On Tuesday 29th of January I attended Stoke Damerel Community College to run four creative industries workshops for an audience of 12-14 year old pupils. It was an opportunity to unveil and introduce our Literacy Island in the Teen Second Life Grid, which is planed to begin development soon. We also wanted to give the pupils a sense of ownership over the project, so during the workshops we gave them the opportunity to express what they would want the island and their avatars to look like.

Following the days events I was interviewed by Stuart Abel, the education reporter from the Evening Herald, the local Plymouth Newspaper.

“Young readers may soon be able to meet their favourite writers in a virtual world as part of a pioneering project to boost literacy in Plymouth. Technology and education experts are joining forces to create a new learning area in the burgeoning internet community, Second Life.
City communications company TwoFour and Plymouth City Council are to buy space in the web-based three dimensional world where users can create their own characters or avatars. An ‘island’ will be created to promote reading and writing among 13 to 17-year-olds on the junior version of the website… (Click Here to Continue Reading)

Last night myself, Jason, Squirrel and Kerry spent a few hours setting up a Media Zoo security system, its currently still in BETA testing but it’s an extremely powerful bit of kit and we’re looking forward to a safer future. We will be disclosing specifications once the system successfully undergoes Beta testing and is officially released.

An in-game meeting between myself Jiz Source (alias Andrew Jinman) of Twofour Learning and Claudia Linden of Linden Labs. Claudia took a tour around the Media Zoo Island, during which we discussed a range of exciting opportunities for immersive learning in Second Life.

Ok setting the scene; i come home from work tried and fed up, only for this article to hit me when i logged into MSN messenger…

http://tech.uk.msn.com/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=7217170&vv=500#toolbar

Can we please be a little bit more optimistic!? my response was as follows;

Sorry I would hardly say the argument was balanced, I’ve raised similar points within my research of immersion, addictions and escapism; however you neglect to see the over whelming positive affects these worlds have and will have in the future.

The sense from the article seems to reflect the lack of experience in for mentioned virtual worlds, correct me if I’m wrong? I’m not saying it’s a bad article, just some expansion and counter arguments are needed.

Lack of emphasise on the sense of community or belonging, your neglecting that these technologies are a social gaming experience (hardly mentioned). Why play a game in isolation, we have always regarded play as a social activity be it a card game or TableTop game such as monopoly. Ok the addictiveness and escapism aspects need to be addressed but that just illustrates the technology focused society we live in.

Carbon footprint; ok so I hear an avatar has a carbon footprint of the average Brazilian; however are we not also forgetting that these technologies are being used as distance communication technologies. Just sit back and imagine how we could reduce the carbon footprint incurred by travelling to and from; work, conferences (flights, cars, and trains), events, even shopping? If they all occurred in virtual synthetic worlds or even completely online, this could be dramatically reduced.

This has already begun; companies such as Sun Systems are actively encouraging employees to use virtual worlds instead of travelling to and from work.

“On any given day, 50% of Sun Microsystems’ workforce works remotely from home”

Educational benefits; ok so you touch on this in the article but even I can’t do it justice in the time I have, just imagine the benefits to simulation (it’s a safe environment), role-play (professional assessment), again distance learning (education for worldwide audiences), interactive learning (no longer passive consumers of knowledge) and finally cost effective 3D visualisation (medical profession).

You need to ask yourselves this, throughout history hasn’t man adopted the use of technology to ensure their survival? When that first caveman was cold and wet did he pick up a flint and create fire or sit around waiting to die? Didn’t this make us different to every other species on the planet?

Maybe we need to embrace the use of technology as a good thing? Maybe change is good? Maybe the glass is half full?

Maybe virtual worlds hold the key to our own survival? Or at least we should extinguish every single possibility before getting hung up on the negatives.

Just a few links if you’re interested in further reading or a optimist like me =)

Oh and I better say this just in case I get into any trouble, this post reflects my own personal views!

http://www.healthcybermap.org/sl.htm

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/08/20/secondlife

http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=T&Id=6600

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyid=2007-11-27T140202Z_01_T295650_RTRUKOC_0_US-BRAINWAVES-SECONDLIFE.xml

Myself and James Abraham from Twofour Learning attend the BDRA, where we were invited to give a workshop/presentation on the development stages involved in developing within Second Life, the audio stream was recorded live at the event.

The workshop was attended by around 20 acedemics from several universities and institutes even two members from the RAF. Again apologies from the limited quality but heyho that’s Google video from you!

Twofour is reshaping the world of learning by using TV and interactive technology to create virtual places where educators, leaders and learners can communicate. It draws on its longstanding TV heritage and combines this with cutting edge Web 2.0 technology to deliver tailor-made interactive media communications platforms which deliver proven cost and time savings in CPD and management communications.

At BETT 2008 (London Olympia, 9-12 January) Twofour will be demonstrating its ground breaking work in Second Life in collaboration with The University of Leicester, as well as examples of practical web TV applications for CfBT Education Trust / DCSF and the new Secondary Curriculum and Young Gifted and Talented programme, Governor Training and the Bowland Trust / DCSF ‘Making Maths Fun’Initiative.

‘Immersive Environments and Learning Futures: Second Life and Beyond’ with Gilly Salmon, Professor of E-learning & E-learning Technologies from the University of Leicester on Thursday 10th January

(Description supplied by the University of Leicester, special thanks to Prof Gilly Salmon and Matt Wheeler of the BDRA Team)

The 2007 Beyond Distance conference focussed on ‘Learning Futures’ - spotting future trends and learner expectations, and how practitioners can ride the surf to improve learning and teaching.

It built on the 2005 and 2006 conferences which were concerned with setting the e-learning research agenda. The hallmark of the BDRA conferences is the provision of space, time and ideas for those involved in e-learning teaching and learning to come together to exchange ideas and think through the development of concepts, theories and rigorous and appropriate methodologies, good practice and models of change. An important aim has been to shift the focus to improving student learning from concentration on learning technologies.

The 2008 conference is firmly focussed on Learning Futures: spotting future trends and learner expectations, and riding the surf to improve learning and teaching. The aims are:
• To articulate and surface key transferable e-learning ideas and models for consideration in different contexts
• To develop stronger relationships promoting research on innovative teaching in inter-disciplinary, interdisciplinary, cross professional, multi institutional ways through building principles and models for testing through work in practice and context
• To continue to shift the focus to improving student learning from learning technologies, with a particular emphasis on those renewing distance learning programmes

For more information: http://www.le.ac.uk/beyonddistance/events/conference2008.html

The main focus of the event was the Second Life Media Zoo, myself and James Abraham of the Twofour Learning team attended the event hoping to answer any questions on the Zoo’s development. We also held a short workshop where we gave a quick presentation entitled (How to start developing in SL), we then asked the group to design their very own Sim’s, an extremely fun activity with some very good ideas and concepts arising.