Virtual worlds for kids.

Make a point of checking out Rich White's Greenbush Labs blog for some fascinating and relevant ideas. See the augmented reality ZooBooks-http://bit.ly/9pUQNt, the 3D desktop, Bumptop, and Google 3D map view http://roots.greenbush.us/?p=924.

Great article, Jose. If we block these sites how will we teach students how to use them appropriately and navigate the web safely?

It appears that Edusim may be a partial solution to giving elementary students access to a somewhat virtual world. This is an "immersive-touch" product that works with an interactive whiteboard allowing students to interact with and build in the environment. I created an account a year ago and had no motivation to learn about it until I took this ET 700 class. Now I am eager to figure out how to use it in my classroom. Using this technique, a class can have a hands-on virtual field trip, interactive story telling, or show a process in a 3D immersive way. For more explanation:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVFsxev-2sk Edusim alpha 11:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f53LzbK3alw I am going to download this and try it out. Let me know if you have any experience with this product.

Interesting, relevant, and popular sites in SL. Topics include General, Pedagogy, Research plus more. Add your own favorite slurl or website.

This is an incredible location- a collection of intriguing landmarks from a variety of subjects. You really need to stop by here and pick up some good ideas about places to visit in SL and the internet. From one location you can view displays on many topics complete with links to webpages and notecards containing additional references. Some ideas: DaVinci's Observatory, A Cooking Center, Hyperhistory -http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html Spectrum School Network- http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/ History of Computing and Learning in Education Open Library: directory-style search http://openlibrary.org/search/subjects?q=educational+technology

The Literature Alive! group creates immersive and interactive literary locations in SL. The maze-like dungeon of this address, for example, has the visitor explore archetypal literary themes. I think upper middle schoolers and high school students would enjoy this adventure. The note cards and objects contain instructions, quizzes and information. Passage through the mazes requires answering quiz questions. Comparisons to modern literature and movies keeps the content relevant. You can also discover links to additional websites about the topic and teaching literature. Here is a link to the Literature Alive blog: http://literaturealive.blogspot.com/ and wiki: http://literaturealive.wikispaces.com/

Fascinating location! All about innovation, imagination, and the immediacy of technology. Today's digital student has access to (good or bad) voluminous amounts of information and can share that info immediately with unlimited numbers of people. What will technology and education be like in 10 years? http://www.slideshare.net/hans.stavleu/2010-0302-within-ten-years-education-and-innovation-at-second-life

I have been trying to export Google Sketchup creations into SL and happened on this tool: SketchLIfe I am about to try it and will report on the ease of use.

Here is an article about virtual worlds in education and alternatives to SL such as Open Cobalt and Open Simulator. Some educators would like more flexibility than SL gives them. What is the future for VR in education?
Love Library link:http://libproxy.sdsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=48598103&site=ehost-live
Interesting reading.

This SLOODLE (Simulation Linked Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) blog comments on and gives examples of using the plug-in SLOODLE to interface and integrate SL with Moodle. This is an open source project. The blog provides excellent tutorials explaining how this application works, and as you watch them, you start to imagine all the different ways you might apply these tools to the classroom. This site contains many ideas and examples for the classroom use of a VR as well as other web-based tools. One example of this is the dropbox for leaving notecard assignments. Once dropped, the notecard appears in the teacher's Moodle account. Once graded, the student immediately receives an email. Another paper describes using SL to teach engineering and then using the SLOODLE to track students' in-world laboratory participation and link it to the teacher's moodle. So we are seeing the virtual world integrating with the real world. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sloodle/126/94/23