Fred, Red and Esme Go International

Last night (or was it this morning) two of my students and I met with a class of English language students from West Java, Indonesia. The teacher, AnnaFarida Maggiore, and I met at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) headquarters in Second Life several months ago. Thank you ISTE for another fabulous connection.

It was 10 am Thursday in West Java and a sleepy 11 pm Wednesday in eastern US when Fred, Red and I met up with Anna and her students. Some were confident, others tentative and all the children were enthusiastic to introduce themselves and ask us questions. I could not stop grinning. The technology has its problems. Voice crackled and teleporting didn't work. But there we were, thousands of miles and half a day a part, and yet together!

West Java

Southern Vermont and Western Massachusetts

Check out Anna's post to see her in action with her students.

Adventurers Wanted

Saturday May 7 is the kickoff of the 6th iteration of:

Teaching and Learning in Virtual Worlds

Instructor: Me, Jane Wilde (aka Esme Qunhua)
Offered by: Marlboro College Graduate School, Brattleboro VT, US
Mode: Fully online with a mix of asynchronous and synchronous activity
Credits: 3 graduate credits
Dates: running from May 7 through August

photo credit: Eruditus Drut c2010

This course will explore a variety of 2D and 3D virtual worlds including commercial and open source platforms designed for adults, teens and young children. We will examine research and theory about immersive environments, games, simulations and their pedagogical implications. We’ll consider the social, interpersonal, cultural, instructional, and technical implications of virtual worlds, while creating learning experiences within them.

The course will be taught totally online using a combination of the learning management system (LMS) Moodle and the virtual environments Second Life and Open Sim. You will learn to navigate within these virtual worlds by creating an avatar (digital representation of self), communicating with others, visiting virtual educational sites, creating and using educational tools, and meeting a variety of virtual world educators.

Much of the coursework will be done asynchronously (at different times on our own schedules). We will arrange to meet synchronously (at the same time, together) in one of the virtual worlds, six times during the term. We will attempt to schedule these sessions to accommodate participants and summer demands.

No experience with virtual worlds is necessary - but an adventurous spirit is a must.

Contact Jane Wilde, Instructor, wildejk@gmail.com about course content and Joe Heslin, Director of Graduate Admissions, 888-258-5665 x209, jheslin@marlboro.edu about registration, cost, etc.