The WVBPE Conference

By Gemma Cleanslate

“Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education is a meaningful way for presenters to share their research and experience about the rich learning systems in virtual worlds and games. This free online conference is produced entirely by volunteers. Conference proceedings are published as the Journal of Virtual Studies by Rockcliffe University Consortium.”

This is part of the mission statement of the VWBPE on the website. To learn about this conference go to the website  https://www.vwbpe.org/mission . The program, key speakers, events are listed there. The press release said it all. That is the Gateway to it all above.

I love this conference because it has far reaching effects to many who are interested in the use of virtual worlds for education. It certainly takes on more meaning in this day and age of using the internet for learning from preschool to adulthood. There are various complaints about video games but many contribute to following directions, decision making,  focus and other skills that aid in learning. I have been a greeter-host at the event for four years. I  love getting into the builds, the displays, attending some of the programs, social events and helping presenters, visitors and newcomers to second life orient to the many venues suspended in the installations. Each sponsor and displayer has their own little island in the sky to visit. You will find space freebies at the .... and in many exhibits and a hunt .

Last year the installation took on space to arrange the many venues up and down in the air. I was happy to see that they kept thee same locals this year and will keep it next year too I hear. It is too good to put in archives.The teleport hud, centers, and landmarks work so well to aid attendees and visitors.

Just to roam the many exhibits and pick up information is so  amazing. Attending the lectures gives one a perspective on worldwide education. The social gatherings are great fun with good music and camaraderie at the Social Spaceport. You will find space freebies here , and gifts in many exhibits and a hunt somewhere. I have to check into that! 

Do not miss this event. It will run March 18 through March 20, but I believe the venues will stay for a few days after.  Check the program page on line for more information about the lectures time and place. The region is open to the public now.You are invited . 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Gateway%20Pyxis/100/128/24 .

Grab a Swag Bag!

Gemma Cleanslate

VWBPE List of Events

VWBPE 2018 (March 15 - 17)

List of Presentations*

Calendar URL: https://vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe-calendar

*Social events have not been included.

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Virtual Ability's display at the VWBPE Gateway
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Gateway/167/240/36



MARCH 15


8am SLT
Opening Ceremony
Gateway
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Gateway/173/129/38


9.30am SLT
'Identity, literacy, immersion and presence; joining together the building blocks of virtual world learning' (Keynote: Mark Childs)
Main Auditorium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%204/34/31/23


10.30am SLT
'The Minecraft VRevolution: Collaborative Learning' (Panel)
Quadrivium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/6/196/26

10.30am SLT
'Web 4.0 : Interaction in the 4th Dimension' (Judy Bloxham)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


1pm SLT
Conversation with Ebbe Altberg
Main Auditorium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%204/34/31/23


2pm SLT
'DeDe the transwoman: Cultural Issues and Second Life' (Rebecca Sisk)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


2pm SLT
'How to Get There from Here' (Barbara McQueen)
Lecture Area B
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22


3pm SLT
'Future of STEAM' (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, Math) (Panel/Public)
Quadrivium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/6/196/26


4pm SLT
'Learn About Machinima' (Gridjumper and Bluebarker)
Social Plaza
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20South%203/143/152/2



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MARCH 16


7am SLT
'Digital Makerspaces' (Panel/Public)
Quadrivium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/6/196/26


9am SLT
'Improving Digital Literacy – A Solvable Challenge using Virtual Worlds' (Marie Vans & Valerie Hill)
Lecture Area B
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22


9am SLT
'Virtual Self-Directed Learning Workshops' (Yen Verhoeven)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


10am SLT
'Nursing Informatics Student SL Practicum Outcomes' (Toni Hebda and Karen West)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


10am SLT
'Use Cases for Social Virtual Reality' (Gentle & Panel)
Quadrivium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/6/196/26


11am SLT
'The VRevolution calls for a new digital literacy' (Bryan Alexander)
Main Auditorium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%204/34/31/23


1pm SLT
'A Hybrid Conference as a Way to Create Community' (Sandrine Hsiao-Cheng Han)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


1pm SLT
'Innovative Virtual Libraries: Research & Design' (Valerie Hill & Robin White-Sieber)
Lecture Area B
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22


3pm SLT
'Chemistry Experiments in Virtual Worlds' (Wendy L Keeney-Kennicutt)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


3pm SLT
'NPCevolutions Panel for the NonProfit Commons' (Joyce Bettencourt, Cynthia Calongne, Valerie Hill etc)
Quadrivium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/6/196/26


4pm SLT
'Our Brains, Oursel      ves, Our Worlds' (Thuja Hynes)
Workshop/Quadrivium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/6/196/26


4pm SLT
'Virtual Worlds Database: Crowd-Sourcing Our Worlds' (Alyse Dunavant-Jones)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


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MARCH 17


8am SLT
'Blending VWs & Digital Tech. in Language Teaching' (Anabel Nowak)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


8am SLT
'Mobile Virtual Reality for Environmental Education' (Ana-Despina Tudor and Shailey Minocha)
Lecture Area B
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22


9am SLT
'Cultural Appropriation? Cultural Appreciation?' (Sandrine Hsiao-Cheng Han)
Lecture Area B
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22


9am SLT
'If They Build It, They Will Come!' (Carolyn Lowe * Amy Pihlainen)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60

11am SLT
'Flying Stickies, Easy Quests, VW + Unity for Edu' (Julie LeMoine)
Lecture Area B
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22


11am SLT
'Low Threshold Virtual Events' (Ulli Berthold)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


12pm SLT
'Etopian Evolution for Real World Solutions' (G Ronnie Kraegel)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


12pm SLT
'Liberate Agency Amplification Via Avatar Identity' (Renne Emiko Brock)
Lecture Area B
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22


2pm SLT
'Meta Manifesto: Think Tank 4 Effective Tactics' (Panel/Public)
Quadrivium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/6/196/26


2pm SLT
'You’re Grounded! Theorizing Virtual Learning Space' (Yen Verhoeven)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


3pm SLT
'Avatars as Data Points' (Mary Ellen Gordon & Aaron Griffiths)
Lecture Area A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60


3pm SLT
'Bridging Worlds: Learning in a Strange Land' (Cynthia Calongne & Bradley ?
Hodgins)
Lecture Area B
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22


4pm SLT
'Waiting for the VR Evolution' (Panel TBA)
Quadrivium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/6/196/26


6pm SLT
Closing Ceremony
Main Auditorium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%204/32/31/22

Virtual Worlds Best Pracitces in Education

By Gemma Cleanslate

VWBPE (Virtual World Best Practices in Education) takes place, from March 15th 08:00 AM to March 17th 09:30 PM, this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. This is the 11th annual event held in Second Life. This is my first real exposure to the event. I did attend two or three lectures there last year. So this year I decided to be a greeter . I went over to the regions on Saturday to have training about our duties there and met several other hosts. We took a tour of the various sites where lectures and other events will be held and became familiar with them.

To accommodate the large audience expected for the keynote speeches the auditorium is set at the meeting point of four regions. Every location is set up for comfort of the attendees and the place looks great. There are 2 lecture halls and other  besides the main auditorium and venues for activities.

Sunday I took a leisurely tour of various places to check out what is there . I visited the sponsor’s area where they have set up displays and information. I took a walk through of the Virtual Ability section and saw pictures of several friends as they were in the beginning and as they are now. We have come a long way! I stopped in the underwater park and found fascinating builds down there. There will be an underwater party going on, so look for it.  Don’t miss the lovely site! There are several exhibit areas to visit. The legacy area is a showcase of all the past meetings and very interesting . Pick up a hud when you land at the gateway to aid your movements around the sims.There is also a teleport map to aid you .

To understand more  fully what this is all about I invite you to visit the website where you can learn so much and check out the calendar to see what is being offered for these three days. Ebbe Linden is on the schedule. We are always interested to hear what he has to say about Second Life. Check the calendar where you are looking on the web and you may find a lecture or event you would like to attend. The keynotes addresses look so interesting.I just hope I can make it to them. See you there .

https://vwbpe.org/

Gemma Cleanslate

Reader Submitted: "The Very Best of Broadway"

By Ciska Riverstone

Logging into Second life last night I didn't know, I was up for a precious treat. My friend Bergie IMed me shortly before 1 pm asking if I would like to go to "The Very b=Best of Broadway."  I admit, I made it a last minute appearance on my side and was just able to grab the empty red velvet chairs beside her, when the curtain opened up at the Oval Theater to reveal a perfect gym and a full cast, dancing Footloose.

My first surprise was a pure technical one: everything rezzed fast and effortlessly - something I am not used to on my laptop in second life shows.  So I looked around for a moment expecting a small audience only to see that most of the chairs of this very cozy but still spacious theater were taken. Realizing that I just missed the performance, my attention returned quickly to the vivid choreography.  "Footloose" is of course an easy opener to groove to - the perfect number to get into the mood. It did set the tone for what's to come in a charming way!


The curtain went down and somehow I expected a longer pause for reconstruction - maybe because I saw that often in the past in theaters in Second Life. But here came surprise number two. We just had time to talk a bit and teleport in another friend before the stage was set with an admittedly more simplistic but still very fitting stage building for the cheeky "Dance 10, Looks 3" from "A Chorus Line."  Champagne was served by an attentive staff member, while we enjoyed the atmosphere slowly building up and it did! I won't give away more details to not spoil your fun!

The song list, although taken from the classic Broadway Musicals you would expect, did not always go to the most obvious song choice and so managed to hold the balance of the whole spectrum of emotions you can walk through in such an evening. The special effects carefully orchestrated towards a stunning finale come and go in a wave like form and together with all kinds of choreography - from freestyle " just singing and acting" to ballet - like arrangements u will see all of it.  The stage builds totally serve each musical number in style, simplicity and low lag. while still having eye catching details....not to forget the perfect costume choice. All in all the whole performance felt like a labour of love for me. We left the theatre after more than an hour in heightened spirits and enthusiastic.

The show is still on at the 17th 19th and 23d at 1 pm slt and will be followed in August by a program called "Make 'em laugh".  I can only recommend to grab your loved one, friends or even a new acquaintances you like to get to know better and watch it. The whole atmosphere together with those tunes will not cease to spark up fun conversations, entertain you and put a smile on your face.

While you are there be sure to grab one of the monthly theater magazines from the free vendor. It will tell you what's in the pipeline of this amazingly creative and vivid venue!

The Oval Theatre Company, Devils Cave (144, 79, 21)
Ciska Riverstone