Comments on: Reality EduTV and Open Second Life http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/ Learning with the Read/Write Web Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:36:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: edvibes.com » Edvibes Links of the Week http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-36028 edvibes.com » Edvibes Links of the Week Sat, 20 Oct 2007 13:01:03 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-36028 [...] Weblogg-ed » Reality EduTV and Open Second Life [...] [...] Weblogg-ed » Reality EduTV and Open Second Life [...]

]]> By: » Second Life start moving over? The pictsl Farm at SDSU http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-35395 » Second Life start moving over? The pictsl Farm at SDSU Mon, 08 Oct 2007 19:00:42 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-35395 [...] “… a new Second Life “hack” (for lack of a better word), was pretty mindbending. OpenSim uses the Second Life interface (which Linden Labs released to developers last year) but allows you (wait for it) to serve up your own world on not just the server of your choice, but (wait for it) even just your local computer. Want a world just for your classroom that isn’t “out there” on the Second Life server? Done. (Read more about it in Dave’s post here. http://davecormier.com/edblog/2007/08/29/opensim-open-source-multi-user-blah-blah-sl-dave-is-in-love/) The entire blog post: http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/ [...] [...] “… a new Second Life “hack” (for lack of a better word), was pretty mindbending. OpenSim uses the Second Life interface (which Linden Labs released to developers last year) but allows you (wait for it) to serve up your own world on not just the server of your choice, but (wait for it) even just your local computer. Want a world just for your classroom that isn’t “out there” on the Second Life server? Done. (Read more about it in Dave’s post here. http://davecormier.com/edblog/2007/08/29/opensim-open-source-multi-user-blah-blah-sl-dave-is-in-love/) The entire blog post: http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/ [...]

]]> By: Mandy M. http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-35124 Mandy M. Thu, 04 Oct 2007 01:17:46 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-35124 I am also a student in Dr. Stearns class, and I have personally never used Second Life, but if you are encouraging future explorations of this virtual world, I feel compelled to check it out. I have discovered that everything you suggest in your book (Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts) as ways to incorporate technology into classrooms, are very appropriate and useful ideas. I am excited to see how I may use Second Life for this purpose, especially if it is something that is becoming increasingly popular among teens. I want to be able to relate to and know my students, and perhaps being familiar with Second Life will enhance our relationships. Further, as internet safety continues to evolve, I think most people will feel better about allowing students to access these programs in school settings. However, I also agree with my peer, Sofia, who stated that safety for teens has to be an active rather than passive process. I think she may be correct in assuming that most teens skip over the safety page. This situation must be remedied to ensure that students take the time to understand internet safety and take appropriate precautions, so I can also appreciate all the initiatives towards enhanced security for teens. Thanks for the great blogging. -Mandy I am also a student in Dr. Stearns class, and I have personally never used Second Life, but if you are encouraging future explorations of this virtual world, I feel compelled to check it out. I have discovered that everything you suggest in your book (Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts) as ways to incorporate technology into classrooms, are very appropriate and useful ideas. I am excited to see how I may use Second Life for this purpose, especially if it is something that is becoming increasingly popular among teens. I want to be able to relate to and know my students, and perhaps being familiar with Second Life will enhance our relationships.

Further, as internet safety continues to evolve, I think most people will feel better about allowing students to access these programs in school settings. However, I also agree with my peer, Sofia, who stated that safety for teens has to be an active rather than passive process. I think she may be correct in assuming that most teens skip over the safety page. This situation must be remedied to ensure that students take the time to understand internet safety and take appropriate precautions, so I can also appreciate all the initiatives towards enhanced security for teens.

Thanks for the great blogging.
-Mandy

]]> By: Jonathan Wolfe http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-35116 Jonathan Wolfe Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:08:09 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-35116 The potential for faster and more personal ways of communicating over wide distances streteches as far as the human imagination can conceive. Look at how far we've come since the invention of the telegraph! It is very easy to envision a future where holographic images are sent instantaneously anywhere in the world, and we can virtually partake in personal conversation with people thousands of miles away. Imagine the possiblities of having a class in your own home, where you sit around a table with students from many different countries, whose physical bodies are not there, and whose languages are translated without delay in the very timber and tone of the voices in which they speak. Sounds like Star Trek, but I don't think it's very far off. The potential for faster and more personal ways of communicating over wide distances streteches as far as the human imagination can conceive. Look at how far we’ve come since the invention of the telegraph! It is very easy to envision a future where holographic images are sent instantaneously anywhere in the world, and we can virtually partake in personal conversation with people thousands of miles away. Imagine the possiblities of having a class in your own home, where you sit around a table with students from many different countries, whose physical bodies are not there, and whose languages are translated without delay in the very timber and tone of the voices in which they speak. Sounds like Star Trek, but I don’t think it’s very far off.

]]> By: Kate F. http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-35065 Kate F. Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:52:03 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-35065 I am also a member of Dr. Stearns' class and I am excited about the safe uses of technology that you experienced with these students. It's great to hear about students having the chance to create something real for an actual audience and that they are able to do this in a digital world that was selected for them. I am also a member of Dr. Stearns’ class and I am excited about the safe uses of technology that you experienced with these students. It’s great to hear about students having the chance to create something real for an actual audience and that they are able to do this in a digital world that was selected for them.

]]> By: Bonnie Stewart http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-35046 Bonnie Stewart Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:20:54 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-35046 Will, it was wonderful to have you here in person, and I'm glad we were able to release the giddy little geek within. :) The Living Archives project is exciting indeed, and - while we're still getting ready for primetime viewing, and thus there isn't much to see at the site just yet - the input of the online educational community is really helpful in terms of our development too. Will, it was wonderful to have you here in person, and I’m glad we were able to release the giddy little geek within. :)

The Living Archives project is exciting indeed, and – while we’re still getting ready for primetime viewing, and thus there isn’t much to see at the site just yet – the input of the online educational community is really helpful in terms of our development too.

]]> By: Amanda Y. http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-35039 Amanda Y. Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:23:45 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-35039 Like Sofia, I am one of Dr. Stearns' graduate students who is thrilled by the implications of these technological gems in classrooms for students, who are yearning for authentic engagement with authentic audiences. Safety is an understandable concern; allowing educators to take more active roles in shaping the level of safety for their students' digital work and play can provide other educators, parents, and community members with the confidence to move forward with integrating technologies such as this into curricula. This is certainly exciting stuff! Like Sofia, I am one of Dr. Stearns’ graduate students who is thrilled by the implications of these technological gems in classrooms for students, who are yearning for authentic engagement with authentic audiences. Safety is an understandable concern; allowing educators to take more active roles in shaping the level of safety for their students’ digital work and play can provide other educators, parents, and community members with the confidence to move forward with integrating technologies such as this into curricula.
This is certainly exciting stuff!

]]> By: Sharon Peters http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-35032 Sharon Peters Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:49:03 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-35032 Your last line resonated with me - trying to make a difference. The conference and project are excellent models for a new approach to education. We have been talking about flattening the walls of the classroom for months, years even, but over the weekend we could SEE it happening right in front of us. Students and teachers who were in the room became aware that they were not only the audience but they themselves had an audience! In spite of being a demographic group that is largely insular (they literally live on an island), they could sense a connectedness to those who "come from away". This has important implications for a group that often feels on the fringes technologically. Kudos again to Dave Cormier and Bonnie Stewart for their vision and chutzpah for pursuing this project. They have worked for well over a year to get the grant funding, raise interest, develop a framework, explore tools and environments, tackle university and school board politics, and get down and dirty with the hardware aspects. Now they are off and running with the fun part - watching students become enthused and engaged in an authentic project that validates their identity and shares their small world with a much larger audience. WOW! Wish my kids had this exciting opportunity! Your last line resonated with me – trying to make a difference. The conference and project are excellent models for a new approach to education. We have been talking about flattening the walls of the classroom for months, years even, but over the weekend we could SEE it happening right in front of us. Students and teachers who were in the room became aware that they were not only the audience but they themselves had an audience! In spite of being a demographic group that is largely insular (they literally live on an island), they could sense a connectedness to those who “come from away”. This has important implications for a group that often feels on the fringes technologically.
Kudos again to Dave Cormier and Bonnie Stewart for their vision and chutzpah for pursuing this project. They have worked for well over a year to get the grant funding, raise interest, develop a framework, explore tools and environments, tackle university and school board politics, and get down and dirty with the hardware aspects. Now they are off and running with the fun part – watching students become enthused and engaged in an authentic project that validates their identity and shares their small world with a much larger audience. WOW! Wish my kids had this exciting opportunity!

]]> By: Sofia Penna http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-35015 Sofia Penna Tue, 02 Oct 2007 03:05:50 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-35015 Hello! I am a member of Dr. Stearns ENG 506 class at SUNY Cortland. I feel a big sigh of relief coming on as I read your news on Second Life, which makes me much more comfortable about promoting it in classrooms. My main concern has been safety and content focus. Making Second Life more local and private seems to put out both of those fires for me. For safety purposes, I think parents will be much more relieved to know that their children are connecting with pre-selected, closed communities. In terms of focus, I think having more authority on which communities our students will connect with is key to keeping them geared toward classroom goals. At present, I can't help but feel puzzled by the safety page on Teen Second Life at http://teen.secondlife.com/parents/safety. I never understood how a simple list of safety tips can really prevent dangerous situations. Are our teens really reading and abiding by that list? I believe they need an extra safety net, such as the one Dave Cormier proposes. Thanks for the information & updates. Sofia Penna-Rittenhouse Hello! I am a member of Dr. Stearns ENG 506 class at SUNY Cortland. I feel a big sigh of relief coming on as I read your news on Second Life, which makes me much more comfortable about promoting it in classrooms. My main concern has been safety and content focus. Making Second Life more local and private seems to put out both of those fires for me. For safety purposes, I think parents will be much more relieved to know that their children are connecting with pre-selected, closed communities. In terms of focus, I think having more authority on which communities our students will connect with is key to keeping them geared toward classroom goals.

At present, I can’t help but feel puzzled by the safety page on Teen Second Life at http://teen.secondlife.com/parents/safety. I never understood how a simple list of safety tips can really prevent dangerous situations. Are our teens really reading and abiding by that list? I believe they need an extra safety net, such as the one Dave Cormier proposes. Thanks for the information & updates. Sofia Penna-Rittenhouse

]]> By: Brad Anderson http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-35010 Brad Anderson Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:28:45 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-35010 I agree it is amazing what new technologies such as uStream and Second Life are doing in the world of education. As a current college student in education, this is the first semester where I have had a professor incorporate technologies such as these into the classroom, and the exciting thing is the best is yet to come. The days of students of being taught by one educator in the front of the classroom are coming to an end. Now we have the ability for students to learn from hundreds of the best teachers throughout the world, without having to leave the classroom. I agree it is amazing what new technologies such as uStream and Second Life are doing in the world of education. As a current college student in education, this is the first semester where I have had a professor incorporate technologies such as these into the classroom, and the exciting thing is the best is yet to come. The days of students of being taught by one educator in the front of the classroom are coming to an end. Now we have the ability for students to learn from hundreds of the best teachers throughout the world, without having to leave the classroom.

]]> By: Blog Prompts for Week of October 1 « Whole New Minds: English in the Flat World http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-35004 Blog Prompts for Week of October 1 « Whole New Minds: English in the Flat World Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:07:19 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-35004 [...] I also ask you to read this current post on Will’s blog, read the other comments and add your own comment there. I’ll be looking for it. [...] [...] I also ask you to read this current post on Will’s blog, read the other comments and add your own comment there. I’ll be looking for it. [...]

]]> By: Second Life News for October 1,2007 « The Grid Live http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-34983 Second Life News for October 1,2007 « The Grid Live Mon, 01 Oct 2007 04:18:58 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-34983 [...] Reality EduTV and Open Second Life This weekend I saw the future. Not that it’s the long term future by any stretch since things seem to be moving at warp speed anyway. But there were a couple of technologies on display at the “New Media Literacy’s in Learning Landscapes Conference” in Charlottetown, PEI that had me feeling like that giddy little geek that sometimes pops up when everything around me is feeling new again. [...] [...] Reality EduTV and Open Second Life This weekend I saw the future. Not that it’s the long term future by any stretch since things seem to be moving at warp speed anyway. But there were a couple of technologies on display at the “New Media Literacy’s in Learning Landscapes Conference” in Charlottetown, PEI that had me feeling like that giddy little geek that sometimes pops up when everything around me is feeling new again. [...]

]]> By: dave cormier http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-34977 dave cormier Mon, 01 Oct 2007 02:09:34 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-34977 Great to have you here dude, I see that Harold is using the NML_UPEI tag... so many things i forgot to do. It's funny... like most things you do in life, it's real easy to criticize people for not doing everything right when you've not tried to do it yourself. Conferences are hard work (or course... bonnie did most of the hard work). i'm all about opensim... we should hook you up! Will Land. Great to have you here dude,

I see that Harold is using the NML_UPEI tag… so many things i forgot to do. It’s funny… like most things you do in life, it’s real easy to criticize people for not doing everything right when you’ve not tried to do it yourself. Conferences are hard work (or course… bonnie did most of the hard work).

i’m all about opensim… we should hook you up! Will Land.

]]> By: Harold Jarche » Literacies in Learning Landscapes (NML_UPEI) http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-34976 Harold Jarche » Literacies in Learning Landscapes (NML_UPEI) Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:47:34 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-34976 [...] Update: Will Richardson neatly summarizes the conference. [...] [...] Update: Will Richardson neatly summarizes the conference. [...]

]]> By: Harold Jarche http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/comment-page-1/#comment-34975 Harold Jarche Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:39:24 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/reality-edutv-and-open-second-life/#comment-34975 I think I now have the incentive to dive into Second Life [I mean OpenSim]. Great to finally meet you in person, Will. I think I now have the incentive to dive into Second Life [I mean OpenSim]. Great to finally meet you in person, Will.

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