Group items tagged

Overview of how Global Kids and other educational/non-profit organizations used Teen Second Life from 2005 until its close in late 2010. In addition to listing projects and case studies, Barry Joseph discusses what we might learn from this "experiment".

This is a fun, interactive site which teaches students about the play Oedipus Rex and about conventions of ancient Greek theater, culture and politics. It uses a game show format and contemporary tone to get students engaged. The drawback is that it is text dense. Students simply click on what they think is the right answer. The right answer takes them to the next part of the narrative. The wrong answer takes them to a long paragraph of explanation. There are hot links within the text, though, which open other cool sites with pictures, maps, etc. This is a very specific site intended to enhance a person's study of Oedipus Rex.

Virtual Storytelling Project - 125 Grade 8 students in 5 Regina Public schools were involved in an inquiry learning project integrating English Language Arts, Social Studies and Arts Ed Drama curriculums, as well as cutting edge technology through the use of Teen Second Life and the iLife suite of applications.

Ning site is dedicated to teachers exploring the potential of using MUVEs for teaching and learning about Social Studies. This is the group Virtual Pioneers in Second Life. Many links to great educational projects for K12 teachers and ISTE.

I was directed here after watching a video from secondclassroom.ning.com about using SL to create Machinima videos. It shows examples of Machinima movies for 6th and 8th grade. I am most interested in the integration of 6th grade social studies curriculum of Greek gods.

I liked the idea of this second life campus created by Free-Ed.net. Free self paced courses are provided for students who are interested in learning a variety of higher level topics. I like this idea because it gives people a taste of study in another major. For example, if you are interested in pursuing a degree in history, the courses through free-ed give you a taste of what work in that degree may entail. There is even content for students preparing to take the GED, AP, or SAT exams. The second life forum also allows students to meet in rooms to study for exams or discuss course content.

University of Kansas Medical Center asynchronous simulations. Interesting case study.

The Federal Trade Commission today issued a report that examines the incidence of sexually and violently explicit content in online virtual worlds. The congressionally mandated report, "Virtual Worlds and Kids: Mapping the Risks," urges operators of virtual worlds to take a number of steps to keep explicit content away from children and teens, and recommends that parents familiarize themselves with the virtual worlds their kids visit.

Interesting website detailing some wonderful successes of Second Life. This resources shows that virtual worlds truly offer multiple ways to approach learning environments. The site provides many case studies detailing how organizations and individuals have harnessed SL to reach more people and conduct more effective "in-world" learning. Some of the successes have been found in a variety of types of institutions - both business and education - with fantastic results. Enjoy!

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.

This SLURL drops you right in front of the Sistene Chapel. When you enter there is a reference card to your right that explains how to view the art. It is amazing. You can fly up to the ceiling and actually touch the artwork by Michaelangelo. I would love to take my 7th grade students here or a similar site when we study the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The tapestries by Rapael come to life when you touch them.

I will definitely check this one out. I wow my students with Google Earth's street view and 3D buildings to show them the world. My student population see very little outside of their community, so it comes in handy. I am always looking for news ways to have them "see" the world. Thanks for the links. Now I will continue to pester my IS dept. to loosen up a little and let us have access.

Cynthia, we found the Sistine chapel too ... my group just loved this stunning location. I did not try touching the tapestries! I think we'll go back and check that out. Thanks for mentioning this feature we did not explore!

A well-organized museum of historically significant artwork from around the world, representing different cultures and religions. The museum is carefully divided into topical areas with beautiful reproductions of many types of art. The descriptions are text-driven which calls for good reading skills and some degree of patience; not for young students, it's probably best for postsecondary students studying world religions or art history. There are 45 slide shows available to the user.