voyeurism

The SORBET Project: embarking on a collaboration with the staff and students of T523 at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

my team and i are very happy and humbled to share that, for the coming Spring 2021 semester, we will be collaborating with staff and students of T523 Formative Evaluation for Educational Product Development, which is a course offered by Dr Christine Reich to students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

specifically, the collaboration will focus on helping students of T523 experience for themselves the process of conceptualising, designing and enacting the process of formative evaluation, with respect to the transposition of our team's Socially Responsible Behaviour through Embodied Thinking (SORBET) Project from a Windows / Mac application to the iOS and Android platforms. the transposition itself is helmed by Tan Boon Hing, under the auspices of the Nanyang Technological University's Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) programme.

there are very clear synergies to be tapped with this collaboration, and we are all looking forward to an exciting semester of learning alongside each other!

we would like to express our deep gratitude to Dr Reich, her colleagues, and her students, for the trust they have extended to us.

Call for Papers: the 7th international conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN) 2021

on behalf of the International Co-Chairs for next year's conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN), i would like to share the Call for Papers.

iLRN 2021 will be held from the 17th of May to the 10th of June, as an online event :-)

the conference theme is: Transcend: accelerating learner engagement in XR across time, place, and imagination.

The 7th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN 2021) will be an innovative and interactive virtual gathering for a strengthening global network of researchers and practitioners collaborating to develop the scientific, technical, and applied potential of immersive learning. It is the premier scholarly event focusing on advances in the use of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and other extended reality (XR) technologies to support learners across the full span of learning--from K-12 through higher education to work-based, informal, and lifelong learning contexts.

Following the success of iLRN 2020, our first fully online and in-VR conference, this year's conference will once again be based on the iLRN Virtual Campus, powered by VirBELA, but with a range of activities taking place on various other XR simulation, gaming, and other platforms. Scholars and professionals working from informal and formal education settings as well as those representing diverse industry sectors are invited to participate in the conference, where they may share their research findings, experiences, and insights; network and establish partnerships to envision and shape the future of XR and immersive technologies for learning; and contribute to the emerging scholarly knowledge base on how these technologies can be used to create experiences that educate, engage, and excite learners.
Note: Last year’s iLRN conference drew over 3,600 attendees from across the globe, making the scheduling of sessions a challenge. This year’s conference activities will be spread over a four-week period so as to give attendees more opportunities to participate at times that are conducive to their local time zones.

##### TOPIC AREAS #####

XR and immersive learning in/for:

Serious Games • 3D Collaboration • eSports • AI & Machine Learning • Robotics • Digital Twins • Embodied Pedagogical Agents • Medical & Healthcare Education • Workforce & Industry • Cultural Heritage • Language Learning • K-12 STEM • Museums & Libraries • Informal Learning • Community & Civic Engagement • Special Education • Geosciences • Data Visualization and Analytics • Assessment & Evaluation

##### SUBMISSION STREAMS & CATEGORIES #####

ACADEMIC STREAM (Refereed paper published in proceedings):
- Full (6-8 pages) paper for oral presentation
- Short paper (4-5 pages) for oral presentation
- Work-in-progress paper (2-3 pages) for poster presentation
- Doctoral colloquium paper (2-3 pages)

PRACTITIONER STREAM (Refereed paper published in proceedings):
- Oral presentation
- Poster presentation
- Guided virtual adventures
- Immersive learning project showcase

NONTRADITIONAL SESSION STREAM (1-2 page extended abstract describing session published in proceedings):
- Workshop
- Special session
- Panel session

##### SESSION TYPES & SESSION FORMATS #####

- Oral Presentation: Pre-recorded video + 60-minute live in-world discussion with
others presenting on similar/related topics (groupings of presenters into sessions determined by Program Committee)
- Poster Presentation: Live poster session in 3D virtual exhibition hall; pre-recorded video optional
- Doctoral Colloquium: 60-minute live in-world discussion with other doctoral researchers; pre-recorded video optional
- Guided Virtual Adventures: 60-minute small-group guided tours of to various social and collaborative XR/immersive environments and platforms
- Immersive Learning Project Showcase: WebXR space to assemble a collection of virtual artifacts, accessible to attendees throughout the conference
- Workshop: 1- or 2-hour live hands-on session
- Special Session: 30- or 60-minute live interactive session held in world; may optionally be linked to one or more papers
- Panel Session: 60-minute live in-world discussion with a self-formed group of 3-5 panelists (including a lead panelist who serves as a moderator)

Please see the conference website for templates and guidelines.

##### PROGRAM TRACKS #####

Papers and proposals may be submitted to one of 10 program tracks, the first nine of which correspond to the iLRN Houses of application, and the tenth of which is intended for papers making knowledge contributions to the learning sciences, computer science, and/or game studies that are not linked to any particular application area:

Track 1. Assessment and Evaluation (A&E)
Track 2. Early Childhood Development & Learning (ECDL)
Track 3. Galleries, Libraries, Archives, & Museums (GLAM)
Track 4. Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, & Social Justice (IDEAS)
Track 5. K-12 STEM Education
Track 6. Language, Culture, & Heritage (LCH)
Track 7. Medical & Healthcare Education (MHE)
Track 8. Nature & Environmental Sciences (NES)
Track 9. Workforce Development & Industry Training (WDIT)
Track 10. Basic Research and Theory in Immersive Learning (not linked to any particular application area)

##### PAPER/PROPOSAL SUBMISSION & REVIEW #####

Papers for the Academic Stream and extended-abstract proposals for the Nontraditional Session Stream must be prepared in standard IEEE double-column US Letter format using Microsoft Word or LaTeX, and will be accepted only via the online submission system, accessible via the conference website (from which guidelines and templates are also available).

Proposals for the Practitioner Stream are to be submitted via an online form, also accessible from the conference website.

A blind peer-review process will be used to evaluate all submissions.

##### IMPORTANT DATES #####

- Main round* submission deadline -- all submission types welcome: 2021-02-28 (Extended)
- Late round* submission deadline -- Work-in-progress papers, practitioner presentations, and - nontraditional sessions only: 2021-03-22
- Notification of review outcomes from main submission round: 2021-04-06
- Camera-ready papers for proceedings due -- Full and short papers: 2021-04-16
- Presenter registration deadline -- Full and short papers (also deadline for early-bird registration rates): 2021-04-16
- Notification of review outcomes from late submission round: 2021-04-20
- Camera-ready work-in-progress papers and nontraditional session extended abstracts for proceedings due; final practitioner abstracts for conference program due: 2021-04-30
- Presenter registration deadline -- Work-in-progress papers, practitioner presentations, and nontraditional sessions (also deadline for regular registration rates): 2021-04-30
- Deadline for uploading presentation materials (videos, slides for oral presentations, posters for poster presentations): 2021-05-10
- Conference opening: 2021-05-17
- Conference closing: 2021-06-10

*Full and short papers can only be submitted in the main round.

##### PUBLICATION & INDEXING #####

All accepted and registered papers in the Academic Stream that are presented at iLRN 2021 and all extended abstracts describing the Nontraditional Sessions presented at the conference will be published in the conference proceedings and submitted to the IEEE Xplore® digital library.

Content loaded into Xplore is made available by IEEE to its abstracting and indexing partners, including Elsevier (Scopus, EiCompendex), Clarivate Analytics (CPCI--part of Web of Science) and others, for potential inclusion in their respective databases. In addition, the authors of selected papers may be invited to submit revised and expanded versions of their papers for possible publication in the IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies (2019 JCR Impact Factor: 2.714), the Journal of Universal Computer Science (2019 JCR Impact Factor: 0.91), or another Scopus and/or Web of Science-indexed journal, subject to the relevant journal’s regular editorial and peer-review policies and procedures.

##### CONTACT #####

Inquiries regarding the iLRN 2020 conference should be directed to the Conference Secretariat at [email protected]

General inquiries about iLRN may be sent to [email protected]

the SORBET Project featured on Wagner James Au's 'New World Notes' :-)

a very warm welcome to all visitors browsing by from Hamlet Au's (RL: Wagner James Au's) New World Notes blog :-)

i've been following Hamlet's blog since at least 2007, when he was (back then) by his own description, Second Life's embedded reporter since 2003.

as it has evolved, the blog continues to be authoritative and is a go-to source for thoughts and directions of virtual worlds in general.

Hamlet has very graciously written a post about the Socially Responsible Behaviour through Embodied Thinking (SORBET) Project, which my team and i have been working on with teachers, since March this year.

like any journalist worth his or her salt, Hamlet has been instrumental in sharpening my own thinking as i dialogued with him about its design philosophy and the impacts it has had in schools, thus far.

my team and i remain very grateful to him. thank you, Hamlet.

:-)

The SORBET Project: webinar as part of the Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education (APSCE) series

i am happy and humbled to share that the Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education has afforded my team and i the opportunity to speak about the Socially Responsible Behaviour through Embodied Thinking (SORBET) Project, as part of their ongoing webinar series. our team's slot will be on the 14th of October. we would like to express our gratitude to the APSCE leadership for their open-mindedness, trust, hospitality, and facilitation.

:-)

The SORBET Project: pre-conference workshop as part of the 28th International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE) 2020

our team has just received news that An introduction to the Socially Responsible Behaviour through Embodied Thinking (SORBET) Project as a response to COVID-19 has been accepted as part of a pre-conference workshop within the 28th International Conference on Computers in Education.

the workshop is scheduled for the 24th of November, and is themed on Hopes and challenges of social-distance education beyond Covid-19: rethinking social interaction and computer-supported collaborative learning theory in practice.

glory be to God alone.

:-)

Disciplinary Intuitions / the SORBET Project: welcoming college students to NTU's Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) AY 2020 / 2021

further to my post four months’ ago, my team and i are really happy and privileged to welcome four college students to our projects offered under NTU’s Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) programme for the Academic Year 2020 / 2021.

two of our students are from the National Institute of Education, another is from the School of Computer Science and Engineering, and another from the School of Social Sciences.

the opportunity to participate in URECA is extended through invitation only to select second- and third-year undergraduates, who will subsequently be conferred as NTU President Research Scholars.

the projects we have offered are:

NIE20243 - Knowledge mobilisation of the Six Learnings curriculum design framework and its associated theory of Disciplinary Intuitions

NIE20244 - Exploring how the Socially Responsible Behaviour through Embodied Thinking (SORBET) Project might be applied to Geography curricula

NIE20273 - Exploring how the Socially Responsible Behaviour through Embodied Thinking (SORBET) Project might be applied to citizenship education curricula

NIE20274 - Adapting the Socially Responsible Behaviour through Embodied Thinking (SORBET) Project to the mobile platform

The SORBET Project: webinar as part of a 'Learning technologies in schools amid and beyond the pandemic' panel

i am happy and humbled to share that the Office of Education Research, National Institute of Education, has afforded my team and i an opportunity to speak about the Socially Responsible Behaviour through Embodied Thinking (SORBET) Project, as part of the 'Learning technologies in schools amid and beyond the pandemic' panel of the Learning Sciences & Innovation programme on the 2nd of October. we would like to express our gratitude to the administrative team for their kind facilitation!

the SORBET Project at GeekcampSG

i am very happy and humbled to share that our team has been given an opportunity to share the Socially Responsible Behaviour through Embodied Thinking (SORBET) Project at this year's GeekcampSG.

as the name suggests, GeekcampSG is a community tech conference. this year is the eleventh anniversary of the event, and it is tentatively taking place in the afternoons of the 19th and 20th of September.

my team and i are excited to have been given this opportunity, and we hope to see you at this year's event :-)

the Abyss Observatory at Farwell in Second Life: visit during the Coastal Ecosystem and Management webinar 2020

my friend Hajime Nishimura (Second Life: Yan Lauria) and i have been curating the Abyss Observatory at Farwell for about seven years now.

on the 24th of this month, a webinar on Coastal Ecosystem and Management will be held, and Hajime and i will be sharing a visit to Farwell, together with our friend Linda Morris Kelley (Second Life: Delia Lake).

here's the abstract of our sharing, and the video from the session is shared after the abstract:

The scientific research about coastal ecosystems and their importance to humanity is both solidly founded and ongoing. Scientists share the facts widely. Yet human activity is destroying these coastal ecologies and marine habitats, and officials with authority to protect these environments significantly undervalue them by law and policy. Knowing the facts and information is seldomly sufficient to move people to responsible action.

People say they care about coasts and oceans but their actions belie that. Though protection and livelihoods of millions of people around the world depend on coastal ecosystems resources, people treat these resources carelessly. Shorelines are awash with plastic trash. Untreated sewage and agricultural fertilizer runoff encourage algal blooms with seasonal eutrophication damaging ecosystems adjacent to highly populated coastal areas worldwide. Trawling and overfishing destroy coastal ecosystems, sometimes beyond recovery. Climate change is adding to the already present stresses these ecosystems suffer. How can we change this?

Unfortunately, most people have never had an opportunity to experience and enjoy any of these amazing socio-ecological spaces. While we cannot show them all the world’s physical coastal ecosystems, we can do that in immersive 3D virtual geospaces.

Our virtual tour of eight simulated coastal ecosystems at The Abyss Observatory, an educational resource on the 3D interactive platform of Second Life® gives people a sense of “being there” and produces lasting memories of real, meaningful feelings of engagement. Caring is built on memories of experiences that touch people. People protect things they care about.

The featured builds are two Tropical habitats – a mangrove forest and a coral reef, four Temperate habitats – an oak and holly forest, a Temperate rainforest, ocean banks, and a kelp forest, and two Arctic and Subarctic habitats – coastal tundra and cold-water coral reef, all key ecosystems for global sustainability.

The SORBET Project: first ever enaction in an authentic school setting!

The Socially Responsible Behaviour through Embodied Thinking (SORBET) Project was first conceptualised about four months' ago, and today saw the very first enaction of the project among its target audience of schoolchildren :-)

our team is very grateful to Dr Leong Swee Ling, and to the leadership, staff, and students of Kranji Secondary School.

to God be the glory!