Virtual Worlds and Virtual Learning Environments Glow, Teen Second Life and More Daniel Livingstone SICT-DG Presentation, 25 th Jan 2008

Welcome to Adventure!! Would you like instructions? >no You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building. Around you is a forest. A small stream flows out of the building and down a gully. In the distance there is a tall gleaming white tower. >

Welcome to Adventure!! Would you like

instructions?

>no

You are standing at the end of a road

before a small brick building.

Around you is a forest. A small

stream flows out of the building and

down a gully. In the distance there is

a tall gleaming white tower.

>

Groups Noticeboard Discussions Documents

Synchronous Activities in Glow Chat IM Whiteboard Video Conferencing

Runescape

World of Warcraft

Etc… City of Heroes (and Villains!) Star Wars Galaxies Eve Online Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates Pirates of the Burning Sea APB Lord of the Rings Online Etc., etc., … World of Warcraft Over 10 million subscribers alone

City of Heroes (and Villains!)

Star Wars Galaxies

Eve Online

Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates

Pirates of the Burning Sea

APB

Lord of the Rings Online

Etc., etc., …

World of Warcraft

Over 10 million subscribers alone

Learning in Games Team building & management Corporations and guilds Numeracy and Literacy Despite visual emphasis, a lot of information is communicated in text A lot of number crunching Are these skills transferable? Informal learning in games

Team building & management

Corporations and guilds

Numeracy and Literacy

Despite visual emphasis, a lot of information is communicated in text

A lot of number crunching

Are these skills transferable?

Informal learning in games

MUVEs A range of 3D virtual worlds are more ‘general purpose’ Not games per se, more social Active Worlds, There, Second Life / Teen Second Life, Kaneva, Croquet / Kwaq, Project Wonderland (MPK20), HiPiHi, … Media Grid/Immersive Education

A range of 3D virtual worlds are more ‘general purpose’

Not games per se, more social

Active Worlds, There, Second Life / Teen Second Life, Kaneva, Croquet / Kwaq, Project Wonderland (MPK20), HiPiHi, …

Media Grid/Immersive Education

Second Life Any - and every - user is able to create content Buildings, Furniture, Scenery With scripts – pets, vehicles, guns Avatar clothing, skins, custom avatars A user-created world With IP rights and freely convertible in-world currency (L$) Social platform: Engaging with other ‘residents’ is the core experience

Any - and every - user is able to create content

Buildings, Furniture, Scenery

With scripts – pets, vehicles, guns

Avatar clothing, skins, custom avatars

A user-created world

With IP rights and freely convertible in-world currency (L$)

Social platform: Engaging with other ‘residents’ is the core experience

Seriously Engaging

Web Interoperability Scripts running inside SL can communicate with the internet Email XML-RPC (must be initiated externally) HTTP Request (incl. GET/POST) Streaming audio/video

Scripts running inside SL can communicate with the internet

Email

XML-RPC (must be initiated externally)

HTTP Request (incl. GET/POST)

Streaming audio/video

Real Life Businesses Increasing number of real-life businesses creating presences in SL IBM, Dell, ABN AMRO, Sun, Amazon, O’Reilly, Wired, C|Net, BBH, Vodaphone, BBC, Adidas, Nissan, Sony Ericsson, Fox Movies, … Is this significant for education?

Increasing number of real-life businesses creating presences in SL

IBM, Dell, ABN AMRO, Sun, Amazon, O’Reilly, Wired, C|Net, BBH, Vodaphone, BBC, Adidas, Nissan, Sony Ericsson, Fox Movies, …

Is this significant for education?

Resident Run Education Programmes Academy of Second Life New Citizens Inc. Resident run enterprises which teach a wide range of SL skills From navigation and ‘user’ skills to advanced content creations Initially encouraged by payments from Linden Lab Now some classes supported by commercial sponsors

Academy of Second Life

New Citizens Inc.

Resident run enterprises which teach a wide range of SL skills

From navigation and ‘user’ skills to advanced content creations

Initially encouraged by payments from Linden Lab

Now some classes supported by commercial sponsors

The International Spaceflight Museum

Real Life Educational Programmes Mainly tertiary level Some RL-Education activity on TSL Come to that in a moment! Digital cultures, ethics, law in the internet age, rhetoric, game-development, programming, AI, business, collaborative virtual environments…

Mainly tertiary level

Some RL-Education activity on TSL

Come to that in a moment!

Digital cultures, ethics, law in the internet age, rhetoric, game-development, programming, AI, business, collaborative virtual environments…

What Happened When I taught with SL… Virtual world too open-ended, lacks obvious goals, rich social & technical environment Students need support and direction Tutors need to be familiar with the environment too to provide this support Not universally enjoyed – but students enjoyed it more than blogging or using wikis!

Virtual world too open-ended, lacks obvious goals, rich social & technical environment

Students need support and direction

Tutors need to be familiar with the environment too to provide this support

Not universally enjoyed – but students enjoyed it more than blogging or using wikis!

Education Applications Simulation Collaboration Business projects with ‘real’ customers Role-play Facilitating discussion Machinima Using game technology for movie making Constructionist projects Let the students make the project!

Simulation

Collaboration

Business projects with ‘real’ customers

Role-play

Facilitating discussion

Machinima

Using game technology for movie making

Constructionist projects

Let the students make the project!

Education Projects in TSL Schome www.schome.ac.uk Suffern Middle School rampoislands.blogspot.com Global Kids www.holymeatballs.org/second_life/ Eye4You Alliance British Council …

Schome

www.schome.ac.uk

Suffern Middle School

rampoislands.blogspot.com

Global Kids

www.holymeatballs.org/second_life/

Eye4You Alliance

British Council

…

Sloodle Project to bridge SL & the Open Source Moodle VLE to provide additional support for learning (and for learning management) to SL Funded and supported by Eduserv

Project to bridge SL & the Open Source Moodle VLE to provide additional support for learning (and for learning management) to SL

Funded and supported by Eduserv

Chat: Web-Intercom

UI Integration

Where next? Virtual worlds growing in popularity across all age groups Growth in educational use Avatars everywhere Why not 2D avatars in Glow? To reach educational potential, and for teacher/learner support, MUVEs can be integrated with VLEs What MUVE is best fit for purpose? What do you want to do with it?

Virtual worlds growing in popularity across all age groups

Growth in educational use

Avatars everywhere

Why not 2D avatars in Glow?

To reach educational potential, and for teacher/learner support, MUVEs can be integrated with VLEs

What MUVE is best fit for purpose?

What do you want to do with it?

Daniel Livingstone, School of Computing University of the West of Scotland, Paisley Campus [email_address] aka Buddy Sprocket in SL

Daniel Livingstone, School of Computing University of the West of Scotland, Paisley Campus

[email_address]

aka Buddy Sprocket in SL

Getting Started in SL Create a free account www.secondlife.com Or via http://sl.nmc.org/join/ Download client Windows, Mac, Linux Explore Orientation Island Basic skills Explore Help Island More skills practice, some free items to get you started

Create a free account

www.secondlife.com

Or via http://sl.nmc.org/join/

Download client

Windows, Mac, Linux

Explore Orientation Island

Basic skills

Explore Help Island

More skills practice, some free items to get you started

Then what? The next bit is the hard part… You get dumped onto the ‘mainland’ where you’ll meet a random collection of mostly equally new (and confused) residents What do you do now? Some people randomly explore a bit, fail to find anything interesting then log off never to return

The next bit is the hard part…

You get dumped onto the ‘mainland’ where you’ll meet a random collection of mostly equally new (and confused) residents

What do you do now?

Some people randomly explore a bit, fail to find anything interesting then log off never to return

I hate Second Life! There is no inherent goal… Take time to explore and see a variety of places Talk to a variety of people Ask what they find interesting in SL; ask if they can help you find stuff that interests you If at first you hate SL – you aren’t alone! But exploration and time might reveal depths you can’t see at first

There is no inherent goal…

Take time to explore and see a variety of places

Talk to a variety of people

Ask what they find interesting in SL; ask if they can help you find stuff that interests you

If at first you hate SL – you aren’t alone!

But exploration and time might reveal depths you can’t see at first