By Gemma Cleanslate
I am a Host at the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference in Second Life again this year so have been exploring the region where it is being held. There are lovely presentation sites, discussion areas, interesting exhibits and so much to see . I went over to the regions first to have training about our duties there and met several other hosts. Then I took a tour of the region to remind myself of the various venues.
The first day I was able to attend the Keynote address which was very pertinent to second life.To Boellstorff gave a most informative lecture and you can see it here:
https://youtu.be/8vSVNwYW_Z0
One other lecture I attended and enjoyed for this reason. Last year I met one of the owners and creators of Archaeology Islands and wrote about it (link). So I was very interested in hearing Nova Saunders , (Marion Smeltzer, Educators and Trainers, VIBE, another creator of that sim, speak about the past and future of Archaeological preservation in the virtual worlds and the real necessity to do it."Virtual archaeology has expanded with new features and landscapes representing archaeological and historical places that have been part of “real world” archaeological research. Any proposed computer-based visualization will always aim to improve aspects related to the science, research, conservation or dissemination of our archaeological heritage.”
The exhibits are so interesting.This year there was a scavenger hunt that took one to most of the exhibits and once there find the answer to a question and put it on the notecard. This was motivation to really examine and discover what the exhibit was all about. I stopped to enjoy our new reporter, Marcel‘s exhibit on Art from distance places. At one point I sat down with Wordsmith Jarvinen , Chancellor of Caledon Oxbridge University , in their exhibit.
At a swirling vortex I stopped to read about a game that Letty Luckstone has created relative to climate change and the effect on our waters and world. The directions are there and so is a game hud in case you need to leave and come back. It will help you find the place where you dropped off. The underwater It is simple , fun and educational and not hard to play.
It will be here until the May 6. There is a possibility of winning a real-life gift card so read the directions carefully.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/92/18/21
I spent some time Saturday walking in the forest near the Lecture Hall A. It is a lovely serene setting where down at the bottom of a path I found a small temple where one could place a photo memorial for someone who has passed. Firery Broome built this beautiful landscaping and all over the regions. Her work is always lovely.
There were so many lectures and discussions to attend, it was hard to choose. There were social events going on too at various times in the social area. As usual it was well attended and all had a wonderful time. Next year I will definitely attend again and hope to have more time to get to the lectures . I will plan better for my hosting times to choose the lectures to attend. It was an enjoyable experience again and I look forward to next year. In case you would like to go check out the venues and exhibits you can pick up a hud for teleporting here.Look for the green placards .
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Gateway/176/125/38
Gemma Cleanslate
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