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
As you can imagine, when we received our beautiful new Google Glass as part of the Explorer Program, we were eager to see if we could access its sensors and drive our avatar’s head movement (caveat: Google Ventures is one of our investors)…. We had previously created an Android app that grabbed all the phone’s sensor data and sent it over UDP to a configurable port. Imagine holding your phone and being able to twist and move your avatar’s hand. Kinda like turning any phone (with sensors) into a Wii controller. Low
and behold when we plugged our Glass in and tried to run the Android app from our IDE, Glass showed up as a device and it “just worked”. We could not edit the fields in the GUI on Glass but we could see from the log that it was transmitting the data.
Sim capacity and rendering…
A new kind of cloud. We're building a coordination system enabling millions of people to contribute their devices and share them to simulate the virtual world. If we can successfully build this collective cloud, we think we can enable audience sizes for shared experiences that are orders of magnitude larger than what is possible today. Imagine contributing your computer to a project like SETI, but instead having it simulate part of the virtual world, and earning virtual world currency in exchange for helping to power the grid.
Latency…
We believe that if the latency between avatars (the time between when you do or say something and when others see or hear it) can be kept very brief, magic will happen We think richly rendered avatars capturing head movements, eye movements, and body language offer much more compelling person-to-person interaction possibilities than the poorly-lit, awkwardly-framed facsimiles of ourselves we share through videoconferencing today
Realism…
Voxels. We're making a strategic bet that rich computer rendering is heading there. Imagine an experience with cubes of many different sizes, with the ability to scale them down to a seamless molecular fabric. Now imagine these building blocks manifesting complex physical properties…. Finally, imagine that world extending visibly to vanishing points like our world does today, enabling you to see your house, your neighborhood, distant mountains, and other planets in the sky. We believe computing power and network transmission speeds are evolving to make such a world possible, represented by a sparse voxel octree data structure.
TheotherphenomenonisalsoadivergencefromSecondLife;gamedevelopment coursesatthehighschoollevel.InConnecticut,whereIlive,thestatedepartmentof educationtechnologyeducationgroupisofferingasummercoursetoinstructteacherson whattheyneedtoknowtodevelopacourseon3Dgamedesign.Thecoursefocuseson usingUnity3D.ItseemsUnity3Disbecominganessentialtoolinteaching3Dgamedesign atthesecondarylevel.ThereisevenaUnity3DStudentwebsite,byWillGoldstone,author of Unity 3.x Game Development Essentials. Icanonlyimaginewhatfantasticgameshighschoolstudentsmightcreate,basedupon someofthe3DmodelsIhaveseensecondarystudentscreate.
Ican’tbegintotellyouhowexcitedIamtohavebeenabletobringthis interviewwithBernajenaPinazzo/BernajeanPortertotheJune2013issueof VEJ. BernajeanPorter(RL)isadigitalstorytellingconsultantandauthorof “DigiTales: The Art of Telling Digital Stories”and“Evaluating DigitalProducts.” SheisalsoamemberoftheISTESpecialInterestGroupforDigitalStorytelling (ISTESIGDS).Iknowyouaregoingtoenjoythisinterviewalongwiththe numerousresourcesfromBernajean/Bernajenayoucansharewithyour colleaguesandusewithyourstudents.
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:
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 ]
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 ]
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bernajena: There are tools for each of the storymaking process that can be engaged – citation makers, word processors, Internet, mind maps, story starters,
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: Thatsoundslikealotoffun!
Bernajena: Yes,Ithinkso,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
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.
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, LearningandLeadingwith 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!
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& LeadingWithTechnology. 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
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! [YoucanreadallofthearticlesBernajenais talkingaboutat http://digitales.us/resources/bjps-books-articles]
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
Bernajena shows Roxie the Seminole Island Build.
Check this out! Visit Seminole Island 10 (127, 189, 28)
Bernajena: Use them – no storyboards – 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.]
Bernajena: In front is my storytelling palace ShaheraZade - behind is Storykeepers Gardens and Ramapo.
Roxie:Thisisverypretty!
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 thetimeofthisinterviewBernajenaandotherswerestillworkingonthis build.Itisnowfinishedandreadyforviewers.]
BernajenaPinazzo: 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:Thisissoooocool!
Bernajena: So there are five scenes: the hall; the bathroom; the café; 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!
Bernajena: Thanks – 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
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.[Seepicture below.]
Bernajena: We're not happy with the swirling mistlooking for another one nowlost the original somewhere. The crypt will have the video for this scene.
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.
Bernajena:[blushing] Yes, really proud of the kids and proud that my scoring guides for media making could assess quality with a medium that wasn’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.
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
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:Iwouldencourageeveryonetovisittheseareas!
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
building diorama storyboards after that I have to get out of the way of their imaginations! HAH!
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]
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.
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.
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
Bernajena: Having Driving Questions, demanding meaning making FIRST! No summary reports!
Roxie: For educatorswho wanttostart having studentscreate digitalstories, whattipsor tricksdoyou haveforthem? Thatis,the thingsyouknownowthatyouwishedyouwouldhaveknownwhenyoufirst gotstarted?
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.
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.
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.
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!
After about a decade of writing my fiction the way I wanted to write it, I had something new. After another decade and a great deal of labor, research, rewrite, and experimentation, I can see what a book can be. It's nothing like anything I've seen before.
Call it a Book. A flash drive holding the author's content is the Book's guts. Make it pretty, make it big or small, make it useful or ornamental - it's still a physical object. You can hold it, carry it around, own it. You could make it look like an ordinary book on the outside if you wanted to do that. You could even make a book with a USB cable to all the content that isn't printed, or with a flash drive built into its spine. The cover could even be an iPad or an Android pad. Then you jack it in.
With a screen, a digital projector, or a pair of smart glasses, the Book comes to life. Its text looks as you'd expect of a book today, but it leads in different directions according to reader choices, and unique or unusual usages are all backed up by links or tips that appear as needed. Illustrations abound, whether as images
or as streams. The Book, with links to and from the text, throw the reader into its own virtual world.
Some of you don't like reading a lot of text in a linear format, so I'll offer you a leap straight into the guts of doing things. That way, if you get lost, frustrated, or confused, you can come back here at any time to see where the pieces fit together in time.
For those who cut to the chase, I turned a good chunk of my work into a Youtube video. But a video does not just happen. It requires the same attention to detail needed for making a film in real life. To get an idea of the work needed to produce that video, see the storyboard shooting script I wrote for the videographer to use. Later on in this article I'll discuss this process.
ASIDE: A Failed Experiment in Realities
The reader can wander the story settings in 3D, interacting with objects and other avatars supplied by the virtual world of the Book. Some interactions are puzzles or games. Many of the interactions lead directly to the story texts. In instructional or textbook versions, guides appear to help the reader or learner navigate and acquire knowledge. All self-contained in the Book. But getting to the Book brings failures, and I've done my share.
By this point I had a name for what I'd built in software: the ELM, or Electronic Literary Macramé. A terrible name. It stuck anyway. An ELM was two things at that stage: the new e-book product, and the processing components that produced it. That name ambiguity hung on for a while.
The stage continued with an alarming proliferation of e-book possibilities. By 2005, there were so many innovations in the work that I faced challenges most authors never confront:
1) How does one promote brand-new ways of writing and reading?
2) How does one protect one's software-and-text creations?
For me, promotion came down to immersion of the reader. If I could keep the reader immersed in the work, I could attract and hold readers, and exploit the power of the software to ease the writer's burdens. At the time I had no idea how naive this idea was.
ASIDE: ELM Log (2005): Modes of Reading
To address protection, I filed for patents. At the time no one else was doing exactly what I was doing, and I wanted to make sure that my work wouldn't be snatched away by someone else.
The ELM innovations required the use of a programming language. I started with the spreadsheet scripting language called Virtual Basic for Excel (VBA), to do the necessary reordering and interconnecting of glossary entries, story threads, reference articles, and points of view. To generate the actual pages of HTML to present the ELM to readers, I used an assortment of software tools based on Unix scripting components. It grew messy. Still, I could now demo the ELM on a Palm T/X, a Sony PSP, and any PC, using only their basic browsers. I showed it to a
classmate of mine in the master's program in mathematics I was taking at SUNY Brockport. He was a teacher mentor in Western New York. He took one look at the
Sony PSP with my digitized fiction and its links staring back at him, and said, "You have GOT to do this with textbooks."
Thefirstdimensionofchangeiswritingitself.We’redevelopingtotallynewformsofliterature.Thisprocess,asmanyareshowing,iscreatingarange of expressivemediaforanexpandingcommunityofauthorsworkingby themselves.Butauthoringinthisnewworldofcreativeexpressiontakeseven morevarietyandlevelofabilitythanmostofuscanmustertoday.
A dissertation photo, showing students in a lab. Those Korean characters next to the copyright date is how you write “Deeds” in Hangul, just in case you’re wondering.
Fellow foreign teachers had real problems with authority figures, so naturally my tag was “Master & Commander.” My students (jokingly?) called me Super Teacher and bought me this outfit, which irritated my coworkers even more, much to my delight.
I put on photo shows, my students sponsored art/language exchanges …we had visitors from all over the planet. Not one Korean coworker ever bothered to create an avatar.
Another dissertation graphic. In addition to beta testing software like 3DNow’s and Sloodle, we allowed many organizations to use our cybercampus. We hosted programs involving other schools in Korea, Japan…even the USA and the Middle East.
David is currently the Technology Integration Specialist for Peterson Schools, a private K-12 institution with 2,000+ students at four campuses around Mexico City.
Book review: Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways
to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity
Review By Rurik Nackerud
Inhissecondedition, Digital Storytelling in the Classroom,author JasonOhlercontinuestoprovide practitionerswiththeexpertiseto plandigitalstorytellingintheir classrooms.Basedonhisworkwith students,Ohlersuppliesanewstory mapandarc.Thenewadditionalso includesstorytables.CommonCoreandNoChildLeftBehindareaccounted forinthisvolumethroughout–increasingtherelevanceofthisedition.The authoralsoupdatedthesectionthatincludestherevisedISTENETS.Even moreexciting,thebookreferencesandutilizesseveralvideointerviewswith Dr.Jean-PierreIsbouts,thedocumentarian.
Ohler’sworkcomparesfavorablywiththeworkofLambert,Miller,and Frazel.Lambert’stextfromtheCenterforDigitalStorytellingprovidesa strongframeworkinthe7stepsapproachthatappealstoalargeraudience. Ohler’scontextualizestheinformationinapplicablewaysforteachers attemptingtosharedigitalstorytellingwiththeirstudents.Miller’s Digital
Storytelling: A creator’s guide to interactive entertainment entersintothe bleedingedgetechnologicalareasofentertainmentanddigitalmediawhich maytranscendtheneedsoftheteacher,yetOhler’sworkdrawsonsomeof theseideastosophisticatehoweducatorsmayviewdigitalstorytelling. Finally,Frazel’swork,writtenexplicitlyforeducatorsandpublishedthrough ISTE,constitutesabaseline-beginningguide.BothOhlerandFrazelinclude rubricsandresourcesbutFrazel’sworknodsmoretowardsthetechnology integrationandNETSandOhleraddressesCommonCoreingreaterdepth.In combination,bothtextsexcelatfurnishingassessmenttoolsandarm educatorslookingtoproofdigitalstorytellingascurriculumfortheir classroom.
Likethepreviouslymentionedtexts, Digital Storytelling in the Classroom becomesareferenceguide.Thebookisdividedintothreesectionsforquick reference,includingseveralresourcesectionsattheend.Inthefirstsection, theauthordevelopsaframeworkfordigitalstorytellingintheclassroom.The secondsessionofferstoolsandusefulplanningtechniques.Tools,technical skillsandguidanceregardingrightsissuesarecoveredinthelastsection.The lastchapterofsectionthreepresentsdetailedinformationaboutcopyright issuesandfairusewhichisinvaluableforteachingdigitalcitizenshipto studentstory-tellers.
Ohler,J.(2013). Digital storytelling in the classroom second edition: new media pathways to literacy, learning, and creativity. ThousandOaks:CorwinPress. ISBN978-1-4522-6825-5 Costofbook(paperback):$35.82 Length:304PagesandDigitalContent
Thiswasthecatalystforandemphasisontransfer.Wewantedtodevelopstudents’critical thinkingskillsinordertofacilitateeffectivecommunicationin all educational,professional, andsocialcontexts.Thenewcurriculum,therefore,focusedon:
SoIdecided,theheckwithit,andwatchedacoupleoftheEduverse lecturesasrecordings:theyarestillavailableontheISTEwebsite,bytheway, andwellworthwatching.Inspiredbythelectures,IgotbothanISTEand VSTEmembershipandattendedasmanyfreewebinarsaswereofferedfrom bothorganizations.ThemoreIreadandthemoreIsaw,though,itseemed thatmyreticencetotaketheSecondLifeplungewasgettinginthewayofan especiallyfruitfulresourceforPD,nottomentiondenyingmewhatlooked likeagreatcommunityofteachersfromwhomIcouldlearn.Finally,afterrewatchingtheISTESecondLifeintroductoryvideoforprobablythe30th time,I tookadeepbreath,leaptintoSecondLifeandbecamethat Girl Next Door in herreallysadpinkpolkadotdress.
I’vealsolearnedthatjustconstructinganinspiringbuild,aperfect replicaorevenawildinterpretationofareallifeeducationalinstitutiondoes notasuccessfulimmersivevirtualenvironmentmake. You need the people!
There’sanaxionI’veheardoverandoveragainfromISTE/VSTE,WizIQand IT4ALLpalsandmentors: 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. Sotrue!
Cloud Party represents a low cost of entry.Whilethereisacostto create private spacesintheplatform,manyareasarefreetouseandvisit. A numberofsponsoredspacesalsoexistthatareopentothepublic. Educators canutilizethesespacesforclassmeetings,socialactivities,studysessions,or tutoring.Thisisespeciallyhelpfulinonlineclassroomenvironments.
Figure 10. Avatars using the three-panel display in the Holodeck area of the OpenVCE space with the presentation display on the left and the streaming HD video of the RW classroom on the right
Gardner,M.,Scott,J.,&Horan,B.(2008b).ReflectionsontheuseofProject Wonderlandasamixed-realityenvironmentforteachingandlearning. Intheproceedingsofthe Learning in Virtual Environments International Conference (p.130-141).
Gardner,M.,Ganem-Gutierrez,A.,Scott,J.,Horan,B.,&Callaghan,V.(2011). ImmersiveeducationspacesusingOpenWonderland:Frompedagogy throughtopractice.InG.Vincenti&J.Braman(Eds.), Multi-User Virtual Environments for the Classroom (pp.190–105).IGIGlobal.Retrieved fromhttp://services.igiglobal.com/resolvedoi/resolve.aspx?doi=10.4018/978-1-60960-545-2
Getting Ready for Minecraft Open House with SIGVE and the Games MOOC
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.
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.
MansFisherman: Of course!! It is fantastic software and super easy to use and create in!
Dae Miami: DidyoulikebuildinginUnity3d?
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 mountainstodeep-seatrenches.
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 Kristen’s ocean world, it is available at: http://www.evwllc.co/oceans/WebPlayer.html. ]
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!! 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.
Dae Miami: Whatdoyoulikeaboutsecondlife?
MansFisherman: CLOTHING AND PETS!!!!! Next question. ;)
Dae Miami: Howdoyouthinkitcouldbeusedineducation?
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.
Hmm... Horse or Gryphon? How the World of Warcraft Can Be Used to Teach and Learn Effective Personal Finance Decision Making
Jerry is a counselor, coach, and tutor of personal finances, who enjoys pondering the training and educational potential of gaming and immersive virtual worlds, especially over pizza and a glass of wine.
Kicking Off AvaCon Inc. 2013 Metaverse Cultural Series!
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
Ellis,Elizabeth. From Plot to Narrative,ParkhurstBrothersPublishers,Inc., 2012.
Gottschall,Jonathan. The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human, HoughtonMifflinHarcourt,2012.
Haven,Kendall. Story Proof: The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story, LibrariesUnlimited,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,CorwinPress,2013.
Silko,LeslieMarmon. Ceremony,PenguinBooks,2006.
Organizations:
ISTESpecialInterestGroup:DigitalStorytellingSIGDS, http://www.iste.org/connect/special-interest-groups/sigds or http://digitalstorytelling.iste.wikispaces.net/
ItisnotdifficulttopullabasicgeometricshapeoutofaCreatewindow, putitontheground,stretchit,andgiveitacolorortexture....ThenIusually doGestaltwork:theybecometheobject,speaktothecreatorpartofthemand adialogueensueswhile,allthetime,Iaskthemtopayattentiontowhatis happeningintheirbodyatthecomputer.Theyusuallyfeelasenseofcontrol frombeingabletomanipulatetheseobjectsinrealtimeandchangethemas theirperception shifts. Using built sculptures to represent feeling states
Some remarkable insightsand changesoccur onthespotsuchasthewomanwhowasinthemiddleofapanicattackwhen shevolunteered.Shereportedthattheanxietydissolvedafteraboutten minutesofwork. Shesaidthishadneverhappenedtoherbeforewithher otherpanicattacks,evenwhenshewaswithahelper.
A version of this article first appeared in the Septermber2010 issue Online Therapy Institute's TILT Magazine~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology. http://www.onlinetherapymagazine.com
WeusuallymeetthelastMondayofeachmonthat1pmPacifictimeattheOctagonheadquartersinSecond Life, locatedathttp://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Prism%20Lila/37/33/23. Marlyconductsthesessionsin voice, andclientsareabletouseeithervoiceortextchattocommunicatewhiletheyareworkingwithMarly. Those who lackbasicbuildingskillsarestillencouragedtocomeandobservetheprocessasitunfolds.
Wecertainlyhopetoseeyouthere!
Dress Up the VWBPE in 2013!
Leticia De León VWBPE 2013 Programs Chair SL: Letty Luckstone
TheVirtualWorldsBestPracticesinEducation(VWBPE)hasbeengoing strongforfiveyearsandisabouttodressupthestageforasixth. Thisyear’s conferencewilltakeplaceJuly24through27,andthethemeis Beyond the Stage. Itcontinuestobefreetoanyonewishingtoattend.
I'll sum up what I've learned about utopian narratives and would-be transformative technologies here, based on not only the last 6 but the last 25 years of studying and writing professionally about technological change, especially that which generates legions of enthusiasts.
1. Look past the message to the messenger
2. Wait for results unless you are an entrepreneur or venture capitalist
twenty-first century program Uru by Cyan Worlds, Inc. to raise test scores in the Classroom: Report 1: College-bound Earth Science and Special Education Biology Test cases.
By Dr. William F. Schmachtenberg (aka) Dae Miami (SL)
Science Department, Franklin County High School, 700 Tanyard Road, Rocky Mount, VA 24151
School of Natural Science and Mathematics, Ferrum College, Ferrum Virginia, 24088 wschmachtenberg@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT: Uru, written by Cyan Worlds, Inc. is a powerful twenty-first century program that can be used to make both minigames and more complex games for the classroom. I have used it in my high school classroom in Southwest Virginia to run multicultural lessons and virtual field trips. In this study, I analyze the ability of Uru to raise test scores on a state end-of-course test in Earth Science and a biochemistry unit test in Biology. Sixty-nine students were given the Virginia Earth Science test at the beginning of the year with no instruction. They were then split into two groups one that was allowed to use Uru for remediation, and the other could only study in a small group. They were then retested after thirty minutes. The college bound students showed about the same improvement with either using Uru or just studying in a small group. But the non-college bound class improved their scores on average fourteen points with Uru as compared to four points with studying in small groups. Some of the non-college bound students improved their scores by as much as thirty-two points. The Biology students also showed an improvement by as much as thirty-six points on the retest. Uru can be a useful tool in raising students grades in the classroom. It also has the potential to allow students to collaborate or compete with one another in other classrooms, schools, or even other countries.
INTRODUCTION
Computergameshavelongbeenconsideredausefultoolinimproving classroominstruction. RenaudandWagoner(2011)giveagoodsummaryof theuseofcomputergamesintheclassroomfromtheearly1980swithtitles suchas Oregon Trail tomoderndaygamessuchas Quest to Learn.Prensky (2005)arguesthattherearetrivialorminigamesthatareeasytocreateand takelessthananhourforstudentstocomplete. Theymotivatestudentsand helpquizthemoncontent.Healsoarguesthattherearecomplexgamesthat aremultiplayer,collaborative,challenging,andcompetitive.Thecomplex gamecanbeahistoricalsimulatorsuchas Age of Empires orgamesinvolving complexpuzzlessuchas Myst and Riven. In2005,TimRylands(See www.timrylands.comformoreinformation)wontheBectaICTinPractice Awardforhisworkinvolvingthegame Myst inanelementaryschoolinthe UnitedKingdom. Eventhough,Pretskyarguesthatcomplexgamesshouldbe multiplayer,surprisinglyhedoesnotincludetheonlinegame Uru.
Ihaveused Uru inmyclassroomforyearsasitcontainsallofthe elementsnecessarytoreinforcetwenty-firstcenturyskills.Wilson(2009) definestwenty-firstcenturyskillsasinvolvingteamwork,problemsolving, communication. Uru allowsyoutoformteamswithacontactor“buddy”list, ithascomplexpuzzlessomeofwhichcanonlybesolvedina3Denvironment withteamwork,andthereishighlyfilteredchatforonlinecommunication. Moul (Mystonline,UruLive)serversalsoallowvoicechatiftheavatarsarein closeproximity.Forteacherswhowishtohavesolutionstotheproblemsin UrutherearenumerouswalkthroughsontheInternetsuchas http://www.fisicx.com/uru/walkthrough.htm.
Therearemanyreasonswhy Uru shouldbeusedinschools. Uru was releasedin2003andrunsonoldercomputers.However,onoldermachines,it maybenecessarytoinstallaninexpensiveATIorNvidiacardtorunthe graphics.However,inmyopinionsuchanupgradeisworthitforthehigh qualitygraphicsin Uru.Thecomputersinthelabareayearoldandhave integratedIntelvideocardsinthem,andrun Uru withnoproblem. Uru hasno adultcontentsuchasnudity,violence,profanity,orsexualbehavior.Anygame mustbealignedwithcurrentschoolstandards.When Uru firstcameout,the demoprogramthatCyanWorldsreleasedhadeightoftheVirginiascience standardsalreadyintheprogramsuchasrocks,volcanoes,platetectonics, andcaves.Itispossibletoaddcontentfromothercurriculabecause Uru is verywelldocumentedontheinternetwithtutorialswrittenbyAndyLegate
Uru canbeusedtocreateminigamesaswellasmorecomplexgames. MarianneHellberg,anelementaryschoolteacherinSweden,andIhavebeen collaboratingforthepasttwoyears.Togetherwehavedesignedmany programscalled“ages”in Uru.Using Uru andSkype,wehavedone multiculturallessonsinwhichourstudentsgettomeeteachother. Wehave alsodonevirtualfieldtripsinVirginiaandSwedenwiththeDragon’stooth andKinnekulleages. Dragon’stoothisbasedonanactualmountainin VirginiaandKinnekulleisbasedonaquarryinSweden.Ourstudentscando virtualfossilcollectiontripsandanalyzedata. Schmachtenberg(2008) publishedaformulaforcalculatingthedistancebetweenplatesinthepast usingfossildata.Thosedatawereincorporatedintoanin-gamebookinthe WindRiveragein Uru. Studentscanusethosedatatosolveapuzzlein Uru andreconstructthedistancebetweenGermanyandtheUnitedStatesforthe LateCretaceous.ThereisasimilarpuzzleinthelatestversionofDragon’s toothage. Mycurrentresearchinterestisinseeingif Uru canraisegradesand scoresonstandardizedtests.
FranklinCountyHighSchoolistheschoolatwhichIhavetaughtforthe lasttwenty-fouryears.Theschoolhas2300students,withadiversestudent bodyincludingspecialeducation,collegeboundstudents,andgovernorschool students. Uru iswidelysupportedbytheadministration,centraloffice,and techservices.The Uru softwareIusedislocatedontheUAMserverinCanada, andclientsoftwarefor Uru islocatedintwocomputerlabson50computers atthehighschool. Uru isfamousforitsmazes,andmystudentsandIhave designedseveral.Ateachintersection,thereisaquestionwitheachanswer pointingtoadifferentcorridorinthemaze.Correctanswersquicklytakethe studentthroughthemaze,whereasincorrectanswerstakethestudentsto dead-ends.
TheDepartmentofEducationhasgivenuspermissiontoincludeactual releasetestquestionsinBiology,EarthScience,AlgebraIandII,andHistory andsothequestionsin Uru aretightlyalignedwiththeVirginiastate standards.Atthistimetherearenineteachersandhundredsofstudentswho arewillingtotakepartinastudytoseeif Uru canraisetestscores.Thereare alsostudentswhohelpdesignthemazesandenterquestioninto Uru. The questionsareformattedinto512x512pngfilesusingGimpsoftwareand
Paint,andthenUVmappedontopostersintheintersectionsofthecorridors inthe Uru mazes.(SeeFigure.1) StudentsusethefreeprogramBlender,butI alsohavealicensefor3dsmaxversion7andtheCyanplugintocreate educationalcontentin Uru.
Figure 1. Screencapture in the uru game showing how questions were put on posters at intersection points in a maze. Correct responses to the questions take students to the next question. Incorrect answers lead to a dead end.
SCENARIO 1: COLLEGE BOUND EARTH SCIENCE CLASSES
Duringtheschoolyearof2011to2012,thefiveweakeststudentsinmy collegeboundclassweregivenatestonenergy. Theywerethenputintoan Uru mazewiththesamequestions,andthenretested.Theaveragescores increasedfrom69Ftoan86B. KeithPennington,theDirectorofSecondary EducationforFranklinCountyPublicSchools,encouragedmetoincreasethe sizeofthestudyanduseacontrolgrouptoseehowmuch Uru canincrease testscores.Duringthesummerof2011,Ientered50releasetestquestions
The Period 2 Class. Theperiod2classconsistedof23students.As Figure2belowshowsthe Uru groupincreasedtheirscoreonthereleasetest by9percentagepointsasopposedtoanincreaseofonly3forthosethatwere allowedtostudyingroupsleadbyastudentteacherusingtraditionalmeans (triadgroup). Uru clearlyhelpedthisstudentincreasetheirtestscoresona statetestinscience.
Figure 2. Bar graph of test scores for students in my second period test on the 2004 release test in Earth Science.
The Period 3 Class. TherewasadifferentresultforthePeriod3Earth Sciencestudents(Figure3).Thetriadgroupofstudentsthathadjuststudied theanswerkeyimprovedtheiraverageonthepost-testby12percentage pointswhereasthe Uru groupincreasedtheirscoresbyanaverageof6 percentagepointsasshownonthegraphbelow.Thereweretwenty-six studentsareinthethirdperiodEarthScienceclass.
Figure 3. Bar graph showing improvement of scores for the third period class.
The Period 4 Class.
Thefourthperiodclasscontained20students(Figure4).The Uru group showedthegreatestincreaseofalltheclassesbyimprovingtheirscoresbyan averageof14percentagepointsascomparedtothetriadgroupthatonly increasedbyfourpercentagepoints(Seebargraphbelow). Inaddition,oneof thestudentsinthe uru groupincreasedhisscoreby32percentagepoints.All ofthestudentsinthe Uru groupachievedapassingscoreonthisstatetest, whereasonly7inthetriadgrouppassedafterstudying.
Afterthepost-tests,studentsweregivenasurveyabout Uru. Ninety-six percentofthestudentsinthesecondandthirdperiodclasseswouldrather use Uru fortestreviewthansmallgroupwork. Eightypercentofstudentsin thefourth periodsaidthey preferredusing Uru fortest review.
Figure 4. Graph of student scores in the fourth period class.
Uru isapopulargameamongstudentsatmyschoolandcanbean effectivetooltoraisetestscoresintheclassroom.It,likeotherprograms
availabletoteachers,doesnothelpallstudents.AsWilson(2009)notes,well motivatedstudentsasinmythirdperiodEarthScienceclassdowellwithor withoutgames,whereasstudentswithanegativeattitudearenotlikelytobe helpedbyeducationalgamessuchassomeofthestudentsinthefourthperiod biologyclass.Therealpotentialvalueof Uru isthatitallowsstudentsto collaborateonlinetosolveproblemsorengageincompetitionswithstudents inotherclassrooms,schools,orevenothercountries. JohnVehmeier,the NetworkEngineerforourschoolsystem,hastoldmethatwehavenothad anysecurityorbandwidthissueswithusing Uru sincewehavestartedusing it,andhewelcomesotherschoolstojoinus.
Tenteachersinourschool,includinghistoryandscienceteachers, have expressedaninterestinusing Uru intheirclassessofar.Virginiawillalsobe changingitsstandardsnextyeartobemuchmorerigorous,andIamcurrently developing Uru puzzlestohelpmeettheneedsofthesenewstandards. Iplan toreleaseadditionalreportsasmoreteachersuse Uru.Ifyouhavequestions abouttheresearchthatisbeingdoneatFranklinCountyHighSchoolwith Uru orifyouareateacherandwouldlikeafreetrial Uru account,pleaseemailme at:wschmachtenberg@hotmail.com.Alltheworkthatisbeingdonewith Uru, isconductedwithaFCAL(Fancreatedagelicense)issuedbyCyanWorld,Inc. ThisworkisalsobeingdoneincollaborationwithIdoodlesoftware,Inc., whichhasthelegalrighttodistributeCyan’ssoftwaretoschools.Formore information,aboutusing Uru inyourschool,contactRobertSowahat www.idoodlesoftware.com.
AttheVWBPEconference,educatorsexpressedthatalthoughtheyliked Uruanditspossibleusesintheclassroom;itwasdifficulttoloadon computersandcouldnotberunatallonamac.Theyconvincedmetoportmy contenttotheUnity3Dgameengine.Unity3disamoremoderngameengine thatallowscontenttobeportedtopcs,macs,andevenruninawebbrowser forfree.Istartedtocreatecontentduringthesummerof2012and encouragedmystudentstocreateinUnity3Daswellduringthe2012to2013 schoolyear. Onefreshmanatmyhighschoolcreatedavolcanoworldand thenaforestworld.KristenLearycreatedanoceanographyworldwitha whaleandsubmarine.Theprogramisdesignedtohelpstudentsreview seafloorfeaturessuchasmid-oceanridges,trenches,andriftvalleys. [See Interview with Kristen Leary in this issue of VEJ.]
Thefossilanalyzerappcurrentlyworkswith15speciesofcommonfossilsand thissummer,Iplantoexpandthedatabasetoincludemanymorefossils. The softwarecanbedownloadedtoanIPadandrunoffline.
Dr. William Schmachtenberg (aka) Dae Miami in second life will be giving a presentation on Virtual Worlds in Education in Franklin County, VA on July 10, 2013 in rl and sl as part of a VSTE/RPDIT(Regional Professional Development for Instructional Technology) conference.
For more information about his work, you can email him at: William.schmachtenberg@frco.k12.va.us
Reflections of a student
By Trevor Roe
As a student, largely I find that directly voicing the opinions of myself and my companion often makes little impact on the education system, either immediately or over time. However, students are an important resource for feedback; and the organization behind the VEJ clearly understands this and truly listens to the voice of students.
Locally, my friends and I have come to an agreement that education and games are not associated at all, let alone closely. This leads to a disconnection between the world we, as children, observe, and the world education attempts to shape around us. However, problem solving has created a connection for many students, as it is similar to itself in almost all situations, and this has become accepted by the education system.
How does this relate to gaming? A common goal in every game is to have a goal. This presents the gamer with a problem to be solved, which means that gaming
is just problem-solving designed to be fun and immersive. The player must cognitively interact with storyline, HUDs, GUIs, and objective completion. This encourages quick learning and adaptation based on environments and interactivity, both of which are extremely limited in a finite classroom, which is observed easily.
For example, in the popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft, the player must interact with other players, their inventory, skills, and abilities. As you can see, the heads-up display is extensive, as is the chat. The player must monitor health, manna, location, and allies’ location, making PvP, PvM, and PvE immersive, and focus is imperative.
But how do we ensure that games applied in the classroom have purpose, and are appropriate?
Many games today are not, focusing on mindless violence and inadequate entertainment. By simple observance of the game, one can understand its purpose and how it can be used as an appropriate and engaging learning activity in the classroom.
Thank you for your consideration of my ideas, the voice of students lies in the hands of the adults we reach here.
CREATING “USER IMAGINED CONTENT” THROUGH VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS
ByFleetGoldenberg(sl) Sambiglyon Community Manager
Ifyoucreatealearninggamewith–tousetheaboveexample–thecut-outof asquirrel,thenthestudentknowsfromthesilhouettethatitisobviously meanttobeasquirrelbecausetheshapeissodistinctive,buteachindividual studentcanmentallyfillinthesilhouettewiththeirownvisionofwhatthat squirrelshouldlooklike. Thereisnorightorwrongdepictionofit. Ifthe studentcanvisualize some form ofsquirrel,thentheexercisehasbeena success,becausetheyhavebeencompelledtousetheirmindinawaythat doesnotfeelforcedtothem.
Whenastudentisaskedtousetechnologyintheclassroominthesameway thattheyusethattechnologyathome–whetheritbeavirtualworldorsocial networking-thenitcansuddenlybecomeuncool,becausetheteacheris turningsomethingthattheyenjoyintojustanotherworkexercise. And
Ournewsentencereads: A person, who is skydiving, is at her tablet reading information on the Internet. Alittlemoreexciting,butwecando better.Let’ssee,whatelsecanwedo?
Ourrevisedsentencereads: A survivor, who is skydiving through the ruins of their destroyed hometown, is at her tablet reading information on the Internet.
Ourcurrentdraftofasentencereads: A survivor, who is skydiving through the ruins of their destroyed hometown, is using their device to locate heat sources of food or other survivors, but more importantly for the lost love that disappeared before the accident happened…
Our First Learning and Teaching Experience with Second Life
by Jugoslava Lulic and Katarina Veljkovic
Jugoslava Lulić (SL: Jugalulic)
Teacher of the Serbian language and literature in Tehnical school 9th May in Backa Palanka, Serbia
Katarina Veljković (SL: vkatarina)
Computer sciences and math teacher in Polytehnical school in Kragujevac, Serbia
Most of students in Serbia think that school is boring, and that learning is difficult. They often learn only what they have to, obtaining knowledge by reading from the textbooks and listening to teachers’ lectures, as the only resources. As teachers who work hard on their own professional development,inordertoimproveourteaching,webecomeawareofthe21st century demands and we are ready for the challenges of using various methods and tools forcommunication and collaboration with today’s digital generationofstudents.
The big idea we had was to overcome the gap between School and life beyond school walls. We wanted our students to experience some real life situations such as a job application, and test /develop the necessary life and careerskills.
We started to explore virtual worlds on request of a group of our students, experiencedgamers,whohadalreadyhadopenaccountsinSecondLife.They
presented, to us and to other teachers, Second Life basics on the webinar named School on the Web.
Figure 1. SecondLife-betweenthegameandreallife
Very soon, we found that this virtual world offers various educational opportunities and can be a powerful teaching tool, especially in connecting studentsfromdifferentschoolinthesamelearningadventure.
The first step for us, digital immigrants, was to create avatars, acquire basic Second Life skills, and finally to become Cyber teachers. The second step in ourvirtualteachingadventurewascreatingtheclassroominSecondLifeand importingSloodlemodulesintoit. Afterthatwestartedourcommonproject, with the intention of introducing students with job application in the real companies,anddevelopingtheirnecessarycareerskillsanddigitalliteracy.
The project involved the 4nd grade students from two different vocational schools placed in two geographically distant cities, but with common way of thinking,interests,andtheprofessionforwhichtheyhavebeenstudying. ThepurposeofthevirtualclassroomcreatedinSecondLifewas:
Simulation of real experiences that are difficult /expensive or impossibletoperformintheclassroom
Useful networking with the aim of creating mutual educational resourcesthatcould beusedbyotherstudentslateron
Learninginalessformalway
Developingdigitalliteracyamongthestudents
To provide reuse of educational resources (the virtual space can be fitteddifferentlyfordifferentsituations)
Presenter – a slideshow tool which you can use to give presentations insidethevirtualworld. Eachslidecanbeeitheravideo,website,oran actual slide image. All slides must be first uploaded via Moodle Website.
Quiz Chair – we used Quiz Chair for giving multiple choice quizzes to ourstudentsinSecondLife.OurquizchairwasconnectedtoourMoodle website. Whenastudent'savatarsitsonaquizchairinSecondLife,the quiz chair prompts the student to answer a question. If the student answers correctly, the quiz chair raises half a meter, and if the student answersincorrectly,thequizchairdescends.
Figure6.Video-HowtosolvethequizinSL
PrimDrop - is used for submitting virtual assignments. The PrimDrop islinked to a Moodle assignment on our website, therefore, when an assignment is placed into the PrimDrop, it can be graded using the Moodle gradebook! The Moodle assignment that is linked can also be configuredsothattheteachergetsnotifiedbyemailwhenanassignment has been submitted. When the teacher views the Moodle assignment page,theywillbeabletoviewaSLURLwhichpointstothePrimDropof wheretheassignmentwassubmittedinSecondLife/orOpensim.After teleporting,theteachercanretrieveallsubmittedassignmentsfromthe PrimDropforreview.
5. to create teaching materials, instructions and tasks for students, Sloodle objects, surveys and tests (at this stage, students create the Belbin questionnaire). We also created video tutorials and published them on YouTube (YouTube channel for the project: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH5e_MPEBb3z1EIfN385Ng?feature=watch and YouTube channel for the teachers: http://www.youtube.com/user/KatarinaVeljkovic76?feature=mhee).
Figure 17. Video - Workshop "interview with the employer" – Ideal situation
Assignment:
Figure18. Beginning of the workshop
Figure 19. Video - Workshop "How to Survive in the Desert"
Thesolution:
Figure 20. Watching the movie
Figure 21. Work on the assignment
22. Video - "Expert rating" Recorded workshop:
Figure
Conclusion
Dealingwithreallifeproblemsthroughworkshopsinvirtualworld,hasbeen truly aunique andamazingexperienceforour studentsandforus. Wehave successfullyimplementedthelessonsthankstocolleaguesfromallaroundthe world who have had the experience with teaching in Second Life and were willing to share it with us. We have also learned a lot thanks to MachinEVO 2013 an online course that taught us some valuable virtualworld techniques andgaveussomegreatideas(shootingeducationalfilmsinSecondLife),but mostly thanks to our students, who have been ready for unusual challenges, curious,willingtocooperateandunexpectedlypatient.
During this Second Life experiment we accomplished to fully engage our students and to awake their potential, to encourage their creativity and personalizelearning,whichisoftenmissingintraditionallyorganizedclasses. In the table below you can see our conclusions based on research and personalexperienceabouttheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofusingSecond Lifeinteachingprocess.
Communicative capabilities of this platform are constantly improving. Thanks to rich communication tools (audio, chat, gestures and movements) we can communicate with people from around the world and enhance socialandculturalexchange. We can use teleport to visit, together with our students, different places during one class (for example, replicas of real cities, where students can interact with native speakers and learn the language) to attend various lectures, web meetings, theater performancesetc. Through these communication tools and other built-in mechanisms for online interaction (web links, videos and audio files, multimedia events) communication possibilitiesarelimitless
Collaboration
Second Life allows you to connect and work together teachers and students from different schools and different parts of the world.
It’spossibletowork withexpertsin various fields, without technical, financial, geographical,andevenphysicallimitations. The possibility of construction of common 3D objects with each other in real time in one place, giving a great potential for creatingandknowledgebuilding.
Interactivity
UsingSecondLifeachievedbettereffectthan usingothertools,becausewecanusevideos, presentations, images at the same time and in one place (all the participants are "immersed" into virtual world). Teachers can easily make connections between activitiesinvirtualworldandtherealworld, byusinginformationalresources:interactive bulletin board for posting comments,
Time
Usingtheseplatformsrequiresalotoftimeand work. Second Life is not an environment in whichyoucanjuststopbyandtryit-ifwewant to use its resources for learning; we need to invest much more time than for other online tools.
Price
SecondLifeisafree platform, butifwewantto create our own learning materials that will be linked to the LMS Moodle, we must have a premiumaccount($70peryear).
Skills transfer
Theproblemmightbethetransferofskillsfrom virtual to the real world. The teacher has to thinktwiceaboutwhatskillsandknowledgecan developbyusingvirtualworld’sexperience,and whether the same effect can be achieved in teachingintherealworld.Wealsomustkeepin mind that not all students like to create avatars and some of them dislike this kind of communication.
various Web applications such as Excel, OneNotethatstudentscanfilloutdirectlyto asecondLifeetc.
Support for teachers
Second Life users’ communities were ready tohelp, andyoucaneasilyfindasolutionof almost every problem you have. There is a large number of training camps and destinationswhereyoucangetsupportfrom experts, and also a growing number of coursesforteachers.
Learning support
Second Life allows us to use a large number of e-learning tools. Using the built-in mechanism such as Sloodle, it is possible to connectSecondLifetootherformalplatform for learning - such as Moodle, in order to monitorandvalorizedstudents’activities.
Simulation
As a "rough" simulation of real world, (gravity, weather (meteorological) change…), Second Life providing endless opportunitiesforexperimentationinnatural sciences (e.g., simulation of splitting atoms andotherphenomena invisibletothe naked eye).
We can also simulate social processes by putting students in a problem situation or throughroleplaying.
Creativity
Second Life is one of the most popular platformsforcreatingvirtualworlds.Allthat is because everything was created by the users themselves. Mostof items that we can touch in this virtual world were programmed to give written or spoken information. Some items may be downloaded (purchased) for a certain
Recommendation:SecondLifeclassesshouldbe organized informally - to avoid reminding them oflessonsintheclassroom.
Students safety
The teachers who decide to use Second Life in teaching should keep in mind safety of their studentsontheInternet.
They must have a high level of digital literacy, because students will often require them to help,adviseandassistin.
Technical requirements
If you want to use Second Life, you need to possess strong computer with a good graphics card, have fast internet connection and good microphone.
Language
Using Second Life requires at least basic knowledgeofEnglish.
Motivation
Many institutions of higher education use virtualworldsforeducationalpurposes,butthe number of high schools that recognize immersive learning opportunities also increases.
The majority of students support this kind of learning,becauseitremindsthemofgamesand having fun, but the big question is the
amountofvirtualmoneyorforfree. Teachers and students can create and program (through scripting) their own facilities. They also can create media products: e.g. photos, movies, etc., and incorporate them into objects that are createdorplacedonchannelslikeYouTube.
Research
There is a large number of buildings, campgrounds, educational institutions, art galleries, virtual offices and events that we can visit with one click on the teleport button. Many locations offers to us unique experience through observation and researchof extraordinary worksof art, such as, for example, the Sistine Chapel, where there are hundreds of high quality photos thatareimportedasatexturewhencreating objects.SecondLifeprovidesanopportunity to explore different historical epochs through replicas of buildings from the past, the dress code, objectsand so on. There are entireonlinelibraryprovidedwhereyoucan find useful resources for students and teachers.
Exploring locations in Second Life, we can see and well-designed cities, waterfalls, clubs, underwater structure. We just need good lesson plan combined with some skills andthewhole(teaching)worldisours.
Resources
willingness and motivation of teachers (in case they have required knowledge and skills) for this step. But all teachers should keep in mind that the XXI century, requires from them, not only from students, readiness for life-long learning.
