FET 8611 Workgroup : Exploring online virtual environments

Second Life URL www.secondlife.com/

Facebook URL http://www.facebook.com/

WebEx: http://www.webex.com/ WebEx is a tool used for creating online meeting or training environments. We use it at work for a variety of projects and training events. Some of the great features is that you can hold virtual meetings with anyone in the world at any time. They can be pre-set meetings/training events or you can create one on the fly! There is the ability to share presentations, applications or your entire desktop. People get to "see" things in real time while you talk about them. I have found this tool so helpful for a variety of different topics, it is flexible, allows for other members of the session to chat, answer polls, send questions to a Q&A and it even allows a participant the option of hosting portions of the event where they now control what the other participants see.
On the downside, this is not a free tool and there is a fee that goes with using it. We also often record our training sessions so that others can view them at a later date. This is a great advantage to the tool, however some feedback from recorded session participants say they felt a little left out from the live session.
If you want to talk more about this tool or have questions please feel free to ask me. Thanks! Nathalie

• Hi Natalie, just wondering if using Webex means you have video conferencing or some kind of avatar personailty? Is it worth signing up for a free demo at the WeBEx site?Pen.

Active Worlds, URL http://edu.activeworlds.com/ , is another Virtual environment like Second Life, though perhaps less well developed. I believe it could be useful to investigate Active Worlds and compare it with Second Life. In addition, it works better on my underpowered, aging computer - this could be important for educational institutions with limited computer resources.
I look forward to working with everyone in the group.
Cheers, John

• Hi John, maybe you could tell us how you have used Active Worlds? Just as a personal plaything, or for educational purposes?

Pen.

• Hi Pen and All,

My forays into the virtual world have been very limited to date. I've never had much interest in playing games on computers though I recognise there may be potential in designing tasks or games in order to engage some learners. At the moment I don't know enough about how to achieve this. Hopefully, I'll gain that knowledge doing this USQ module.
Regards, John
...................
Hi All,
Recently I’ve spent more time looking at examples of educational games in the virtual world. One site I find particularly interesting is the Quest Atlantis world by the University of Indiana. It’s aimed at K-12 students in America. Students typically take on the role of a helper in an investigation to solve some problem such as pollution or the extinction of a species. They spend their time collecting evidence and “interviewing” avatars placed throughout the virtual locations and are then prompted to form a hypothesis which they can then test.

If you want to try out the World, it’s necessary to get a guest account, Otherwise, you can see a few screenshots at my knowledgeGarden page.
John

Hi All,
I was trying to learn about embedding videos on blogs and came across MTV Virtual Music Videos. Here is one to watch;
http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/885052/mtv_virtual_music_video_save_the_day.swf
This video clip comes from http://www.metacafe.com
Jane
BTW I tried out Second Life and my name there is Sapphire Thor. Maybe we should make a time where members from this group could go there and try to meet?

• Hi Jane, I watched those MTV videos - seems kind of cool for young teenagers maybe to play around with, but a bit boring to watch after a couple of minutes. Any ideas about how it could be used for educational purposes? Pen.
• Hi Pen, I have taught an inquiry into the influence of the media in the past. I would use these videos as an example of how virtual environments are promoted. The students could explore the power of the MTV format. They could inquire into why popular brands are used in promoting virtual worlds. Jane

Hi All,
I tried the Second Life and it was fun but limiting as I had no Linden dollars. I teach Grade 3 and 5 so how about I look into http://www.clubpenguin.com
This is a 'Second life' kind of site for kids. It has been set up by Disney. I would like to see how safe it is. My son is 8 so I will ask him to trial it too.

• I have been into Club Penguin. I was very impressed by the set up. Internet safety was given a huge focus. All users had to be registered by their parents and must use a user name that wasn't like their real name. The rules of conduct were presented first in a clear and simple manner. Chatting with other users was encouraged but generated comments were recommended for the younger kids. All comments are monitored and users have the right to report misconduct. I have found some reviews and here are the links.

Common Sense Media Review
Wikipedia

Jane

Using 'talking heads' animations. I'm wondering where this kind of talking head animation would fit into educational settings? I used a Comedy Central virtual comedian animation in my conversation class last year to deliver messages to my Korean EFL students, and I encouraged the students to use it themselves - although I think they found the technical instructions a bit too complicated.
Given the huge popularity of video computer games and the fact that even movies now, like Boerwolf, are being made to look like computer games, maybe this would be a good way of reaching children & teens who are resisitant to normal text-book based learning environments.
SitePal, http://www.sitepal.com/freesanta, offers free trials. It is a commercial product but it could be used as a 'virtual teacher' as you can record your own voice.
http://www.jadukatv.com/
PennyROK

A rather interesting review of Second Life is available at Second Life a simulation wiki "All in all, it’s vaguely reminiscent of JotSpot, in the sense that it’s a consumer-oriented social canvas for creating certain kinds of applications. In the case of Second Life (SL), you can think of it as a simulation wiki. ... Mass General Hospital has created a virtual island in SL called Brigadoon, where Aspergers patients interact with each other and help each other learn interpersonal skills. "
This review, while mentioning the $ making focus of Second Life, has also sparked my interest in its ultimate application. I know that it is necessary to fund the projects, however, I am very cautious of environments which focus on the commercial aspects over the social benefits. Cherry

next subject