Education UK - SL

Sist jeg logget på i Second Life, lå det en IM (Instant message) som fortalte at jeg hadde tatt med meg ting fra et klasserom i English Village. Selv om disse kunne kjøpes for 0 (null) LD (Linden Dollars) så var jeg blitt en tyv, helt ufrivillig. Når jeg så skulle prøve å levere tilbake, fantes de ikke i min Inventory liste lenger. Når jeg neste gang logget på igjen, for å se nærmere på problemet, så spurte jeg Susan Williams om hjelp (lett gjenkjennelig med rosa hår og store kanintøffler hvis du skulle treffe på henne:O). Hennes kollega viste råd, og tryllet tilbake hva enn jeg måtte ha fått med meg (jeg er fremdeles på forskestadiet, og klikker på det meste jeg kommer over. I utgangspunktet skal det ikke være en risikosport, men vedkommende som laget rommet jeg var i har tydeligvis glemt noen finjusteringer, og sånn havnet jeg altså i trouble).

Og med dette utgangspunktet fikk jeg i samme slengen en omvisning på Education UK, en virtuell øy, utviklet av lærere for lærere og studenter generelt, og spesielt for undervisningssektoren i United Kingdom. Målet deres er å utforske virtuell læring.

De ønsker å skape et læringsmiljø i SL, hvor deltakerne selv tar del i utviklingen. Det skal være et sted hvor man kan leke og lære i et felleskap, og utveksle erfaringer fra undervisning i SL. Man håper å få til en slags 3D portfolie!

Susan og Co er derfor på jakt etter deltakere til øya. De har blant annet et galleri hvor de ønsker seg at kunstnere stiller ut fotografier, eller bilder av annen kunst.
For tiden prøver de å få tak i deltakere til både neste skoleår og en Web Quest konkurranse. Konkurransen er internasjonal, og baserer seg på konseptet til Bernie Dodge's og kolleger fra San Diego State University, som på 90'tallet utviklet en læringsaktivitet - Web Quest - hvor all informasjon ble hentet fra Internett.

Education UK, har utviklet en simular modell basert på Dodge's, hvor all informasjon hentes fra læringsmiljøet i SL. Her er mer info, om du skulle være interessert:

How will the competition be judged?

The winners will be chosen by a team of international educationalists. Applications will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Innovation and creativity
• Appropriate use of Second Life as a learning environment
• Pedagogy
• Evaluation approach
• Quality of support materials
• Presentation

How do I apply?

Please send the following in electronic format to chris@sleducationuk.net no later than Friday 18th May 2007(17.00 GMT)

• Completed application form
• Your Virtual Quest in Word format. If using multimedia, please be very careful to ensure your file sizes are not too large [image size [jpg], video [.mov] audio [mp3/4] etc.
• Any supporting material in electronic format.

Each Virtual Quest entry must be complete in terms of the six stages [introduction, task, process, resources, evaluation and conclusion]. In addition, the seventh stage – ‘support pages’, should also be included to provide any additional guidance for tutors and support materials for learners

What happens if my entry wins?

• Winning entries will be announced at the ‘Second Life International Education Conference’ on the 25th May. http://slbestpractices2007.wikispaces.com/ ]
• Winners will also be notified by email or in-world IM.
• Winning entries will be displayed in the Virtual Quest area of Education UK.
• Winners will also be invited to give a “virtual interview” which will appear on the Education UK website at: www.sleducationuk.net

Competition Terms & Conditions

1. The competition is open to international entries from any educator within Second Life. All entries should be in English as the international language [although we recognise that to deploy locally, may necessitate translation into mother tongue]
2. It is a condition of entry that all entrants consent to their Virtual Quest being published in the Virtual Quest area of Education UK island. Copyright of the Virtual Quest remains with the creator.
3. Winners will receive a $5,000 Linden dollar prize award. This will be paid directly to them. Any equivalent award in US dollars can be paid via Paypal if required.
4. All entries must be received in electronic format by the closing date of Friday 18th May 2007(17.00 GMT). Responsibility cannot be accepted by Education UK for undelivered entries.
5. Education UK’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into by Education UK in relation to that decision.
6. By entering the competition all participants will be deemed to have accepted and be bound by the rules and requirements set out in the competition material.
7. The competition promoter is Education UK. Enquiries relating to the competition should be sent to: chris@sleducationuk.net with the subject heading ‘Virtual Quest Competition’.


Nedenfor finnes et eksempel på en Virtual Quest, nesten ferdig utviklet av Susan: Tourism in Second Life. Den gir et bilde av hvordan man kan arbeide i SL, og for deg som er interessert i å utforske SL, se også listen over ressurser som viser forskjellige landmerker (steder eller øyer) som kan være interessante for undervisning - kanskje ...

Introduction

You have been appointed by the Second Life board to increase tourism and promote travel across the virtual world. In this quest, you and your group will visit different locations, choose one you like, gather information about it and create an exciting electronic brochure which will attract virtual tourists.
Think about all of the points which should to be included in a successful brochure. You will have to use your imagination and creativity to sell the chosen location as a must–visit spot for newcomers to Second Life.

Task

Your group’s task is to prepare an electronic brochure to attract visitors to a region in Second Life. The brochure should be created in MS Word, Publisher or Photo-story and should include text, pictures and links to video files. The finished brochure text cannot be longer than two sides of A4.

• Plan to make your brochure fun and eye catching as well as informative.
• Keep information user friendly – make people want to explore the location.


Process
There are a number of steps in the creation of your electronic brochure.
Step 1

Assign roles to each member of the group.

 Role 1 - Chief photographer
Take snapshots, and write short descriptions for each picture.

Role 2 - Interviewer
Arrange interviews, write interview questions, carry out interviews with SL residents and select quotes for brochure.

Role 3 - Reporter
Write the overall description of the location and a description of activities and attractions in the region.

Role 4 - Cameraman
Make short videos of tours in the chosen SL region using the Second Life video capture facility (File >

Role 5 - Editor
Collect content from all group members and lead the group discussion on the content of the brochure

Role 6 - Designer
Layout brochure

Role 7 - Publisher
Produce brochure

Note: Each member can take more than one role.

Step 2

Group members dress their avatar in a way that fits their role.

The support materials include a document called Avatar_ed.pdf. This will show you how to change your appearance in Second Life.

Step 3

Visiting each region

Using the locations within the Resources stage, each listed region is visited by one member of the group.

Step 4

Decide which region to showcase

You will meet as a group (face to face or online in SL), to listen to reports from each team member on the regions which they have visited and decide, which location will be showcased in the brochure.


Step 5

The group gathers information about the SL location.

In roles and using the created avatars, the group visits the SL region to gather information.

This includes:

• Name of Second Life Location
• Grid Reference
• Overview. Brief summary of the location with highlights
• Things to do in the region
• A longer piece of text (see brochure template in resources section of the Quest,) on why a newcomer to Second Life would be interested in visiting the location.
• Labeled pictures of the location
• Videos of activities (consider the length of the video created. Remember to consider download time and don’t make the video too long.) Use the material in the Support section on “Camera Work “to help you create the video.
• Extracts from interviews with residents of the region. Think in advance of questions you want to ask. Using chat in SL, carry out interviews and gather quotes which you can include in your electronic brochure.

Step 6
Produce an electronic brochure.
In the group, discuss whether to produce the brochure in Word, Publisher or Photo-story. Use the brochure template File > in the Resources section to design your brochure. Produce the electronic tourist information brochure.

Step 7
Discuss the finished product with your group
Meet as a group (face to face or online in SL) to discuss any final changes to the brochure.

Step 8
Present your brochure to the rest of the class and to your tutor.

Face to face or online, give, or send via email, a copy of your brochure to each member of your class. Discuss how the brochure could be used effectively to market your chosen region of Second Life.

Step 9
Write a group report

Based on questions and comments from the class, write a brief report on how your brochure could be used to increase tourism in your chosen location of Second Life.


Resources

Locations to visit in Second Life

1. Armord Complex – Miramare 192,38,33 - Future world

2. Svarga 7,123,22 - A virtual ecosystem

3. Rambler County, Texas-Gluphisia 240,62, 93 - A Texas town

4. Internationals Spaceflight museum - Spaceport alpha 47,77,24

5. Silver Motorsports Complex – Silver Island 131,121,22

6. Star Trek Museum of Science 36, 207, 28

7. A Galaxy far, far away –Dantooine 128,128,41- Star Wars world

8. Hollywood Sports and Entertainment Complex-Hollywood 141,53,25

9. Vampire Empire-Transylvania 177,90,30


Evaluation
Each group member will be given an individual grade as well as a group grade.
Group members will be graded individually based on:
• How well they contribute to the task
• The quality of material included in the brochure
• The content and organization of the writing and /or multimedia
• The creativity of the work
• The quality of the report
Group grades will be based on:
• the overall appearance of the final brochure
• the collaborative effort exhibited to complete the brochure
• the quality of the discussion on potential uses of the brochure
Conclusion

In the process of completing this virtual quest, you have traveled across SL, interviewed residents, interpreted instructions, gained new IT skills, written and recorded information which you have presented in an engaging and innovative way.

In discussions with your class, group and tutor, you have demonstrated your ability to listen to others, how to negotiate with your peers, how to ask and respond to relevant questions and how to present your opinions.

In completing your task, you have demonstrated your IT skills to create a brochure.

Support

• Taking a snapshot – video file
• Using grid references – video file
• Changing your avatar appearance – pdf file

Tutor Notes

Time: The total time to complete the quest should be about 10-12 hours. This includes your research and your writing time.