaf Chat Coffeehouse! I actually stopped by to get a cup of coffee the other day. What a perfect place to meet and talk with others in the community. Tell us about your work in the InWorldz virtual environment. Gentle: Beacon Bay is VAI’s sim in InWorldz. Basically, we use InWorldz as back up insurance, in case Second Life ever ceases to exist. But you know, we’ve heard that dire prediction for seven years, ever since I’ve been in SL, and nothing has come of it. Beacon Bay is a residential sim. Some of our SL VAI members have InWorldz homes there, as do other people seeking a quiet place to reside in that alternative virtual world. Although we have field trips to InWorldz from Second Life, we only recently started to host community–oriented events there. We have not yet offered any public events in InWorldz. Roxie: Tell us about your mission. . . in other words, in your opinion, what is the important work that you do in second life and in the Virtual Ability community? Gentle: Virtual Ability’s mission is to enable people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in online virtual worlds. For some persons with disabilities, the opportunity to move freely in an avatar body, or to interact with other people socially, is a form of freedom we do not experience in the physical world. For other persons with disabilities, virtual worlds offer the ability to be “just like everyone else.” In fact, some persons without disabilities comment that coming into such a different environment, with its learning curve as a newcomer, gives them a better

perspective on what it is like to have a condition (newness, in this case) that puts them at a relative disadvantage compared to experienced residents. Not being able to get voice to work at an oral presentation, or not being able to walk straight and continuously bumping into other people or falling off the edge of a path, or having issues with textures nor rezzing fully does somewhat simulate certain disability conditions.

VAI InWorldz Beacon Bay Roxie: Absolutely!!! I never thought of it that way, but how true. Tell us about some of the research and projects that you and your partners are doing. Why does Virtual Ability do research projects?

Gentle: This past year we’ve participated in four research projects. There are two main reasons VAI participates in research. One reason is to document the many benefits of participating in a virtual world for persons with disabilities. But equally important, and closer to home, Virtual Ability members are not asked to financially support our community through donations. We support our work in virtual worlds through these project contracts. The Virtual Health Adventures research project with Nova Southeastern University compares two methods for learning: e-‐learning (online) vs. in a virtual world environment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igl4X8vI0js). The research is a randomized clinical trial, meaning a very high level of experimental design. We are in the third year of this project. Roxie: I hope our readers will take the time to watch this 5 minute “The Drax Files: World Makers: Episode 22: Virtual Health Adventures” video you just mentioned. This is amazing and has the potential to change so many people’s lives. I can’t wait to read the final report. Gentle: Virtual Ability has created 2 sims in SL for Virtual Health Adventures. We have taken the educational content that will be presented online and adapted it for learning in a virtual world. For example, part of the content includes videos to illustrate how a person should use a prosthesis. We’ve created animations with props so avatars can perform the same actions as in the videos. The participant can see his avatar doing the same thing that’s shown in the video. The project is seeking RL amputees as research participants (http://www.virtualhealthadventures.org/). One smaller new project that began in 2014 is OPPS, Older Persons Participation in Second Life, in which VAI collaborated with the University of Arkansas and the Extension Service. The point of this research was to see if elderly persons (over age 65) would improve their socialization by participation in virtual world activities. Data collection is ongoing as the research participants continue to enjoy Second Life independently.

The Advanced Virtual Environment Support Space or AVESS OpenSim project is a continuation of the proof of concept project we started several years ago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUt2_C3SKIg). Roxie: This short Draxtor “Sneak Peek: The Amputee Virtual Support System” video captures the essence of living, learning, and having fun in virtual world environments for anyone, especially for people with disabilities. How exciting to think about the potential for our wounded warriors who face long term care and recovery, and their families, friends, and caregivers who can engage with them in ways not possible in the real world. Experiences like this with others in virtual environments provide opportunities for all persons with and without disabilities to be actively engaged with each other in social communities. As the lines are blurred between real life and the virtual world, it makes the impossible, possible. How exciting! Gentle: Originally AVESS was created for peer support but now we are adding scenarios for occupational therapists to use with clients to reintegrate them into society. Virtual Ability’s role in this research project is to design and build the environment in which the researchers will conduct their study, which has one more year to go. The Mrs. A and Mr. B project examines disparities in healthcare for persons with disabilities (http://healthcareequitability.org ). Virtual Ability partners with the University of Pennsylvania Medical School on this research, which is now finishing the second of three years. Specially trained Virtual Ability members conduct focus groups around key research questions. Community members also de-‐identify all qualitative data, purging it of HIPPA-‐restricted information in a standardized procedure. We especially enjoy projects where our community members can participate not only as research subjects, but can also be trained and paid as study staff. The project also provides information specifically geared to researchers, clinicians, and the general public. Everyone is welcome to share their healthcare experience stories through the project’s forum

http://healthcareequitability.org/public/your-‐experiences-‐count Roxie: You have so much to be proud of -‐ and to think it all started with a few friends who came into second life using the last name of Heron. What do you see as the greatest contributions you and others have made through your work in the Virtual Ability community? Gentle: Many people who thought they could never participate in a virtual world have found out that with the proper accommodations, they can do many things here in Second Life just like others.

Deaf Chat Coffee June 7 2013

Roxie: What has been your greatest professional learning from your time and work in second life and with Virtual Ability? Gentle: I had no idea what a virtual world was or what we would be capable of accomplishing in one. That I think has been my greatest lesson learned. Virtual worlds are incredible learning environments for everyone, if we are open to those opportunities.

Roxie: What is the “take away” you would like VEJ readers to have when they finish reading this article? Gentle: I hope readers will understand that people with disabilities are generally people with abilities, who also happen to have disabilities. We can do many more things than what we can’t do. Roxie: And if people take the time to check out the SLULS, resources, and especially the Draxtor videos listed in this article, they, like me, will certainly agree. Is there a way for people to get involved with Virtual Ability, Inc and join your mission? Gentle: People who are interested in doing a project with or for Virtual Ability should send a notecard of their proposal with details of what they want to do to Gentle Heron in Second Life or send an email to info@virtualability.org. People who would like to join our Second Life community in order to receive notices of our events may IM me or Eme Capalini or Treasure Ballinger. Roxie: You have given us so much to think about. You truly are an inspiration and the work you and Virtual Ability Inc. are doing is going to make a huge difference for many persons with disabilities. You have truly provided a supportive community environment. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me and share the important work you are doing with the VEJ Readers. Congratulations again on being the 2015 VWBPE Thinkerer Award Winner! Very much deserved! Gentle: Thank you for offering me this opportunity to speak with your readers. Gentle Heron accepts the Thinkerer Award at the Closing VWBPE2015 Ceremony

What I Learned From VWBPE By Kevin Feenan (rl), Phelan Corrimal (sl)

This year’s Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference: Crossroads has been one of the best conferences yet. How do I know? It is, to a certain extent, a question of how you define the term success. The VWBPE conference was started in 2007 as a grassroots community lead event for the promotion of best practices in education. Its mission is to bring artists, creative designers, scripters, tool builders, game designers, and, of course,

educators into a shared space to exchange practical information that can be used for teaching, learning, and collaborative projects. Every year the conference tries to do something different with the available technology. We try things, we break things, we make mistakes, we innovate, we share, we are hands-‐on, and we grow collectively as a result. 2015 was no different. Beyond fulfilling the basic mission of the Conference, here is how I see whether the conference was successful or not: Did we learn something new, that is both timely and relevant to the industry, and for which we can improve upon over the next 12 months? It is when an event such as this becomes stagnant and repetitive that it is time to throw in the towel. This is why the conference changes every year. This is why we experiment with tracks, timing, technology, teaching methods, social, innovative solutions, access, and value. All learning is negotiated. Here are three of the many things I took away from this year’s sessions 1. Virtual Worlds are alive and well. Contrary to popular belief, there is still a driving need for these types of rapid prototyping / gaming environments which can be customized directly by the consumer. We can see this in the variety and complexity of the simulations and where people are discussing where they would like to take them next; 2. Learning that occurs in an experiential setting is more powerful than learning that happens in a classroom devoid of practical application. I’m not referring to task-‐oriented exercises but truly apprenticeship / work-‐as-‐ play type of practical reinforcement of theory. The volume of research that supports this proposition continues to increase every year; 3. People love working with their hands. Especially opportunities to do things they may never have had an opportunity to do previously. The broadcast team that was put together for VWBPE this year is a prime example of 15

people who had very little broadcasting experience coming together to learn the ins and outs of broadcasting and then putting that learning to work during the conference itself. Certainly I learned more than just this. The full conference proceedings [link] will be available in May where people can access all the learnings that took place this year. Next year’s Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference: Horizons will be happening from March 9-‐12, 2016. In 2016 we look to our future horizons building upon what we have learned and showcasing where virtual worlds best practices can take us next. [Learn more at http://www.vwbpe.org] -‐-‐-‐ Kevin Feena

Get Your Mojo On . . . House @ Blue’s Corner

By Roxie Neiro(sl), Rosie Vojtek, (rl)

There are many effective learning designs for personal, professional, and collegial learning both in the real and virtual learning environments. Some of the most important ways that many of us learn in second life are from networking, mentoring, quality conversations/dialogue, learning from and with each other, sharing ideas and projects, socializing, and just plain having FUN! All of which take place informally while we listen to music, hangout, and share our blended passions for teaching, learning, technology, and making a difference. That is why I am so excited to announce that our dream of keeping the House @ Blue’s Corner open after VWBPE15 for all educators around the world and across the metaverse has come to fruition!

As I write this article, Bluebarker Lowtide (see his article in this issue of VEJ), is in the process of relocating the House @ Blue’s Corner to its new location at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduIsland%209/254/51/23 (on the same sim as ISTE Headquarters, VEJ Headquarters, and the Virtual Pioneers). As soon as it is ready, VEJ will sponsor a GRAND OPENING (TBA). You are ALL Invited! To get the latest updates and info about future events, be sure to join the “House @ Blue’s Corner” group in second life. Or drop by and follow our event board (once it is up and running, of course – LOL). So, what is it that makes House @ Blue’s Corner such an important venue for educators? How do we make House @ Blue’s our collegial community in second life? And, what is this “mojo” thing all about? There are many different definitions for “mojo.” Some deal with good luck charms and keeping evil away (i.e., the power to control natural forces through supernatural means). That may be what they talk about on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, but it is not what we are talking about at House @ Blue’s. Instead, when we at VEJ, talk about “getting your mojo on,” we are aligned with the Merriam-‐ Webster dictionary definition of “a power that may seem magical and that allows someone to be very effective, successful, etc.” When groups of people (i.e., educators), with common interests and passions (i.e., making a difference), get together, collaborate, share ideas, and form networks for teaching and learning, something powerful happens . . .

. . . MOJO happens!

Our hope is that the House @ Blue’s Corner becomes an international meeting place, a hub, a true collegial community of learners that helps us transform and rebuild current educational practices aligned with 21st Century skills – not tests. For students to be ready for their successful futures, our energy must be on changing the paradigm of schools globally. What better way to start these conversations than at the House @ Blue’s with mojo, aka synergy from the group, as we socialize, re-‐energizes, rejuvenate, learn together, and HAVE FUN!

We hope you have enjoyed these pictures of House @ Blues from VWBPE15. We look forward to seeing you at the House @ Blue’s Corner at our new place http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduIsland%209/254/51/23 .

Remember to sign-‐up for the “House @ Blue’s Corner” Group to get the latest info on activities and events. Most importantly, make time for you -‐ in (rl) and (sl). Be sure to stop by frequently to rejuvenate, recharge, socialize, learn, HAVE FUN, and . . . GET YOUR MOJO ON!!!!

Make the House @ Blue’s Corner your second life home.

EDTECH 532

Educational Games & Simulations

Chris Haskell, Ed. D

Clinical Assistant Professor Dept. of Educational Technology Boise State University

SL: Skype: AIM:

Dalai Haskell dalaihaskell haskellboise

One of the struggles we often faced as educators in virtual worlds is avoiding the ineffective strategies common to the face-‐to-‐face classroom dynamic simply because it’s an easy pedagogical mistake to make. Specifically, the use of didactic presentation is one of the more commonly perpetrated mistakes those new to virtual education. It’s easy to replicate schools, factory rows, traditional lecture

halls, and all of the standard tropes that are just as ineffective in the real world as they are in the digital one.

One of the guiding themes of this issue is exploring ”effective teaching strategies and best practices… in any virtual environment including openSims and games.” This is one of the more important questions we should be asking one another and ourselves. Moreover, we should look beyond anecdotal data to find ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of these new and promising pedagogical techniques and their effect on student learning and experience. At Boise State University, we have been teaching in virtual worlds and game environments for nearly ten years. Like many, we began with the most common virtual world pedagogy including didactic lecture, group discussion, simple but often passive field trips, and the standard tools we have all experienced. The newness of the environment may increase the initial level of interest. But, if we step back and compare these virtual world experiences to the fully immersive multiuser worlds of Eve Online, Skyrim, WoW, and others, we find that the gap between education in virtual worlds and the exploratory and focused play in MMORPGs is still a chasm. Recognizing the value and character, not to mention the empirical research, of these incredible worlds, we sought to transform our virtual world and game-‐ based experiences to be more like them. In 2010, we added our quest-‐based learning management system making it possible for us to add layers of quests, missions, and challenges that aren’t XP (e.g., badges, achievements, and allow players to gain in rank). That was all well and good. That initial research has been published and is ongoing. But, what of the immersive narrative (a la Cataclysm) that sweeps the player (corollary to

students) off their feet within our curriculum? We’ve found, at least in our institution, that it was lacking. In order to explore the potential of deep and meaningful play in game-‐based learning in virtual worlds, we needed a narrative. Borrowing from the incredible exemplar games, we created a narrative for a college course. It was a fully through-‐composed storyline that took the player (student) through an entirely designed experience. Like in an MMORPG, they adopt a role (pilots, security, scientist, command), complete quests, earn badges, and level up from recruit to commander. Along the way, the players participated in weekly episodes. This episodic material, just like your favorite weekly procedural, pits well-‐known characters against new problems. It was through these episodic experiences that we were able to infuse core course experiences but remain within the frame of a playful space. It would be easy to dedicate pages upon pages to the descriptions of these events, their outcomes, and their impact. However, I thought it more appropriate, especially because of its playful character, to deliver the story of our EDTECH 532 Educational Games and Simulations course in the form of a graphic novel. VEJ has graciously agreed to run this graphic novel over the next three issues, in serial form. You will be viewing our actual screenshots and the dialog it captured from chat in our classroom space in Second Life. It documents the entire 16-‐week course in splendid detail. [Note from VEJ editor: We are very excited to begin this three issue series. The following is Episode 1. Enjoy!]

For those of us who have been Second Life education advocates since its inception around 2003, we have had peaks and valleys of success and frustration. In a sense, it was similar to the Goldrush era in US history with eager gold miners (wink to minecrafters) rushing to find California gold. They created gold mining towns, only to find the gold hard to find and terribly unprofitable. So too, educators rushed to Second Life, looking for its promise of amazing new adventures in learning. We pictured our bored students being able to immerse

themselves in Second Life to learn about history, math, science, almost any content area in a new and unique way that tapped into advanced technology and pedagogy. Alas, like the gold miners of old, educators became frustrated at the challenges that Second Life for education offered. And yet, Second Life, forged ahead despite its seeming disinterest in educational partnerships. Educators cast a wary eye towards Second Life, still believing in the potential for amazing learning possibilities, but rarely willing to invest school dollars in Second Life ventures. Here we find ourselves in 2015 and Second Life is still around and has a steady following. So where are the educators? Many have flocked to alternatives like OpenSim, Active Worlds, Unity, World of Warcraft, and of course, Minecraft. And yet, I think Second Life has something to teach us all, even though it may not be the final platform for education. What can it teach us? Art, Poetry, Literature… That’s what. Art you say? Poetry? Literature? Wait… how? Second Life has always had artists in its realm, but with the improvement of mesh model builds, the artistic renderings have become lush and vibrant. With this improvement artists are doing what great artists always do: create works of beauty, inspiration, and even horror and intensity. But, there is a twist to this creativity. In traditional art museums, the viewer gets to look and experience the artists’ endeavor. In Second Life, however, the viewer has another option that isn’t available in most art museums. They can create art themselves, using the built-‐in camera in their viewer. Or, in some cases, they actually contribute themselves to the creation.

So think about the implications for education. For so long we as educators have struggled with how to take virtual environments and make them learning platforms that are different from traditional learning spaces of a classroom with desks in rows. And here is one amazingly simple, yet powerful way to do just that. The learner is not static; it’s entirely active. Furthermore, it’s taking an artistic rendering and making a new work of art based on it. Second Life may still not be the destination for K-‐12 learning, but I think its open platform and dynamic builds and graphics still have much to teach us as educators and artists. Let’s think about our teaching and learning dynamic as a collaborative building experience and I think we may finally start to push the boundaries of virtual environment education. You can view other samples of my Art from Art at https://flic.kr/s/aHskac8ASH.

Virtual Stonehenge A computer simulation developed by the Institute of Digital Intermedia Arts at Ball State University By William F. Schmachtenberg. sl name: Dae Miami

On March 21, 2015 at the VWBPE conference, I had the pleasure to attend a lecture by John Fillwalk, Director of IDIA (Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts, ( http://idialab.org/ ) at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, USA. John presented several of the projects IDIA had developed, but the one that

Picture of Stonehenge in the UK taken by Robert Vojtek

really caught my eye was the Virtual Stonehenge project (http://idialab.org/virtual-‐stonehenge/ ). The stone monoliths at Stonehenge in the UK have been studied extensively, and some have wondered if it were an ancient astronomical observatory. To see if this was true, IDIA created a computer simulation of Stonehenge and used NASA JPL data to accurately position the sun during certain times of the year such as the Summer and Winter Solstices. The Virtual Stonehenge simulation is available on the Blue Mars server. You can download the client at: http://blink.bluemars.com/City/IDIA_Stonehenge/. Blue Mars is only available on the pc. It does not run on macs or mobile devices. Once you log into Blue Mars and select an avatar, you can download the Virtual Stonehenge simulation and login. Spiff Whitfield and I explore the Virtual Stonehenge simulation

At the March 29, 2015 meeting of the Virtual Pioneers on second life, Spiff Whitfield and I were able to log into Virtual Stonehenge and explore this sim. In the lower right portion of the screen, you will see buttons to control the year either 2014 or 5000 years ago when Stonehenge was built. You can also select the time of year such as Winter or Summer Solstices with the Solar button or pull up an overhead map of Stonehenge.

We selected Summer Solstice and noticed that the sun did align with two of the heel stones at Stonehenge. Later that night, the History Channel had a program on Stonehenge and included the simulation that had been developed at IDIA. In addition to discussing the alignment of the sun to stones at Stonehenge, they mentioned that 4 poles that were positioned around Stonehenge were aligned with the position of the moon on the horizon during certain times of the year. The narrator explained that the position of the sun and moon on the horizon were carefully measured throughout the year.

Expanding Horizons for Archaeological and Historical Context for a Virtual Audience. By Marion Smeltzer(RL) Nova Saunders (SL)

As online learning becomes an important part of instruction in high schools and university settings, our challenge is to develop curricula that incorporates archaeology into these courses. In 2007, Indiana University of Pennsylvania saw the potential in using a virtual platform to reach a wider audience and become a new venue for public outreach as well as university education. Of course, the first choice was to go with Second Life. The platform was already well established. It was promoted as a free 3D virtual world where users can socialize, connect and create with abilities of using voice and text chat. With funding from the history and anthropology department, the university developed “Archaeology Island” in Second Life. The Island contained four virtual archaeological experiences based on: Dr. Scott Moore’s investigations in Roman

sites in Cyprus and underwater sites; and Dr. Beverley Chrulli’s investigations of Maya sites, like Cerros in Belize and Late Prehistoric sites in Pennsylvania. Initially, the primary benefit of the project was that students could participate in a virtual excavation and experience the process of uncovering a site’s past without ever leaving IUP’s campus. Visitors were able to travel through virtual time, starting in a living community and then transitioning to the archaeological version of the same location. The experience allows students and visitors to see an archaeological site as it looks before excavation, during excavation, and as a living community, teaching students how scholars interpret archaeological evidence and enable them to experience the process of uncovering the past. The area developed on Second Life in a haphazard way until 2009 when I became interested in the site, revamped it, and even began to develop additions. The new environment recreated, in combination with a few of the original builds, consisted of wildlife, foliage and landscaping that was consistent to each regions environment to best represent the area.

New components added included the Laurel Hill/Brown farm from research done by Dr. James Daugherty (Sociology Dept.). The farm, established in 1790 and occupied until the 1960s, was the site of an antebellum community of former slaves located on top of a ridge in the Allegheny Mountains in western

Pennsylvania. Details of the area and history were recorded while working with the local community to reconstruct the site in Second Life. In a valley, Petroglyph images were used as textures and placed with a poster board with information near the sequence of stones.

The last area altered was the underwater exhibit. The first contents were relocated in the “lake” floor to make room for the new additions consisting of a submerged vessel, a slide show screen, aquatic life and a floating dock with diving items. Details and information on the vessel were based on research provided by Dr. Ben Ford. (Anthropology Department)

The new segments signified areas of study where students can apply texted information to visual representation. Through a program of guided tours, discussion sessions and interactive technologies, the site became a venue for archaeological education for students as well as the broader virtual community. Our first article promoting the vast achievement titled Public Archaeology in Virtual Worlds was published in September 2010 in Anthropology News. Four years after its start, IUP’s Archaeology Island moved from Linden Lab’s Second Life to the OpenSim VIBE grid, a collaborative of virtual world educators. The VIBE grid is an alternative virtual environment build on OpenSim that can be used as a tool for visualization, training, and scientific discovery, but run on self-‐ hosted servers. From the previous experience with Archaeology Island on Second Life, I discovered that for a virtual world to be vibrant, it needs more than site re-‐ creations. It needs to be interactive and to provide “live” content. With the new platform and space presented I took the opportunity to add other regions to incorporate more detailed archaeological and historical cultural resources. On the OpenSim, I am able to create without the constants of prim counts and size limitations. The monetary cost of importing needed elements is no longer a hindrance, as previously imposed on Second Life. The Late Woodland Period called "Werowocomoco", was created with detailed information about the area Posted at the main entrance. A series of related questions can be applied to assistance in better understanding the culture of that time.

A side-‐by-‐side region called Allegany/Portage was made in collaboration with the National Park Service to showcase the 1800 era of early canal transportation and its impact on a small growing community.

At the Altun Ha region the area contains concepts and theories displayed from previous presentations and excavations with more interactive boards.

The new exhibit: “Prehistoric Overview, A brief summary of Native American Cultural Periods, Distinctive Traits and Points”, is now under construction and should be ready for visitors soon. A brief overview of the regions at present can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_9QDrHc7f8 . In summary, my vision for Archaeology Island will include events, guided tours and discussion groups, and turn our island into a community of archaeologist avatars. In addition, the island has become a resource for courses where students exploring the different archaeological and historical sites can also view explanatory graphics and notes, and complete quizzes testing their knowledge— features that add an important level of interactivity and support student engagement. Equally important is the experience that more advanced students as well as other visitors gain in interpreting archaeological data to create simulations of the past, which they can then share with others. I’m pleased to be a part of this visual experience and share with others. Through the constructed recreations, visitors can see how the forgotten past can be brought to life.

Howdy VEJ readers, Bluebarker here to tell you about what it was like working as a co-‐chair for the VWBPE15 Volunteer Committee. While the wonderful Elli Pinion was taking lead, LadySlipper Constantine (LS) and I were in control of the Volunteer Sub-‐ committee for Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) this year. And, I have to tell you it was quite a whirlwind adventure! Even weeks after the full on VWBPE conference, my head is still whirling with all the amazing things that happened. Granted, being on a committee you know that you don’t just wave a magic wand, say some magic words, and poof it’s done. Oh no, that’s not it at all. For us as committee members, VWBPE started several months ahead of time. It takes a lot of hours and pre-‐planning to even approach something as big as this. I truly do have a greater respect for the committees out there that are working far more than I ever realized. My appreciation extends greatly for merely just working as a volunteer. But now having worked on a committee itself makes me realize just how much the past Committee heads had on their plates. So I won’t go word for word or day by day, but let’s turn back the clock to January. As we rang in the New Year we already had VWBPE on the brain (and for Board Members this extends year round, I’d imagine). We began meeting in January with various talks with board members; skyping a couple of times, making sure we understood the growing list of things we needed to have done. This item alone took up the bulk of our weekend meetings, and myself in particular, I was feeling rather daring and took on two Committees. So not only was I on the Volunteer Committee in charge of organizing and training volunteers, I was also helping out the Social Committee, being a builder and liaison between the two, since they are rather closely related. Now, some of you might think that meetings are boring and uneventful, but I am here to tell you that ours were not so. Imagine, if you will, being able to shape and have an impact on VWBPE for the benefit of the people who attend it. As a regular volunteer, one simply clocks in and clocks out in a manner of

speaking – no real strings attached other than the obligations you set for yourself. As a Committee Member, you are tasked with trying to understand and mold the experience, which I find really fascinating. I have told few people this, but I have always wanted to become an Imagineer, a person who works at Disney and helps create experiences for people. Not just attractions or rides, Experiences with a capital “E”! Working on the Committee with Elli and LS, it felt like we were Imagineers working on making an experience at VWBPE rather than just some event or lecture series.

Being on a Committee you have a say in what happens. One of the first things we asked ourselves is, “What would we like to do?” which I am sure sounds like a basic question, but it’s not. It involves the scope of not just you or VWBPE, but the attendees, the presenters, and the users online. Our first question soon evolved into “How can we make their time at VWBPE an Experience?” We talked about the past and what we hoped for in the future of VWBPE. Our experiences

with notecards, prims and our collected experiences really helped shaped VWBPE15 to what we saw this past March. I do believe that to be the case. Feedback is still coming in and the jury is not entirely out, but I am pretty sure lots of people said that VWBPE 15 was “…a hit” and “super awesome” and I am one to agree. We had well over 900 unique user names at the conference from over fifty countries across the world. That number is not too bad if you ask me. The logistics

of it are still being calculated but it’s something the board members want to get as correct as possible to better gauge how to do things next year. I know I am still pretty high on education in virtual worlds from the last conference. The different committees are already thinking about what to do next year . . . too intense! In any case, like most things we have our ups and our downs and the committees are no different. I will say one of the biggest struggles we had on the Volunteer Committee was trying to get all the correct information to put in our training sessions. One of our deadlines was making sure to get all training

materials approved by the overseeing board member, but some of the items we needed to train on were in a state of constant flux and we weren’t sure how to handle that. Should we address it or not came up several times. But, in the count down days, we finally got the “word in stone” as it were and we were able to make that deadline. You see, it’s not just only us. We work as a single committee but we also work interdependently with all the other committees, too. That means we have to keep everyone in sync as much as possible. Communications are always an interesting thing when we all live in various locations. To organize VWBPE we don’t have a physical boardroom where we meet and talk. It’s all done virtually (e.g., emails, Google Hangouts, Skype, GoTos, doodle spreadsheets). Communication is often something that is easily neglected if someone isn’t on top of it, but it is so vital and important that we communicate to one another especially when working on something as big as VWBPE. As a personal struggle, I was charged with the task of building one of the venues for one of the social activities. When planning with the Social Committee we often referred back to the theme of the conference, which was Crossroads. At first we brainstormed what the theme meant to us. Singer names such as Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan kept popping up. We decided, however, we needed live singers in Second Life – not just DJs, but real honest to goodness people who sang for House @ Blue’s. We were fortunate to find three SL singers, so a really a big shout out to Lightnin Lowtide (no relation to me I assure you), Scarlett LaRoux, and Grif Barmaisin. They all had Blues and Rock songs in their repertoire so we had to find a suitable location to host their performances. Now when one couldn’t be found we were resolute to have one. Tender Skytower, being the sweet gal she is, offered us a plot of land on the Rockcliffe University sim to allow us a place to build. Now, what to build was my trouble because, well I was the one making it. We had a good discussion and I walked away with a good list of things we wanted, but nothing concrete. It wasn’t until Roxie Neiro showed me a swanky bluegrass type club, called “The Crossroads” in SL at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Crossroads/115/243/57 that the

ideas and the vision soon emerged. I was drawing sketches and making plans and layouts for the unnamed club at the time. Over the course of building, I had managed to have several people come in and take a look at it and give me their opinions but overall I kept asking, “How does it feel?” With clubs, especially online virtual ones, you want the people to go there to feel welcome and well a place where “everybody knows your name” as the song goes. After a couple of tries I finally got it right and it turned into the “House @ Blues Corner” Roxie herself has loved it so much the House @ Blues building has a new home on EduIsland. We hope to bring more singers and events here and create a new and happening place for educators and avatars to go and hang out. In any case, I am all fired up to see what this year will bring as well for the new Second Life Viewer making its way into the public. But for now, only time will tell how things will change to using Second Life and virtual worlds in general. It has been a great honor working with so many talented and wonderful people over the course of the conference that I just can’t wait to see them again. I would like to thank all the volunteers, the presenters, the transcribers, the committee members and the Green Lantern Corp Security for such a great conference. It takes a whole lot of people, not just one, to make something like this possible. For more updates and captured moments, please look back at my twitter feed: https://twitter.com/BluebarkerSL . As well as the VWBPE flickr group for more pictures https://www.flickr.com/photos/vwbpe_org/ . Please check back into the main VWBPE site for updates on the streams to presentations: http://vwbpe.org/ .

Bluebarker Lowtide

[Note: You can see House @ Blue’s Corner on the cover of this issue of VEJ and the article describing future plans.]

Machinima Mania is Back for 2015! By Chris Luchs (rl), aka Abacus Capalino (sl) & Kae Novak (rl), aka Kavon Zenovka (sl) Tanya Smedley (rl) GridJumper (sl)

Attention machinimatographers of all ages, we are looking for submissions for Machinima mania at the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference, which is in Philadelphia this year! We will be announcing the winners of the 2015 EduMachinima Fest event on Monday, June 29, 5:30–7:00 pm EDT (Eastern Daylight Time). For those of you new to Machinima, it’s a portmanteau of the words machine and cinema. It is the screen capturing and editing of 3D games and virtual environments. Some of your students or children may already be making them. Machinima can be made in Minecraft, Roblox, World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls Online or any other video game or 3D environment. An example of one of our past winners is Lego Universe-‐ Crumple’s Pet Skunk Tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llf1zfk4nmQ. See the learning happening there.

We are seeking entries in a variety of categories including digital storytelling, tutorials, and narrated gameplay. We’ve added a few new categories such as Fan Fiction and Twisted Tails (your spin on a favorite fairy tale). For those of you looking for a challenge, our theme this year is Revolutionary in honor of our stay in Philadelphia. Our panel of judges will also recognize technical achievements such as editing, machinimatography, special effects, as well as script writing, narration and many others.

We accept individual and group submissions of video or livestreamed channels; however we do ask that all submitted content be appropriate for a K-‐12 audience. For more information please go to http://bit.ly/2015EduMachinimaFest. To submit your work, please go to http://bit.ly/2015EduMachinimaSubmission. If you have any questions, please contact Kae Novak at gamesmooc@gmail.com.

VEJ, Share Your Story:

EPIC Learning in Virtual Worlds/Environments

By Roxie Neiro (sl), Rosie Vojtek (rl) The theme for the April 2015 Issue of the Virtual Education Journal (VEJ) is The Reality of Virtual Learning. We asked our readers to tell us about their learning virtual world/environments? What makes virtual learning meaningful for you as a learner? If you had to pick one, what is your greatest EPIC learning experience (that BIG, AH-‐HA MOMENT) that you will never forget as long as you live, what would it be? From our many responses, we selected five to share with you. Here is what they said.

Real World: Dana Paxson Virtual Worlds: Jeddin Laval What virtual worlds/environments are you in? Second Life, Kitely, World of Warcraft, OSGrid, FrancoGrid How long have you been involved in virtual worlds/environments? 8 or more years When working in virtual worlds/environments, do you view yourself as a teacher, learner, or both? And Why? Both. From the very beginning in Second Life, I was learning, and that's never stopped. But in the process I was immersed in a network of fellow learners. We all became teachers for one another was well as learners from

one another. In a fast-‐moving, fast-‐changing high-‐technology setting, that is the only way to roll. What professional learning designs in virtual worlds/environments have you found most effective in supporting your own learning? Presentations, "How-‐to" Workshop/sessions, Round Table discussions, Specific Group Projects (e.g., creating machinima, building in minecraft), Informal Conversations (e.g., ISTE Office Hours), Networking, MOOC's and other inworld classes, Watching Machinima videos, Independent projects, In-‐world tutorials, Action Research/Inquiry, Poster/Exhibits, Museums, Galleries, and other in-‐world replicas of real-‐world spaces, Simulations, Mentor, Coach What makes learning in virtual worlds/environments purposeful and meaningful for you? Virtual worlds leverage out. Every single thing learned in them has disproportionately powerful effects on learning, wisdom, and application everywhere else. I came in as an artist and designer in real-‐world settings; I emerge again and again from virtual worlds as a better practitioner and mentor in art. And that's just art; the same has been true for architectural study, mathematics, physics, software, and even writing fiction. The pattern is that inside virtual settings I can see with greater clarity what I need to do to improve whatever I do in these fields. Describe your greatest EPIC learning experience (that BIG, AH-‐HA MOMENT) that you will never forget as long as you live! The one that has truly made a difference for you in your personal or professional life. What was it, how did you learn, what did you learn, and how did it make a difference? The epic moment for me isn't a come-‐and-‐gone thing. It's a recurring tide that washes through me every time I can see the broadest and deepest picture in a single moment. The first moment I recall was in Second Life, presenting the e-‐book technology I'd created to a group of writers. I made a sky presentation of posters, demos, and fly-‐throughs, and I looked at it and

thought: How in any world could I ever do something like this? I've been through these surges many times, and each one has been another step up an amazing rock face. The second great surge came when I faced the challenge of creating an entry for the Alumni Art Show at the University of Michigan. Scripting, building, writing, drafting, imaging, calculating, researching: it all came together. Linden Scripting Language, Blender, CorelDraw, Python, science fiction, graphic design, storyboarding, machinima, a flow and surge of incredible power that does not stop even today. It gave me a vision of the astonishing, explosive literature of our future. My professional life is consumed in the wealth of these possibilities for learning. The Aha! Moments told me: "Put this digital wealth in the hand of a child who has nothing else, and that child will learn and thrive and invent and heal and build." And I knew at those moments that whatever I could do to contribute something, anything to making that happen would satisfy me as nothing else ever could. Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your learning and how you work with others in virtual worlds/environments? I'm at work in two virtual worlds right now. My workshop is in the well-‐ known Sim-‐on-‐a-‐Stick environment developed and offered by Ener Hax. It runs on one's own system in a standalone framework, and I've got dozens of versions of virtual worlds developed and stored there. My gallery is currently on Kitely, where Jeddin presides over my TarnusCity build that I upload periodically from the Sim-‐on-‐a-‐Stick workshops. Along with the usual inworld enhancements and changes to the builds, my current work includes developing a new server stack executive program for running the entire world on a thumb drive.

Real World: Patricia A Murphy Virtual Worlds: Pamala Clift (SL) What virtual worlds/environments are you in? Second Life, AvaCon, Minecraft, World of Warcraft, JokaydiaGRID How long have you been involved in virtual worlds/environments? 8 or more years When working in virtual worlds/environments, do you view yourself as a teacher, learner, or both? And Why? Both-‐ You can't be a good teacher if you do not learn from your students. Since the virtual environment is still so new, others’ perspectives are vital.

What professional learning designs in virtual worlds/environments have you found most effective in supporting your own learning? Presentations, Round Table discussions, Specific Group Projects (e.g., creating machinima, building in minecraft), Informal Conversations (e.g., ISTE Office Hours), Networking, Watching Machinima videos, Q&A ask the expert sessions, Independent projects, Lectures from experts, Role-‐play What makes learning in virtual worlds/environments purposeful and meaningful for you? When I first came into virtual worlds, I thought that I pretty much understood my life. I created the Roadside Philosophers, which is a first-‐ person philosophical group using the virtual environment as a metaphor in the search for truth. It started as a giggle as I was just trying every button. Soon others joined and the fortnight discussions have continued now for 8 years. (Since Feb 2007) At first I thought "I" would help others to learn and understand things as I saw them. That didn't work! For the first 2 years I would sometimes cry after the meetings because I failed to convince them of MY TRUTHs. At the end of that time I was tired and I just started listening, and OMG their thoughts were logical and had value!?! I was learning and understanding life from dimensions I had never even considered! The Roadside Philosophers have opened my eyes, rearranged my thoughts, and I now have love for all diversity. If ever I have an ethical or philosophical question I just need to assign that as a topic to one of the meetings and have 2 hours of intelligent debate to

add to my understanding. This keeps me coming back. I have been with Rockcliffe University Consortium now for about 5 years, and have given lectures to universities around the world from within Second Life. I have learned how to facilitate at expert level with dramatically different GLOBAL viewpoints calmly and without losing control. I have even given lectures on the topic of in-‐world facilitation. http://www.virtualhandhold.com/Facilitation-‐in-‐world-‐Lecture.html There isn't a meeting place like the Think Tank that I am aware of in any of the virtual worlds. I foresee the United Nations using such a medium someday. Hugs, Pamala Clift Describe your greatest EPIC learning experience (that BIG, AH-‐HA MOMENT) that you will never forget as long as you live! The one that has truly made a difference for you in your personal or professional life. What was it, how did you learn, what did you learn, and how did it make a difference? Trying to understand the engagement levels of avatars as people hide behind anonymity was both frustrating and an apparently impossible task...But... I interviewed constantly all that I came in contact with trying to understand this new medium. Ah-‐Ha finally! I constructed The State of Being presentation and presented it for peer review in hundreds of different meetings both live and virtual. http://www.virtualhandhold.com/State-‐of-‐Being.html It was acclaimed and has been well attended every month, but I was asked by professors and graduate students for something more. So I created a

company and a website. No, they wanted a book. Something that could be cited in research. I could have gone the route of academia and created a white paper, but this had to get out fast. The problem that kept vetoing any business or educational purpose was interpersonal relationships. So I took my research and spent a year writing. Then created a Kickstarter project that met and exceeded the time allotment and publication costs, all funded by in-‐world donations. The book is out there on Amazon & Kindle and has been a major accomplishment in my life. All that have read it have given it great reviews. (Initial release lost the copy editor early so errors, but has since been corrected...you can never successfully edit your own writing... smile) I feel I understand this medium now and forgive in advance the nuances that I cannot know, making life much less dramatic in both worlds. Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your learning and how you work with others in virtual worlds/environments? Yes... My work with Florida International University shows what I think are some of the possibilities of the virtual environment for experiential learning. This work was contracted and machinima created for NIOSH. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7GHgF7nnTo

Real World: Andrew Wheelock Virtual World: Spiff Whitfield What virtual worlds/environments are you in? Second Life, AvaCon, Kitely, Minecraft, World of Warcraft, 3D Rock Grid, OSGrid, JokaydiaGRID, MOSES How long have you been involved in virtual worlds/environments? 8 or more years When working in virtual worlds/environments, do you view yourself as a teacher, learner, or both? And Why? I work with OpenSim as a teacher. http://islandsoe.weebly.com Second Life I am truly a learner and explorer. What professional learning designs in virtual worlds/environments have you found most effective in supporting your own learning?

"How-‐to" Workshop/sessions, Book Study, Group Tours, Networking, Social Activities (e.g., Dances, Games), MOOC's and other inworld classes, Watching Machinima videos, Quests, Scavenger Hunts, Guided explorations, etc., Poster/Exhibits, Simulations, Role-‐play, Mentor, Coach What makes learning in virtual worlds/environments purposeful and meaningful for you? It opens up my creativity because in most cases I can take on an avatar identity as well as I can be a creator not just passive learner. Describe your greatest EPIC learning experience (that BIG, AH-‐HA MOMENT) that you will never forget as long as you live! The one that has truly made a difference for you in your personal or professional life. What was it, how did you learn, what did you learn, and how did it make a difference? My first Ah-‐Ha Moment was when I was in Second Life and came across the US Holocaust Museum build. It demonstrated that history education using VE can be powerful, engaging, and heavy-‐hitting. That sim represents a very difficult topic with thoughtful recreations and embedded learning opportunities. The sim lets you walk through a recreation of the tragic event known as Kristallnacht, the program that involved the destruction of Jewish businesses and Synagogues, in Germany. Throughout the sim you have access to Holocaust Survivor tales as well as, primary source documents that give you n deeper learning experience about this historical tragedy. Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your learning and how you work with others in virtual worlds/environments? The epic event led me to create the Islands of Enlightenment projects that detail historical creations.

Real World: Rebecca L. Patterson Virtual World: RebeccaLPatterson (sl) What virtual worlds/environments are you in? Second Life How long have you been involved in virtual worlds/environments? 6-‐7 years When working in virtual worlds/environments, do you view yourself as a teacher, learner, or both? And Why?

We view ourselves as teacher/creators since we design 3d mathematics manipulatives and the technology through which to teach with them. What professional learning designs in virtual worlds/environments have you found most effective in supporting your own learning? Presentations, "How-‐to" Workshop/sessions, Group Tours, Networking, Independent projects, In-‐world tutorials, Poster/Exhibits What makes learning in virtual worlds/environments purposeful and meaningful for you? We can create in this space where it is nowhere else possible to create. We can manipulate thousands upon thousands of items instantly to quantify and we are not hindered by time, space, materials, or gravity. This allows us to quickly show individuals patterns of numbers in their shape form, not symbol form. This leads to a very intuitive understanding of Algebra and beyond. Virtual Worlds are also just plain FUN! Describe your greatest EPIC learning experience (that BIG, AH-‐HA MOMENT) that you will never forget as long as you live! The one that has truly made a difference for you in your personal or professional life. What was it, how did you learn, what did you learn, and how did it make a difference? I met a group of mathematics educators through an online class at Boise State that took place at EdTech Island in Second Life. We were building and working with inworld tools in groups and really enjoying the space and the versatility of creation. Being frustrated with the concept of teaching in this environment through slide shows and PowerPoint presentations, we really wanted to use the space to it's full advantage, so we created a "slide show". With a teleport to the top of the slide, your avatar could sit on a physical object and it would take you down the slide, rather haphazardly, past billboards showing the presentation.

Yes, we know, it wasn't very effective in the learning process of whatever it was we were trying to convey (I don't even remember), but it was fun and demonstrated the need for immersive experiences to remember and retain not dry informational transfer. We have graduated from this type of youthfulness and yet we are still accessing the power within virtual worlds to teach an amazing concept that has to be seen to be understood. Numbers have shape and through our immersive experiences and camera control, we can show anyone with an avatar, even newbies, the power of these shapes. This power opens the eyes and allows the brain to intuitively connect mathematical concepts that it may have never understood through conventional process-‐oriented teaching. Or if you did well in math, we can still connect it all for you and give you the a-‐ha moment of why. THAT is what makes this virtual space so exciting and has us coming back time and time again. Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your learning and how you work with others in virtual worlds/environments? None at this time.

Beth Ghostraven, ThinkererSelby Evans, and Kali Pizzaro (left to right).

Real World: Beth S. O'Connell Virtual Worlds: Beth Ghostraven inworld(s)

What virtual worlds/environments are you in? Second Life, AvaCon, Kitely, Minecraft, OSGrid, JokaydiaGRID, InWorldz

How long have you been involved in virtual worlds/environments? 4-‐5 years When working in virtual worlds/environments, do you view yourself as a teacher, learner, or both? And Why? Both -‐ I always consider myself both a teacher and a learner; they go hand in hand. Different people have different things that they know how to do, and we all learn from each other. In order to teach something, I have to learn about it, and I always wind up learning more. What professional learning designs in virtual worlds/environments have you found most effective in supporting your own learning? Presentations, "How-‐to" Workshop/sessions, Round Table discussions, Specific Group Projects (e.g., creating machinima, building in minecraft), Informal Conversations (e.g., ISTE Office Hours), Group Tours, Networking, Social Activities (e.g., Dances, Games), Quests, Scavenger Hunts, Guided explorations, etc., Independent projects, Lectures from experts, Panel Discussion, Poster/Exhibits, Museums, Galleries, and other in-‐world replicas of real-‐world spaces, Simulations, Role-‐play, Mentor What makes learning in virtual worlds/environments purposeful and meaningful for you? It's the people in virtual worlds that keep me coming back. I have the opportunity to network and socialize with people all over the world who are interested in the same things I am. As a hearing-‐impaired person, the text-‐ based environment is especially helpful. I've found that the immersion of virtual worlds helps me learn better, too. Describe your greatest EPIC learning experience (that BIG, AH-‐HA MOMENT) that you will never forget as long as you live! The one that has truly made a difference for you in your personal or professional life. What was it, how did you learn, what did you learn, and how did it make a difference?

When I first came to Second Life I used the orientation at Caledon Oxbridge University, where I found the Caledon Quest. I struggled with the Quest for months, as I was very new. When I finally figured out (with help) how to cam inside the basket of a hot-‐air-‐balloon to get the medallion inside, I felt like I could do anything now. It seems like such a minor thing to learn, but it made all the difference to me in those early times. Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your learning and how you work with others in virtual worlds/environments? I think Second Life is the crossroads for educators who want to network in virtual worlds. There are other grids that can be better for teaching, but for collaborating, Second Life is where the people are. As virtual worlds proliferate, I hope we can continue to have some kind of central gathering place for educators. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ A special THANK YOU to everyone who was willing to share your story. We hope you have enjoyed reading what five of our readers had to say about what and how they learn in Virtual Worlds/Environments. I thought I would leave you with one of my favorite places to learn in second life – that is the campfire at ISTE Headquarters. If you haven’t been to ISTE’s Virtual Environment Network Office Hours on Tuesday evenings, be sure to stop by and share your stories and adventures with the rest of us.

The only thing missing from this picture is you! So, we hope you will stop by and join as we continue on our journey to learn personally, professionally, and collegially together.

We look forward to seeing you at ISTE Headquarters in the near future!

Rift and Ready for Immersion By BJ Gearbox (sl), Bob Vojtek (rl)

With a new higher resolution screen and “powered by Zuckerberg,” the Oculus Rift is at home in Second life as well as other virtual Environments. From the small Kickstarter start, the Oculus Rift has transformed what can be done in a virtual environment, creating Virtual Reality (VR) for just a few hundred dollars.

Back in the day I had the opportunity to first “dive” into VR while working with Autodesk as an educator helping them to better understand the world of education. “Dive” is the appropriate term as at that time the two demos were, a house with a pool and tennis court. This was the 1980’s and the system required significant computing power. The setup was a set of goggles with twin VGA displays attached, a glove with sensors, and a frame with sensors to “learn” where the glove and goggles were in

3D space. Once calibrated, you could maneuver by curling your fingers and “pointing” with your index finger… moving in the direction of your pointing finger. To stop, you would uncurl your fingers out flat and raise your palm in a motion designating “stop.”

I had some issues with these simple commands and couldn’t navigate stairs… you had to get just the right angle because there weren’t any physics and you would simply move through walls. I found myself attempting to go down stairs and “blasted” through a wall and wound up at the bottom of the swimming pool adjacent to the house. Fast-‐forward to the 1990’s. On one of our visits to Disney our family was offered an opportunity to try Disney’s pilot VR “ride,” based upon the successful movie, Aladdin. This contraption, powered by a fleet of servers allowed you to travel through the marketplace looking for gold coins. This time the system included a helmet resembling a motorcycle helmet on steroids with built-‐in monitors and headphones to see and hear the environment. You would sit on a bicycle-‐like frame with a rectangular plate where the handlebars would have been. Moving one side up or down would move you right or left. Moving the leading edge up or down would allow you to fly up or come back down. Finally moving the plate forward moved you forward, neutral to stop, and straight back was reverse. I remember maneuvering through the streets when I came upon a street vendor. I pushed forward to increase speed toward the vendor’s wagon and pulled up on the leading edge to fly gracefully over the top of the wagon. Well not quite. I didn’t start my assent early enough and I felt this thud as I hit the top of the wagon. There was a distinct tactile sensation as I scraped the top of the wagon

continuing on my way. Maneuvering through streets and alleyways on my journey what do I see? The same street vendor blocking the upcoming intersection, what do I do? Just as before, I pull up on the leading edge to fly gracefully over the top of the wagon. But what happens? Let’s just say I wouldn’t make a very good pilot… I hit the top edge of the wagon again, felt the thud feed back from hitting the cart, only this time as I fly away I hear the vendor say, “stop hitting my cart.” So, now I’m on the virtual “hit list” of this street vendor! The cool part is that the game was sophisticated enough for me to feel the thud, and it was aware that it was not my first time. Pretty amazing! Today

Fire up a great set of headphones, Oculus Rift Development Kit 2, and 3D Connexion SpaceNavigator, and you are ready to leave this world behind. The headphones give you the sounds of the environment. The SpaceNavigator lets you maneuver with six degrees of freedom.

And, the Oculus Rift provides you with the visual 3D world allowing you to “look” in any direction and “see” in that direction. Think of it as driving a car and turning your head to look out the side window. With a traditional computer screen, you are looking through a window and you would have to use your arrow keys to rotate the view to the left to look out the side window, much in the same way you would pan (rotate) a camcorder to record what is off

to your left. With the Rift you can look in any direction independent of what direction you are moving. This ability to view SL life-‐size, through the eyes of your avatar as opposed to the traditional SL view over the top of your avatar’s head, creates a truly immersive feeling.

In 1920s Berlin, for example I was strolling down a street and could hear the whistle of an approaching train, so I continued down the street and took a glance over my shoulder to see the train at the station. The Development Kit 2, as the name implies, is for developers and not a consumer product. That means, to order one you need to acknowledge that… and hand over your credit card for $350.00. Oculus is working with other vendors and Samsung has released Gear VR Innovator Edition. According to their website, “it delivers a completely new experience like you’ve never seen before, literally surrounding you with virtual video, images and games in a full 360 degree immersive environment. The Galaxy Note® 4’s amazing screen and processor makes it all possible.” Which means you use your Galaxy Note as the screen. The phone is not included in the $199.00 price.

Linden Labs has opened a new category in their destination guide, Exceptional with Oculus Rift. There are 26 locations featured. When I initially

received my original Oculus Rift, the first place I visited was 1920s Berlin. There were few places that supported VR and the Second Life Viewer did not support VR at that time. If you have access to an Oculus Rift, here are some places to visit…

1920s Berlin -‐ Weimar Republic, Germany

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/1920s%20Berlin/250/233/751

There are free vintage clothing items available. Also this sim is built in proportion to real life. We tend to have avatars that are a bit “larger than life.” The male figure is 6’-‐0” and the female is 5’-‐8” tall.

I should consider a career change and play basketball… notice the black and while Converse.

Mont Saint Michel http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mont %20Saint%20Michel/114/31/23

Capybara, The Wilderness

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Capybara/6/138/93

Downtown Seattle http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlif e/Downtown%20Seattle/1/211/68

While collecting the content for this article, I visited Jo Yardley’s blog and discovered several interesting items. Obviously there were links to some Drax Files episodes with Draxtor Despres episodes. Jo Yardley is a co-‐host. High Fidelity is making a public alpha available. Also, there is a link to Benoît Dereau’s Unreal Paris 1.1, a Paris apartment created using the Unreal 4 engine. It is a video in 720p and there is a higher resolution version Unreal Paris 1.2. Jo Yardley started The 1920s Berlin project. Second Life founder, Philip Rosedale, created High Fidelity. He is developing a “high fidelity” virtual environment. The high fidelity website explains, “By using a range of new hardware devices like the Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, Leap Motion, PrioVR, Sixsense, and depth cameras, the experience of exploring these worlds can be incredibly immersive and the interaction with others lifelike and emotional.” It goes on to explain, we use inexpensive webcams and motion

controllers to capture gaze, facial expressions, and body language, which is then streamed at low latency along with 3D positional audio to establish lifelike presence. We also use head-‐mounted displays like the Oculus Rift for full immersion, as well as hand and full body motion controllers.” Sounds great to me… Beyond the amusing locations to visit using the Oculus Rift there are also areas that provide opportunities for people to interact through simulations and immersive training. Please take a look at the Drax Files video with Sandra L. Winkler, assistant professor at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. Her work assisting amputees is a great story of helping and underscores the concept of immersion. The teaser line from the Drax Files YouTube video explains Sandra’s work. “Second Life is the perfect place for amputees to overcome emotional trauma by sharing stories and realizing they are not alone!”

Twelfthnight (SL) At the VWBPE Closing Party Party

Opal Lei (SL) at the VWBPE Closing Party

Edith Halderman’s selfie with waiter at VWBPE15

Bluebarker Lowtide during concert at House @ Blue’s Corner

The Social Committee plays at Abby Road Photo Booth (above). Eric Clapton Opening Tribute Concert by Lightning Productions (below).

The Machinima Drive-‐in

Favorite DJ Coz OKelly keeps the hits coming!

Coffee in the early morning

On The Red Carpet

Watching “Almost Maine” Production by Quill & Quarrel Theater Company

Cross Country Bike Race

Watching the Closing Ceremony

The VWBPE15 Organization Committee Chairs at the Closing Ceremony

Gentle Heron (sl), Alice Krueger (rl) accepts the Thinkerer Award

Write for VEJ The theme for the June 2015 Issue of VEJ is "Mining The Craft." We are especially interested in how educators are using minecraft to motivate students from early education through college. What is working? Not working? What are the best practices when using minecraft for instruction as a teaching tool? How can teachers/administrators harness the power of minecraft to motivate students? How can minecraft be used to promote local and state standards and curricula including the common core standards? Are minecraft and/or other virtual environments/worlds being used in teacher prep programs, and if so, how? Even though these are the themes for the April and June issues of VEJ, we also welcome other articles that promote the effective use of virtual environments to enhance and engage teachers and students in quality learning experiences. Please submit articles, approximately 500 – 1800 words (in Cambria 14pt). Please include pictures and graphics with the highest resolution

possible (using png, tiff, jpeg) to: rvojtek@edovation.com. Be sure to put “VEJ” in subject line. Submissions for the June 2015 issue of VEJ are due by midnight Sunday June 7, 2015. If you have questions, email rvojtek@edovation.com or give Roxie Neiro (sl) a notecard in second life. You can find more information and see previous issues of VEJ at www.virtualeducationjournal.com Be sure to visit us at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduIsland%209/21/39/22 in Second Life, our website at http://virtualeducationjournal.com/, and follow us on twitter @VEJournal and #VEJournal. To learn more about ISTE SIGVE events visit http://sigve.weebly.com/.