Invited to Attend Two UW-Whitewater Second Life Sessions

UW-System faculty and instructional staff are invited to participate in two free Second Life “in-world” workshops featuring speakers who are experts at using Second Life for education. See details on sessions and registration.

The sessions are funded by the UW- System Learning Technology Development Council Curricular Redesign Grant awarded to UW-Whitewater. The grant supports exploration by faculty into the educational advantages offered in the virtual world of Second Life for teaching and learning. UW-Whitewater faculty and staff members working on the grant project are using a learning community model to explore and experience how the virtual world can enhance teaching and learning. To learn more about the learning community, please join us and attend our UW-System Presidential Summit session on Friday, April 15 at 8:30 a.m. Seven of the learning community members will be there to discuss and show how: “Second Life Faculty Learning Community Spurs Imagination.”

You may participate in one or both of the following sessions. To register, sign up at: http://geturl.uww.edu/0ud

A Second Life account and an avatar are required to participate. SLURL location and other participation information will be e-mailed to those who register.

Date: April 19, 2011
Time: 8 a.m. to 9:15 (CST)
Title: Virtual Worlds: What are the best uses? Where do we go from here?
Speaker: AJ Kelton, Director, Emerging Instructional Technology, College of Humanities & Social Science at Montclair State University; founder and current leader of the EDUCAUSE Virtual Worlds Constituent Group; and Founder and Chief Moderator of the Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable.

Description: Join distinguished Second Life expert AJ Kelton (also known as AJ Brooks in Second Life) for an informal discussion on virtual worlds, including what to expect, how to make use of the medium, and how to move forward working in a virtual environment. AJ will share what he has discovered from his own teaching experiences and the instructors he works with at Montclair State University. He will share best practice examples and then open the discussion for questions.

Date: May 3, 2011
Time: 8 a.m. to 9:15 (CST)
Title: Tools to create engaging and experiential learning in Second Life
Speaker: Cheryl Davis, Technology Consultant, Hazelwood MO School District and Instructor, Fontbonne University
Cheryl is an advocate for using Second Life in both higher education and middle/high school levels. She teaches several graduate-level courses at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, MO about digital and social technologies in the Master of Science in Computer Education Program. These include several courses on how to utilize Second Life for teaching and learning. She is also a Curriculum/Technology Consultant for the Hazelwood School District in Florissant, MO.

Description: Cheryl will discuss and show how she uses Second Life in her classes to create engaging and experiential learning. She will also provide a tour and demonstration of at least 10 practical educational tools available in Second Life. Most are free and will be offered to session attendees. Cheryl will also discuss the use of a few free simple scripts that can be modified to create simple games and activities in Second Life.

Second Life Workshop – Spring 2011

Register Now

Are you an instructor interested in using Second Life in your course? Educators are consistently searching for ways to increase engagement, establish presence, and build learning community in their courses. They are also looking for technologies which facilitate active learning and engage a new generation of learners. A virtual world, Second Life, assists faculty in meeting these needs.

The UW System Learning Technology Development Council is sponsoring 8 workshops on Second Life.  The workshops are designed and scheduled to serve faculty at all skill levels and to provide a progression from beginner to “teaching with Second Life.” The workshops run for 90 minutes. The first 60 minutes are for instruction, with the last 30 minutes for Q & A, and extra one-to-one assistance with difficult topics. Note that Workshop 1, or equivalent knowledge (including having an avatar already) is required for participation in Workshops 2-4. Each workshop is limited to 15 attendants.

Workshop Schedule

Date	Description
3:00 pm – Mon, Feb 28	Workshop 1 – Getting Started with Second Life
2:00 pm – Tues, Mar 29	Workshop 2 – Inventory Management, Appearance & Profile
10:00 am – Thu, April 14	Workshop 3 – Creating Your Virtual Environment
2:00 pm – Thu, May 12	Workshop 4 – Best Practices for Teaching & Learning in SL

Workshop Descriptions

Educators are consistently searching for ways to increase engagement, establish presence, and build learning community in their courses. They are also looking for technologies which facilitate active learning and engage a new generation of learners. A virtual world, Second Life, assists faculty in meeting these needs.

Workshop 1 – Getting Started in Second Life

This workshop is for instructors that are familiar with virtual worlds and are interested in implementing Second Life in his or her course in the coming semesters. In this workshop, instructors will learn how to perform basic Second Life functions, such as navigating, teleporting, searching, and creating networks, and gather course materials and information that you can use in your own course.   [Note that Workshop 1, or equivalent knowledge (including having an avatar already) is a pre-requisite for participation in Workshops 2-4. ]

Workshop 2 – Inventory Management, Appearance and Profile

In Second Life, you navigate through the environment by controlling a character, or a virtual representation of yourself called an avatar. This avatar can be your likeness, or it can be anything you want. Some people have avatars that are a different gender or race from themselves, while others are more extreme and have avatars that look like animals, dragons, or robots. In this learning activity, you will see and practice the steps involved in creating and saving a new look for your avatar that is modeled after the blockbuster film “Avatar”. You will also learn basic inventory management and learn how to edit your profile.

Workshop 3 – Creating Your Virtual Environment

Do you know what a prim is? What kinds of settings should you consider in a group build? These questions and others will be answered in a beginners workshop around what it takes to build in Second Life. The same software that you use to interact with and communicate inside Second Life also comes with a suite of tools that can be used for creating virtual learning spaces.

This workshop will focus on general build terminology, a tour of the building tools Second Life provides, and the considerations you should keep in mind when embarking on your own build project or orchestrating an in-world classroom activity. Faculty and academic staff interested in learning more about the tools possible for creating virtual spaces will have an opportunity to experiment with the tools as well as walk away with a simple creation they could use to handout course information.

Workshop 4 – Best Practices for Teaching and Learning in Second Life

Second Life provides access to a network of information, organizations, people, cultures, and languages not easily available in RL, has the potential to increase retention through engaging and interactive activities, creates a status-leveling effect for students from diverse backgrounds, increases social presence by providing a 3-D environment that is media rich, and offers an immersive environment for experiential learning.

In Second Life students can participate in simulations and role-plays taking advantage of the 3-D immersive environment, students can exhibit their work for a small group of people or the entire world and receive feedback on their work, and students can take virtual field trips to meet various pedagogical needs like gather information, performing research, or practicing a skill (like a foreign language).  Further, students and students can hold group meetings or give presentations using the voice and audio functions.

In this workshop, we will discuss pedagogical best practices in using Second Life and discuss the potential of Second Life to meet certain pedagogical needs effectively. Specifically, we will share Second Life orientations and learning activity templates.

For more information contact Pat Fellows (patricia.fellows@uwex.uwc.edu).

Explore Second Life with the Roadside Philosopher Pamala Clift

UW-System faculty and instructional staff are invited to participate in free Second Life “in-world” workshops with the Roadside Philosopher Pamala Clift (aka Patricia Murphy, Rockcliffe University Consortium, in real-life). Pamala, a researcher and autodidactic observer of psychology and anthropological interactions, will lead three virtual sessions dedicated to the Second Life learning experience. With thousands of hours invested in virtual worlds, along with the input of her international group known as “The Roadside Philosophers,” she has examined the impact of the virtual world on learning and perception.

The sessions are funded by the UW- System Learning Technology Development Council Curricular Redesign Grant awarded to UW-Whitewater to explore the educational advantages offered in the virtual world of Second Life for teaching and learning. UW-Whitewater faculty and staff members working on the  grant project are using  a learning community model to explore and experience how the virtual world can enhance teaching and learning.

You may participate in one, two or all three of the following sessions. To register, sign up at: http://geturl.uww.edu/0s5

A Second Life account and an avatar are required to participate. SLURL location and other participation information will be e-mailed to those who register.

Monday, Oct. 18, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Engagement Level of the Virtual Environment

Pamala Clift will present the need for understanding current educational point-in-time and target market’s perceptions. She will elaborate on the traditional mindset conversion over to digital with all of its difficulties and enhancements. A focus will be on methods for dealing with different learning styles in order to encourage interactions that aid in true memory retention. She’ll lead a group discussion on differences in perception and how that may influence acceptance of Second Life as a learning tool.

Monday, Nov. 8, 4:30 to 6:30 pm
Conducting Group Facilitation

In this nuts and bolts session, Pamala Clift will share what she has learned about methods for circumventing the lack of non-verbal cues to get understanding and participation. Topics include how to conduct a class, what to expect and how to maintain a measure of control when in reality you do not have face-to-face contact with the students. This is a “what to do and not to do” class with as many of the practicalities and tips and tools for best practices.

Monday, Nov. 22, 4:30 to 6:30 pm
State of Being Psychology and Relationships within a Virtual World

This presentation will focus on team building, personal relationships and perspectives. The goal is to prepare instructors for proper social media conduct within the Second Life environment. Topics will include: (1) What to be aware of and how to handle the glitches that might cause harmful reactions, and (2) Turning the social media component into a motivation factor for engagement in virtual world education.

Second Life Workshop – Fall 2010

UPDATE: THE WORKSHOP “Best Practices for Teaching & Learning in SL” ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, NOV. 16 HAS BEEN MOVED TO TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14. IF YOU REGISTERED FOR THE NOV 16 WORKSHOP, YOU WILL NEED TO RE-REGISTER FOR EITHER THE DEC. 2 OR DEC 14 WORKSHOP. WE’RE SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE. CLICK THE REGISTER NOW LINK BELOW TO SIGN UP FOR A NEW DATE.

Register Now

Are you an instructor interested in using Second Life in your course? Educators are consistently searching for ways to increase engagement, establish presence, and build learning community in their courses. They are also looking for technologies which facilitate active learning and engage a new generation of learners. A virtual world, Second Life, assists faculty in meeting these needs.

During the Fall 2010 semester the UW System Learning Technology Development Council is sponsoring 8 workshops on Second Life.  The workshops are designed and scheduled to serve faculty at all skill levels and to provide a progression from beginner to “teaching with Second Life.” The workshops will be held at  3:00 pm on Tuesdays or Thursdays and run for 90 minutes. The first 60 minutes are for instruction, with the last 30 minutes for Q & A, and extra one-to-one assistance with difficult topics. Note that Workshop 1, or equivalent knowledge (including having an avatar already) is required for participation in Workshops 2-4.

Schedule of Workshops

Thur, Sept 23	Workshop 1 – Getting Started with Second Life
Tues, Sept 28	Workshop 2 – Inventory Management, Appearance & Profile
Tues, Oct 12	Workshop 1 – Getting Started with Second Life
Thus, Oct 21	Workshop 3 – Creating Your Virtual Environment
Thur, Nov 4	Workshop 2 – Inventory Management, Appearance & Profile
Tues, Dec 14	Workshop 4 – Best Practices for Teaching & Learning in SL
Thurs, Dec 2	Workshop 4 – Best Practices for Teaching & Learning in SL
Tues, Dec 7	Workshop 3 – Creating Your Virtual Environment

Workshop Descriptions

Educators are consistently searching for ways to increase engagement, establish presence, and build learning community in their courses. They are also looking for technologies which facilitate active learning and engage a new generation of learners. A virtual world, Second Life, assists faculty in meeting these needs.

Workshop 1 – Getting Started in Second Life

This workshop is for instructors that are familiar with virtual worlds and are interested in implementing Second Life in his or her course in the coming semesters. In this workshop, instructors will learn how to perform basic Second Life functions, such as navigating, teleporting, searching, and creating networks, and gather course materials and information that you can use in your own course.   [Note that Workshop 1, or equivalent knowledge (including having an avatar already) is a pre-requisite for participation in Workshops 2-4. ]

Workshop 2 – Managing your virtual identity, Inventory, Appearance and Profile

In Second Life, you navigate through the environment by controlling a character, or a virtual representation of yourself called an avatar. This avatar can be your likeness, or it can be anything you want. Some people have avatars that are a different gender or race from themselves, while others are more extreme and have avatars that look like animals, dragons, or robots. In this learning activity, you will see and practice the steps involved in creating and saving a new look for your avatar that is modeled after the blockbuster film “Avatar”. You will also learn basic inventory management and learn how to edit your profile.

Workshop 3 – Creating Your Virtual Environment

Do you know what a prim is? What kinds of settings should you consider in a group build? These questions and others will be answered in a beginners workshop around what it takes to build in Second Life. The same software that you use to interact with and communicate inside Second Life also comes with a suite of tools that can be used for creating virtual learning spaces.

This workshop will focus on general build terminology, a tour of the building tools Second Life provides, and the considerations you should keep in mind when embarking on your own build project or orchestrating an in-world classroom activity. Faculty and academic staff interested in learning more about the tools possible for creating virtual spaces will have an opportunity to experiment with the tools as well as walk away with a simple creation they could use to handout course information.

Workshop 4 – Best Practices for Teaching and Learning in Second Life

Second Life provides access to a network of information, organizations, people, cultures, and languages not easily available in RL, has the potential to increase retention through engaging and interactive activities, creates a status-leveling effect for students from diverse backgrounds, increases social presence by providing a 3-D environment that is media rich, and offers an immersive environment for experiential learning.

In Second Life students can participate in simulations and role-plays taking advantage of the 3-D immersive environment, students can exhibit their work for a small group of people or the entire world and receive feedback on their work, and students can take virtual field trips to meet various pedagogical needs like gather information, performing research, or practicing a skill (like a foreign language).  Further, students and students can hold group meetings or give presentations using the voice and audio functions.

In this workshop, we will discuss pedagogical best practices in using Second Life and discuss the potential of Second Life to meet certain pedagogical needs effectively. Specifically, we will share Second Life orientations and learning activity templates.

For more information contact:

• Scott Reeser – scott.reeser@learn.uwsa.edu – Workshops1 & 3
• Leif Nelson – nelsonl@uwgb.edu – Workshops 1 & 2
• Tanya Joosten – tjoosten@uwm.edu – Workshop 4

University of Wisconsin System Conference on Second Life Virtual World

The LTDC hosted a conference in Second Life. Presenters, ranging from industry experts to faculty and students, presented on teaching and learning applications and specific activities they have been involved in. The schedule is posted below.

SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Access%20Wisconsin/227/179/24

Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 11am – 3pm
11:00-11:15 Welcome and logistics for conference
11:30-12:30 Keynote: Shannon Ritter, Penn State World Campus
12:45-1:45 Lightning Round: Faculty and Student experiences in Second Life: Susan Stalewski, Clinical Lab Associate Professor, Director of eLearning, College of Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee; Chris Vandenhouten, Assistant Professor, Nursing, University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and students who participated in the “poverty simulation”; Gabriel Mejia, Graduate Student, Unit/Dept, University of Wisconsin – Madison
2:00 – 2:15 Beth Sachtjen New Media Consortium
2:30-3:00 Closing Q & A and what’s coming the next day!

Thursday June 17, 2010 11am – 3pm
11:00-12:00 Local Keynote – Tanya Joosten, UW-Milwaukee
12:15-1:15 Lightning Round: Faculty and Student experiences in Second Life: Jean Haefner, Multimedia Instructor, Art, University of Wisconsin – Stout; Doreen Higgins, Assistant Professor, Social Work, University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and students of “You & Your Future: Living & Working in an Aging Society”
1:30-1:45 Open Session – Q&A about UW System Island
2:00-3:00 Closing Keynote, AJ Kelton, Director of Emerging Technology, Montclair State University
3:00 Close of Conference

Download the full conference program here: http://www.uwgb.edu/nelsonl/virtual/UWS_SLConference_Program.pdf

View the Archives

Here is the archive of the first lightning sessions from 6/16: mms://winstreamer.doit.wisc.edu/uwgb-ltc/2ndlife/061610_1230.wmv

Archive of Beth Sachtjen and closing notes from Day 1: mms://winstreamer.doit.wisc.edu/uwgb-ltc/2ndlife/061610_1400.wmv

Tanya Joosten Day 2 keynote: mms://winstreamer.doit.wisc.edu/uwgb-ltc/2ndlife/061710_1100.wmv

Day 2 lightning sessions and AJ Kelton closing keynote: mms://winstreamer.doit.wisc.edu/uwgb-ltc/2ndlife/061710_1215.wmv