EDTEC700MULE

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.

Creatiing seamless megaregion terrain files and a FREE file!

Edtech in 3D group notes: Site Description: Visitors experience the exhibit through the mind of a schizophrenic. Overall impressions: This was a fairly intense exhibit in some ways. But, the virtual world made it possible to learn and experience the subject matter in a very interesting way. We had a more emotional reaction to the experience than could have otherwise occurred, due to the immersion level involved. How learning is taking place: The schizophrenia exhibit immerses the visitor in an experience that would be difficult to reproduce in the real world. Visitors hear audio clips playing throughout the exhibit that show what it is like to suffer from schizophrenia, and shares examples of people who have suffered from this disease. It is an intense exhibit, and it is very effective at teaching about schizophrenia. Likes: The warnings are a good idea, and the badge system (while cumbersome) keeps people from accidentally entering the exhibit. The audio that accompanies the experience is very effective. In this case, expectations were not clearly defined up front, which made it more effective. The impact of the exhibit could have been diminished by telling visitors too much about what they were about to experience. Dislikes: The exhibit required a badging system to enter, and the process of gaining access was a little confusing. It was difficult to take a picture, because the visuals aren't very sophisticated. However, the experience may have been too intense if the visuals had been more in-depth. Applications to learning in virtual worlds: The immersion that occurred in this exhibit was very effective, and we feel that this type of learning could be used in other learning applications.

T.H.E. article about end of Teen Second LIfe, other platform options and what it all may mean for K12 teachers (good and bad).

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 worlds for kids.

Experience the exhibit as an journalist investigating Kristallnacht, listening to eyewitness accounts, touring the destruction in town, seeing photos and reading the stories of people that were killed...A very media rich and sobering environment. Plan on taking your time to experience it.

The above link is to a paper written about the ways in which high schools can use virtual worlds to educate students or as part of supplementing high school students' education. The article addresses the value of role playing and social learning in the classroom. The author also asks teachers what has worked for them and their professional opinion about virtual worlds in the classroom. The author also addresses how video games can be educational.

Setting DNS to use Google's DNS. - Workaround some Second Life connectivity problems (especially those regarding various voice issues)

Another free DNS option

OpenSim Hypergrid online store (beta) Many free assets including OAR, IAR, textures, scripts, sounds, animations, etc.  

Hypergrid Business: List of places to obtain OAR terrains, terrain tools, objects and textures suitable for Second Life and OpenSim

OSgrid repository of archive of OAR and IAR files for public use.  Must be allowed by creator.

a K-12 teacher's work in OpenSim. Contains a detailed description of platform choices, proposal presentations and resources that show HOW she got her project approved and running.

Free Terrain files (OAR files) in OpenSimulator wiki

terrain files (OAR) including megaregions.

How to create .RAW files for Second Life and OpenSim with Terragen ... Terragen now supports direct import into opensim.  Step by step for single sim .. and links for multisim terrain file creation. OAR

I feel strongly about kids actually having to go out and participate actively in "real life" sports. I do however see the benefit of using virtual reality to improve mental strategies and to develop skills independently. Virtual reality in sports and fitness can help to encourage young people to be more active. This article describes some of the advantages and disadvantages to using virtual reality in sports and fitness.

Here is an interesting article on how virtual reality is used for physical rehabilitation. People in the rehabilitation community and neuroscientist question whether virtual reality truly affects the nervous system or if it just serves as motivation for the patient in a controlled environment.