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Happy Steve blog post chronicling ongoing student work on a Second Life Teen Grid Island. Booralie Island is the virtual extension of a Christian school located in Sydney, Australia. Their island is largely student created and used for many different subjects. Happy Steve is also a great example of a technology infused enthusiastic teacher. This post details students building a war memorial, scripted recording studio, coliseum ... on their own time and after school.

Stagecoach Island is an online virtual world created by Wells Fargo. You can explore the island and its hidden secrets, connect with friends and make new ones, and at the same time learn smart money management.

With the message of Earth Day freshly in my mind, I decided to investigate Etopia. I found this location to be informative and fun. Compared to other landmarks, this island is relatively small which allows the visitor to experience everything it has to offer in under an hour. I could see this site being useful for an educator attempting to spread the "green" message. With all the island had to offer, it would be a great tool for any level learner. Some interesting things that I experienced in my time on Etopia include: farmers market (free food), e-train and gondola rides across and above the island provide a quick overview of the island, wind turbine farm that you can tour, water recycling plant, opportunity to build a sail boat and see the island from the water, a drum circle in the middle of a forest (reminded me of a Grateful Dead concert scene), a green house growing flowers, fruit and vegetables, several compost bins, and a co-housing community built w/ eco-friendly materials to name a few. If you are interested in the environment or are looking to get students interested, Etopia would be a good location to experience a wide variety of "green" topics.

I've been following Kathy Schrock since the mid-1990s when I began using computers in the classroom. I have numerous bookmarks of her helpful websites filled with classroom resources as well as her blogs. She is the technology administrator for the Nauset Public Schools in Massachusetts. An earlier YouTube video has Kathy Schrock aka Kathy Dryburgh (in Second Life), gives a brief overview of what Lighthouse Learning Island is all about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7IC-JeK4Mc&feature=related. In a more recent video, Kathy along with other educators, explain how the Lighthouse Learning Island came to be and what it is currently doing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlwsXsTptbs. The original occupants of the Lighthouse Learning Island was the Nauset Public Schools but since then, several other school districts have joined this virtual learning platform. I was really excited how school districts are utilizing Second Life to offer professional learning development for their educators in Web 2.0 for teaching and learning. Additionally, educators from outside the district have attended these sessions. I'll be looking into how I am able to attend some of these professional development workshop sessions. Unfortunately, on August 1, 2010, Lighthouse Learning Island will be closing due to budget constraints. Kathy has rented a small plot of land on Eduisland 6 (SLURL) and will be announcing any upcoming professional development opportunities through the "K-12 Educators" group in SL. Her new spot is called "Kathy Schrock's Kaffeeklatsch".

EDTECH Island Two Years Later: Training Teachers in Virtual Worlds Lisa Dawley of Boise State Implications for design of space, activities and social support to serve learners in virtual worlds

You can reportedly smashing into your friends as sub-atomic particles, take a tour of a super collider, or look at a variety of DOE informational resources.  I like how lush and verdant the island is, a reminder of how our energy consumption effects the ecosystem around us.

Vassar has a beautiful island in SL which includes this re-creation of the Sistine Chapel. My colleagues and I were impressed with the beauty of the whole island and especially the loving care lavished on the Sistine Chapel feature. The frescoes were just wonderful and flying to the ceiling to view them up close was a thrill. The Raphael tapestries on the walls were an unexpected bonus. While we enjoyed viewing the works, we all agreed that some kind of docent audio tour would enhance the experience.

Edtech in 3D group notes: Site Description: An accurate-to-scale recreation of The Sistine Chapel. Overall impressions: We arrived at Vassar Island, and were immediately in the middle of the experience. We were impressed by the detail in the recreation of the Sistine Chapel, and found it enjoyable to view the paintings and tapestries up close and from different angles. Although the chapel recreation is interesting, we were not very inspired to return. How learning is taking place: Visitors can fly through the Sistine Chapel and view famous pieces of art from angles that would not be possible in real life. Additionally, visitors are unencumbered by crowds or barriers, and some historical information is available. Likes: Painting and floor recreations are very impressive. Access to the artwork from different perspectives is nice (such as flying or changing viewpoints). Clicking on the painting "The Last Judgement" gives a nice history of the painting. Dislikes: Tapestries are hidden, and a sign must be clicked to show them - but the tapestries disappear again in 30 seconds. Unfortunately, most items do not contain historical information. We feel that this location could be greatly improved by giving visitors some information up front, such as the limitations of the experience (mostly the lack of historical information provided), encouraging them to fly up to the artwork for different perspectives, and setting expectations about how much of the artwork in the Sistine Chapel is represented in Second Life. Applications to learning in virtual worlds: We feel that Vassar Island contains both good examples of learning applications in virtual worlds, as well as things that could be improved upon. The detailed recreation of the Sistine Chapel, with the ability to view the artwork from amazing perspectives, can be applied to other learning applications. More historical information or study aids would be very helpful.

Edtech in 3D group notes: Site Description: Imperial College's virtual hospital where professionals can train and rehearse and patients can learn about healthcare facilities and procedures that they might need to use. Overall impressions: We were immediately impressed with the Medical School. The grounds were beautiful, and the buildings were designed with learning in mind. We liked the patient rooms, and the introductory podcast was a useful start to the experience. Unlike Vassar Island, we felt that we wanted to spend more time in this location - and we were left with a desire to return and learn more. How learning is taking place: Tour guides give visitors a wide range of ways to discover the island. Visitors can visit patients and learn about various medical conditions. From what we could see, lectures and demonstrations are also a large part of learning at the medical school. Likes: We liked the podcast that started playing as soon as we arrived. There were numerous tours and visitor aids, making it easy to get started. We also liked the immediate access to information. This set expectations up front, helping us to enjoy the experience. Dislikes: Because the island is full of information and is very immersive, the user has to go through several layers (tours, walking around, searching) to get to things. Applications to learning in virtual worlds: The patient rooms take advantage of the virtual world to create an experience that can't easily be created in the real world. They are a great example of how Second Life allows deeper learning than can be found by simply reading a book or listening to a lecture - without endangering an actual patient. Other learning experiences could apply this same tactic to become more immersive.

Live music performances from Classical to Heavy Metal! A great venue for people to attend concerts that they may not be able to get to in the real world! One education site had their students watch a live performance and write a critique. Visit this site to see the concert schedule: http://musicisland.ning.com/

Port Charles is one island among many in the region of Jabberwock in SecondLife. The islands are set in the 1700's in British colonial Jamaica, where the Royal Navy is battling with pirates. This island is British territory, but others are trading outposts controlled by pirates or smugglers dens that reminded me of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. This is a role playing environment with fairly strict rules for battle, speech, and dress. After spending some time here I learned about the politics between the British and pirates, and how people dressed.

The volunteer librarians of Info Island provide actual reference service for people's questions both inside and beyond Second Life. "Ask the Librarian" is a virtual reference service where you can chat with a librarian to get assistance. The multi-lingual service is international in scope. There is a very useful library of free Second Life scripts and educational tools. This is a great resource for educators.

This site's purpose is to "promote an active dialogue concerning aging, the elderly, seniors, health care, policy issues, caregivers, decision makers, educators, and getting older." When you arrive at Gerontology Education Island, you can take a quick tour in a virtual wheel chair. There are also "holodeck" rooms (shades of Star Trek) where you can experience being a health care practitioner working with the aging. This simulation focuses on a different subject matter and demographic than one would generally expect in Second Life, and it demonstrates how adaptable and useful the educational tools of Second Life can be.

elearningproject - using virtual worlds (Reaction Grid and Second Life) to teach English Language skills through adventure based learning. A 10 mission adventure where students must work together to escape Devil Island.

A great place to learn how to use your avatar for people like me who are a little frustrated. Plus there is a lot of free stuff to collect. Non-threatening! I didn't have anyone approach me and ask if I liked vampires like I did on Discovery Island. I also acquired a great picture changer there. Some very useful freebies. If you are a collector - go to ISTE.

I was there too! I appreciated all of the resources and free tools. I got a ISTE t-shirt and hope to be sporting that at the next class.

I enjoyed the learning aspect at this location, mostly due to its utility and choice. I found it simple to navigate and gain a better understanding of SL.

San Diego State University's Aztlan Island in Second Life even calendar. Please respect other class meetings!