Reflective Action – Week 9: Second Life: Institutional, Faculty, and Student Buy-In

Without a doubt, I am in a very unique (and fortunate) situation. There is a tremendous amount of support in using Second Life in various areas within our organization. Within a few months of a leader in our technical department exploring the possibilities of Second Life we were given the option to purchase an island in Second Life and also the Teen Grid. Because our services are located geographically throughout the state of Kansas and beyond many presentations have been made to the administrators of our organization with a very positive (and overwhelming) response.

The buy-in of faculty has been a slow, but positive, process for our organization. It is going to take very small steps to get to the place we really want to be with the use of Second Life within the area of professional development and as part of courses offered to students. One of the first steps our organization wanted to explore were the hurdles and successes for a ‘new’ student to be part of a class within Second Life – hence my involvement in this course!! Yes, I have been the guinea pig!! Because our organization is in a position of being the education and technology leaders of Kansas we are expected to learn and work with school districts on using emerging technologies - there is no doubt we will continue to move forward with great enthusiasm. For the faculty members who have bought into the SL environment, we have been asked to begin the process of setting up an instructor account, etc. within the Teen Grid – I am currently in the background check portion of the registration process.

As a faculty, we have many things to consider before working with students: where this environment best fits the curriculum for initial development, policies, security for students within the Teen Grid, using other Virtual World environments (such as Croquet) with students who do not meet the age requirements of the Teen Grid, and finally training students and teachers on the basics of using Second Life.

In our organizational situation, student buy-in is a fairly easy process (already doing this with Croquet as part of a Middle School Technology Leadership Academy). Throughout the school year, we work with schools who want their students to be part of accelerated programs, enhancement programs, Summer Institutes, etc. all of which are designed as an extension to their school day.

Resources:
The Edusim: 3D For Your Interactive WhiteBoard: http://www.edusim3d.com/

Global Kids: http://globalkids.org/.

Kansas Educational Employment Board: http://www.kansasteachingjobs.com/.

The Teen Grid: Bringing Your School into Second Life: Retrieved on October 28, 2007 from http://thejournal.com/articles/21101.

Reflective Action – Week 8: Second Life Tutorial - How to Make Tiny Prims

Website: Second Life Tutorial - How to Make Tiny Prims: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6XqQM9hgB0

I was reminded during the week eight lesson how I am barely touching the surface in using the virtual world environment! I really felt like a noobie throughout the presentation and on top of that due to a horrendous Internet connection my avatar was not going to cooperate so any movement was disastrous and there was a five-minute lag in posting a chat so participation was impossible. Unfortunately, when having technical difficulties it is hard to concentrate on the content being presented. However, I really tried to turn this into a positive learning situation regardless of my frustration!

After the week eight class it was evident that I needed to learn more about Rapid e-Learning and the basics of building prims. As part of my involvement in taking this course I have had tremendous support from those in the small group in which I am part of as well as colleagues at my place of employment. Throughout the week, I worked with a colleague who showed me some basics on building prims – I should have asked weeks ago – and I also watched the video Second Life Tutorial - How to Make Tiny Prims. When I was going through the tutorial I really wasn’t sure how I could apply the information however the author/creator of the video showed some very basic small prims…fortunately I could relate to the examples! I really found the tutorial to be very helpful!

Without a doubt, I have so much to learn about Second Life – the uses within education, building, etc. I have a true appreciate for each new concept I learn and apply to this amazing environment!

As far as relating building tiny prims to theory and practice I can honestly say I have no idea at this point how I personally would connect this to a lesson/course. I am not comfortable enough with building to even know where to start let along integrate into a class. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues who have great experience in building to see what their thoughts are on the topic.

Resource: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6XqQM9hgB0

Reflective Action – Week 7: Teaching in Second Life: One Instructor's Perspective

Reading: Teaching in Second Life: One Instructor's Perspective

A virtual world environment, such as Second Life, is a great tool to use for integrating technology into the curriculum regardless of the grade/level of students we are working with in our respective areas.

As an instructor there are going to be unique challenges – remember the first year of teaching – to overcome!

This course, Teaching and Learning in Second Life, has definitely provided an array of teaching strategies within a virtual world and how interaction is and can be encouraged during class sessions. Sarah Robbins (SL: Intellagirl Tully) was amazing in the way she initiated a class dialogue!

It is going to take time in becoming comfortable using Second Life as a delivery tool in the classroom. According to Rebecca Nesson, “At the beginning, there was a certain amount of Second Life culture shock, where people try to get acclimated about how to use the interface.” I completely agree with her statement. Not only are we learning more about using SL as a delivery tool but also for some of us we are still learning more about using the components of SL. Of course, one would think (and hope) the learning never ends!!

As an instructor, I hope to learn how to better manage the chats that occur! During our course, I spend a large amount of time just following the conversations! However, it is wonderful that the chats can be saved and reviewed at a later time!

A point was made in the article about the engagement level of those in the class. Overall, I find that I am so overwhelmed with the Teaching and Learning in Second Life course that I tend to sit back and absorb the chats, presentations, etc. as opposed to being actively involved in the conversations. This is really just the opposite of what I have been like in any other class I have taken throughout the years! Perhaps had I been a user of Second Life for a longer period of time this situation would be different!

Throughout reading the article, I keep thinking about netiquette. What are some of the areas of netiquette we should be addressing when using SL?

Resource: http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2007/05/teaching_in_sec.html

Reflective Action – Week 6: NOAA Comes to Second Life

Reading: NOAA Comes to Second Life

Throughout the week I visited Meteroa - what an incredible island and tremendous resource! Have to admit I went on my first balloon ride and submarine ride this week! The demonstrations would certainly be a great addition to our respective science curriculum.

The interactive piece of Second Life is still very new to me. However, I must say I found the balloon ride through the atmosphere, the cruise through the ocean in a submarine, and the virtual tsunami to be quite remarkable. Hopefully I will never be closer to a tsunami than the simulation through Meteroa! Unfortunately, I didn’t get to take a flight through the eye of a hurricane. Not sure why I couldn’t get the plane to start the tour! I will be back!

As I have mentioned before, I have great respect for those who are creating and building islands such as NOAA!

I’m sure there are places on the NOAA Island that I did not visit. However, it is definitely an island I will revisit for additional demonstrations and information to share with colleagues.

As an added note, there are times that I become frustrated when trying to figure out how to find certain areas within an island or how to make simulations work…such as flying a plane into the eye of a hurricane. I have made the decision to take each frustration and turn them into learning experiences. Without a doubt, in working with students and teachers they are going to feel the same frustrations and encounter some of the same roadblocks as I have in learning to navigate and manipulate experiences within Second Life. I just as well encounter them first so I become more effective in working with those within the education community who wish to learn more about using Second Life in their classroom!

I am learning so much and appreciate the time it takes to explore the recommended resources!

Resource: http://www.secondlifeinsider.com/2006/08/18/noaa-comes-to-second-life

Reflective Action – Week 5: Educational Uses of Second Life

Reading: Second Life in Education: Educational Uses of Second Life

As I continue to explore various areas within Second Life my mind swims with ideas on how to integrate this amazing tool into areas of education. When I created my Second Life account I really didn’t have a grasp on how Second Life would benefit students and teachers. However, as I become more comfortable in using and exploring Second Life I find that I have more ideas than time!!!

Educational Uses of Second Life was a great article for me to read! Primarily, through exploration of listed islands with Second Life I have gained more knowledge in how it can be used in an education environment. With each ‘blurb’ there are also options such as links, videos, blogs, etc. to access for additional information. The amount of information I gained through the time I spent walking around the various areas within Second Life is unbelievably exciting!

One of the islands I enjoyed exploring, as part of my role as a science educator, was Genome Island. This island is unbelievable!! I really like the way the builder has placed everything from biotech equipment to links for a DNA Extraction protocol to virtual experiments to quizzes to information websites within the island. Without a doubt, I only touched the beginning of what is available! I am most intrigued and can definitely see how this site would be a real compliment to our high school biotech learning experiences and labs! The one area I would like to explore further is the option to meet and talk with professional geneticists. What an amazing experience this would be for students (and teachers)!

It was (and will continue to be) such a great experience spending time in various islands. Without a doubt, imagination and creativity is a key to successfully using Second Life in our respective areas.

Resource: http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/educationaluses

Reflective Action - Week 4: Sloog.org: Tagging the Whole New World

Reading: Sloog.org: Tagging the Whole New World

Because I am a newbie in SL everything I try within the environment is so exciting and interesting. However, I must admit I became very frustrated when attempting to work through Sloog.

The reason I selected this particular article is because I thought it was a service I could download and try out with success. That wasn’t the case! After spending too much time (small chunks of time over several days!!!) working with the service I have opted to stop and visit with our technical support department to see what small step I am not working through properly/completely!

I am finding so many resources within SL I am hoping Sloog will be a service that will help with organizing the places and avatars I find beneficial for students and educators.

Without a doubt, I am feeling overwhelmed with so much material presented each week in class and with the recommended reading and resources. At some point in time I need to take a SL tool or two at a time and really research and become comfortable with it…Sloog being an example.

If anyone has thoughts as to why I cannot save a bookmark please let me know!

Resource: http://www.sloog.org/about

Reflective Action - Week 3: Virtual Worlds – What Are They and Why Do Educators Need to Pay Attention to Them?

Reading: Virtual Worlds – What Are They and Why Do Educators Need to Pay Attention to Them?

With each and every article I read regarding education within the Second Life environment my mind continues to go in so many different directions! This article certainly gave me more ideas AND more places to go to learn more about Second Life. Yes, I will continue to say, I am completely overwhelmed!

I realize many universities are beginning to use SL (or other Virtual World models) as a mode for delivery. The area I am most interested in is working with educators and students in the area of K-12. The article mentioned a service, Virtual Worlds for Kids & Teens, which I intend to read for more information. As we know, the virtual world is not something new to our students! Let’s find an effective way to use their skills and integrate the same excitement in the classroom as they are experiencing outside the classroom!

The article was very informative and as always I am left with more questions about the virtual world environment and how to integrate into education! Truly exciting!

Resource: http://seanfitz.wikispaces.com/virtualworldsenetworks07#education

Reflective Action - Week 2: Interview with Milosun: How NOT to Teach in Second Life

Interview with Milosun: How NOT to Teach in Second Life

I was particularly interested in this article because of the chat that took place regarding “ready-to-use” teaching tools. As part of a listserv I receive a large number of e-mails regarding teaching tools in Second Life. The tools mentioned are those that are free and also those available for purchase. As a new user I am anxious to look and try out teacher tools that are available with the goal of having more knowledge so the creation can from my end! However, as a starting point I need to learn to effectively evaluate teaching tools that area available, particularly, the benefit they might have for my role in education.

In the article, Milosun points out that SL makes the digital divide wider, not narrower. This is a comment I would like to explore further.

Of course, the question remains of any technology tool, is there a true benefit in teaching and learning the content?

I certainly agree with the comment made by Kevin Suisei in that the best tool is the well-training/experienced teacher!

Resource: http://theory.isthereason.com/?p=1363