As the Worldz Turn
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The document discusses the use of virtual worlds and online spaces for education purposes. It provides several links to resources about using virtual worlds like OpenSim, Hypergridding, and online hubs for practitioners. Specific virtual world education projects mentioned include Azeroth Academy, which brings aspects of the game World of Warcraft into the classroom, and No Avatar Left Behind, which focuses on ensuring all students can access virtual world learning. The document encourages readers to explore the provided resources and links to learn more about how virtual worlds can enhance education.
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As the Worldz Turn
- 1. AS THE WORLDZ TURN… Where We Stand: K-12 Education in Virtual Worlds
- 16. METAISSANCE
- 17. CONNECT, SHARE, LEARN, GROW ! RESOURCES…
- 20. “an online hub providing practitioners using virtual worlds with access to the highest quality resources and research in the field to establish a strong network of those using virtual worlds for learning” http://rezedhub.ning.com
- 21. No Avatar Left Behind
- 24. AZEROTH ACADEMY
- 25. Thanks to...
- 26. The Hero’s Journey WoWinSchool Goes To The Classroom
- 27. …Or ,What Happens To “School” When Learners Become Heroes
- 29. Do Some Reading…
- 33. METAISSANCE
- 35. The future is now. Class is in session.
- 36. Lucas Gillispie @peggysheehy peggysheehy@mac.com
Hinweis der Redaktion
- Good Day – Good Evening – thank you for this opportunity to share with you – My name in the physical world .is Peggy Sheehy and my days are spent serving students and teachers in a public middle school in New York I have been on this incredible journey of learning in virtual worlds since 2005, and in 2006 my district, Ramapo Central gave me the support to establish the first Middle School presence on the Teen SL Grid –Ramapo Islands. Over the past 6 years I have journeyed with over 4000 students and their teachers – and I have been humbled by the time and energy invested by the surrounding educational community – so it is a great honor to be here – to continue the conversation …I’d also like to remind you that this presentation is available complete with notes and sources on slideshare .com
- Last summer many people thought that the sky was falling – Just as k-12 educators were starting to get some semblance of acceptance for our use of virtual worlds, - the most prominent of which was the Teen Grid of Second Life, Linden Lab pulled the rug out – threw us what appeared at first to be a lifeline – and then snipped it and un-tethered us to float in a frothing sea of ambiguity and passive aggressive mixed messages--- Many educators were forced to re-examine our commitment to using Second life – or even to the plausibility of using VWs in our schools—But we are teachers – and those of us who had witnessed first-hand – the power of using virtual worlds for learning were not about to go backwards! Images from: http://www.disney-clipart.com/Chicken-Little/Chicken-Little-Clipart.php
- So as the sky came crashing down, and the naysayers got to nod their “I told you so’s” We had a choice to make –Did we go down with the sinking ship – clinging tightly to promises or could we look at this as a HUGE OPPORTUNITY Images from: http://www.disney-clipart.com/Chicken-Little/Chicken-Little-Clipart.php
- Rather than abandoning our Virtual campuses altogether or facing a doubling of invoices, if there was to be an exodus there had to be somewhere for us to move to. Just where was the Virtual Promised Land for Educators?My goal for us today – is not to promote one solution over another – or to tell you how to best move forward with these decisions- but rather to inspire you to seize the opportunity at hand – to perhaps inform you of some of the many many options available to us – and to remind you of the great importance of the work that we do transforming education in authentic new spaces ----CHAPTER AND METAVERSE:http://rock-vacirca.blogspot.com/Images from: http://www.disney-clipart.com/Chicken-Little/Chicken-Little-Clipart.php
- So far it appears that many of us have landed – perhaps rather precariously – but landed none the less in OPENSIMFor those of you who are new to all of this ( and I count myself among this group- so anyone who has more up-to date information – start putting it in the chat PLEASE) –but a really simple explanation is--OpenSimulator, often referred to as OpenSim, is anopen source server platform for hosting virtual worlds. While it is most recognized for compatibility with the Second Life client, it is also capable of hosting alternative worlds with differing feature sets with multiple protocols. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenSimulator)any of the worlds built using Opensim,which some even refer to as “the Second Life open-source clone”, will give you the same look and feel as your current regions, and in most cases even allow you to use the same viewer. OpenSim allows a virtual world platform that schools can run for free on their own servers or can get hosted inexpensively and quickly-by a growing number of providers. -the space can be up and running within a day----which is a large part of the reason for OpenSim'sappeal Open sim gives us choices- and allows us to have as much or as little control over our virtual campuses as we desire. More info: http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Main_Page1. Next Stop: OpenSim!THE Journal.By Maria Korolov01/11/11http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/01/11/next-stop-open-sim.aspx2.CHAPTER and METAVERSE http://rock-vacirca.blogspot.com/Images from: http://www.disney-clipart.com/Chicken-Little/Chicken-Little-Clipart.php
- As you can imagine –once the Teen Grid closing announcement was madevirtual world developers knew that this was indeed the prime opportunity to make their case – and during SLCC last year I was approached by many companies– each of them claiming that they had it all figured out– they knew what we as educators needed and they were ready to have us sign on the dotted line…So with each one of them, I started with one very direct question:Do you have a teacher on staff?? Or are you consulting with teachers? The vacant stares that met that question were pretty much all I had to see ….Image: http://www.supermantv.net/posters/movies/gone_with_the_wind.htm
- But I was baffled by the fact that these companies seemed to think they had it all figured out…And I wondered --- if WE, the educators, were still figuring it out --- and WE were the ones working with the students and tackling the learning applications of this brave new frontier --- how did these companies have it “all figured out” when there wasn’t even a teacher in the equation ????Why is this so important to me – and I believe it should be to you?? BECAUSE The last thing we want to see happen – is for “corporate” entities to mold the direction of our EDUCATIONAL spaces (yet again) The last thing we need is to have those who are not even in schools or working with kids – start to make decisions for us .. Finally I sat down with a group of young people who started the conversation very differently-- what they said to me was:“We are leaders in the field of virtual worlds and everything that goes into creating them = supporting them – we are on the cutting edge of emerging new applications – we are seasoned – experienced and about as expert as you can get –and still--But we NEED YOUR HELP to figure out what educators REALLY NEED- we want to get it right!These guys had my attention – They are PLEIADES – Images from: http://www.disney-clipart.com/Chicken-Little/Chicken-Little-Clipart.php
- Founded in 1999, The Team at Pleiades is dedicated to the use of virtual worlds and serious games aslearning platforms, and they are working with educators to ensure that these platforms meet their needs and address the unique challenges inherent to teaching. Pleiades is working towards a world in which learning is affordable, accessible, personalized, and recognized across institutional lines. When I asked the team for a statement I could use tonight – All of my faith in their vision was validated by their response and I am going to ask your indulgence in allowing me to read it – as I read PLEASE think about where we are – “We are approaching a turning point in our mission to restore game-making, the spirit of a curious, boundless imagination, to the formal education of students. The connected, digital world, to those born into it, is not an extension of the telephone, or of the photo album, or of the video game. It is an extension of the self. It is the chosen and natural medium for expression, identity, and exploration. To a contemporary student's growth, online communities, resources, and games are not irrelevant. A school, however, that proscribes or clumsily ignores them, is. As educators—and we count ourselves among you—the onus is on us, first to earn the attention of this generation of students, and then to help them flourish and replace us. It is too easy to forget that attention is only skeptically given. We earn it by being elevating, by being inspiring, and above all by being relevant We intend to be a technological enabler, a point of contact, an Earth on which a new and great ecosystem of education will lurch, flower, re-make itself, cross-pollinate and blossom into every niche and form imaginable or not yet imaginable. With you, we are going to advance into this unimaginable future knowing only that it owns us more than we own it, and that, like our students, we are at our best when we are fearlessly improvising. Our first priority is less to build infrastructure up—we have been doing this for years already—but to tear barriers down. The user interface has been a barrier. The price to play has been a barrier. The restrictions against freedom of information, especially where these have come from a mis-guided approach to creative rights, have been a barrier. Even the idea of a single, immobile and immutable garden for all people and all purposes, has been a barrier. The world we want you to live in is inexpensive, and permits free passage between regions in a loosely-coupled, but searchable and backed-up metaverse. It is decentralized, and permits grids to connect to each other no matter who owns them, on terms the grid owners are free to negotiate and agree. It is permissive and operates under the assumption that all content is educational in nature and in use. We look forward to seeing where you, and this generation of students, can take us.For more info:
- The contact person is Sasha Rudie <sasha@pleiades.ca> Who is Moo Money in SL. You can visit many of their builds right here in SL – I highly recommend VIRTUAL HARLEM-- Virtual Harlem is accessible in Second Life, where it is affiliated with the University of Central Missouri and the New York Public Library. BUT It is also compatible with OpenSim, SO my experience with Pleiades has been a really positive one – they listen to my needs- they respond in a timely manner and when they backed up and transferred all of my content from the teen grid – and I mean all of it – from the terra-forming to the very last stray go kart the kids left out---We are gathering resources together and designing a USABLE default inventory for education as well as looking to the future for a shared creative commons content library …For more info:
- But I would be remiss in my responsibility today if I were not to mention some of the other awesome options available to us – JokaydiaGridis an education and arts focused grid running on Open Sim – Managed by the incredibly dedicated Jokay Wollongong, - an international community from Australia, New Zealand the US Canada Peru and other European counties are members. Jokaydia regularly hosts events for educators and you won’t find a harder working avatar anywhere! Instructions for a free accoun tot explore Jokaydiagrid are available at www.jokaydiagrid.comFreelance Design, Virtual Worlds and FacilitationjokaydiaGRID: http://jokaydiagrid.comIslands of jokaydia: http://jokaydia.comjokaydia Virtual Worlds Wiki: http://wiki.jokaydia.comPersonal Blog: http://jokay.com.auPersonal Wiki: http://jokay.wikispaces.comjokaydiaGRID: jokay WollongongReaction Grid: jokay WollongongIn SL: jokay WollongongWoW (Sisters of Elune): HelluvatooTwitter: http://twitter.com/jokayEmail: jokay <at> jokaydia.com / joannamkay <at> gmail.comTel: 0405179622
- Reaction Grid,– who’s focus is educational, business and entertainment use of 3D environments, has entities such as Microsoft and IBM on their client roster – as well as many universities and K-12 institutions. John Lester, formally Pathfinder Linden is now on board as Director of Community Development at Reaction Grid and he can be reached at
- So we do have many options – and therein lies our dilemma– Are we going to once again – jockey for position with all of these options – and end up with many disjointed –disconnected environments – OR are we going to have the VISION and COMPASS to realize that the ultimate solution must be one that brings us together – rather than separates us into cloistered communities – Images from: http://www.disney-clipart.com/Chicken-Little/Chicken-Little-Clipart.php
- This brings us to the The Promise of Hypergridding and I absolutely believe that this is a huge part of our solutionHypergridding is The virtual worlds equivalent of the World Wide Web. When a world is on the hypergrid, it means that users can teleport in and out from other worlds, similar to following hyperlinks to and from different Websites.”Hypergridding is One powerful edge OpenSimulator has over Second Life, --which is to say that OpenSim users can teleport from one world to another.( It is technically possible to hypergrid from OpenSim to Second Life – but right now LL HAS NOT ENABLED IT FOR BUSINESS REASONS.)In practice, what this means for K-12 interests is that students can take field trips from their home base to any of hundreds of other virtual environments already running on the platform, including scientific simulations, museums, and, of course, other schools. For example, students can teleport from their school's grid to attend a lecture or visit an exhibit on another grid, or hop over to grids based in Italy or France, for communication in the native language. Hypergrid connectivity can be turned on and off at will, or limited to just certain regions of a school's virtual world to maintain privacy and security.For many educators, the hypergrid is the big promise of the OpenSim platform--hundreds, thousands, and eventually millions of virtual worlds, all connected into a virtual universe.. In fact, for anyone interested in checking this out, John Lester (Pathfinder) hosts weekly tours of different Opensim BUILDS on the Hypergrid, which he has called the “Hypergrid Adventurers Club. ”http://becunningandfulloftricks.com/hypergrid-adventurers-club/SO for now, at the very least please consider this a prerequisite to any choice you make for your virtual campus– We must begin to build the METAISSANCE and we must build it internationally…http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2010/10/a-hypergrid-glossary/http://becunningandfulloftricks.com/hypergrid-adventurers-club/
- THE METAISSANCE is not a group – it is not a company – it is not a place- IT IS AN IDEA- A VISION – a MINDSET if you will – it’s an attitude – that demands we remember that any virtual community must be part of a larger global community – we’re all in this together –and together we can take learning into the future…Image: http://www.raineandhorne.co.uk/Pages/FranchiseTechnology.aspx
- And we must have a larger conversation than in the past -- again there are scores of groups and organizations out there who are trying to provide a forum for sharing our work-our ideas, our experiences but again most of these initiatives are focused on a specific interest group – be it K-12 or higher ed or developers or researchers—and we all need to hear each other- learn from each other and gain perspective from each other--
- The Virtual World Education Roundtableis one group that gets this! They meet each week to talk about issues that concern ALL educators with regard to using virtual worlds as a teaching and learning tool. The Roundtable has been meeting for 3 years now, and they highly emphasize the importance of the community. Whether it is a special focus meeting where a guest is the featured speaker or just a general discussion- the meetings take place with everyone sitting around a big roundtable and anyone has a chance to share. all are welcome –at the VW Education Roundtable there is always a seat open. Your contact PERSON in SL AJ Brooks OR OLIVIA HOTSHOT More info http://www.vwer.org/?page_id=2
- The Immersive Education Initiative is a non-profit international collaboration of universities, colleges, research institutes, consortia and companies that are working together to define and develop open standards, best practices, platforms, and communities of support for virtual reality and game-based learning and training systems. Thousands of faculty, teachers, researchers, staff, administrators and students are members of the Immersive Education Initiative.IED HAS officially launched its K-12 Technology Working Group (K12.TWG) The Group is chartered to define, evolve and maintain a range of immersive learning experiences (virtual worlds, learning games, simulators and mixed/augmented learning experiences), best practices, guides, tutorials and communities of support for primary and secondary education.http://mediagrid.org/news/2011-02_K12.html
- AND ONE OF MY main sources of up to date relevant information is REZED - the online hub for practitioners using virtual worlds, offering access to the highest quality resources and research in the field to establish a strong network of those using virtual worlds for learning. Powered by Global Kids there are areas devoted to podcasts, aha moments, discussions, research and news and it truly is my first stop for up to date information
- until the past few years – I cringed at the inclusion of “game worlds” in any discussion about virtual world education and I think it is important for you to know the back story to this path – When we were pioneering Virtual Worlds for education we not only had to counter the “x-rated” hype then associated with Second Life – but also the negative stereotypes about video games-because the uninformed listener lumped the two together…Anyof us who have spent time trying to explain to people what a virtual world is – has usually had to explain the difference between a virtual world and a game– if fact when I used to docent here in Second Life – it was the people who arrived with gaming experience that were the most perplexed – since there was no game engine guiding their experience—they were truly at a loss as to how to begin living their Second Life---For years I had to make this distinction to audiences – and the more I did the more I wondered what the similarities actually were- 3 YEARS AGO THE CONVERSATION led to a group of SL avatars entering World of Warcraft together to explore this other “game world” that was so popular---and to investigate the possible applications to learning—to curricular design and to student engagementSO our GUILD:was formed; Cognitive Dissonance (is on the Sisters of Elune server, Alliance) and it was chartered in December 2007 as a group of educators exploring MMORPGs and their relationship to education. It has grown to a guild of colleagues and friends exploring the platform and experiencing the implications and applications to teaching and learning while having fun! Cognitive Dissonance is also an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. It became our name in honor of the conflict in thought between traditional learning structures and the ubiquitous use of technology in education. Learning to game together, learning about gaming together, and in general learning from one another constitute the general domains of scholarship investigated by the group. We work to introduce new members to the game through meetings, resources, and events, and support one another from n00b to raiding at 85 through our guild structure and server-based guild alliances. Remembering the concept of "play" being an integral part of learning, we have established an arena to recall it for ourselves and include it within our teaching. A MMORPG guild has become for us an extension of our personal learning networks. We are educators... who play.
- SO our GUILD: Cognitive Dissonance (is on the Sisters of Elune server, Alliance) was chartered in December 2007 as a group of educators exploring MMORPGs and their relationship to education. It has grown to a guild of colleagues and friends exploring the platform and experiencing the implications and applications to teaching and learning while having fun! Cognitive Dissonance is also an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. It became our name in honor of the conflict in thought between traditional learning structures and the ubiquitous use of technology in education. Learning to game together, learning about gaming together, and in general learning from one another constitute the general domains of scholarship investigated by the group. We work to introduce new members to the game through meetings, resources, and events, and support one another from n00b to raiding at 85 through our guild structure and server-based guild alliances. Remembering the concept of "play" being an integral part of learning, we have established an arena to recall it for ourselves and include it within our teaching. A MMORPG guild has become for us an extension of our personal learning networks. We are educators... who play.
- --What Is a Game?We've all played games, but because of the wide variety, it can be challenging to nail down what makes a game a game. My colleague Sarah “Intellagirl” Robbins – has clarified it by identifying three basic characteristics:A goal:Every game has a win condition: the combination of events and accomplishments that players need to achieve in order to end the game. In every good game, the goal is clear,. Ultimately, what's most important about the goal is that players care enough to want to accomplish it.Obstacles having the necessary tools to reach the goal should be part of the game, but difficulties and challenges should be part as well. Without those obstacles, winning wouldn't mean much. There’s nothing worse than a game that’s too easy…Collaboration or competition:Games come in two basic flavors: those in which success comes by defeating another player, and those in which winning is determined by beating the game itself. The former can create competition among players. The second encourages a player to compete against him/herself or to collaborate with others to beat the game.Why is gameplay important to the virtual world community? ? The team at Pleaides sums it up well: “Gameplay is instinctive and compelling. It provides perpetual challenge. With virtual worlds, right now, we have an opportunity to go one step further, into game-making. As a student steps up to this challenge, he or she must master the concepts at hand, experiment with rules, literally re-cast the concepts of mathematics, or chemistry, or history, or literature, into the pieces of a game, and then apply the critical emerging skills of programming, scripting, level design, information design, modelling, texturing, animating, and debugging. Here, if it is anywhere, is the epitome of the interdisciplinary, thematic, outcome-based unit of educational advancement.” (part of the Pleiades mission statement)SOwhen you take all of these elements and add students as avatars, an incredibly rich 3-d immersive world and a huge community of players – you have World of Warcraft and LET ME TELL YOU – You have a powerful learning environment-http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume46/ThisGameSucksHowtoImprovetheGa/222665
- Azeroth is the name of the world in WoW– and it is an extremely complex. Visiually beautiful and diverse world. As a new gamer I experienced the scaffolded learning that unfolded as the game TAUGHT me how to play it– but more importantly – I was once again put in the role of novice- and I remembered how it felt to be reluctant to ask a question less I look foolish – I marveled at how I would fail at a task and be eager to try it again – and I slowly started to unpack the elements of the game design – and understand why 12 million people play ( and pay 15$ A MONTH TO DO So) but now the task at hand was to identify the learning principles and see how I could incorporate them into my instruction - and then I thought about the rich backstory of Azeroth – the vocabulary I had encountered in game and the problem solving and critical thinking (no less the map skills and the time management) and rather than trying to reinvent the wheel (which in this case was invented by a 1.1 billion dollar corporation ) WHY NOT “DISCOVER” THE LEARNING INSIDE- AND GUIDE MY STUDENTS THROUGH IT– IT WAS THIS IDEA THAT LAUNCHED
- AND THEN LAST SUMMER – LUCAS AND HIS LEAD TEACHER, Craig Lawson, DID THE PAINSTAKING WORK OF BULDING A Formal CURRICULUM AROUND IT ALL –THAT’S RIGHT – A Common Core STANDARD-ALIGNED ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL students – CREATED IN MOODLE AND (HOPeFULLY) SOON TO BE SHARED WITH THE WORLD– Diane Lewis from Seminole County schools came on board, and adapted the course to the needs of her students- and both she and Lucas will be sharing that experience in presentations here during VWBPE
- What is the difference – what sets this kind of learning experience apart from traditional learning - This isn’t a case of “kids hate school – kids love games – bring the games into school – but much deeper – kids are invested in their learning – they are immersed in experiential learning – not only of the mandated curriculum – but of the “hidden curriculum –participating in fan fiction – receiving experience points and achievements in lieu of grades – where the learning experience IS INCLUSIVE OF THE ASSESSMENT!!! where they have opportunities for developing – self-esteem – social skills cultural awareness and EMPATHYClassroom Cataclysm (…or, what happens to “school” when learners become heroes.).By: Lucas Gillispie, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Pender County SchoolsFounder, WoWinSchool Project (http://wowinschool.pbworks.com)Original background image by Blizzard Entertainment.Rock Background - http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=85052
- So, how do you start your own program? Here are a few tips… First, do your background research. Here are some suggested titles… “Don’t Bother Me Mom – I’m Learning” by Marc Prensky, “What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy” by James Gee, and “How Computer Games Help Children Learn” by David Williamson Shaffer. Also check out the lengthy research list at: http://wowinschool.pbworks.com/w/page/5268741/Supporting-Research
- If money is a big issue, there are perfectly viable free alternatives. Lord of the Rings Online is a great example.
- One option available for younger students that appears to be really promising is Lego Universe – not only is it an MMOG where the gameplay is social and safe – but unlike many MMORPGs there are in game building options!Every player gets their own piece of LEGO Universe property! There you can FreeBuild anything you like— LEGO brick by lego brick— and bring your creations to life! But most importantly when my colleague Marianne Malmstrom who we all know and love in Sl as Knowclue Kidd contacted LEGO – they responded with great eagerness to WORK with her to help align the product with educational goals – they have set her up as a pilot and they are listening – LEGO has made education a priority-http://universe.lego.com/en-us/thegame/default.aspx
- In summary those of us who are involved in new worlds for learning are the seeds of TheMetaissance and if we are exploring what are BEST PRACTICES –we know that they are still evolving –But Here’s what I DO KNOW WITH EVERY GRAIN OF MY BEINGWhen Students function as avatar – immersed in experiential learning – a whole dimension of new affordances for learning takes placeWe must be learners along with our students – we must model the risk-taking and the curiosity we hope to inspire in them We must be champions for these kids – if we don’t bring their learning into the new age – we are sadly failing them and their futures
- Please feel free to contact me in any world if I can help you in your journey!SKYPE: maggiemaratTWITTER: @peggysheehyWorld of Warcraft: Sisters of Elune Server, Alliance, Maratsade, Sheehredd, MairetCognitive Dissonance Guild: http://cognitivedissonance.guildportal.comWoWinSchool: http://wowinschool.pbworks.com/Ramapo Islands Blog: http://ramapoislands.edublogs.org