Don't look back in anger

Don’t look back in anger... www.virtualworldwatch.net Big Issues in Immersive Virtual Worlds 2010 Coventry University John Lembo http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnlembo/2402051626/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Hello Coventry!

QUICK SUMMARY OF VIRTUAL WORLD WATCH... Thursday, 4 November 2010 Yes - most of them appeared in a presentation a few months ago at Sheffield University. Not much changes in virtual worlds in that time - and indeed, virtual worlds have been around for many years themselves. As of this Wednesday coming, Second Life is seven years old, for example.

VWW: VIRTUAL WORLD WATCH (1) “Snapshots” of who is using virtual worlds, and how, in UK universities and colleges. Unexpectedly large numbers of downloads. Spring 2007 to Summer 2008: Eduserv funded reports. Summer 2008 to Spring 2010: under more cohesive Eduserv funding. Kathryn Trinder http://www.flickr.com/photos/tilly/2892336624/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

VWW: VIRTUAL WORLD WATCH (2) Summer to Autumn 2010: No funding plus legal and technical problems. Bah. Small bits of funding gained; other bits being pursued plus more passive sources. Website and data getting revived, virtual world book progressing. Unexpected and exciting govt. lobbying opportunity was fun. COPOP http://www.flickr.com/photos/24220989@N03/3368033094/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

GAMES, VIRTUAL WORLDS AND HIGHER EDUCATION SIG Partners: University of Edinburgh University of Leicester Virtual World Watch Institute of Education Allied with other organisations e.g. DIGRA. Funding in place; website soon; first event in SL next week. Sheila Webber http://www.flickr.com/photos/23396182@N00/3531710579/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

GAMES, VIRTUAL WORLDS AND HIGHER EDUCATION SIG To support research into the uses and potential of games and virtual world technologies in Higher Education teaching and learning and – crucially – to develop links between research and practice in these areas. To act as a forum for the exchange of ideas across disciplines. To forge an agenda of educationally relevant scholarship and practice. Start date: Autumn 2010 (basically, now). Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

UK IN 2010 THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES Thursday, 4 November 2010 Yes - most of them appeared in a presentation a few months ago at Sheffield University. Not much changes in virtual worlds in that time - and indeed, virtual worlds have been around for many years themselves. As of this Wednesday coming, Second Life is seven years old, for example.

Inha Leex Hale http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixmilliondollardan/3382932556 Thursday, 4 November 2010 Flying is becoming more costly, and hassle. Security, ﬂying taxes, alerts, delays, strikes.

Gunnlaugur Þór Briem http://www.flickr.com/photos/gthb/4622618719/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Katla, the bigger than this volcano in Iceland, is getting ready to rumble. When it goes, airline travel disruption may be greater than last spring.

John Amos http://www.flickr.com/photos/skytruth/4733801040/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Deepwater Horizon picture. Peak Oil is nearly here. Not only will this affect the cost of all forms of engine-based travel, but it will make lots of other goods and services expensive.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/plashingvole/5114385684/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 The economy is not good, to put it mildly. Can people afford an education?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/upsuportsmouth/2276906005/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/upsuportsmouth/2276902985/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Education is expensive at a bricks and mortar university.

Thursday, 4 November 2010 ...and about to get worse.

Tom http://www.flickr.com/photos/turkletom/4325703868/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Augmented reality in the classroom offers some opportunities.

William Hook http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhook/4225307113/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Geocaching and geo-locational games and apps are of interest, especially then they can be linked with virtual ephemera and augmented reality.

Colony of Gamers http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/4702886229/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Kinect launches today. No controllers, impressive degree of control, intriguing possibilities.

Michael Coghlan http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecogh/3807202330/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 A student learning. No classroom, no age limit, no location barrier. Just needs an internet connection or wiﬁ, and the skills to use the technology.

3.5 YEARS OF DATA... (VWW LIKES COUNTING THINGS) Thursday, 4 November 2010 Yes - most of them appeared in a presentation a few months ago at Sheffield University. Not much changes in virtual worlds in that time - and indeed, virtual worlds have been around for many years themselves. As of this Wednesday coming, Second Life is seven years old, for example.

SOME NERDY STATISTICS Snapshots to date: 9 of which 8 are public, one in legal ‘limbo’ (#9.3 should be public by Nov. 15th). Including #9.3: Responses (open to definition, and not all eligible or publishable) from UK HE: 1,053. Responses from UK FE, schools, RSCs, other: 81. Continuing ‘problem’ of people who do not, will not, or cannot, report or respond. Thursday, 4 November 2010

WHICH VIRTUAL WORLD? 91% use(d) Second Life. 4% use(d) OpenSim. 5% the rest. Core minority experiment with many worlds that come along. Second Life still vastly predominant. Increase in using OpenSim, Unity 3D. Daneel Ariantho http://www.flickr.com/photos/daneelariantho/2631276941/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

WHO FUNDS DEVELOPMENT? Of that which is not voluntary... 54% internal university/college. 11% medical funding sources. No one major source e.g. 7% efforts through JISC funding. Increase in European funding. Amounts vary massively, from tiny amounts to several hundred thousands. Sheila Webber http://www.flickr.com/photos/23396182@N00/5100464155/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

WHAT ARE ACADEMICS DOING? A lot of the responses blur, but picking the predominants: 42% are researching virtual worlds, nearly all of which is virtual world use in education. 27% are “making stuff” for a myriad of reasons. 31% are using virtual worlds in some aspect of teaching and learning. SGVW at Derry http://www.flickr.com/photos/33422226@N04/3401831654/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

WHAT SUBJECT AREAS? Broad subject areas not well represented, except for health, medicine and the biosciences. ‘Niche’ ones predominate e.g. Learning about e-learning. Midwifery. Aspects of art and design. Individual languages. n.b. Class sizes vary. SGVW at Derry http://www.flickr.com/photos/33422226@N04/4381901006/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

THE IT SUPPORT ISSUE Always been the 2nd most common issue, after obtaining funding. Situation really bad in 2008 for many in UK HE. But a much smaller fraction of complaints now. It’s still near-impossible at FE and school level to do SL stuff. And hard to do other virtual world stuff as well. Chris Stephens http://www.flickr.com/photos/drum/4072997316/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

ACADEMIC PEER ATTITUDES Still variable though hearing less about hostility. Best combated by using the VW with goal-based structured task. Most common negative vibes: Waste of scarce funding. “Dangerous.” Not “real” learning. It’s a game... Fiona Littleton http://www.flickr.com/photos/flittleton/4093207474/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

Iris Shreve Garrott http://www.flickr.com/photos/circulating/273246262/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Le sigh.

IS VW USE IN HE/FE INCREASING? FE: No. That one’s easy :-( 2007-08: High turnover, much one-off experimentation. Core group of 2+ academic year developers has been slowly growing. Recent Linden Lab moves have rattled a lot of UK academics... Bex Ferriday http://www.flickr.com/photos/fezzette/3463950370/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

MAJOR ISSUES AT THE MOMENT The four (main) options: 1. Stay with commercial SL. 2. Move to OpenSim. 3. Move to another VW. 4. Give up. University funding changes: How do I make my job safer? How can this be funded? More demanding students? Kathryn Trinder http://www.flickr.com/photos/tilly/2891487883/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

WHAT MATTERS TO YOU? Over to you... What are you going to do? Stick with Second Life, move to OpenSim, something else? What’s your bugbears? Funding good? What’s your issues? Are you positive or negative? Kathryn Trinder http://www.flickr.com/photos/tilly/2891500283/ Thursday, 4 November 2010 Virtual World Watch was originally funded by Eduserv, but has now moved on to an independent status. Exciting times ahead.

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Don't look back in anger

by Virtual World Watch on Nov 04, 2010

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Don’t look back in anger — Presentation Transcript