Augmenting The Merlot Tradition With Multi User Virtual Environments

Augmenting the MERLOT Tradition with Multi-User Virtual Environments: A Guided Tour The MERLOT International Conference, New Orleans, October 9, 2007 By Sabine Lawless-Reljic, real life host Dr. Brock Allen, Second Life host San Diego State University, CA

Agenda

Seriously Engaging… (in-world + slide 3)

… And Seriously Researched (slides 4 &5)

MUVEs: What and Why (slides 6, 7, 8)

Meet instructional designer and instructor, Cathy Arreguin (in-world)

“ Challenging traditional concepts”, Dr. Allen (in-world)

Q&A (in-world)

Resources (slides 9, 10, 11)

New Media Consortium

“NMC Campus: Seriously Engaging”

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1946560785120732987&q=NMC+Campus

Science 27 July 2007: Vol. 317. no. 5837, pp. 472 – 476 The Scientific Research Potential of Virtual Worlds, by William Sims Bainbridge Social scientists and computer scientists meet at the intersection of virtual worlds. These virtual worlds, such as Second Life and World of Warcraft, provide new resources and approaches for research in political science, sociology, and economics. *** http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol317/issue5837/cover.dtl

Technology Review (MIT), July/August 2007:

Current issue

Second Earth, by Wade Roush

The World Wide Web will soon be absorbed into the World Wide Sim: an environment combining elements of Second Life and Google Earth.

***

http://www.technologyreview.com/

Multi-User Virtual Environments

Genres

*Action *Puzzle *Educational *Fighting/combat *Sports *Racing

*Role-play/adventure *Flight *Shoot’em *Platform games *Business

*Board *Word *General entertainment *Fantasy violence *Human violence *Non-violent sports *Sports violence *Simulation games

Types

Social environment Second Life, There, Another Worlds, Kaneva Role-Playing Games World of Warcraft , EverQuest, Neverwinter Nights, The Realm Fantasy DotSoul Cyberspace, Entropia Universe

The World Wide Web

Web 1.0:

static documents

Print-centric 20 th century library

Web 2.0: (action through the web)

social internet (interactive, customized, social, and media intensive)

Multilayered media databases, software programs running inside web browsers, high-volume community forums, social search tools

Web 3.0: (virtual environment and interaction through objects and people)

web of data and object-like constructs with which users engage directly through object manipulation interfaces and metaphors

Web-browsing with 3D experience

Information Objects list Sharing objects: http://www.technogogy.org.uk/passing_notes.html

Q&A by the lake Friday, August 17 th, 10:00 a.m. PST SDSU EdTech Virtual Building, upstairs classroom San Diego Second Life Pioneers, Meadowbrook 218, 84, 23 Follow-up Meeting

Contact Information

Sabine Lawless-Reljic (SL: Willow Shenlin) [email_address]

Consulting: Cathy Arreguin (SL: Mari Asturias), [email_address] Dr. Brock Allen (SL: Doxbrox Allen) [email_address]

Suggested locations Location Second Life URL (slurl address) NMC Campus NMC Campus 150, 226, 43 San Diego State University, pICTsl Farm Meadowbrook 200, 203, 22 San Diego Second Life Pioneers Meadowbrook 218, 84, 23 Alliance Second Life Main Library Info Island 107, 146, 33 Social simulation research lab library Hyperborea 218, 84, 23 International Spaceflight Museum Spaceport Alpha 47, 82, 24 NOAA’s island Meteroa 145, 131, 28 UC Davis Virtual Hallucinations Sedig 26, 45, 21 EdTech Island EdTech 108, 134, 25 Ivory Tower Library of Primitive Natoma 209, 164, 27 EduIsland I, II, III Eduisland 128, 123, 23