This week Jo Kay and I will be doing two sessions for the the AFLF’s E-learning Networks June 19-20 Online Conference – http://networksevents.flexiblelearning.net.au/.
We hope you can come!
Sean
Virtual Worlds – What are They and Why do Educators Need to Pay Attention to Them?
Tuesday June 19th 2007, 3.30pm – 4.30pm, AEST/Sydney time
(other time zones – http://timeanddate.com/s/efy)
Overview
There is currently an explosion in the number and population of online 3D virtual worlds. This development could even be heralding the next evolutionary phase of the Internet – the 3D web.
This session will provide an overview of the latest developments in online 3D virtual worlds and describe some of their unique characteristics.
We will also look at how these environments can be used in education and how they can help explore new learning models. We will look at why it is important for educators to pay attention to online 3D virtual worlds and become involved in their development.
The session will focus on Second Life, one of the more popular and flexible online 3D virtual worlds.
Outcomes
At the end of the session participants will have an understanding of the following questions:
- What are online 3D virtual worlds? How popular are they becoming?
- What are some of the characteristics of online 3D virtual worlds and what new opportunities do they present for online education?
- What are some of the ways online 3D virtual worlds can be used in education?
- What are some of the challenges educators face when using online 3D virtual worlds?
- Why do educators need to pay attention to online 3D virtual worlds?
- What does the future hold for online 3D virtual worlds and the 3D web?
This one is an Elluminate session, so you will have to register at http://networksevents.flexiblelearning.net.au/ to participate.
In-World Presentation: Showcasing Australasian Educational Projects in Second Life
Wednesday June 20th 2007, 6.00pm – 7.30pm, AEST/Sydney time (1.00am PDT/SLT) (other time zones – http://timeanddate.com/s/dsz)
Overview
Jo Kay (aka jokay Wollongong) and Sean FitzGerald (aka Sean McDunnough) will host an event within the 3D online virtual world of Second Life, showcasing some of the Australasian educational projects currently being undertaken using the Second Life platform.
A number of educators from Australia and New Zealand will give brief overviews of their educational activities within Second Life. After the presentations there will be an opportunity to explore some of the educational spaces and projects featured.
Participants will be provided with landmarks and in-world resources to assist them to further explore the educational uses of Second Life in the future.
Outcomes
At the end of the session participants will have an understanding of:
- A number of projects currently being undertaken in Second Life
- Some possible educational uses of Second Life
- How Second Life can be used for online presentations and web conferencing
Participants will understand how to:
- Setup an account and login to Second Life
- Participate in a Second Life event
Program
- 6.00pm – 6.05pm: Sean FitzGerald (Sean McDunnough) – Introduction & Overview
- 6.05pm – 6.15pm: Jo Kay (jokay Wollongong) – Sean & Jo’s Projects
- 6.15pm – 6.25pm: Glenda McPherson (Glenda Arrow) & Malcolm Jolly (Malcolm Dalgleish) – The GippsTAFE Project
- 6.25pm – 6.35pm: Kathryn Greenhill (Emerald Dumont) – Australian Libraries in Second Life (video)
- 6.35pm – 6.45pm: Aaron Griffiths (Isa Goodman) – SL Educational Projects in NZ
- 6.45pm – 6.55pm: Gary Hayes (Gary Hazlitt) – AFTRS & LAMP (video)
- 6.55pm – 7.05pm: Lindy McKeown (Decka Mah) – Action Learning on Terra Incognita
- 7.05pm – 7.15pm: Greg More (Dynamo Zanetti) – RMIT’s Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory (video)
- 7.15pm – 7.25pm: Alan Levine (CDB Barkley) – New Medium Consortium and Aussie Trip
- 7.25pm – 7.30pm: Jo Kay (jokay Wollongong) – Wrap-up
This one is in-world, so there is no need to register for the conference, just visit the amphitheatre at Jo and Sean’s Virtual Meeting Space – http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wasp/74/31/86/
For more info see: http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/enetworksjune07