Best of VEJ - The Virtual Education Journal, Volume Two by Edovation

VOLUMETW O OCTOBER 2012JUNE2013

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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!”

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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!

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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!

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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)

• • • • • •

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

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

Hazardous Work Area With heavy Equipment Demo For OSHA

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.

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

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

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.

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

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).

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

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! 53

Fi er o Moment s Febr uar y2013

GotGame?Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sPlay! 54

Are we having FUN, yet?

If not, w ait until you devour this issue of VEJ! I love this picture of the “Dancing Pandas” in W oW – and there are so many more great photos in this issue of VEJ. As editor of VEJ I have had the opportunity to read every w ord and check out every link – and I can’t begin to tell you how much I have learned from this issue. This is by far our BEST and most fun issue yet! Could it have something to do with PLAY? My greatest learning from this issue is grounded (or should I say heightened) by observing and learning about Fiero Moments . . . a term I didn’t know until w e began to plan this issue of VEJ. I actually used it with administrators at our New Leader’s Academy for the Connecticut Association of Schools a couple of weeks ago, when I asked principals to share their (rl) Fiero Moments. My favorite w as when one administrator said it happened w hen her son was able to read his first book to her! We all got goose bumps! Be sure to listen to how Jane McGonigal defines Fiero, and then make your own Fiero Moments and share them with us on the VEJ flickr page. Be sure to check out our Reader’s Choice Favorite Games, the interview with Kae Novak, aka, Kavon Zenovka (sl), the amazing MachinEVO videos, joining a guild, weekly tweetchats, and much, much more! My favorite, part of this issue, however, is being On W alkabout with Cyrus Hush. The Blake Sea is amazing! Riding the d olphin was fun. Sitting at the pool bar on the Galaxy, SL’s largest cruise ship made me forget the rl 2013 blizzard in Connecticut – at least for a little w hile. Watching the planes land and take off at the Hollywood airport made me w ant to go find an sl plane to fly. Exploring all of the little d oors at Bearskin Neck captivated me for hours. But, I had the most fun running along the country roads absorbing the Scandinavian culture at the Norway Fjord. As Roxie (sl) was running, Rosie (rl), however, w as wishing she could map this course at IFIT www.ifit.com and run right along with Roxie on her incline trainer. Now, that would be a great w ay for both of us to get our GAME ON – simultaneously in rl and sl! So will it happen? After listening to Pathfinder John Lester at the February ISTE SIGVE Speaker Series – it is probably coming sooner than we think – either with our google goggles or something even more powerful. Speaking for both of us, we (Roxie and Rosie) can’t wait! Whether you are a d iehard can’t wait for the next Fiero Moment Gamer or someone thinking about taking the plunge, the Gaming Trailblazers have given us a lot to chew on in this issue! Make sure that you take the time to visit the websites, use the url’s to check out the sl hot spots, and explore the numerous resources in this issue of VEJ and linked to VEJ. There is sooooo much here! A HUGE THANKS to all o f our contributors! And, most of all, CONGRATULATIONS to ISTE SIGVE for being named one of the top 5 BEST SOCIAL NETWORKS at the 2012 Edublog Awards. CONGRATULATIONS to our friends and colleagues w ho also were nominated and/or became finalists! Enjoy and VEJ – OUT OF THIS WORLD! Keep smiling J Rosie Vojtek, aka Roxie Neiro (sl)

VEJ Vol. 2 Issue 3 Virtual Education Journal

In This Issue • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Reflections by Lowly High Grand Poobah BJ Gearbox Kids Connecting W ith Games VWBPE 2013 – Save The Date Capturing Our Best Fiero Moments! VEJ Readers Choice Favorite Games XP with Machinima for FX in Learning Language Learning Through Machinima Play One Billion Rising SL Minecraft, Math Mage, and Mobile #gamemooc: Game Based Tweetchat Calling All Visioneers! Fairy Tales Do Come True Creating Texture Packs SIGVE Speaker Series G.A.M.E. ON! An Interview with Kavon Zenovka (sl) Introduction to a WoW Guild Peterson Schools Get Serious About Playing Games Second Life Physics Lab Lights, Camera, Nominations: SIGVE at the Eddies Educational Games for Social and Environmental Causes Virtual Pioneers 2 012 . . . It Was A Very Good Year Learning W ith Friends In Second Life Achieving Fiero Moments in Virtual Collegial Communities Walkabout – The Blake Sea! Inevitable Betrayal: An Educator’s Guild A Digital Game Based Learning MOOC The Games M.O.O.C. Now & Then

Reflections by

SIGVE Lowly High Grand Poobah BJ Gearbox (sl), Bob Vojtek (rl) The cover story on the March 2013 issue of Atlantic Monthly is titled "The Robot Will See You Now." In it, Jonathan Cohn explains, "IBM's Watson—the same machine that beat Ken Jennings at Jeopardy—is now churning through case histories at Memorial Sloan-‐Kettering, learning to make diagnoses and treatment recommendations. This is one in a series of developments suggesting that technology may be about to disrupt health care in the same way it has disrupted so many other industries. Are doctors necessary? Just how far might the automation of medicine go?" I admit that this is my bias, however our insatiable drive to implement STEM education is missing a critical element, maybe two. One that I have been ranting about since I heard the term... That is, it is missing the letter, "A," for the Arts – creating STEAM. If we blindly pursue STEM, without the arts and the creativity and innovation inherent in the arts, we have a strong tendency to do the “easy” version of STEM. Meaning, that we concentrate on only the knowledge and skills that are rote, easily memorized, and fall within the realm of tasks that IBM's Watson excels doing. The second element, one that I can't append the acronym easily to accommodate, is gaming, which is the focus of this issue of VEJ. I can't simply add a "G" to STEAM creating STEAMG – that doesn't work! So, the point isn't creating the perfect acronym, the point is, that the benefits gained by game play are missing.

Gamers say that there are significant benefits to playing games. As you read the articles in this issue of VEJ, consider the underlying elements that can inform teaching and learning, guide participants, draw them in to an immersive experience, and teach skills not easily replicated in the traditional classroom. As we continue to describe the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the 21st century worker (that would be us for the last 13 years) I hear parallel voices… those of business and industry and what they consider to be necessary abilities for employees of the future and the descriptions of the learning that takes place in online gaming. For example, employers of the future are going to need people to be able to work as a high performing team rather than a group of individuals working on a task. Gaming offers that! Plus the online team of gamers could as easily be sitting around a large table in Second Life as they could be dispersed across the globe. Where can you replicate that in the typical classroom today? When I think about embracing gaming as a legitimate exercise in learning, I wonder how long it may take… and why. I harken back to old phrases describing the inclusion of other technologies for the classroom. One often quoted statement, “It took 20 years to get the overhead projector out of the bowling alleys and into the classroom.” I came across other zinger phrases that may or may not have equal validity. Such as, “there hasn't been a significant change in how we teach since 1455.” A reference to that Gutenberg thing, I presume. As a final anecdote, I had a student in one of my classes that, as a junior in high school, seldom if ever, completed homework. I just couldn’t seem to find a “hook” to get him interested. Then, he was absent for three days. Even though he seldom participated in class, he was rarely absent. When he returned, I asked him, “How are you doing?” He replied, “I’m feeling better, I just had to rest.” “Oh?” I said.

“Yeah, Civilization [new version of the game] came out, and I played for 26 hours straight.” So when a student, not engaged in school can spend 26 hours straight advancing through a game, what is it that the game developers know that we don’t? What do we, as educators need to learn? How can teachers engage students in the same way that game developers engage students? Can it be as simple as bringing the games into the classrooms? Or, is there more? Read through this issue of VEJ and help us have a dialogue about how we can leverage games in education. Join us at ISTE SIGVE Office Hours every Tuesday night at 5:00 pm slt at ISTE Headquarters to continue this discussion. Hope to see you there!

Kids Connecting with Games and Virtual Environments By GridJumper (SL), Tanya Martin (RL)

Connected Hour attendees in the SIGVE Diner at ISTE-SIGVE Island on Second Life watching, listening and discussing as the Kids presented some of their favorite games.

Using Google Hangout, Second LIfe, YouTube, and a sampling of five kid friendly games, educators met in Second Life at the SIGVE Diner as well as on the GameMooc YouTube channel to watch the live stream (recorded on December 11, 2012) and to chat and forward questions to the presenters, six boys and girls aged 8 to 17. Each child selected an online game and took turns showing and explaining the game selected. The digital literacy the youngsters displayed was a demonstration of what they have been taught and have learned independently. Parents were present, but the hour was for the children to tell their story and they did so eloquently, without a script, and with enthusiasm.

Educators asked questions and the children had no problem answering and continuing with the demonstration. Each child had one remote practice session to ensure that the technology was working on each home computer. The ease in simultaneously using the game of choice and Google Hangout as well as audio technology (headphones or speakers) was evident. Parents were present, but for the most part silent and we later learned that they were learning about their children and about the games that other children played. I’ll discuss what happened behind the scenes, as you can see the unedited version of the broadcast for yourself on the Game MOOC YouTube channel. The youngsters in the broadcast represented: 4 families, both genders, 5 age groups, 3 states, and 2 time zones. They did not know each other, with exception of two sets of siblings. Each child selected the game they wanted to share, with some changes to a second choice because of technical issues with the first. Each child expressed excitement in sharing with no request of “what do I get for doing this?” During the event each child patiently waited and internal chat reflected the fact that either the kids and/or their parents were being attentive to the speaker. After the event I received feedback mostly from the parents. Parents reported that their children had fun and expressed positive thoughts about the event. The kids all had some sort of comment about the other presentations; “I play that game too, I’m on level ___”, “I want to try that”, “He sure is smart.” Parents noted not only on the content but the manner in which the kids presented. They commented on public speaking and the varying abilities of the children to be articulate. Each parent expressed that they learned something about their children. The overwhelming idea expressed was that it was fun! This broadcast made it clear that the child viewpoint is an important one. They will tell you what they like and why as well as what they don’t like and why not. Only one of the games First in Math, was a game used as an extension to school. The rest of the games Club Penguin, Poptropica, Wizard 101, and Kerbal Space Program are

games these children access at home for fun. As you listen to the enthusiasm in the child voices it becomes obvious that learning while playing is fun. [ISTE’s SIGVE (third Connected Hour was conducted in December and was co-‐hosted by G.A.M.E. (Gamers Advancing Meaningful Education). You can view the entire unedited broadcast on Youtube. Connected Educator Team: Tanya Martin, Kae Novak, Andrew Wheelock, Chris Luchs and Vasili Giannoutsos] ******************************************

Save The Date!

Virtual Worlds – Best Practices in Education VWBPE 2013: Beyond The Stage July 24 – 27, 2013 As noted by Anderson (1933), “we perceive life as drama, and our major issues involve the definition of personal roles and the fabrication of stories that give purpose and shape to social existence. Public happenings have the quality of scenes created for public consumption”. This year’s theme, “Beyond the Stage”, challenges educators to look at education as performance art. A tapestry of who we are, those we connect with, and education as a social narrative that defines our ability to create knowledge through innovation. The virtual frontier provides new tools and techniques to redefine not just those traditional narratives for a new age, but to change the relationship between the stage and the audience. There are many stories we want to hear about. Diversification in use of technologies; the psychology of presence and how it impacts on learning; engagement of students as both a creative part of the learning process and consumer. There are a thousand and one stories. Bring them all – share them all – beyond the stage. Call for proposals coming soon – watch this space for more details.

What is Fiero? Gaming expert, Jane McGonigal, shouts enthusiastically waving her hands and jumping up and down screaming FIERO to describe a Fiero Moment in a 10 second YouTube clip. When Kae Novak was presenting at a Teaching with Technology conference, she asked this same question. One of the instructors who speaks Italian, stood up from her seat and raised her arm fist clinched and said, “Pride!” Yes, fiero is Italian for pride. At this point you may have images of when a soccer team scores a goal or a football team makes a touchdown, but it is more than winning. Kae Novak describes Fiero as, “It is that sense of accomplishment you receive when you have overcome an obstacle, solved a puzzle, or finished a challenge.” For example, listen to Kae Novak discuss “Fun, Flow and Fiero.” So it may be building a house in Minecraft or even taking out your first spaceship in EVE Online.

EVE Online

We asked our readers to share with us their Fiero moments. Here are some of our favorites! ENJOY!

Trish Cloud

Gridjumper (Tanya Martin) captured by Que Jinn (Kae Novak)

Our readers told us over and over that they didn’t have pictures of their greatest Fiero moments because they were either too excited in the moment, the moment happened so quickly, or they just didn’t think about taking a picture until it was too late. There is no way to go back and get the picture once the moment is gone. So, here are some of the great Fiero moments that are somewhere lost in virtual space but live on in the player’s minds . . . and if a picture paints 1,000 words, these few words may help you paint your own picture of the moments that keep gamers craving more!

Ø The first time the machines "clicked" in Glitch-‐-‐all the sudden I understood the order in which things had to be created and ended up building a second story onto my house that night. :) By Aevalle.

Ø When we downed deathwing in the Cognitive Dissonance 10 man raid. After weeks of coordination and strategy, our perseverance paid off and we defeated the world breaker. By Zarrasia

Ø Teaching French FL on Second Life. By Edith Paillat

Ø When I earned the ability to fly. It made everything easier. Getting there required many quests and gold. By Anonymous

Ø Fun fiero moment in Felwood battling imps and used a rainbow to burn them. I felt like I was in an episode of My Little Pony! By Trish Cloud

G.A.M.E. ON!

An Interview With Kavon Zenovka (SL), Kae Novak (RL) By Roxie Neiro (sl), Rosie Vojtek (rl)

I am very excited to be interviewing Kae Novak for this issue of VEJ. Any inworld educator who is a member of ISTE SIGVE, has participated or worked on VWBPE, plays in World of Warcraft, or participated in the GAMES MOOC has met her avatar, Kavon Zenovka. She has relentlessly helped many of us learn and grow in virtual environments. I can’t begin to tell you how much I have learned from her and how much I admire her work, her passion for teaching and learning, her enthusiasm for virtual worlds, and her dedication as an educator. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I have enjoyed talking with, working with, and playing with Kavon Zenovka (SL), Kae Novak (RL). Roxie: Kavon, please introduce yourself to our readers. Tell us who you are and what you do in real life (rl) and virtual environments. Kavon: I’m Kae Novak(rl), an instructional designer for online learning at a community college in Colorado. In virtual environments, I manage Front Range in Second Life and play around on Center4EduPunx on JoykadiaGrid. I am the High Grand Poobah or Chair-‐Elect for ISTE SIGVE and collaborate with an exceptional group of educators there. In addition to these sandbox virtual worlds, I'm a guild officer for two World of Warcraft guilds. These guilds are the all-‐purpose educator’s guild Cognitive Dissonance on the Alliance side and Inevitable Betrayal on the Horde side.

Roxie: How did you get started in virtual worlds/environments? What was it that kept you going back? Kavon: I had attended a presentation by Lyr Lobo (Cynthia Calongne) at the e-‐Learning Consortium of Colorado. Lyr presented on Second Life and several projects that she was pursuing in games and simulations. After the presentation, I joined SL and started visiting the New Media Consortium (NMC) islands and other educator builds. After about 6 months, I requested that my college look at Second Life for online learning and the college purchased Front Range Island to start doing simulations for online classes.

Front Range Island Kavon: I keep coming back to virtual worlds due to the deeper learning that I observed. What I’ve seen is that immersive games and virtual environments offer a richness and deeper learning not seen in a traditional text based LMS even if you are supplementing it with podcast and videos. In fact, it’s even better than a F2F classroom because it sometimes allows you to do what isn’t possible in real life. Some examples from Second Life include visiting and exploring Dante’s Inferno or flying up to look at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. We call that NPIRL or Not Possible in Real Life.

Roxie: How did you get started playing virtual games? Kavon: I really wasn’t into video games in high school. I played roll the dice Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). Until MMORPGs (Massive Multi-‐player Online Role-‐Playing Games), video games did not have much appeal for me due to their limited social offerings. My first MMORPG was World of Warcraft, which I selected after reading Edward Castronova's books on virtual economies. Roxie: What are your favorite virtual games and why? Kavon: World of Warcraft is. Not that another MMORPG couldn’t take its place. It was the first virtual game that provided the immersiveness and social aspects that I loved from D&D. For me, right now, it has an interesting economy, challenging end game content, and I’m involved in a community of educators there who not only play but also collaborate outside the game. Roxie: In this issue we have captured some of our reader’s favorite Fiero moments. Please explain briefly what a Fiero moment means to you and give us an example of one of your favorite Fiero moments. Kavon: Fiero. Well, it’s a term we use a lot when teaching about games based learning. Nicole Lazzaro is the earliest person I have seen using it to describe the satisfaction and enjoyment of hard fun. Fiero is the moment where a player / learner successfully overcomes challenges. In games, this is overcoming the monster or finishing the quest. In the classroom, this is mastery of difficult concepts and resolving problems. It is that moment that you see in soccer games, when the player scores and they continue to run around with their arms up. Kavon: Actually in the guild I play in, we have an expression, “Don’t steal my fiero!” It means -‐ don’t make it easy for me, I want to learn how to do it. For a lot of gamers, the die and do over part is how we learn. My favorite fiero moments happen when I am playing with members of my guild and it is so difficult that all of our characters die. This is called a wipe.

Wipe Roxie [laughing]: Kind of like the song, “wipe-‐out?” Kavon: Then we stop, research anything we can find on the Internet, talk, strategize and try it again. And then the same thing happens again, but we’ve made a bit of progress. So we strategize more and we change up what we’re doing and then we finish the dungeon or overcome the last monster or challenge in the raid. That’s the fiero. It’s not easy, it’s not nerfed, and it has to at some point feel nearly impossible. Roxie: Whatever “it” is sounds like, in the moment, it is a major, perhaps life changing -‐ at least for the player(s), accomplishment! So, can you establish a sense of community while playing the game, even in a virtual world? If so, How? Kavon: Absolutely, in fact many of the MMORPGs require a community to play end game content. It’s not that different from any community that meets regularly. MMORPGs like World of Warcraft require players to collaborate with others to quickly navigate the game. In fact, there is a whole series of built in rewards in WoW to promote and maintain

collaboration in the form of faster leveling in a group, access to better gear (dungeons that required 5 players), and team oriented achievements. I see that virtual environments like MMORPGs and other virtual worlds have become the third place for many people. It is not home and it is not work; however, it is a place to gather with your friends, socialize and engage in immersive entertainment and hard fun. Roxie: I like that – a “third place” – kind of reminds me of the television series, “Cheers” -‐ “Where Everyone Knows Your Name!” So, like “Cheers”, do you make friends while playing virtual games? Or, is it always “us/me” against “them/enemy”?

WOW Picture of Gameplay Kavon: For me, it’s rarely us or them. In the games I play, I am usually competing against myself. Most of the guild groups I’m in focus on beating our last attempt whether that was a win or lose. There is a continuous focus on efficiency and effectiveness in gaming. Most players are looking at several areas of improvement consistently. They usually focus on their game play to see how they can improve individually or they are looking at group play. In group play, players are looking at what value do they bring to the

group and what can they do to ensure/assist in the overall success of the team. Roxie: How do you balance competition with collaboration? Or, is it all about the winning and getting to the next level? Kavon: Actually in games like World of Warcraft, the designers take care of this for us. WoW requires collaborative groups of 10 to 25 individuals to work together to be successful and gather the best gear in the game. Teams are competitive and there have been cross faction tensions; however most of the competitive focus is on how fast does a group clear a dungeon. This is especially true with the new Challenge Mode Dungeons that WoW introduced with Mists of Pandaria. With Challenge Mode Dungeons, groups of five players have their gear normalized so everyone running the Challenge Mode is on equal footings. This removes any advantages from gear and is truly an evaluation of mastery of game mechanics and strategy. Roxie: Are all the virtual games violent? If so, how do educators deal with violence with their students? Kavon: Some video games contain violence. However, there are options for educators that wish to use games and remove as much violence as they can. Educators can focus on a specific area of a game where there is minimal violence. An example would be focusing on the economy or business aspects of a game and not requiring students to participate in fighting or normal gameplay violence. Kavon: Overall, I think the most important thing is for the educator to provide the context of the game in the educational setting. Students look to the educator for guidance on what is allowed and not allowed in class. Many games offer non-‐violent opportunities to play and be successful in games. Students could select healing roles or focus on the crafting side of the game and purchase materials off the auction house. The key is that the educator needs to play the game and identify the various options when it comes to gameplay.

Roxie: What are some of the best practices that teachers are using with students while engaging them in virtual games? Kavon: The big thing is that educators cannot look at games as an epack that they can just plug into their class. Game based learning requires a carefully scaffolded approach that ramps students up from simple easy to play games to the more complex end game content that generates wicked problems and hard fun. Roxie: I love that phrase, “wicked problems and hard fun!” We need more of that in the education for learners! Kavon: The educator has to play the game to know the content and how they see it fitting into their core competencies and learning objectives. One of the most successful implementations I have been part of had students starting off with games like Free Rice and Budget Hero and ending with World of Warcraft and Second Life. The key was that we slowly immersed the students throughout the semester using planned projects and assignments that directed students through to the more complex games at the end of the semester. Each activity and project tied back to core competencies and class learning objectives. Roxie: Are there any significant research findings about the benefits of using games with students that teachers can use when they advocate for games in the classroom? Kavon: Absolutely, I would suggest they look up Jim Gee and Sasha Barab from Arizona State University and the work that they have done. Then I would also suggest Constance Steinkuehler, Kurt Squire and David Williamson Shaffer from the University of Wisconsin. Roxie: Tell us about the GAMESMOOC. What is it? How did it get started? Kavon: The Games MOOC is a synchronous and asynchronous online open course. The site has had a total of 144, 246 visits as of today! We have 209,488 page views. The Games MOOC is on an asynchronous LMS –like site http://gamesmooc.shivtr.com/

Kavon: This is actually a gaming community site that we adapted for the course. We livestream Google Hangout on Air as a quick overview each Monday morning. We do a #gamemooc Tweetchat each Wednesday evening. On each Thursday, we livestream a discussion or panel of guests through Google Hangout on Air and also through Second Life. If there is any opportunity to livestream a games based learning activity being done by another educational group during the time of the MOOC, we do it. Kavon: We have had sessions in World of Warcraft, Minecraft, Second Life and OpenSim. Participants had the choice of logging into those and playing with us or watching through the YouTube livestream.

Games MOOC

Kavon: The first version of it was A Virtual World, Education and Games Tour at P2PU http://bit.ly/127rxTb A number of educators who had been organized virtual worlds conferences felt that a once a year event, while great outreach, left educators isolated until the next year. So we decided to do something about it. Kavon: This MOOC was four weeks with a different educator leading each week. Stasia Weston started us out the first week with a Virtual World Tours. The second week, Tanya Martin worked with us on Machinima. I had MMORGPs for the third week and Chris Luchs did the fourth week which was called “The Bleeding Edge.” Kavon: After that it snowballed. First along with Tanya Martin, Vasili Giannoutos, we created a two week Machinima course on P2PU http://bit.ly/VbjlNc to get people ready for the ISTE Machinima contest and then an ARG Academy http://bit.ly/VbjtMA where Joseph Doan, Jerry Buchko and Catherine Flippen joined us in facilitating it. Kavon: So when the Colorado Community College System had an Immersive Learning and Game Based Learning faculty grant challenge, I was able to use what I learned there and with help from Chris Luchs and Kate Hagerty apply for a grant to do three versions of a Games Based Learning MOOC. Roxie: What projects and events have you and members of the GAMESMOOC accomplished or held? Kavon: We were accepted and are now listed in the US Department of Education’s Connected Educators Project’s Community Directory http://connectededucators.org/community/games-‐based-‐learning-‐mooc/ Participants in the Games MOOC, spun off G.A.M.E. which is network hub for Gamers Advancing Meaningful Education. G.A.M.E. currently produces a monthly webinar hosted by Laurence Cocco, Director, Office of Educational Technology, New Jersey Department of Education. This webinar is “It Takes A Guild – A Guild of Educators.” http://g.a.m.e.shivtr.com/pages/guildofeducators

Kavon: We are very proud of two games based learning grants written by our participants that were just funded for this year. Sherry Jones, who won the “Cataclysmic” award in the Games MOOC was funded for Rhetoric and Composition: The Persuasive Power of Video Games as Paratexts. Chris Luchs and Kate Hagerty won a grant to do a game based learning Hackathon for introductory computer science classes. Roxie: FANTATIC! CONGRATULATIONS! So many accomplishments! I hope our readers will check out the websites and resources that you are sending their way during this interview. Your webinars and Google hangouts are very informative – EXCELLENT JOB and KUDOS to everyone working with you! I have heard you talking about creating badges for learners to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. What badges have members earned and what did they have to accomplish to earn a badge? Kavon: Games MOOC participants have earned two badges. We have a “Brave Beginner” badge for people new to games. Also, out of Connected Educator Month last August, we designed a “Networked Educator” badge. With the Networked Educator badge, we based it off Dr. Lisa Dawley’ Social Network Knowledge Construction matrix. Badge earners had to show that they curated content and that they contributed, created, and led the dissemination of information on games based learning. Roxie: What have you and others learned from being a part of the GAMESMOOC? Kavon: For us, M stands for modest compared to some of the large Stanford and MIT MOOCs. A business professor out of U of Penn taught an 80,000 person Gamification MOOC through Coursera, we have had 400 participants. It’s really about the interaction between an online community of learners. This may say it best. “Coursera gamification12 is totally LMS. OTOH #gamemooc has morphed into a wonderfully supportive guild of educators.” This tweet came from a librarian who took our Games MOOC and also took the Coursera Gamification MOOC. Roxie: You are right. That quote sums it up perfectly – and nothing says it better than word of mouth, or should I say word of tweets, to spread the

word! So, if someone wants to participate in the GAMESMOOC, how do they join? Kavon: Well, the third iteration is starting on Monday March 18, 2013. The topic of this iteration is Apps, AR (Augmented Reality) and ARGs (Alternate Reality Games). It’s very easy; all you need to do is to go to http://bit.ly/gamesmooc and signup. For our summer MOOC, we will be doing immersive environments, which will focus on MMORPGs and virtual worlds. Roxie: I just signed up – and hope that many of our readers will do so as well. As you know, I can’t always get fully engaged because of my rl work, but I love to lurk and watch what all of you are learning – and that has always been OK. I noticed when I signed up that you may have a summer conference on game based learning. That should be very exciting and something to look forward to. So, what is the future of Gaming? Kavon: I really don’t look at it as the future of gaming. Instead I look at as the future of education. I think education especially online education will need to be as immersive and engaging as games are. Roxie: If someone has never played a virtual game, where and how can they get started? What is the best game for beginners? Kavon: If they have never played any type of online game, I like to start people with Free Rice. It’s easy to play, educational and it is engaging. If someone is looking to play an immersive game, like an MMORPG then I would suggest that they look for at the network of educators who game. I’d tell them to start by just asking a question in the SIGVE listserv. For SIGVE weekly Connected Educator, we send out a listing of events being done in or about virtual worlds and games. Also at the bottom of the listserv, we send out the sites for all the organizations doing outreach and professional development. Kavon: I’d also tell them to take a look at the “It Takes A Guild” playlist http://bit.ly/WEOcmv on YouTube. G.A.M.E. (Gamers Advancing Meaningful Education) http://g.a.m.e.shivtr.com/ has been doing monthly

recordings of teachers who have brought games into their classroom. Lastly, there are a few educator gaming guilds. Cognitive Dissonance http://bit.ly/12GtVQz is a large all purpose guild for World of Warcraft. Inevitable Betrayal http://g.a.m.e.shivtr.com/pages/ibguild does what we like to call tourism for educators in World of Warcraft and has developed a number of introductory videos entitled Inevitable Instruction. http://bit.ly/inevitableinstruction Roxie: Awesome! There is so much to learn on those websites! So, for you personally, what online/virtual activities are keeping you up late at night? What projects and activities are you working on now and in the future? Kavon: Games MOOC III – Apps, AR and ARGs starting from March 18 – April 22. The Games MOOC IV – Immersive Environments -‐ Summer Date TBA. The SIGVE Machinima Fest at the ISTE annual conference! Monday, June 24 from 5:30 – 6:45 pm. We will be having our annual Machinima Fest! We’ll be opening up the Machinima contest portion in late February and will be doing a Machinima Open Online Course through P2PU at the end of May also! Kavon: Another activity is the Connected Educator Event for August 2013. That is currently in the brainstorming stage. I know this may seem like an “interesting” fusion but with a couple of innovative educational leaders, we have been talking about leadership, assessment…. and games. Roxie: Is there anything else that I didn’t ask you that your want our readers to know about games in education? Kavon: There isn’t an easy button when it comes to games, not the games that are really worth it. Gamification is a marketing term to incentivize activities. Look for something deeper than behaviorism when designing your courses. I do subscribe to Jim Gee’s idea of chocolate on broccoli. We see this all the time with homework managers that do automatic grading. While it frees up time for the teacher, are the students learning the content or just becoming experts in pattern recognition?

Take a look at meaningful education with games. For great overview of gamification, take a look at this video of Dr. Scott Nicholson, Director of “Because Play Matters Game Lab” at Syracuse University. Then look at these interviews with educators on Minecraft, World of Warcraft, Portal and MMORPGs. These are videos have extraordinary classroom teachers who use games for teaching and learning. Roxie: Thank you Kavon/Kae for all of these wonderful resources. They are going to be very helpful for anyone wanting to get started exploring gaming in virtual online environments. As always, you have given us so much to think about. I hope that our readers will join in some or all of the activities that you listed that will be starting soon. I also hope that everyone attending the ISTE 2013 Conference in San Antonio this year will attend the Machinima Fest this year! It has become an annual highlight of the conference! Thanks again for taking the time to talk with me today and KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!!!!

Introduction to a WoW Guild By Izzy Karu

By now, in this issue of VEJ, you have read about the number of educators playing The World of Warcraft. Teachers are using WoW successfully in their classrooms to help students learn. So, you have decided to get an account, install the client, create a character, or “toon”, and take the plunge. There you are, a level 1 WoW toon dropped off in the starter location appropriate for your selected race. Now what, what do you do? If only you were in a guild!

A guild is a chartered organization in WoW. Think of it as a village. In the village you have the village elders who offer the wisdom of experience. You also have gathers, and craftsmen who provide the resources you need to progress through the game.

But more importantly, you have a family that shares in your struggles, triumphs, discoveries and growth, both as a character and person. So, take the plunge, join a guild, and let the fun and learning begin!

Hope to see you soon in WoW!

Peterson Schools Get Serious About Playing Games Game-‐based learning refers to the integration of gaming mechanics into educational experiences. By David W. Deeds, Cuajimalpa Campus

What exactly is meant by “humanistic education”? Trying to arrive at a consensus regarding a definition brings to mind the fable about the blind men describing an elephant: the guy holding the trunk thinks it’s like a snake, the dude with his arms wrapped around a leg swears it’s a tree, etc. A website named, appropriately enough, education.com, succinctly suggests that humanistic education simply features “learning activities…[that] are oriented toward improving self-‐awareness and mutual understanding among people.” The academic world has borrowed the corporate term “soft skills” to discuss such desirable student qualities, which, not coincidentally, correspond with the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile attributes: being caring, principled, open-‐minded, etc.

The question for educators has always been: How is it possible to instill and nurture such nebulous characteristics in students while teaching them no-‐nonsense subjects such as computer programming? The answer is now known: game-‐based learning.

According to the 2012 K-‐12 Horizon Report, an annual publication of the New Media Consortium that predicts adoption of educational technologies, game-‐based learning will be mainstream in all schools by as early as 2014. Having learners engaged in game-‐based learning is not only “beneficial [for their] cognitive development,” but also fosters “collaboration, communication, problem-‐solving and critical thinking.” Games provide an “open-‐ended, challenged-‐based” social aspect to learning that prepares students “for their continued education and the workforce,” (i.e., for 21st century survival and success). “When embedded into the curriculum, [games] offer a path into the material that allows students to learn how to learn along with mastering the

subject matter.” The evidence is indisputable: playing games in school is highly effective as well as enjoyable.

As everyone knows, students love to play games, and it’s this “fun factor” which ironically sums up the biggest objections many teachers, administrators and parents stubbornly maintain to this innovative approach. Higher education institutions have been utilizing, 3D virtual worlds, for example, with amazing results for years. But, K-‐12 organizational dinosaurs largely remain reluctant to accept that education doesn’t have to be boring and painful to be beneficial. The game-‐based revolution is going to happen with or without these misguided skeptics, however, this advancement is inevitable. Clark Aldrich, in Learning Online with Games, Simulations and Virtual Worlds, states that game-‐based learning represents “a permanent transformation of the educational landscape…due in part to interactive environments’ ability to produce better traditional academic results.” Please note: “better traditional academic results.”

Petersons Schools’ overarching goal of providing our students with a genuine “21st century education” will ultimately be achieved via a two-‐ pronged strategy: (1) a transformation to being exclusively an International Baccalaureate institution; and (2) the implementation of a completely student-‐centric approach to teaching, which necessarily involves the adoption of game-‐based learning. So far it’s been primarily the Cuajimalpa campus that has been experimenting with, e.g., 3D virtual worlds, but soon our other locations will be joining this movement as training and other preparation progress. Currently, Second Life and OpenSimulator, both “immersive/virtual-‐ learning environments,” are being used as integral parts of the Information Technology in a Global Society (ITGS) and Computer Workshop courses, respectively. Second Life, formally known as a “Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG),” was introduced by the Linden Labs company in 2003 and includes thousands of education-‐ related institutions. The platform features its own economy and currency, with average quarterly holdings exceeding US $25 million.

Second Life is a “public grid” (“grid” just means a lot of computers connected together) restricted to users 16 and older. So, for all other students it’s necessary to maintain an OpenSimulator environment, which offers both the security of access control and the benefits of

interaction with others. OpenSimulator is “open source” software and so it’s not nearly as advanced as its commercial cousins, but organizations such as Dreamland Metaverse, Peterson’s host company, contend it will ultimately become the MMOG of choice for schools, primarily because of its ability to create and maintain a completely private virtual learning environment.

Both Second Life and OpenSimulator offer sophisticated Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools, an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for programming, etc. But it’s the communal characteristics of the potential work that matter most: students not only practice project management on a local scale, but they’ll soon also be communicating and collaborating with learners around the (real, or is it virtual?) world. Imagine our students hosting and visiting learners from other schools, other countries, even continents. Both Second Life and OpenSimulator have been utilized for “cross-‐curricular” efforts, meaning that recent projects involved Art and Music classes as well as Technology. Soon all Peterson campuses will be using one or both of these platforms, for student courses as well as teacher professional development. Peterson Schools’ cybercampuses are open and available to all our teachers and students. ITGS learners will soon, as part of their final project, be training people, starting at the Cuajimalpa campus and then extending to the others. “Others” includes everyone around the globe!

Unlike Second Life and OpenSimulator, environments in which the primary goal is to create a virtual world from the cyberground up, Quest Atlantis offers a prebuilt platform via which students focus on completing missions or tasks via narrative “toolkits.” Quest Atlantis is designed to engage students 9-‐16 years of age in “transformational play,” meaning that, again, they are learning “hard skills” while also developing their abilities regarding communication, collaboration, etc.

All the storylines involve social action, whether it’s solving a bullying problem or saving a town from the plague! More than 50,000 students on six continents have completed “quests” over the past four years. Peterson teachers at two different campuses will have started their training toward becoming qualified Quest Atlantis teachers by the time this journal has been published. Quest Atlantis is completely free and it’s hoped that all Peterson middle school teachers and students will use it soon. Sometime during 2013, the traditional Quest Atlantis will be replaced by a spectacular 3D version that will rival most commercial games, while still offering all the usual educational benefits. Atlantis Remixed, as the new Quest Atlantis will be known, will focus even more on the skills needed to solve problems, both real and surreal.

Second Life/OpenSimulator and Quest Atlantis aren’t considered games in the traditional sense, but there’s never been any doubt about Minecraft! With more than eight million registered users worldwide, Minecraft is one of the most popular diversions for young people ever. How to effectively use the environment for education remained elusive until the recent introduction of MinecraftEdu, a “mod” (modification, or version) created exclusively for schools by programmers working directly with the Minecraft staff.

MinecraftEdu offers all the benefits (including the fun!) while allowing a teacher to maintain control via an intuitive server interface. MinecraftEdu is often jokingly referred to as “Second Life Lite,” because it offers younger students the ability to easily create elaborate structures while focusing on the design versus the mechanics. It’s also easier to “start from cyberscratch” because different maps (actually called “seeds”) are available to provide different environmental factors, such as a mountainous or wintery landscape. Kids as young as kindergartners can create their own virtual environments, then take their teachers (and parents) on tours of their creations. Peterson Schools has a campus-‐wide license to use MinecraftEdu so there will be no software costs involved. It’ll just be a matter of installing the program on different local area network servers and computer lab PCs.

How successful has game-‐ based learning been at Peterson Schools so far? Some student quotations should provide some perspective:

10th Grade Computer Workshop: “Many people think that games are useless. They certainly don't know that games put our minds in action every second. There are lots of things to learn from games. Games are not just the future of entertainment, they're also the future of learning.” -‐-‐ Joaquin Berarducci “As technology develops, we open the doors to a new dimension. In each stage of our development, computer games make our lives easier. They are what will make the new world of tomorrow.” -‐-‐ Melyssa Montes

11th Grade ITGS Class: “ITGS is my favorite class. You are your own teacher, you are responsible for your own learning process, and that's what education should be all about. Students have the right

to have a fun class once in a while. With ITGS, you actually learn and have fun at the same time!” -‐-‐ Diego Figueroa “Being able to combine what happens on the Internet with the real world through art, and that way create a learning environment, is one of the most innovative and effective methods I've seen, because it connects the student with the lesson through something he's interested in. This is education's way to say ‘Welcome to the 21st century.’” -‐-‐ Ilan Eichner

Peterson Schools is just getting started with game-‐based learning. Our progress will be covered via the website and other venues, so stay tuned. More coming soon! [This article originally appeared in Peterson Schools Magazine. Reprinted with permission. Peterson Schools is a private K-‐12 institution with more than 2,000 students at four campuses around Mexico City. David is the Technology Integration Specialist for the organization.]

The Virtual Pioneers have completed another . . . It Was A Very Good Year! amazing year in their quest to provide By Spiff Whitfield (sl), Andrew Wheelock (RL) anyone interested in history and culture a way to explore and learn in Second Life. Our group has gone through a variety of cosmetic changes over the years, but we have consistently stayed true to our mission.

Virtual Pioneers

2012

This year brought change on several fronts. One of our most successful upgrades for this year was the creation of a more dynamic webpage for our members to keep track of our events and happenings. We have tried several variations of website, but the Weebly site is the easiest and most manageable. Please check us out at http://virtualpioneers.weebly.com for all of our news and updates. Another happy change for this year was our new location. As you may have known, we moved our headquarters from the University of Maine’s Black Bear Island to Eduislands 9. A special thanks to the University of Maine for offering us their space. They were kind and gracious hosts. They were going to downsize their islands and we would have been homeless were it not for Eduislands offering us a parcel on Eduislands 9. Fleet Goldenberg, http://www.sambiglyon.org/ has been a wonderful supporter and promoter of our efforts and uses. His work with Eduislands has been one of true collaboration and bonhamie. We are so grateful for his quick action to find us a comfortable location with adjoining parcel of ISTE’s SIGVE space. We have found that it has created a true fellowship of like-‐minded educators that can easily work from one region to another to share and collaborate. With our new website for sharing and an educationally viable location, we went about our business of arranging tours, having presentations, and enjoying some light hearted discussion for our bi-‐weekly Meet and Greet sections.

See below for our year in review of locations and topics. Please visit these locations to see and learn more. Serena Offcourse has been an amazing scheduler for us and has done an incredible job of providing tours that are timely and unique. Big thanks to Serena! -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ January 29th We began our year at the lovely Victorian home of Virtual Pioneer, TwelfthNight to discuss our recent conference, what worked and what didn't work -‐ gathering ideas for next year. We put on our best Victorian clothes and chatted over a cup of tea. Twelfth has been a wonderful member who contributes and walks the walk when it comes to virtual environment work and play. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ February 12th -‐ Nodaway The Nodaway sim celebrates the people, places, and connections of one family and community. Using photographs, diaries, and local newspaper accounts, this sim tells the story of this family in a small Missouri town from the 1890s through the 1950s. Ashbrook Llewellyn was our tour guide and gave us a thought provoking evening. February 26th -‐ Peru http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-‐Fnb5OSVbGo Amparo Delvalle lead us on a tour of Machu Picchu, a real-‐life reproduction of the ancient ruins of the Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu, a rigorous simulation of a 60% real Citadel, built as part of the University San martin de Porres of Perú. We learned 84

about the history, origin and use of one of the world's archaeological wonders. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ March 11th -‐ St Patrick's Day Tour This tour led us to the beauty and wonder of Ireland in 1712! Located in the Ocean Realms sims, DUBLIN and IRELAND offers urban and country locales including the historic Brazen Head pub, the Abbey Ruins, Dunseverick Castle, the Standing Stones, and a Gypsy Camp! A fun tour had by all. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ March 25th -‐ Empyreal Dreams~The Art Anthology Virtual Pioneer, Cyrus Hush, gave us a tour of Empyreal Dreams~The Art Anthology. This is ultimately going to be twelve builds commemorating famous works of literature. They are up to five... Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Coleridge), The Bluebell (Bronte), The Raven (Poe) Les Miserables (Hugo) and the newest addition -‐-‐Owl and the Pussycat (Lear). Cyrus is a first class tour guide and didn’t disappoint with this tour!

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ May 6th -‐ Principato di Melioria, Villa Vesuviana Lady Sere Timeless invited us to Principato di Melioria, Villa Vesuviana. This is an interpretation of Palladio’s Villa Rotonda that has inspired more architecture than any other single building in history. We visited this role-‐play of a fictional Italian Court in 1780 south of Napoli. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ May 20th -‐ Afghanistan Virtual Museum This museum provides a fully interactive and immersive experience to learn more about the history, culture, art and people of Afghanistan. This museum is rich in information, images, and more. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ June 3rd -‐ Welcome to Greece Mariposa Melodee lives in Greece in RL and in SL. She shared a bit of her country's history, culture, and beauty. Starting with the Acropolis, then to Plaka, and then to Athens -‐ we visited the Presidential House, Monument of Unknown Soldier, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, and a Greek Orthodox Church. We ended at the beautiful Aegean Sea. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

June 17th -‐ Buona Pesca Archipelago Cesta Franizzi led us on a tour of Buona Pesca Archipelago. These beautiful Medieval Realms and Role-‐plays are surrounded by open sailable waters covering twenty-‐seven adjoining regions. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ July 1st -‐ Colorado North Join Downy (Downunder Snoodle) for a tour of this Authentic 1869 Wild West Role-‐play based in Western Colorado. We visited several replica builds including The Mahany House, one of the "five oldest buildings" in Georgetown, Colorado, built during the silver rush. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ July 15th -‐ Victorian Summer Party (With some modern modifications..) This was a great gathering where we had some fun and fellowship all wearing Victorian Era Swimsuits. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ July 29th -‐ Flying Tigers in SL Jessii Warrhol-‐Giano, Guarocuya Giano and the FLYING TIGERS (the largest aviation group in SL) provided an amazing tour of their sim. This venue is host to a replica of the WW2 Memorial in DC and The History of Aviation Aircraft Museum. Our tour included a WW2 themed aerial combat. This group was inspired by the efforts of the original Flying Tigers, they fly to honor all veterans and are dedicated to pursuing camaraderie, goodwill, cooperation and harmony within the SL aviation community. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ August 12th -‐ Adventure in Dominica TwelfthNight again guided us to the island Antiquity Dominica. Highlights of the tour included: The Cabrits Garrison, Fort Shirley and the many natural highlights of this

beautiful island. We also visited The Pirate's Lair -‐ Hideout for the Pirates of Antiquity. Dominica has a long legacy of piracy over the years. It was also the location for several of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ August 26th -‐ Second Life Photography Tips Ansel Artful is an instructor at Builders Brewery who has spent many hours developing his excellent understanding of photography in both RL and SL. In this introduction he shared some tips to improve your ability to take great pictures while on Virtual Pioneer Tours. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ September 9th -‐ 1920 Chicago Starla Moorlord (starla.huntress) was our host for this sim based on the 1920's in the City of Chicago. This Roaring 20's style sim is the home of gangsters and dolls. We were even treated to a Gangster hit job! Oh the clean fun of role-‐play and history sims.

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ September 23rd -‐ Photohunt at Mont Saint Michel This was a Self Guided Tour and Photohunt at Mont Saint Michel -‐ a rocky tidal island in Normandy, France. It is located approximately a half a mile off the country's northwestern coast. This island has held strategic fortifications since ancient times. Since the 8th century AD it has been the seat of the monastery from which it gets its name. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ November 4th -‐ O'Hare's Gap 5:30 pm SLT Willy and Meg Sandalwood shared their Rural Irish Village of O'Hara's Gap. It is 1939 and the war between the Axis powers and the British is on. Strategic positions were needed to observe British shipping and the Axis powers know that much of the convoy activity to and from England must pass through the narrow gap between North Ireland and Scotland. This sleepy little Irish Village provides a good staging point to watch this activity. The Blarney Castle and Blarney Stone could be seen and kissed!

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ November 18th -‐ Tour of London Village

Darkling Leechfinger (leechfinger) provided for us a tour of London Village. This fun filled place is one part London, and one part English fandom. There are some famous landmarks such as the Tower Bridge, London Eye, and the BT Tower. In addition, there are tributes to English shows Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Who. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ December 2nd -‐ Ancient Alexandria Cleopatra VII of the Ptolemies (pharaohcleopatra, was our guide of Alexandria, an ancient world role playing sim, set around 35 BCE, at the time of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Alexandria, Egypt was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE. At this time, Alexandria was the most beautiful, wealthiest, and most educated city on the planet. Highlights of this tour included the Palace, the Market, an Arena, a Hippodrome, a Bedouin camp, a Roman Fortress, and a temple.

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ December 9th -‐ PRESENTATION +++ The Renaissance Hunt +++ Hunt organizer, Perryn Peterson, discussed the second Renaissance-‐ themed Grid-‐Wide hunt. He offered some "Hunt Tips' for new hunters and answered questions. This exciting SL event had Renaissance and Medieval gifts to find hidden in over 100 participating shops. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ December 16th -‐VP Winter Event +++Historical Costume Party+++ Our last event brought us together again for some fun mingling skating, and snowball throwing. Good clean entertainment.

As you can see, the Virtual Pioneers like to learn, share, and collaborate in a variety of settings. 2013 is underway and we already have some great sims planned, like a return to Harlem 1920, and Medieval Dee. Please look for us inworld or follow our Weebly site. Spiff Be sure to check out our flickr group site to see pictures of our events!

Achieving Fiero Moments in Collegial Learning & Gaming Communities By Rosie O’Brien Vojtek (rl), Roxie Neiro (sl) Bob Vojtek (rl), BJ Gearbox (sl) Motivation is a funny thing – what motivates one person or group of people may not work for the next person or group. But from our research and experiences (Vojtek& Vojtek, 2009, Corwin Press) we have learned that the more the following ten strategies are embedded within the culture of a school or classroom, a virtual community like ISTE SIGVE in Second Life, or a guild in WoW for example, the more likely the group is going to be able to work together collegially, and the more likely they will be to achieve what we call optimal performance and what the gaming community calls a Fiero Moment. We define optimal performance as the state in which individuals within the school community are enthralled in complex, job-‐embedded educational work and learning experiences that serve a greater purpose, have a clear and specific focus, provide knowledge and feedback about the results of educator effort, intrinsically captivate educator attention, are balanced between the challenge of the activity and the knowledge and skill of the individual, and clearly make a difference in helping all students achieve personalized and collective learning goals (Vojtek & Vojtek, 2009, p. 30). Optimal Performance is what Csikszentmihalyi calls “Flow,” what Maslow calls “Self-‐Actualization,” what runners call, “The Zone,” and what gamers call “Fiero Moments.” So, what are the characteristics that must be met to achieve Optimal Performance or a Fiero Moment? We list them as the following. The People/Players: • Are actively engaged/enthralled in complex, job-‐embedded or

•

• • • •

•

game-‐embedded/immersed learning or work. Are engaged in work that serves a greater purpose or a greater good (e.g., working collaboratively in WoW to survive and help each other or on a school goal to ensure students achieve statewide assessment goals). Know and can articulate the clear and specific focus and goal. Are provided with specific and immediate feedback about the results of their efforts and actions. Are intrinsically captivated by the mission and work they are doing. Have the knowledge and skills necessary to complete the task or activity and the knowledge and skills they possess are balanced against the complexity of the task, so that the task/activity is neither too difficult nor too easy. Realize that what they are doing is making a difference in helping them to achieve their personal or collective goals.

Game developers “get it!” They understand that if they are going to enthrall and captivate their players, they need to embed the above characteristics of optimal performance into their games. For example, as players acquire the knowledge and skills they need to achieve their goals, they experience success – a Feiro Moment, and thus move on to the next level. We do not do this enough in real life! Especially in the classroom when we are teaching our students. Maybe that is why it is so difficult for us, as educators, to build and sustain the momentum (enthusiasm and enthrallment) of games; or as administrators, to build a collegial learning community with educators that is able to achieve the optimal levels of performance described above; or as learners, experience those potential real life Fiero (ah-‐ha, got it, can do) moments in the classroom! But, what if we could? What if we could structure these Optimal Performance/Fiero Moment principles into the important work we do, everyday, whether it be in the: virtual environments; the gaming environments; the work we do with teachers, colleagues, and peers as a collegial learning community; or by engaging students in the daily classroom curricula?

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There are 10 highly effective, essential strategies that teachers and administrators can use to motivate and inspire students, teachers, or members of their WoW guild, to build collegial learning communities and help them achieve optimal performance. It doesn’t matter whether you use these in your classroom with students, with the teachers in your school, with your colleagues to build an inworld group, or with your guild in WoW. The 10 essential strategies are the same and are just as effective in all of these environments. The more you are able to embed them into your culture and make them the norm (norm goes without saying – it is just the way you operate), the more likely you are to create those Fiero Moments in real life and in virtual worlds and games. The 10 strategies are (in no order, except for number one, which is the same as Maslow’s survival skills): 1. Quality of Life – Everyone within the group must have their basic life skills and needs met. In Second Life for example, until an avatar learns how to move, has the appropriate dress, understands the culture, etc., they have not achieved a quality of life that helps them sustain their involvement in the virtual world. Often people pop into second life and quit because they do not feel comfortable (achieve the quality of life) that sustains their participation. This is why ISTE SIGVE has spent so much time nurturing newcomers. 2. Mission – People need to know, understand and be able to articulate the important work (i.e., goals, actions, and desired results) they wish to achieve. Mission is that morally compelling, important work that the individual or the group is pursuing. Everything that the person/group is doing is important to furthering that mission. 3. Communication – There must be a shared vocabulary and clearly established definitions. There must be clarity in purpose and channels for dialogue among members. Information must be open, honest, and transparent. People must be on the same page with the same information. 4. Relationships – Relationship matter! People need people! We love when Barbara Streisand sings, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.” Cultivate, nurture, and build

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those relationships! Together, we can! 5. Accountability – Make sure that when you develop the goals, action plans, and result indicators that everyone of the stakeholders has input and is listened to. Take time to build consensus around what is important and what you are going to do about it. This creates ownership in the task. Then, and most importantly, make sure everyone holds themselves and each other in the group responsible and accountable for accomplishing the mission and goals. 6. Competence and Capacity – Not only do individuals need to increase their own knowledge and skills (competences), but also, they need to share that knowledge and skills with the rest of the group to build the collective capacity of ALL. 7. Autonomy – Make sure that everyone knows and understands the clearly identified and articulated boundaries (including rules) and then grants each other the freedom and authority to make informed decisions. As in games like WoW, sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, people need to be granted the ability to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, do some research, revise, and try again. This is what it takes for successful gamers to move on to the next level. This is what it takes for successful schools to improve. 8. Empowerment – Even though we think we can, in games and in real life, none of us can do it all! It is important that we delegate the responsibility, distribute the leadership, grant the authority, and allow others to do the work. Then we get out of the way! Make sure people have the competence and self-‐confidence they need, and then, when they do, empower them to do the work, and watch what they become! 9. Positive Interdependence – None of us are as smart as all of us. It takes all of us, working together, to achieve our goals. We are a team . . . we win or lose, sink or swim, and we are all in this TOGETHER! To survive, to be successful, we need each other! We are a community. We are a family. We are a guild. We are one! We must make sure there is “UNITY” in the “COMMUNITY.” 10. Results – Getting results means achieving the individual or groups’ morally compelling mission and goals. Goals must be kept realistic, attainable, and measurable. Be sure to celebrate the little accomplishments along the way. When you don’t get the results

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you were looking for, step back, take a deep breath, investigate and analyzing what happened – what went wrong, and then, have the courage to try it again. And, when you do achieve success (that Fiero Moment), celebrate! After celebrating, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on to the next level (in the game or in the complexity of your work) and in the words of Jerry Garcia “Keep on Truckin’” The best of games incorporate the above 10 strategies for building collegial communities to engage and enthrall their players. Educators in WoW and other online games will tell you that these are all elements that keep them coming back, day after day (and in the case of WoW) night after night to PLAY! Like game developers, our job thus becomes embedding these elements into the work we do in virtual environments, social media, online learning, and daily classroom face-‐to-‐face learning. The more these 10 strategies are embedded within our schools’ cultures and classrooms every single day, the more likely educators and students will be to achieve optimal performance – those FIERO Moments!

[For more information, see “Motivate! Inspire! Lead! 10 Strategies for Building Collegial Learning Communities” by RoseAnne O’Brien Vojtek and Robert J. Vojtek, 2009, Corwin Press].

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Hello Everyone, As Nan Zingrone says in her article , Maggie Larimore and Me, “It’s all about the people!” VEJ wouldn’t be VEJ without all of you, our readers and contributors. Therefore, we are excited to present the 2013 Reader’s Choice Award Winners! CONGRATULATIONS to all of the VEJ nominees and Reader’s Choice Award Winners! What a night of celebration we had at the ISTE Preconference Extravaganza in Second Life. If you missed the awards ceremony you can watch it at http://www.livestream.com/sigve . Also be sure to check out the pictures @ http://www.flickr.com/groups/sigve/ . Thanks to everyone who has been sharing their pictures of the fun event. Each issue of VEJ gets better and better. We are especially excited by this cover of VEJ with the 2013 Edovator of the Year, Kae Novak, featured. You can find the rest of the 2013 Reader’s Choice Award winners inside this issue. We are also excited by the quality of articles, from “The Holodeck,” the first of a three part series, to an interview with high school student, Kristen Leary, to “Digital Storytelling Through Documentaries” and much more in-between. You can find information about VWBPE 2013 as well as ISTE 2013. And for all of our Minecraft and World of Warcraft fans, we have some great articles for you, too. Dana Paxson’s article will take you to the cutting edge of digital story-telling possibilities. Be sure to check out his machinima, “SL Jeddin Laval Underground City Tour” @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnBHoBrAGpw . He is rebuilding in Kitely as I write this, so venture into the world of Kitely and check it out! When ISTE educators think of digital storytelling, they immediately think of Bernajean Porter. I had a wonderful time meeting up with her avatar, Bernajena Pinazzo (SL) to interview her and find out what exciting things she is doing in Second Life. In this interview she clearly defines digital storytelling and shares numerous resources with our readers – a must read! So, grab your favorite drink (virtual or real), settle down in your favorite corner of the world/metaverse, and get ready to a VEJ! This issue is sure to be a BEST SELLER. Make sure to TWEET, blog, and spread the news around the world and across the metaverse that this latest issue of VEJ is HOT OFF THE PRESS and once again will take our readers OUT OF THIS WORLD! Bon Appetit, and as always, Keep Smiling  Roxie Neiro (sl), Rosie Vojtek (rl)

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VEJ

Vol. 3 Issue 1

Virtual Education Journal

In This Issue 1. EPIC Leadership @ ISTE13 = Fiero Moments! 2. Are You Ready For A Third Life? 3. An Interview With Bernajena Pinazzo(aka) Bernajean Porter 4. The Book Transformed: What reading means Now 5. Getting to the New Underground City 6. Kitely Market: A New Place To Sell Your Content 7. Avatars Don’t Steal Souls 8. Book Review: Digital Storytelling In The Classroom 9. From The Traditional To The Technological: Digital Storytelling - Documentaries 10.A Discussion of Virtual Worlds In Education 11.Maggie Larimore and Me – A Tale of Immersive Professional Development and Play 12.Cloud Party: The Intersection of Virtual Worlds and Mainstream Social Networks 13.The Holodeck: Mixed Reality Teaching and Learning Environment 14.Getting Ready for Minecraft Open House with SIGVE and the Games MOOC 15.The Summer 2013 Games MOOC 16.A Student’s View of Virtual World Software: Interview with Kristin Leary 17.How The World of Warcraft Can Be Used To Teach & Learn Personal Finance 18.Kicking Off AvaCon Inc. 2013: Metaverse Cultural Series 19.Digital Storytelling: The Old Is New Again 20.Second Life: A Virtual Playground 21.Dress Up the VWBPE in 2013 22.What’s Happening to Virtual Worlds? 23.The Use of the 21st Century Program Uru To Raise Test Scores 24.Continuing The Story of Uru in Schools 25.Reflections of a Student 26.Creating “User Imagined Content” Through Virtual Environments 27.Virtual Worlds Burning 28.The Story of the VSTE Index of Educational Sims 29.Regarding Online Education 30.The Recipe of Storytelling: Step 1 of 3 31.An ISTE SIG For Assessment and Analytics? 32.Our First Learning and Teaching Experience with Second Life 33. CONGRATULATIONS! 2013 Reader’s Choice Award Winners! 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 VEJ is published by Edovation 3

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EPIC LEADERSHIP @ ISTE13 = Fiero Moments! By Roxie Neiro Although there will be many EPIC moments at ISTE13, those of us at the Epic Leadership: Beyond the Hype of Gamefication session will say that this one will go down in the history books. Not just because later in the evening Jane McGonigal addressed a record-breaking crowd at an ISTE Keynote and broke another record for massively multi-player thumb wrestling, But, because most, if not all of us in the room, were, should I say . . . a little star struck when, after solving the mystery, the Paladin (aka) Jane McGonigal, entered the room for a special Q & A session. There had been some Fiero moments earlier during the session. For some of us, it was meeting our second life friends in real life. For others it was building the tallest structure to hold a marshmallow. But, for me, it was asking Jane McGonigal for all of our VEJ readers if she would show us what a Fiero moment looks like for her and to describe her greatest Fiero moment. Jane graciously allowed us to record her describing her greatest Fiero moment. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Thank you Jane! Watch Jane McGonigal on Fiero Moments on @livestream: http://new.livestream.com/accounts/2859027/event s/2202320

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An Interview With Bernajena Pinazzo (SL), aka Bernajean Porter By Roxie Neiro (SL), Rosie Vojtek (RL) It is difficult to have a conversation about Digital Storytelling without someone mentioning Bernajean Porter or Bernajena Pinazzo and her work with digital storytelling. On numerous occasions, I (Rosie Vojtek) have sat in the audience of her packed sessions at ISTE conferences like a sponge, soaking up everything I can from Bernajean to take back to the teachers at my school. Likewise, Roxie Neiro has also had the opportunity to learn from Bernajena Pinazzo in second life(SL). It was so much fun the other night interviewing her

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and seeing some of the SL builds she and others are creating to tell their stories in a virtual world. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to have been able to bring this interview with Bernajena Pinazzo/Bernajean Porter to the June 2013 issue of VEJ. Bernajean Porter (RL) is a digital storytelling consultant and author of “DigiTales: The Art of Telling Digital Stories” and “Evaluating DigitalProducts.” She is also a member of the ISTE Special Interest Group for Digital Storytelling (ISTE SIGDS). I know you are going to enjoy this interview along with the numerous resources from Bernajean/Bernajena you can share with your colleagues and use with your students. Roxie: Hi Bernajena! I am going to begin by asking you to introduce yourself in real life (rl), second life (sl), and any other virtual worlds you are working/playing in, and anything else you would like us to know about you. Bernajena: In RL I am Bernajean Porter, digital educator - AKA writer, speech and debate coach, media maker, futurist, master of survival techniques when working with adolescents, professional speaker, teacher of teachers, long-term geekess, promoter of anything that increases joy, spirit and outrageous possibilities in all aspects of life for kids and adults and now. . . a digital storytelling guide and virtual educator. I am also known as Bernajena Pinazzo in Second Life. You can see some of my work, learn more, or contact me at the following: www.DigiTales.us http://digitales.us/resources/bjps-books-articles http://i-imagine.wikispaces.com/ http://bernajean.wikispaces.com/ Bernajean@DigiTales.us (email)

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Roxie: How did you get interested in digital storytelling, and especially the art of telling digital stories, thus “DigiTales”? Bernajena: Long, long ago and still today . . . I fell into the magic and possibilities of technology for creating learning spaces that unleash potential in our youth. So the journey began . . . working as Senior Technology Consultant for Colorado Department of Ed while learning what it takes to get schools change hardy and inspired to embrace technology effectively. While leading audits for technology’s impact on learning, it came time to design a set of tools for assessing media products as evidence of learning. Unfortunately, so many media products were superficial and lacked craftsmanship. My own experience with digital storytelling at the Center for Digital StoryTelling with Joe Lambert created a mindchanging, lifechanging awakening. Thus began “DigiTales: the Art of Digital StoryTelling.” My book became an avenue for teachers to have a personal artistic “writer’s workshop” in learning skills and processes to effectively guide their own students in media-making. What I didn’t realize until looking back was how the power of “story” had long been prominent in my own life since my early days on the family farm. A perfect harmony of passion and skills was born. [My first digital story – a cow story @ http://www.digitales.us/content/da-um-jeitinho ] Roxie: I love it! What a GREAT example of a personal narrative. How do you define digital storytelling?

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Bernajena: [See “The Art of Digital Storytelling” at http://goo.gl/xos8H ] Many techno enthusiasts use the term storytelling for ANY media product – but there is an art to storytelling that drives the impact and influence power. Digital storytelling blends the traditional oral storytelling with new mediums of images, sound, music and the digitized storytelling voice. The rigor of good storytelling uses the traditional StoryARC regardless of the medium used to express it. IF the story is missing – then no amount of tech tools will be able to make it shine. [See Story Arc image and more information about the definition of digital storytelling and the Take Six Elements at http://digitalstorytelling.iste.wikispaces.net/Definitions ] Roxie: I would like to mention to, that our readers should check out the webinar on effective storytelling that is part of a series of webinars being done by ISTE SIGDS at http://iste.adobeconnect.com/p59ouobwj96/ for a great presentation on this topic.

Roxie: What are the elements of effective digital storytelling?

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Bernajena: While ALL modes of communication should be practiced and celebrated, digital storytelling has unique elements distinguishing it from other forms of multimedia stories that are used to unfold the traditional StoryARC. These elements are summarized as “Take Six: Elements of Good StoryTelling.” Using as many of these Take Six Elements as possible in any other digital stories certainly increases the quality of student work for all multimedia modes of communication. For example, “Showing- not Telling” is a quality long expected in good writing pieces and now teachers will find this same element will also create exceptionally good multimedia products as well. However, two specific elements are considered especially essential for good storytelling: Living in the Story and Unfolding Lessons Learned. If either of these two elements is missing, you are likely viewing a great multimedia product but not storytelling. Ironically I also find these same two elements the trickiest to coach in an author’s narrative. Understanding the unique differences between modes helps teachers to coach students in mastering many specific modes of communication.

This tent is one the kids put up for me to meet them inworld for storytelling circles and story jams --

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Roxie: As you know, in schools today we are all about the new common core standards and assessment. How does digital storytelling engage students in the skills needed to successfully achieve these new Common Core Standards and effectively apply the skills from the ISTE NETS? Bernajena: All ISTE NETS along with 21st Century Skills are practiced in creating this singular digital storytelling product. The time engaged in creating these media products deliver a multitude of results even before they connect with specific content knowledge. Roxie: How do teachers actively engage students in authentic and rigorous writing tasks that help them become knowledge producers across curricula and cultures? Bernajena: It’s a process that begins with a story prompt and walks students through story-making steps. Good storytelling of any kind is about good writing, which involves about 40-50% of the project time. There are also steps for media making like writing that ensures that each stage produces excellent work before leaping into the technology tools. The StoryARC along with Take Six Elements are used to guide first storytelling narrative drafts as well as being a focused checklist for personal reflections, teacher conferences, and critical friend reviews. No hostile takeovers allowed – the student should be guided by their own intrinsic sense of storymaking NOT taking dictation from their teacher – this is how voice is lost – please the adult in charge. Roxie: What are the current technologies that best support the creation of digital storytelling? Bernajena: They all do -- very creative styles are emerging! But as long as the StoryARC and Take Six Elements are engaged – any tool will serve! There are no such things as digital storytelling tools that work best . . . I do expect audio and images to dance together. Roxie: That being said, what are some of your favorite digital resources and software tools? Bernajena: There are tools for each of the storymaking process that can be engaged – citation makers, word processors, Internet, mind maps, story starters,

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etc. for Preproduction, and Image-editors and Audio-editing for Production. Finally the creativity of the final tool used to ‘mix’ the media together is needed. My new medium besides getting ready to build another 3D story world [in SL] is silent movies as an art form. Roxie: That sounds like a lot of fun! Bernajena: Yes, I think so, too. Here are my ipad APPS for Storytelling – but they could equally be used for multimedia making as well. http://storykeepers.wikispaces.com/iPad+StoryTelling+APPS Roxie: On your Digitales website http://www.digitales.us/storykeepersgallery you list several different styles of digital stories in your StoryKeepers Gallery. Would you please describe the characteristics of some of them and share urls to some of your favorite digital stories from each of these different styles.

Visit Bernajeana @ http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Seminole Island 10/96/184/23

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Bernajena: This is its own article – many of these styles are based on TYPES of Communication – aka the purpose of the communication. Digital Storytelling has many purposes so if it is PSA – then it needs to serve that purpose. Roxie: [Laughing] I think I see another article for our next issue of VEJ on the horizon! I hope you will write that article for us so we can continue this conversation. But, I am really interested in the I-imagine project. Please tell us what the I-imagine project is and how you got started with this project? Bernajena: “I-imagine: Taking My Place in the World” is applied storytelling based on research that engages students in identifying their gifts – awakening the dreamer and believer that their talents matter to the world. Students create a docudrama AS IF they are living 20 years in the future – shining their light for good in the world. The process honors and inspires students to own their path in reaching their BEST lives. [See “I-imagine Opens Up a World of Possibilities for Students” by Julie Jaeger and Bernajean Porter, Learning and Leading with Technology (June/July 2013) for article at http://digitales.us/resources/bjpsbooks-articles] My favorite part is asking students to have their older selves give advice to their younger self as wisdom in having a BEST life! Roxie: Our readers are going to want to check out the I-imagine article you just mentioned along with http://digitales.us/storykeepers-gallery/i-imagine to learn more about your successes as well as lessons learned from your work with teachers and students. You have a lot of wonderful resources posted that you are sharing with educators, so thank you for all of them. Changing the subject a little bit, my next question is, have you created digital stories in second life or other virtual worlds or helped students created digital stories? If so, what strategies or techniques worked well when building the 3D worlds to illustrate the stories being told? Bernajena: First of all, readers are going to want to check out the article, “Digital Storytelling in Second Life” that I wrote for ISTE’s May 2010 Learning & Leading With Technology. The StoryARC and Take Six: Elements for Good Storytelling can guide ANY medium including 3D worlds to build successful interactive storytelling. No storyline – no storyboard – no playing in second life. I have noticed that many projects build a museum-like space based on a book – like Anne Frank’s hiding place. But that doesn’t create a storyARC or emotionally

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engage an avatar. So a 3D storyworld [See “Digital Storytelling in Second Life” article] unfolds a storyline like a choose-your-own-adventure story exploring the experience from first person – the avatar. One of my favorite surprises was finally finding a purpose for dioramas – the kids used them to create 3D storyboards. The students conducted a methodical process of prototyping their design by observing what free-spirited avatars would do in their space– how the visitors would explore the build – and their emotional experience. Did they get the message – the lesson learned! [You can read all of the articles Bernajena is talking about at http://digitales.us/resources/bjps-books-articles ]

Bernajena shows Roxie the Seminole Island Build.

Ramapo Frost Theater was closed down and presently being reconstructed to open in one week. Here is a SLURL hosted by Seminole County Schools via Diane Lewis. This SLURL is landing spot sharing teleports for Ramapo, Fires of Genocide and MacBeth – the best of the best storyworlds in SL. @ http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Seminole%20Island%2010/84/96/24

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Check this out! Visit Seminole Island 10 (127, 189, 28)

Roxie: What advice do you have for people who are using storyboards to create Machinima stories or other digital stories? Bernajena: Use them â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no storyboards â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no technology time! All media even comic books need a storyline AND storyboard. Storyboards translate between words and media assigning the jobs of each media choices to have purpose in the story. [This is a whole article itself and a half-day workshop.] Roxie: I love talking with you. You have so much knowledge to share with our readers and me! I could talk with you for days and still only begin to scratch the surface with what you know! As we walk around and look at the world you, Diane Lewis, Peggy Sheehy, the students and others have create, I am so amazed at the work!

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Bernajena: Have you seen this before? Roxie Neiro: No Bernajena: In front is my storytelling palace ShaheraZade - behind is Storykeepers Gardens and Ramapo. Roxie: This is very pretty! Bernajena: Not quite done -- but almost - the floating student voices still need installed - there are five scenes to the story following the story ARC. [Note: At the time of this interview Bernajena and others were still working on this build. It is now finished and ready for viewers.] Bernajena Pinazzo: I'll let you read the signs -- also each of the gardens will feature video of student created projects for storytelling. I will follow you. We also have a student created video in each room - should get those installed tonight. Bernajena: The entrance has Robert Frost real voice reading his poem the road not traveled. All images in halls are students in Ramapo. Roxie: This is soooo cool! Bernajena: So there are five scenes: the hall; the bathroom; the cafĂŠ; and then the two choices at end. Every story has a lesson learned - per Pixlr - you don't create the middle until you have created the ending - that drives all the stuff you put in the middle-- it is the whole point! Roxie: Wow! I can't wait to come back and hear the voices when this project is finished!

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Bernajena: Get ready for goose bumps! Roxie: I will! Bernajena: The cafe has surveys - data on eating disorders PLUS . . . a video of a girl working hard not to eat. We have had a few people with eating disorders that said kids really caught the story! Roxie: I can see why! And I haven't heard the words yet! Very moving! Bernajena: Thanks â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The students have an opportunity to express something real and meaningful through Frost' poem. We have the students coming in after reconstruction to ensure we got the build sorted out THEIR way -Roxie: [Laughing] I am sure it is very important that you get it right!

Bernajena: This is where you need visitors need to make a choice. The outcome is different based on what you choose.

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Roxie: Are those working now? I don't hear or see anything yet.

Bernajena: We have a few more links to add - along with placemats for surveys right. The voices and videos go in tonight or tomorrow. We have been reconstructing this. It got tossed to pieces when it was moved. The rebuild will let us bundle it all up with full perms to rez and be portable. Did you get to the grave yard YET? Roxie: Yes. [See picture below.] Bernajena: We're not happy with the swirling mist looking for another one now lost the original somewhere. The crypt will have the video for this scene.

Roxie: It is still creepy! If nothing else - it should give anyone who sees it a jolt of reality!

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Roxie: [Looking at pictures in the backstage area above]Oh, look, some of my favorite people are on the wall! Bernajena: Here is the youtube URL for their celebration video - great back story about Rebecca who does the voice over for the group. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUUJsp5ljgY So many builds are museums of story settings. Roxie: Right. This is so much more! I love the voice of the student reading on the video! Bernajena: Yes - it is my FAV - the kids said this during an audience interview of them at ISTE when we presented - the kids were inworld - and they were asked this question - I held my breath and then . . . I was so proud! Roxie: How could you not be? Bernajena: [blushing] Yes, really proud of the kids and proud that my scoring guides for media making could assess quality with a medium that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even invented yet. As you can tell, this project is dear to my heart because of the kids. Their focus is on creating a real story, not just a SL building fun time.

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Roxie: Amazing work! I would encourage all of our readers to visit this build and live the stories. As you say, they will get goosebumps! It is so real – the story takes on a life of its own! What future plans do you have for working in Second Life? Bernajena: My plate is pretty full - I am presently designing five online global courses, American Bombay OnLine Academy, for International Teachers – culminating in a Certificate ~ “The Art of MultiMedia Communication and Digital StoryTelling.” Your many questions, which so many have, are introduced, practiced and applied with students during their learning journey. It is lots of fun to work with teachers from so many countries. The first course – is rigor – creativity by itself is NOT rigor. Big BFO – blinding flash of the obvious, eh? You can learn more about this project at http://www.asbacademy.org/courses_pl_courses.asp?name=8 Roxie: Sounds like you are going to be busy! What a great opportunity. Bernajena: Yes. I also hope to make a big splash back into second life with story circles and mini workshops for people interested in digital storytelling using all mediums including second life -- so hope to see you in SL too sometime! Right now I am focusing on my storytelling palace is officially reopening this June - which will include the Ramapo Frost 3D StoryWorld created by Peggy Sheehy's middle school students -- sharing a post card with the NEW SLURL's for ShaheraZade and the launching spot for 3D StoryWorlds that includes Ramapo. There are also four StoryKeepers Gardens hosting student creating digital storytelling -- here is direct SLURL to both Ramapo and the four StoryKeepers gardens: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Seminole%20Island%209/5/119/23 (Seminole) Roxie: I would encourage everyone to visit these areas! Bernajena: Yes, I am so excited. I am also working with Diane Lewis [Seminole County]. Diane's District Ed Tech Facilitators will be creating another build this next fall -- and her kids are building them in their private sim as well. My project job is to ensure a strong storyline - collaborative skills for decision making PLUS

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building diorama storyboards -- after that I have to get out of the way of their imaginations! HAH! Roxie: [laughing] This is probably the most important part – let the magic happen! Bernajena: You may find this interesting. Diane is also working on a MineCraft project with her students. Students are creating and presenting their projects soon. You can see how they blend the RL and VE in this Machinima trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKUcENbPDJ4&feature=youtu.be Diane has also been leading a k-5 curriculum online that merges online with immersive environments [Quest Atlantis / MineCraft] Roxie: After walking around Seminole Island and seeing the student and teacher work, I am curious, what is it that effective storytellers do to tell their stories in a digital world? Specifically, what do they pay attention to so the technology does not overwhelm the story in a razzle-dazzle way, but instead is used in subtle ways to effectively communicate and enhance the story? Bernajena: Students who have created a strong storyline that touches their hearts – that expresses their own story have less desire to decorate their media product. They care that their media choices are unfolding their story rather than for technology fun. Roxie: How do teachers help students “find their voice” and share their stories? Bernajena: It begins with a story prompt – and then conducting a writer’s workshop environment that invites students to find their own story – feel safe in being real – and are celebrated for their journey.

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Roxie: You are so right! It is very important to help students, actually any writer, feel safe and supported when they share their work. I guess teachers need to be aware of that when they evaluate student work as well. What do you suggest â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when teachers are evaluating digital products, how should they score student work? What is a quality digital story or product? Bernajena: Media Products need to be scored by their purpose or TYPE of Communication as well as Craftsmanship. [See scoring guides URL @ http://www.digitales.us/evaluating-projects/scoring-guides] Bernajena opens her SecondLife StoryTelling Palace- SheheraZade

Roxie: What are some of the best strategies you have found for helping others transform their use of technology to add value and purpose to their work â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not simply adapt or retrofit their work to a technological mode? Bernajena: Having Driving Questions, demanding meaning making FIRST! No summary reports!

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Roxie: For educators who want to start having students create digital stories, what tips or tricks do you have for them? That is, the things you know now that you wished you would have known when you first got started? Bernajena: This I know --- teachers way underestimate the pre-production stage where the thinking and writing are deliberate in creating worthy content. No amount of bells and whistles can ever lift up superficial stories or storytelling! And if storyboards are skipped because of the hassle or student lack of interest – you will get a diminished product where the technology becomes the main character. Storytelling is an artistic expression that lets others FEEL and connect – thinking of digital storytelling as tech tools diminishes the message and loses the power of influence. Roxie: Absolutely! I hate to “sit and get” when someone is using PowerPoint for that very reason. It takes so long for the words to fly in – all the animation drives me crazy! Often there is so much glitz that audiences lose their focus and the message is lost! It is the same with digital stories. When you look out on the horizon, what do you think is the future of digital storytelling? What changes do you see on the horizon based on new tools, technologies, or techniques? Bernajena: The mediums and opportunities to express ourselves are ever changing – but the basics of storytelling still create the power. Jason Ohler and I will be experimenting with a Choose-Your-Own StoryTelling Quest using Augmented Reality [QR Codes on Steroids] for ISTE 2014. Roxie: I cant wait!!!!! What has been your greatest success with digital storytelling? That one defining moment or project – something either you did or someone else produced?

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Bernajena: So many many stories – heart chakras open – a community spirit fills the room – as tears of humanity flow while each of us celebrates the applause moment of sharing our stories. I know my own moment of finding that my story and the title to my digital story turned out to be my mission statement on my business cards. Or, kids in New Orleans discover lessons learned from Katrina that bring tears to their parents and grandparents hearts soothing some the pain left in their lives from the hurricane - @ http://www.digitales.us/content/tears-change One student, who stubbornly wouldn’t write for two days – leaving a blank page. After our conference – his teacher made me go back because he wouldn’t quite writing and had five pages. They wanted me to tell him to stop, stop, stop. Another storyteller wanted to honor her brother murdered in a fire. She found her lesson learned to be, “this is the last day I tell his sad story – he was more than this moment – from now on I will tell ONLY stories that celebrate his loving living life.” I did a special birthday present for a friend turning 60 – the oldest of nine in his family. I had secretly interviewed his mother – build a story called mom loved me best. By the time his birthday arrived she had had a stroke and couldn’t really speak anymore. Her closing interview words “ David is my first born – and will always be my beloved” – every story created in my camps has power – unleashed in the world. Something very uplifting happens when a person young or old finds a story that needs to be told. It nourishes the spirit – and celebrates the individual. Every one of my DigiTales’ Storytelling Camps leaves the entire group knowing the magic and inner happiness that emerges from their labor . . . they become StoryKeepers sending their digital stories far and wide to reach others they may never meet. Roxie: Is there anything else you would like us to know or that you would like to share with our readers? Bernajena: Make multimedia products – but if you want to create storytelling – remember it is an art form – one that carries power beyond the digital tools to share our humanity!

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Roxie: Thank you so much for taking the time to show me around Seminole Island and to talk with me about the important work you and others are doing in virtual environments and other digital media to help students tell their stories. I also want to thank you for posting all of the resources you mentioned in this interview on your digitales website so readers can easily find them at http://digitales.us/resources/bjps-books-articles . I look forward to seeing you at ISTE 2013 and following your work in the coming years. Most of all, I am looking forward to having your write articles on some of the topics we briefly touched upon in future editions of VEJ. Thanks again, Bernajean/Bernajena! I would also like to encourage all of our readers to check out the ISTE Special Interest Group for Digital Storytelling (SIGDS) at http://digitalstorytelling.iste.wikispaces.net/ , sessions and activities sponsored by ISTE SIGDS at ISTE 2013 in San Antonio.

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Roxie and BJ (aka) Rosie and Bob Vojtek, invited me to tell my story for the Virtual Education Journal. I suppose my journey in Virtual Worlds is relatively typical. Four years ago, after a period of dwindling research grants and dwindling editorial work, while I held a faculty appointment in a controversial research unit at the University of Virginia, I began to look for online teaching jobs. I was motivated by the beauty and grace of Charlottesville, Virginia, the town I was living in. I just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to leave it, and because the pickings were sparse in the Charlottesville area, I decided to try my hand at teaching online. I have a PhD in psychology from the University of Edinburgh, and an MsEd in higher education with a teaching specialty in psychology from Northern Illinois University, plus a 20+ year career in survey research and publishing, so I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think there would be a problem. First I ignored the fact that there was a gap of almost twenty years between my face-to-face teaching days and when I started the search. Second I ignored the fact that the only time I had actually been involved with online teaching was an odd but extremely enjoyable sort-of online course in the 1990s. A fruitless search over many, many months finally netted me a pivotal and oh-so-very kind-hearted email from a secretary at Capella University who counseled me that my lack of online teaching training and recent online teaching experience guaranteed that my CV got tossed in the first culling for the jobs on offer. So basically nobody got past that lack of online experience to my research credentials, ancient teaching training and experience or my obvious

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enthusiasm to learn teaching whatever system my prospective employees might be using. It was a very kindly phrased wake-up call and it energized me to retrain. I started to browse around the Internet, looking for free or low cost online teaching education. In my search I happened to chance upon the International Society for Technology in Education and its ISTE Eduverse lecture series. Although I’d played Civilization and SimCity for lots of years, the idea of making an avatar and getting so personally into an interactive virtual world scared the heck out of me. Even more terrorizing was the idea of having to find my way to a virtual auditorium and actually talk to other avatars. Like lots of Noobs I also worried that my avatar would be stuck somewhere when I was off-line, a testament to my lack of experience with the environment. So I decided, the heck with it, and watched a couple of the Eduverse lectures as recordings: they are still available on the ISTE website, by the way, and well worth watching. Inspired by the lectures, I got both an ISTE and VSTE membership and attended as many free webinars as were offered from both organizations. The more I read and the more I saw, though, it seemed that my reticence to take the Second Life plunge was getting in the way of an especially fruitful resource for PD, not to mention denying me what looked like a great community of teachers from whom I could learn. Finally, after rewatching the ISTE Second Life introductory video for probably the 30th time, I took a deep breath, leapt into Second Life and became that Girl Next Door in her really sad pink polka dot dress. Maggie Larimore 1.0 You remember her: She walked like a duck, banged into furniture, and when she finally managed to find ISTE island and the auditorium where the next live Eduverse lecture was being held, she hovered over a second row seat until somebody messaged her grumpily and said “Oh for heaven’s sake, right click on the chair and pick “sit here”

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from the menu. And do it quickly, please.” Sigh … After a week of hovering around ISTE Island, I ventured out to the then Star Trek Museum Island where I met another online teaching hopeful in front of the Intro Videos You Tube viewer. (We’re still friends and online teaching pals but in real life now.) That moment was transformative: my friend Trixie gave me a landmark for a hair store and a shoe store, and from there I got brave enough to use the Destination Guide. That led me to the wonderful Red Rock Mesa where I bought my Navaho dress. A trip back to the Star Trek Museum Island netted me a bead necklace and two bead bracelets. Denoobification on the horizon! Heading back to my second live Eduverse lecture, I realized when I got to ISTE island that while I knew how to find a corner to put on the new stuff, I didn’t actually know how to take off the old stuff. (Yes, I’m the one who dropped the pink polka dot skirt that littered the walkway to the ISTE HQ for a while and I’m the one who attended at least one lecture with two sets of hair on my head.) Maggie 2.0 It is four years later now and I credit ISTE and VSTE, their respective lecture series and events, and most especially the leaders and members of the ISTE Social committees for expanding my online horizons significantly. Not only was I honored by and educated through the willingness of seasoned K-20 teachers to talk about their interests, their techniques, their hopes and their dreams, but I was also grateful for the specific advice I got that helped me land the online education administration job I held for most of the last three years. There have been two other main sources of my free and low-cost training. I also learned a lot from Dr. Nellie Deutsch through her Moodle for Teachers training courses on the IT4ALL site (Integrating Technology for Active Lifelong Learners, at www.integrating-technology.org) as well as her webinars and those of other online teaching mavens presented on the social

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media/teacher support platform, www.WizIQ.com. I’m active now in all three and enjoying the opportunity for mash-up. Nellie’s boundless enthusiasm for all kinds of technology in education, including virtual worlds, helped me stay focused on using SL to express what I was learning. Being able to film webinars on my subject matter area on www.WizIQ.com and then embed the links in url givers in SL in my learning center has been an added bonus. Meeting colleagues in IT4ALL or on WizIQ with whom I’ve begun to collaborate on SL projects, well, you can see where this is going: a very happy combination of ISTE, VSTE, SL, IT4ALL and WizIQ has greatly enriched my teaching/learning life.

My husband and I giving our first talk at an Alliance Libraries event in Second Life in 2010 In Second Life, with help from some fantastic people – Scott Merrick, Andy Wheelock, Chris Collins and most especially Marie Booz, Rosie and Bob Vojtek and a host of people whose real life names I don’t know such as Serena Offcourse, Thunder Isippo, and Blu Heron — I have gone from my clunky “Girl Next Door” self to a well-coifed and maybe too well-clothed landlady, installation builder, manager of the Education Village in the Chilbo Community on the Mainland, collaborator in the Virtual Praxis Conference

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with Praxislady Witt and Ellie Brewster, and of course, an active ISTE social committee member.

Some of the fellas at last year’s ISTE Social, The Medieval Maypole and Market, on ISTE Island One of the things I find the most useful and the most enjoyable about virtual worlds is that they are great places to learn by watching and doing. Most of my virtual world skills came directly from ISTE and VSTE activities. Marie Booz’ great make-and-take VSTE activities and Blu Heron’s ISTE building workshops gave me the skills to accomplish my big ideas. Those big ideas, in turn, were inspired by Esme Qunhua’s ISTE Sunday morning tours and Cyrus Hush’s Expedition Central weekend evening tours that introduced me to great library, university and teaching installations. Everything I saw just made me more eager to set up something of my own for my field in general, and for my colleagues and I and our institutions, in particular. My husband and 30-year research partner, Carlos Alvarado (aka Rodolfo Mirabella in SL), got involved for a while — he’s also a PhD from Edinburgh, also an online educator, also a researcher and is still attached to the University of Virginia. Carlos turned out to be a great explorer, dance partner and landscape artist. Between us we built a great home site, a nature park, a zoo with a freebie store, a Dinosaur Park, a library and a learning center. I added a Puerto Rican café to that collection of stuff as a present for him a year or so ago. (He’s from San Juan, Puerto Rico originally.)

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Rodolfo and I in his Nature Park back when I didn’t know how to change the graphics More recently we’ve had to downsize our tier in Second Life, combining the Dino Park with the Zoo and it’s freebie store, squashing the library into the learning center, and letting everything else go except the Puerto Rican café and our long-time tenant plots. I am still playing an active role in preserving the amenities of the Chilbo Community where we “live” in Second Life. Through that commitment, I manage the Education Resource Center, the library and some other spots with SL friends, Praxislady Witt and through her, Ellie Brewster, and am working on rebuilding Chris Collin’s (aka Fleep Tuque) Connectivism Reading Room with my fellow IT4ALL Moodler, Telmea Story (educator Glen Gatlin in real life). I have ventured out to Inworldz, Blue Mars, Reaction Grid and some OpenSim worlds, but I stick closest to Second Life because that’s where my friends are, and that’s where ISTE SIGVE is. In the fall I’ll be combining my interests to help facilitate a WizIQ/IT4ALL MOOC on virtual worlds with some in-SL projects. And, of course, I keep my hand in with the ISTE SIGVE social committee as well. Over the four years that I’ve been interested in virtual education, I’ve learned that virtual worlds are still the best place to set up passive education

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builds – theme parks, museums, sims that recreate historical sites like VSTE’s Jamestown installation. But they are also the best place to set up active educational sites like Second Life’s Instituto de Español. I’ve been taking Spanish inworld since September of 2009, inspired by an ISTE lecture on language learning in immersive worlds way back then. I have been blessed to have worked all this time with Martha Eugenia Lino Acosta, aka Eugenia Calderon. I started as a person timidly learning how to string enough nouns, verbs and articles together to speak a single simple sentence. After visiting role playing sims, SL Macchu Pichu, writing essays, watching classic Mexican movies, building “Day of the Dead” altars, attending lectures, dances, and art gallery openings on the Instituto’s sim, not to mention hours upon hours of inworld classes, I’m getting to where fluency is in sight. I’ve had an immense amount of fun in the process.

The recent pajama party on the ISTE SIGVE HQ on Eduislands 9 that Serena Offcourse and Maggie Larimore hosted In these four years, I’ve been inspired by universities and schools and individual teachers who came to Second Life with a plan, the way Russ Bronson (aka Wilson Voight, the owner of the Instituto) and Martha did. I’m so appreciative of educators whose inworld efforts produce educational

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Maggie Larimore 3.0 in Eugenia Calderon’s Instituto de Español classroom experiences difficult to reproduce in real life. Where else can you sit in a “real” space, learning in real time with folks who are at their computers in the south of France, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest US, and south of Mexico City? The connection in a virtual world classroom is so vibrant, so front-andcenter as an experience, so much more powerful than an asynchronous LMS or even an a great webinar with a truly international audience. I’ve also learned that just constructing an inspiring build, a perfect replica or even a wild interpretation of a real life educational institution does not a successful immersive virtual environment make. You need the people! Teachers and students! Learners and friends! Just as the folks from the Instituto came into Second Life with a purpose, just as the ISTE and VSTE contingents know exactly what they want to accomplish whether it is in Second Life or Unity or Reaction Grid or a Kitely World, you’ve got to have a purpose when you’re inworld or you will fold. The purpose can be as simple

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as learning from people who are just like you. Or it can be expanding your free PD by attending an inworld lecture series, enjoying a regular meet-up with fellow travelers from your online ed tech class, or holding your first inworld class in an installation you built. Or the purpose can just be relaxing with colleagues, blowing off some educational steam at a sock hop with your friends. There’s an axion I’ve heard over and over again from ISTE/VSTE, WizIQ and IT4ALL pals and mentors: if you pick a virtual world in which to teach or learn, do it because you’ve found the best technology to fit your particular goal. So true! So that’s the story of Maggie and me. I’m heading back inworld to ride my Dino. See you there!

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A Studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s View of Virtual World Software By Dae Miami (aka) William Schmachtenberg

An interview with Kristen Leary, a graduating senior at Franklin County High School in Rocky Mount, VA.

Kristen has used Uru, second life, and built in Unity 3d. Kristen took my Earth Science class as a Freshman, and was my VPS (Voluntary Public Service) student as a senior. Dae Miami(sl) = Dr. William Schmachtenberg (rl) MansFisherman(sl)= Kristen Leary (rl).

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Dae Miami: Did you like using Uru software as a Freshman? MansFisherman: Yes! Uru was a fun and great new way to learn the materials taught in class. It also allowed us to do some really cool stuff such as talking to students from Sweden in Skype and then we worked with Mrs. Hellberg, a teacher in Sweden, in Uru. Dae Miami: Do you think it helped you learn Earth Science? MansFisherman: Yes, it helped. We had Uru projected on an lcd projector and we were able to navigate around a virtual volcano with a wireless keyboard. We answered questions on a worksheet while we navigated in Uru both individually and as a class. It helped the students in the class to work together to answer questions. It was an interesting way to learn. Dae Miami: Do you think Unity 3d can be helpful for teachers and students? MansFisherman: Of course!! It is fantastic software and super easy to use and create in! Dae Miami: Did you like building in Unity 3d? MansFisherman: Yes I loved it! In Uru it was very hard to texture an object and build, but when I started Unity I learned how to build in minutes. It was so simple. When I built my first world it took me a week (one and a half hours for 5 days)to create an underwater world with a submarine and GUI(pop up) questions. With the click of a button you can create anything from beautiful mountains to deep-sea trenches. Dae Miami: Tell us more about the Oceanography world you built, please. MansFisherman: Unity is fantastic software to build in. I started out my world with just a flat plain and I used the terrain tool to create my sea floor features. I then used the particles to create cool effects such as smoke and flames for the volcano. All I had to do to get them is drag them into the scene and Boom they work. [NOTE: If you want to see Kristenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ocean world, it is available at: http://www.evwllc.co/oceans/WebPlayer.html. ]

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Dae Miami: The yellow submarine in your ocean world was very cool. Can you tell us how you made it?

MansFisherman: I used modeling software called 3ds max 7 to create my submarine. I started with primitive spheres and cones and manipulated them into the shape of a submarine. Honestly I only built the Submarine because I live The Beatles!! ď &#x160; After I built it and hooked it all together I imported it into Unity. Then I created yellow texture using Paint and imported the texture into Unity. I put that color on my sub and boom Yellow Submarine! After that we animated it. ď &#x160; Dae Miami: What do you like about second life? MansFisherman: CLOTHING AND PETS!!!!! Next question. ;) Dae Miami: How do you think it could be used in education? MansFisherman: Second Life has a great advantage because you can build in world, and because of this you can be really creative. Also, Second Life has a huge community for collaboration and networking. Because of these creating an educational world would be easy and fun for students involved. I think it would best be used for college-aged students to collaborate online and possibly have online classes. If a world or sim were created where students could go to learn, like a virtual online school, students could learn in a whole new way and work together with other students to answer questions online in a school setting.

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A Studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s View of Virtual World Software By Dae Miami (aka) William Schmachtenberg

An interview with Kristen Leary, a graduating senior at Franklin County High School in Rocky Mount, VA.

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Dae Miami: The yellow submarine in your ocean world was very cool. Can you tell us how you made it?

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Kicking Off AvaCon Inc. 2013 Metaverse Cultural Series! By Roxie Neiro

The first in the #MCS13 series took place on May 11, 2013, on the SpotON3D grid. The presentation feature Armchair Author/host Adele Ward who interviewed author, Patricia Averbach, whose debut novel “Painting Bridges” was released recently. Patricia workshopped this novel in +Second Life, so virtual worlds have played an important part in her success as a writer. This was my first visit to SPOTON3D and I was very impressed with the Theater. As you can see there were many people who enjoyed the presentation. I want to personally thank Patricia Averbach for sending me a copy of her book, “Painting Bridges.” I was one of several people who put my name in the drawing and won a book! Kudos to Patricia on her debut novel! Be sure to check it out. Also, be sure to visit SpotON3D. You will want to make sure to visit the Theater in the Italian Village on the SpotON3D grid at http://3Durl.com/map/spoton3d/Italian%20Village/48/33/26 . Here are two pictures from the first Metaverse Cultural Series event.

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The Metaverse Cultural Series 2013 is a set of events featuring performances and lectures that highlight unique aspects of metaverse culture, taking place in multiple virtual world spaces. The series showcases innovative artists, thinkers, performers, and academics whose work is on the forefront of exploring what it means to work, play, and live in the emerging metaverse. For information about future events, visit http://www.avacon.org/blog/events/metaverse-cultural-series/ .

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Digital Storytelling: The Old is New Again By Sara Armstrong, PhD saarmst@telis.org

I will tell you something about stories, [he said] They aren’t just entertainment. Don’t be fooled. They are all we have, you see, all we have to fight off illness and death. You don’t have anything if you don’t have the stories…. --from “Ceremony” in Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

“Once upon a time….” and any number of other story beginnings make us want to sit and listen to stories of people and creatures who learn lessons or go on quests or discover truths in the long ago time, or yesterday, today, or tomorrow. As far as we know, we are the primary storytelling creatures on this planet. Indeed, we are hardwired for stories. Stories are how we relate to each other and make meaning of our world. Stories are how we learn and show our understanding. Stories are how we talk with each other and make connections with new acquaintances and renew bonds with old friends and family. For a time now, there has been interest in and excitement about “digital storytelling.” Early on, Joe Lambert and Dana Atchley developed seminal examples, which, as becomes obvious in the Center for Digital Storytelling’s workshops, where stories include the storyteller’s voice over a story mediated by the computer, as well as images and/or video, music and/or other sounds, transitions, and other elements. Created on a computer, the end product can be shown to one or many. Technology makes it possible. (Visit

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http://www.storycenter.org for more information and digital story examples.) A number of years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Eliza Jones, an Athabascan elder in the Alaskan village of Koyukuk. Eliza is a storyteller, and we talked about what is gained and what is lost by adding technology to traditional oral storytelling. In a person-to-person situation, the storyteller can adjust her story to the audience, add or subtract details, lengthen or shorten the telling—in short, the storyteller co-creates the story with her audience for maximum effect. However, the audience is usually a somewhat small number, making the event limited in scope. With technology—video or audio taping the story and making it available via the Internet or on CD or DVD, for example—many more people can hear and learn from the story, but it is immutable. Of course, a new version employing technology could improve on the original Eliza Jones digital story, just as a subsequent performance by a storyteller could incorporate elements of a previous person-to-person telling. Today’s students are, for the most part, knowledgeable about and interested in technology tools. We want to encourage the use of these tools in thoughtful and meaningful ways. Helping students create digital stories to show their learning—whether as a final product in project-based learning, or as a creative expression in the arts—can enhance teaching and learning for all of us. Happily, there are many people who have thought about this process and offer ideas, information, and help.

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One unique project, Knights of Knowledge http://knights-of-knowledge.com/ poses interesting questions for projects through short videos that begin a story and ask a question to encourage students to do their own research and thinking. Rushton Hurley, who has created and made available a video library by and for students and teachers www.nextvista.org suggests that we start with having students view a wide range of videos produced by others before they begin creating their own. The discussions that came out of this viewing experience are invaluable. At the MY HERO website www.myhero.com children and adults from around the world have been contributing hero stories in the form of text, video, and art for over 15 years. At the site, high school teacher Jerrilyn Jacobs shares her lesson: “Film Analysis Using the MY HERO Film Collection: Identifying Genre, Techniques, and Message,” in which students work in small groups to view films from a variety of genres at the MY HERO site, discuss what they see, and share their opinions with the class. Other resources include a series of lessons by Wendy Millette, Director of MY HERO’s Media Arts Education Program, that highlight the differences between narrative shorts, experimental shorts, documentary shorts, and animated shorts. We want to be careful, however, to make sure we’re not asking students to make digital stories just because we can. As always, the meaningful and effective use of technology tools dictates when and how we use them. Successful digital stories include emotional content and make clear why the story is important to the teller—why they are moved to tell the story in this way at this time. For the Center for Digital Storytelling folks, this includes the storyteller’s own voice. Many students (and adults) don’t like the sound of their own voice when they hear it recorded and played back. Joe Lambert says,

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“Get over it. Your voice is yours alone and shows that you are alive on the planet.” Most important - The story itself is the most important element of the digital presentation. We can talk about stories in many ways. For example, they have a beginning, middle, and end. However, important stories are more than that. Storyteller Elizabeth Ellis repeats an example. She says, “I can tell you ‘the queen died and the king died’ and it’s a story with a beginning, middle, and end, but it doesn’t mean much. However, if I say, ‘the queen died, and the king died of a broken heart’ something quite different has taken place and is being communicated.” Jason Ohler and Brett Dillingham clarify the concept in a slightly different way.

We still expect a beginning, middle—in which things happen and changes occur—and an ending. However, thinking in terms of the problem that is presented and its solution focuses on the unfolding of the story. The challenge is to get the listener/reader/viewer to care about the path the narrator took to confront the problem and reach the solution. When we ask students to develop a digital story around their learning, the most compelling digital stories make an emotional connection between storyteller and audience. It may be that the storyteller reveals what was important to him or her in terms of the subject area, or an “aha” moment that occurred during the research or synthesis of understanding the content.

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Obviously, this kind of approach goes beyond mastering how images are inserted into a story, or what transitions are chosen. To promote success in attaining 21st Century skills such as creativity, curiosity, communication, and even collaboration, digital storymaking has a place in the curriculum. With the advent of the common core standards and the Next Generation Science Standards, being able to show understanding and knowledge in a variety of ways is more important than ever. And when students delve deeply into subject matter and make it their own, their ability to retain understanding is enhanced. Being able to tell a good story about their learning provides all kinds of benefits. Technology tools provide us a means to “make the old new” in interesting ways, as long as we don’t lose sight of the purposes for storytelling, honor our own voice, and respect the audience—and the story. Additional information can be found at: Websites: Center for Digital Storytelling: http://www.storycenter.org Knights of Knowledge: http://knights-of-knowledge.com/ The MY HERO Project: http://www.myhero.com; see also Media Arts Education: http://myhero.com/go/films/mediaarts.asp Next Vista for Learning: http://www.nextvista.org/ Raven’s Story: Eliza Jones: http://jukebox.uaf.edu/RavenStory/htm/ej.htm Books: Ellis, Elizabeth. From Plot to Narrative, Parkhurst Brothers Publishers, Inc., 2012. Gottschall, Jonathan. The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.

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Haven, Kendall. Story Proof: The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story, Libraries Unlimited, 2007. Lambert, Joe. Digital Storytelling: Capturing Lives, Creating Community 4th edition, Routledge, 2013. Ohler, Jason. Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Learning, Literacy, and Creativity 2nd edition, Corwin Press, 2013. Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony, Penguin Books, 2006. Organizations: ISTE Special Interest Group: Digital Storytelling SIGDS, http://www.iste.org/connect/special-interest-groups/sigds or http://digitalstorytelling.iste.wikispaces.net/ National Storytelling Network, http://www.storynet.org

Be sure to check out the interesting butterfly of film strips from Rushton Hurley, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Flights of Creativityâ&#x20AC;? at www.nextvista.org .

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Regarding Online Education By Matt Poole (RL), Cyrus Hush (SL)

In recent years, the growth rate for online degree programs has soundly surpassed that of “brick-and-mortar” institutions. Traditional universities have understandably regarded this trend with a certain amount of trepidation. A few traditional educators have even decried the online academic environment as being cold and impersonal; even symptomatic of a “dumbing down” of the educational system. Aficionados might be inclined to defend the online educational environment by pointing out the convenience and flexibility of online classes for working adults, as well as the need to maximize educational efficiencies in the face of ongoing budgetary cutbacks.

Both sides of this debate may be missing the larger point, however. The suggestion that online classes have to be qualitatively inferior to traditional classes in any way is simply not true. Arguments against the value of an online education might include accusations that educators and students never meet face-to-face, that the intellectual dynamics of classroom discussion and debate are missing and that subtle cues of interpersonal communication cannot be expressed in an online environment. Such statements rely on assumptions, however, and the assumptions may not be valid or may not be valid anymore. Indeed, given the speed at which the Web is evolving, any limitations to Web-based learning that might still exist could disappear tomorrow.

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For many educators, assumptions or misconceptions about online courses probably stem from memories of correspondence courses wherein a student received a package of readings and assignments through the mail. Once completed, the student would mail it back to an instructor for a grade. While convenient, this model was not only impersonal but made it very difficult to receive timely feedback on an assignment. However, if a given online class is destined to be merely a high-tech vision of the venerable correspondence course, it is not going to be because of a technological limitation but rather because of a limitation of vision on the part of educators.

Online education is (and always has been) going through a transition. In many cases the expectations of traditional educators and the general public are rooted in memories of earlier models of distance education, or in their own general anxieties about the online environment. However, these expectations may not be shared by their students, who may have different experiential frameworks entirely. Modern Millennials have had the opportunity to grow up in an environment of video games, video-chat, texting, email, social networks and other technologies. Educators of another generation may have adopted these technologies, either reluctantly or joyously, but they may not have had the opportunity to learn as children how to be Web natives. To many of our students, however, the idea of online collaboration seems neither sterile nor impersonal but already a necessary part of their lives.

Apple Inc. recently launched a new series of textbooks available through their iTunes outlet. As with many of their other products, they took an innovative approach. Rather than first creating the printed text and then making a static digital copy, Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovation was to start from scratch and

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to leverage the full capabilities of e-book technology for each title, delivering dynamic and interactive multi-media resources that a traditional textbook, for all its tactile charm, could not be expected to match. To achieve its fullest potential, online education has to develop the same way and be built from the ground up to maximize the student experience with media-rich content, constant “check-ins” from instructors and mentors, and lots of collaborative, interactive group projects to challenge the students’ critical thinking skills.

Today, you can take a virtual tour of great museums with Google Art Project. You can dive out of the sky and explore any point on the planet with Google Earth. You can have a face-to-face conversation with anyone in the world using Skype and a webcam. You can have lively group meetings using webinars. You can network with friends and colleagues using socialnetworking sites. You can enter a virtual world as an avatar and simulate a classroom environment, complete with an avatar-instructor and other avatarstudents. All of this is possible right now.

Much like a piece of chalk, online education is just a tool in the hands of an educator. It can be used effectively or ineffectively, appropriately or inappropriately. It can be used at the wrong times or for the wrong reasons. However, the challenge and the responsibility for achieving learning objectives lie not in the chalk, but in the hand wielding it. A given online class might not be as good as a given traditional class… or it might be just as good… or it might be far superior. The keys for success are design, implementation and, as with all things, effective communication.

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CONGRATULATIONS! 2013 Reader’s Choice Award Winners! By Roxie Neiro and BJ Gearbox (aka) Rosie Vojtek and Bob Vojtek On Sunday June 16, 2013 we were very excited to announce the 2013 VEJ Reader’s Choice Award Winners and unveil the cover of this issue of VEJ at the ISTE SIGVE Pre-Conference Extravaganza in Second Life. As you can see from few pictures on the following pages and at the flickr website http://www.flickr.com/groups/sigve/ – WHAT A PARTY! If you missed the red carpet and the awards show you can watch the livestream at http://www.livestream.com/sigve/video?clipId=pla_0647a1e0d87c-4cbf-9c55-00266068ae20

Roxie Neiro Interviews Dai Miami on the red carpet.

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A special thanks to all of our readers and contributors. We appreciate all of you – your help and support with writing articles, your willingness to share what you are doing and what you are learning in virtual environments – whether it is in Jokaydia, Kitely, Minecraft, SpotON3D, 3rd Rock, World of Warcraft, Second Life, and many other opensims. VEJ would not be VEJ – out of this world, without all of you helping to make it that way. A huge thanks to all of our readers who not only are devouring every morsel, but also are tweeting, posting, talking, and sharing

Roxie Neiro Interviews Fleet Gold the articles and the journal with others. Please keep up the great work and help us spread the joy of learning found in every issue of VEJ around the world and across the metaverse! This past year, VEJ has gone international! It has been fun to watch the statistics each week to see who is reading VEJ. So, thank you for reading VEJ

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and even more, thank you for sharing the important work we are all doing in virtual environments. We would also like to thank Bluebarker Lowtide and Serena Offcourse for transforming ISTE SIGVE into this beautiful theater for the Pre-conference Extravaganza ceremony. A big thanks also goes to Serena Offcourse for taking pictures, Spiff Whitfield for being our Master of Ceremonies today, and Front Range for graciously hosting the Lightning Productions Stevie Nicks Tribute Band Concert at 4:00 pm slt today! Thank you all!

Several weeks ago our VEJ readers nominated their favorites – from favorite sim to favorite place to hang, to favorite places to shop – and everything in-between. We took those nominations and opened up the voting for one week. We can tell you that one of the hottest contested categories was the “Favorite Educational Gaming Guild” – but, like all of the VEJ Reader’s Choice Categories,

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everyone nominated is a winner! What you do is important, and every one of our nominees and winners should celebrate their accomplishments, their learning, and their achievements. This also marks the first year for VEJ to honor an individual that epitomizes the traits of a teaching and learning not tethered to a classroom. An Edovator is an innovative and creative individual who is the quintessential educator transforming the field of education and making a difference in the lives of those touched by their work. This first VEJ Edovator of the Year is Kae Novak.

Congratulations again to our nominees and winners. May we present the winners! [drum roll]

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The 2013 VEJ Reader’s Choice Award Winners Front Range Favorite Educational Sim Reader’s Choice Awards Jokaydia Favorite New Virtual World Reader’s Choice Awards Caledeonia – Steampunk Favorite Theme Build Reader’s Choice Awards Games MOOC Best Virtual Learning Activity Reader’s Choice Awards Woodsong Zapatero Favorite Musician Reader’s Choice Awards

World of Warcraft Favorite Virtual World/Game Reader’s Choice Awards Caledon Kintyre Best Architectural Design Reader’s Choice Awards Inevitable Betrayal Guild Favorite Educational Gaming Guild Reader’s Choice Awards Inevitable Instructor Playlist Favorite Machinima Reader’s Choice Awards World of Warcraft Auction House Favorite Place To Shop Reader’s Choice Awards

#gamemooc http://gridjumper.net Communication Hub Best Virtual Blog Reader’s Choice Reader’s Choice Awards Awards Front Range Favorite Museum or Education Build Reader’s Choice Awards

“Game On: Interview with Kavon Zenovka” Favorite VEJ Article Reader’s Choice Awards

World of Warcraft Favorite Online 3D Virtual Game Reader’s Choice Awards Shaomai’s House of Fashion Couture Favorite SL Fashion Designer Reader’s Choice Awards

World of Warcraft Favorite Virtual World Environment Reader’s Choice Awards Inevitable Betrayal Guild Favorite Place to “Hang” Reader’s Choice Awards

Kavon Zenovka Avatar Mentor of the Year Reader’s Choice Awards Got Game? Let’s Play! Favorite VEJ Issue Reader’s Choice Awards

Games MOOC Educational Event 2012 Reader’s Choice Awards Kae Novak Edovator of the Year

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www.virtualeducationjournal.com

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