mmmmmmm

Getting to that flaky stage where the doubters weigh you down. I could do with some positive news like being able to access SL through the service providers the schools use! Like having the lindens get back to me! Like believing the teachers would be proactive in this when there has been a cloud of lethargy in previous outings. Cheer me up guys:)

Another conference pic

Conference pic

In-world conference on using SL in education

This is a conference being held part in a US university and part in world. The session was at the NMC campus and proved effective for communication, Q&A, and logistics. There was the time old problem of the RL part of the conference over running and so we in-worldies had to wait for the speakers to appear.

Contacts are growing

This week I have met a guy from Holland with similar areas of expertise and interest, a guy from US already in TSL who is keen to help, a girl researching for a US maths in TSL project and a guy from Spain who has set up a test classroom in SL and is planning a project. In this world it is sooo easy to network and find people in similar positions.

Creativity! can SL help stop the rot?

The decline in creative thinking during the education of a young person is of major concern in education circles. As a toddler creativity in solving problems is running at well over 95% this diminishes to well under 10% in adults and yet we live in an incredibly fast world where creative thinking is much sought after. In my work in education the results from the use of creative alternative learning styles like mind mapping has been marked and my initial response to the linear nature of the 'virtual learning environments' being rolled out into schools was one of despair as it seemed we were using the highly creative technology we have developed to do no more than store files and turn pages. Nothing new there then!
Then came some hope. My very first reaction when I logged on to SL was this is more like it.
A place where you can experiment, create, display, discuss, collaborate, sell, buy, simulate experiences, go where no man has gone before, visualize concepts, have reasons to work out stuff, feel and see the purpose in learning to program, the list goes on.
As web 3.0 emerges we need to make sure we in education position ourselves to make the most of this opportunity to re-imagine education.

Imagine

Imagine you are sitting in your examinations !arg and during your time learning the key elements of your course you built 3D installations in your 3D learning space that represented those elements and you stored or displayed information and projects you completed. Your regular visits to that environment will have etched it in your long term memory.
As you sit there, rather than panic, you make your way through your virtual space (In your mind) and all the information is there for you to uncover. Neural connections that have been made through the creative process are reignited and the information flows.

Sloodle

Went to a sloodle meeting in SL last night(infusion of 3D SL into the open source VLE Moodle) Seems that progress is being made with a number of tools being developed by some great guys to facilitate running courses within SL. I must admit at one point in this serious meeting at the tech speak was flowing I took a copy of the seating at which point all 17 avatars flew up into the air and left us all standing. Didn't have the guts to own up.
One of the tools allows members of a class to be registered as they enter the learning zone. I am sure with a tweek it could also register and make the facilitator aware of students going awol.