Vicki Davis's Library tagged OpenSim →  View Popular

This phenomenal special interest group of ISTE has a great quarterly newsletter which is really the best of innovative learning in all of education. On pages 15-17 there are three pages of an article from two of my students and I about teaching in a virtual world including my "quick tricks for teaching in a virtual world." Print this, share it, and learn - so many great things in this newsletter!

issuu.com/...fall_newsletter-_2009 - Preview

education opensim reactiongrid ipod iphone iste learning edu_news edu_trends

Kyle writes about his netgened post mortem - what happened and his thoughts. Here are my thoughts to him:

"As someone said tonight about mountain biking "if you don't crash, you're not doing it right."

I think that students are a totally different avatar than anything seen in SL to date because they like to customize. Their behaviors are so different and we also had so many different time zones -- kids in australia were logging in at midnight, etc. So, there was no teacher to "coach" them on what to do.

For me, we got a great audio feed from it. We did get some machinima - we learned to stream, run presentation boards, etc.

Tonight I was in Second Life for an ISTE presentation and the audience was pretty much experts, many of whom I knew.

As we bring students in en masse as we did yesterday, they aren't really "noobs" per se because they are comfortable with the technology. I have never had to "teach" them to edit their appearance. They are really like snoobs in some respects -- "snobby newbies?" maybe -- they are prideful of their ability to customize -- hack at it, play with it, and they don't care that they are a beginner, they are going to make it like they want it to be! And that type of user is very different I think from those I come across in Second Life. The kids are just different.

So, I don't think we would have ever known this without the experience and I've heard so much that having the show FORCED them into virtual worlds -- their eyes have opened up to what can be done and they all LOVE IT.

Although it wore us out and you all worked so hard in ways that no one could appreciate. If and when you're brave enough or willing enough to ever work with us again, I think that there will be quite a few ways to improve it, as well as the natural progression of OpenSim itself.

I still truly believe that gsquared are the experts on OpenSim and will continue to sing your praises for what you're doing. My students LOVE the virtual worlds and we were back in there today taking pictures for their

www.reactiongrid.com/...FarSide.aspx - Preview

education learning virtualworlds opensim

Julie's blog about the NetGenEd awards show

123elearning.blogspot.com/...virtually-awardedand-more.html - Preview

education learning reactiongrid opensim

Julie and I are excited about participating in the ISTE Eduverse Talks next Tuesday 5PM SLT. Here are the show details.

Just think, if you come in, you can see HOW BAD I am at operating my avatar. (Actually, I don't think I"m as bad as I think, but my strength is definitely scripting.)

Julie is having to get up at 2 am to make this happen but she is such an amazing dear -- she is doing it! We are SOOOOOO excited and hope you'll take a venture into SL to join us.

We're so excited. Maybe you'll join us. If not, their blog will have the video and audio. Hey, and if you come, I"ll hang around afterwards -- would love to acquire some notecards about your projects. Let's post these in my office in the C.A.V.E. or any where else.

When we talk about flattening, it is not just about these projects but all of the projects going on out there -- so share your notecard and we'll find a place to collect and share them all. HOpe to meet you soon!

I'm CoolCat Whitman on Second Life (and ReactionGrid -- my favorite home for virtual worlds.)

www.iste-eduverse.org/...-eduverse-talks-episode-5.html - Preview

education learning flatclassroomproject fcp secondlife opensim virtualworlds

Great tool for making sculptures in OpenSim or Second Life -- this is on my list to learn next!

www.xs4all.nl/sculptpaint - Preview

education learning opensim second_life 3d web3d

Peggy Sheehy is going to this to represent educators.

view.scicentr.org/workshop - Preview

education learning opensim

My students on the "jing strand" of digiteen are doing a very nice job teaching others how to do things in OpenSim (works the same in Second Life) - in this tutorial, you learn how to make landmarks.

digiteendreamteam.blogspot.com/...eate-landmarks-in-opensim.html - Preview

education learning opensim tutorial howto

Wow, Leon Cych's blog is a great read! Love the recent article about how so much coverage of virtual worlds misses the point. Excellent work. And also don't miss that when someone says Second Life - just use the word "virtual world" - as we're seeing with OpenSim, you don't have to go the Linden way to really enjoy the great world they've created.

www.l4l.co.uk/ - Preview

education learning secondlife opensim

Virtual events on reactiongrid.

www.reactiongrid.com/VirtualEvents.aspx - Preview

education learning opensim

SecondLife / OpenSim basics for notecards.

www.dummies.com/...-notecards-in-second-life.html - Preview

education learning secondlife opensim

Learn how to script in second life. It creates autoscript to help you do things in SL or OpenSim. YES!!!!

www.3greeneggs.com/autoscript - Preview

education secondlife opensim

Creation tools for Worlds and Open Sims

www.reactiongrid.com/...CreationTools.aspx - Preview

education learning opensim edu_newapp