voyeurism

'the Future of Virtual Worlds' - my personal take

the one-hundred-and-seventy-fifth episode of ventriloquy shares with you my personal interpretation of the theme 'the Future of Virtual Worlds', that has been chosen by Linden Lab to characterise the sixth anniversary celebrations of Second Life (SL6B) later this month.

in this 1.8 MB download, i take the opportunity to foreground two personally significant anniversaries in Second Life - both occurring this week: on June 16, the Singapore-themed sim of Temasek celebrates its first anniversary, and on June 20 & 21, the cruise-ship SS Galaxy celebrates her second anniversary.

please do accept my invitation to visit either or both of these regions, especially over the coming week :-)

Additional reading:
- Lowell Cremorne's 14 June blog entry (Beautiful Kate - virtual worlds as normality) The Metaverse Journal
- I Love the Knight Life episode at tv.com (Knight Rider)
- Down the Rabbit Hole episode at wikipedia (CSI: NY)

Technorati Tags: CSI: NY, podcast, SL6B, Second Life, Singapore, SS Galaxy, Temasek

MMORPGs and Virtual Worlds: the Learner as Gamemaster

the one hundred and seventy-fourth episode of ventriloquy was inspired by the question-statement "You are the GM".

not referring to 'genetically modified', nor to 'General Motors', nor even to 'General Manager', it's a phrase that i'm beginning to hear with increasingly regularity at the SS Galaxy Community Gateway, which i volunteer at.

please do join me in this 2.0 MB download, as i consider with some excitement the new cohort of avatars in Second Life coming over with prior experience in, and expectations from, Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORPGs) such as World of Warcraft. i also try to tease out some preliminary links between Gamemasters and teachers, and - most importantly, in my opinion - the unique and powerful affordance of MMORPGs and Virtual Worlds to facilitate the adoption of the performative identity of Gamemaster, by the learners themselves.

Additional reading:
- Gamemaster (wikipedia entry)
- the Field Studies Centre at Praxis (under construction)
- Dark Isle - mythical Celtic roleplay (comprising Phoenix Prime and Phoenix Secondus; closed on 17 April 2009)
- Dark Isle (as featured in Hamlet Au's New World Tableau, 30 December 2008)
- Dark Isle (as featured in Orange Island's Metaverse Explorers, 14 January 2009)
- Koinup photo gallery of Praxis (formerly Phoenix Prime)
- Koinup photo gallery of Praxis Prime (formerly Phoenix Secondus)

Technorati Tags: education, expert, games, geography, learning, podcast, the Field Studies Centre at Praxis, Second Life, Singapore, Six Learnings

SS Galaxy Continental Terminal by Scope Cleaver

the one-hundred-and-seventy-third episode of ventriloquy features the creative genius of one of the most celebrated architects in Second Life - Scope Cleaver.

Scope has totally re-interpreted the space at Clementina, that i first introduced to you just last month.

in this 1.6 MB download, i describe how - in his own inimitable way - he has designed a place where visitors to the SS Galaxy will have more than an excuse to linger, even before embarking aboard the ship herself.

i am so pleased with the result, that i have renamed the SS Galaxy - Continental Terminal, as the SS Galaxy Continental Terminal by Scope Cleaver.

the Captain and crew of the SS Galaxy welcome you to visit at your leisure :-)

Additional reading:
- SS Galaxy Continental Terminal by Scope Cleaver - a photoset on Flickr
- Architecture Now! 6 by Taschen (article on Scope Cleaver from pages 460-466)

Scope Cleaver handing the build over to the SS Galaxy team - represented by Managing Director DBDigital Epsilon and Director of Vendor Relations Lacey Ellison

Technorati Tags: geography, landmarks, podcast, Scope Cleaver, Second Life, Singapore, SS Galaxy

Relay for Life of Second Life 2009

the one hundred and seventy-second episode of ventriloquy introduces Relay for Life of Second Life 2009.

this three-month-long fundraising event is in aid of cancer research, cancer education, and patient care, in support of the parallel series of Relay for Life events organised by the American Cancer Society.

in this 1.4 MB download, you'll learn that one of the teams in the relay is Team SS Galaxy, so please do consider making a donation the next time you visit the ship :-)

the Relay for Life donation kiosk in the Galaxy's main lobby

Technorati Tags: podcast, Second Life, Singapore, SS Galaxy

SS Galaxy - Continental Terminal

the one-hundred-and-seventy-first episode of ventriloquy introduces the SS Galaxy - Continental Terminal.

designed as a place where residents new to Second Life can feel welcome, the SS Galaxy - Continental Terminal is located in the historic sim of Clementina, halfway between Governor Linden's mansion and the Ivory Tower of Primitives (the latter being in Natoma).

specifically, the SS Galaxy - Continental Terminal is directly adjacent to Clementina Park, and the public sandbox at Natoma.

please do join me in this 2.0 MB download, as i share some of the area's rich history with you :-)

Additional reading:
- Sean Percival (2007) Second Life In-world Travel Guide
- Rymaszewski et al (2008) Second Life: The Official Guide

the SS Galaxy - Continental Terminal at dusk, with the plateau atop which the Governor's mansion is built, in the background

the main entrance to Clementina Park

Technorati Tags: geography, landmarks, podcast, Second Life, Singapore, SS Galaxy

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research - Pedagogy, Education and Innovation in 3-D Virtual Worlds

the one-hundred-and-seventieth episode of ventriloquy introduces a special issue of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, which has as its theme 'Pedagogy, Education and Innovation in 3-D Virtual Worlds'.

this issue has been co-edited with my friends and fellow educators - Leslie Jarmon and B Stephen Carpenter II. it features a think-piece contributed by Professor James P Gee, entitled 'Games, Learning and 21st Century Survival Skills'.

please do join me in this 1.7 MB download, as i invite you to peruse the issue for yourself. for your convenience, the issue is available as a 10 MB PDF, and as a Calameo document below.

if you'd like to just download the papers individually, you can do so from the listing of the issues contents:

- Introduction
- Gee, Games, Learning and 21st Century Survival Skills
- Taylor, Can We Move Beyond Visual Metaphors? Virtual World Provocations and Second Life
- O'Connell, Grantham, Workman, Wong, Leveraging Game-playing Skills, Expectations and Behaviours of Digital Natives to Improve Visual Analytic Tools
- Jarmon, An Ecology of Embodied Interaction: Pedagogy and homo virtualis
- Stephen Carpenter, Virtual Worlds as Educational Experience: Living and Learning in Interesting Times
- Lim, The Six Learnings of Second Life: A Framework for Designing Curricular Interventions In-world
- Campbell, Learning in a Different Life: Pre-service Education Students Using an Online Virtual World
- Chodos, Naeimi, Stroulia, An Integrated Framework for Simulation-based Training on Video in a Virtual World
- Esteves, Fonseca, Morgado, Martins, Using Second Life for Problem Based Learning in Computer Science Programming
- Gerstein, Beyond the Game: Quest Atlantis as an Online Learning Experience for Gifted Elementary Students
- Herold, Virtual Education: Teaching Media Studies in Second Life
- Hudson, Degast-Kennedy, Canadian Border Simulation at Loyalist College
- Lee, Using Second Life to Teach Operations Management
- Mon, Questions and Answers in a Virtual World: Educators and Librarians as Information Providers in Second Life
- Pereira, Martins, Morgado, Fonseca, A Virtual Environment Study in Entrepreneurship Education of Young Children
- dos Santos, Second Life Physics: Virtual, Real or Surreal?
- Schwartz, Second Life and Classical Music Education: Developing Iconography that Encourages Human Interaction
- Walker, 3D Virtual Learning in Counselor Education: Using Second Life in Counselor Skill Development
- Zielke, Roome, Krueger, A Composite Adult Learning Model for Virtual World Residents with Disabilities: A Case Study of the Virtual Ability Second Life Island
- Lang, Kobilnyk, Visualising Atomic Orbitals Using Second Life
- Roush, Nie, Wheeler, Between Snapshots and Avatars: Using Visual Methodologies for Fieldwork in Second Life
- Lopes, Pires, Cardoso, Santos, Peixinho, Sequeira, Morgado, Paredes, Camerino, Use of a Virtual World System in Sports Coach Education for Reproducing Team Handball Movements

Technorati Tags: assessment, avatar, cognition, constructivism, education, games, JVWR, learning, media, multiliteracies, podcast, Second Life, semiotics, Singapore, Six Learnings, TLLM, VWBPE2009, Web 2.0

visit the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research at the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference

the one-hundred-and-sixty-ninth episode of ventriloquy previews the Virtual Worlds - Best Practices in Education conference 2009 (VWBPE 2009), to be held in Second Life from the 27th to the 29th of March.

specifically, through this 1.8 MB download, i would like to extend a warm welcome to you to visit the booth of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, which has been set up to celebrate the imminent publication in a few days' time of Volume 2 Number 1 of the Journal, which is a special edition commissioned on the theme of 'Pedagogy, Education and Innovation in 3D Virtual Worlds'.

this special edition has been put together by my co-editors Dr Leslie H Jarmon (SL: Bluewave Ogee) of the University of Texas at Austin, and Dr B Stephen Carpenter II (SL: Metaphor Voom) of the Texas A&M University. a highlight of this edition is a think-piece contributed by Professor James Gee.

Additional reading:
- VWBPE 2009 registration
- VWBPE 2009 conference programme

Technorati Tags: podcast, Second Life, Singapore, Six Learnings, VWBPE2009

what's wrong with this picture?

the one hundred and sixty-eighth episode of ventriloquy presents a critique of two recent explorations into the educational affordances of New Media, from either side of the Atlantic.

from 3D glasses to Facebook, from social constructivism to anatomy - it's all in this 2 MB download :-)

Additional reading:
- William Stewart's 16 January 2009 entry ('Settle down avatars; classes are under way') TES Connect
- 4 February 2009 video (Children taught in Second Life) BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
- Michael Blanding's article (Thanks for the add. Now help me with my homework.) Ed Vol 52, No 2

Technorati Tags: education, learning, podcast, Second Life, Singapore, Web 2.0

book review: Learning and Teaching in the Virtual World of Second Life

the one hundred and sixty-seventh episode of ventriloquy introduces what is likely to be the first education-focussed book on Second Life.

edited by Judith Molka-Danielsen (SL: Aklom Haifisch) and Mats Deutschmann, Learning and Teaching in the Virtual World of Second Life is a collection of academic papers primarily describing the work done in the first Scandinavian project in Second Life to focus on designing platforms for lifelong learning, at Kamimo Island.

please do join me in this 1.8 MB download, as i also share my thoughts on the ways in which elements fundamental to the in-world experience of Second Life are inherently rich in pedagogical potential in and of themselves, even before rezzing your first learning object.

Additional reading:
- 4 February 2009 entry (Musical Avatars: Bandbots) Shiny Life
- terrain files by Chenin Anabuki of the Terrain Factory

Technorati Tags: avatar, education, geography, landmarks, learning, maps, place, podcast, Pathways, Second Life, Singapore, Six Learnings, TLLM

re-opening of St Michel - the Jules Verne Museum

happy New Year to all!

:-)

i open the year with the one-hundred-and-sixty-sixth episode of ventriloquy, in which i share with you the news of the re-opening yesterday of St Michel - the Jules Verne Museum!

those of you who have been following this blog for some time would perhaps recall that in July 2007, in episode 117, i introduced St Michel - the Jules Verne Museum as the first facility of its size in Second Life to honour the life and creative works of Jules Gabriel Verne.

the museum remained open for fourteen months, and was featured in the March 2008 issue of Deja Vu International magazine.

over the past four months, i have been looking for a new site to rebuild the museum. i finally found such a site at Lily, in the Lost Lakes region of the original Linden mainland continent of Sansara.

after five days of feverish work with valued help from Kirstenlee Cinquetti and Felixx Shepherd (during which time i also designed and opened the nearby Lily Airstrip and Lily Beach), i was extremely pleased to be able to let the general public start visiting the museum from New Year's Day 2009!

please do join me in this 3.5 MB download, as i try to give you a taste of what to expect if you are able to find the time to visit the newly re-opened St Michel - the Jules Verne Museum :-)

Technorati Tags: education, Jules Verne, learning, podcast, Second Life, Singapore, St Michel - the Jules Verne Museum