Roleplaying in Education

This evening I had a chance to attend a conference that included a fantastic discussion about Roleplaying in education, and how Second Life might fit in. It was held in the ISTE's skypark. The discussion feel into several different components, but he covered topics around historical roleplaying, "Never Land" roleplaying, and science roleplaying. The presenters name is Wainbrave Bernal. His note card was fantastic and covered almost everything that was discussed. I would recommend heading to ISTE to see if you can find it after the event.

It was interesting to see the diversity of educators in the session. I mean there was a Dragon in the back row!!! As was pointed out in so many other blogs, educators need to do something different to catch students attention, and if that means your avatar is a furry or a dragon, then it might help.

Voice Conversations in SL

So I have heard about it, but never saw it for real. While exploring the College of Second Knowledge, I found a kiosk that was giving out free headsets with directions on how to use Skype to have voice conversations while in Second Life. The headset looks like one of those small Bluetooth headsets people use with their cell phones.

Once I found the information, I then went and downloaded Skype so that I could give this a try. I need to know figure out how to use it and find some other people with it, but I figure this is the first step to getting some voice conversations going in SL, something I've been very curious about.

So know that I have it, I may have to set it up and get it going so that I can try chatting. If you see me and you have one, let's give it a try and see how it works.

ISTE in SL

ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education, has a space in second life located on Eduisland. It is a great place for teachers and students looking for some more information about technology in education. The owner of this location, Kittygloom, has set up multiple levels so that there are numorous locations for people to explore and interact while at ISTE.

First, there is the main entry, and the building itself. There is a lot of information for teachers in the ISTE building and I would encourage people to take a look and see what is new. The is a survey to let the owner know a little bit about yourself as you look around. It is quick and easy to fill out. There is also a bulliten board in the room so that messages can be posted and viewed. There are also many of the books that ISTE publishes as well as some of the magazines on the wall for people to order or get more information about. Many times during the day there is a Docent (a person who is here to greet and answer questions) as you enter the area. It has been a great experience for me to meet more educators and make new friends. There are also many other resources to check out.
Next there Skypark, with space for conferences and open air discussions. I have had a few great conversations with people in the Skypark. It is a great place to meet people and have discussions. I think some times the socials are up there, but as I have not had time to attend one, I think that is where they are.
Finally there is the sandbox. Like most sandboxes, it is a great place to look over all the items you have in your inventory. All those great freebie places give you some fun stuff, but when you need a place to view your collection... the sandbox is a great place.
Well for now I'll leave some things for you to explore. I'll post more about ISTE and what is there later. Take a few moments and see who is there and what is going on.

NOAA in SL

So I have been looking at places that teachers and students could go to for some information and fun. I've seen NOAA at the International Spaceflight location as well as the Science School, so I went for a search. I found some interesting things to do and see here at NOAA that could be used by teachers and schools. Get the HUD as it will give you information as you travel around.

You can take a ride hanging on to a weather balloon. As the balloon floats around information is narrated to you through the HUD that they give you for free when you arrive on the island. I'm not sure what happened, but some how I let go and found myself falling. I managed to fly before hitting the ground, but it was pretty interesting.

I also walked over to a glacial exhibit. There is a animation sequence that takes you through the thawing of a glacier. You can click on the different times during the thaw, or you can animate it and watch the whole thaw.

You can also take a mini sub tour. You sit in the sub and it will take you on an undersea tour. It was really interesting to see all the work they put into the undersea side of their island, not just the top side. Again having the HUD to explain all the sites was fantastic. It was interesting to see all the different animals that they have on/around their island. They have populated the island with Orcas, Dolphins, Fish, Crabs, Jelly Fish, and so much more.

One of the most interesting things I saw was the Tsunami simulator. The HUD walked you through each step and you had a chance to learn about the Tsunami and then watch as it went through each of it's phases. As there is no safe way in RL to get this type of view or first hand look, this was a fantastic way to see it all. The best part is, that with a click everything is back to normal. No one is hurt and nothing is destroyed.

I would recommend that you take a look at this island and really explore it. They offer many different tours and experiences that should not be missed. Even if you are not into science or are a teacher/student, this is a cool island to check out. I've only mentioned a few of the things to do and see here, explore and find some more... maybe even add a comment with some of the other things you saw.

BLOGS

Well I have a few friends who now have blogs about Second Life. I'm going to use this post to link a few in. I think that many people may have seen some of these, but I'll post them here any way.

http://www.victoriagloucester.net/

http://www.puritansguidetosecondlife.blogspot.com/

Parachute Fun

Well I found a parachute and decided to see how it works. I flew up into the sky and then stopped flying. I quickly typed PULL and out came the chute. It was pretty cool as you drop slowly to Earth and see all the different things around you.

I then decided to take it one step further and went to a friend's house in the sky. It was a little nerve wracking looking over the edge and not seeing anything below me. But knowing I had my trust parachute... I jumped. I waited a few seconds (with my arms flailing) and then typed PULL. Ahhh... the view was fantastic. I took a few pictures as I was descending just because I thought it looked so cool. One person has there house supported by balloons. I saw another that looked like an open book.
I then turned around and all I could see was this red sun set. It was really cool. The drop did not take that long, but was really cool.

The chute looks like a small fanny pack that is hardly visible on the avatar. To open and close the chute you need to type PULL or CLOSE. I would recommend everyone taking a chance and taking a jump. It is the safest way to parachute and a heck of a lot of fun.

Science School - Universtiy of Denver

So on the same island as the International Spaceflight Museum is another great place to see science in SL, the Science School through the University of Denver. Every time I stop by this location there is something new to see or try.

Recently they have added a fantastic weather map of the United States. You have several options on the map to display. You can display the map, the weather, temperature, and state boundaries. The weather is actually shown with Rain and Clouds in the different locations.

They have also made an interactive chess board. 2 players can sit down opposite each other and play a game of chess. I played a game against a friend and lost very badly. It was interesting to play a game of chess on-line with your opponent actually across the table from you.

They also had a number of experiments that you could participate in and actually manipulate the devices. They also had some fantastic displays that demonstrated concepts like the shadow of an eclipse, the distance from the Earth to the Moon, and the orbit of the moon around the Earth.

The experiments include:

1. Temperature - you can set the radiator to different levels and see how a tree would react.
2. A yes/no question about what gases absorb infrared light
3. A infrared photon generator

There are many other fantastic things to see and do. I would highly encourage teachers and educators to check this location out.

International Spaceflight Museum

I have always been a huge fan of NASA and when ever I go to Florida I
take time to go to the Kennedy Space Center. When I found the International Spaceflight Museum I was excited! I know I mentioned this site before in another blog, but I really wanted to spend a few minutes talking about this one specifically.

This location has some fantastic sites to see and some interactivity as well. One cool feature is the spinning globe. It plays a movie of several different globes. One of the Earth with clouds, another of an inferred view of Mars, the third is an inferred view of Earth, and finally a view of the lights from Earth. The view of all the lights at night was amazing!

There is also a rocket park where they have created many of the different rockets through the ages. It is really cool to be able to fly in SL so that you can get a birds eye view of these rockets... I know you can use the different views as well, but why not just fly!

There are also several cubes that you can walk right into. On the inside of the cube there is a 360 degree picture of the inside of a lander and I believe a shuttle cockpit. These cubes give a fantastic panoramic view.

There is also a planetarium. The planetarium offers a show with motion and descriptions. It is a pretty fantastic show and worth a few minutes to watch and learn.

There are also several different interactive components located on the grounds. There is a robotic arm that you can control. It offers six different ranges of motion. One of the biggest thrills was the trip to outer space! You actually ride a rocket up to the International Space Station and can then explore. From there you can teleport to Mercury. From Mercury you can begin the tour of the Solar System. This tour is full of fantastic information.

There is also a conference center right in the middle that can accommodate quite a few people with multiple screens for presentations. There is so much more, but I'll let you take a look and see what you see.

My brother!

Well I created an alt account so that I could have an account that was just for educational purposes and one for general purposes. So I'd like to welcome my "Brother" Macros Taurog to Second Life! His goal is to learn more and to work with teachers and students from an educational stand point. He is going to be around and having some fun like me, but will be focusing in on the educational aspect of Second Life. Some times his blogs will be added on to this one so that we will be able to share everything that we have learned here.

Wow, now that I'm done with my second personality... It is time for Macros to begin his journey in Second Life!

Education in Second Life

Well I've now explored and visited several great places in Second Life. Some of these places that I have traveled to are just for fun, but I have found a few that are a blast from an educators point of view. One such place is the International Spaceflight Museum located at slurl.com/secondlife/spaceportalpha/79/120/23

This location offers a number of resources that are fantastic, including mock-ups of rockets, spinning globes, several experiments, a gift shop, and a conference area. There are several prims that you can walk into and see the inside of different objects in a 360 degree view. If you like science or NASA, then this is the place to check out. I'll be posting some more about this site and some of the other science sites soon.

Milamber's Tour of Second Life

Well here is my real blog about this world called Second Life. I'm traveling and exploring through this new world so as I find new experiences I'll be posting and sharing. I have experienced so much so far and will be attempting to back log some of this information.

Welcome to my experience!