Book: LEARNING IN VIRTUAL WORLDS: RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS

Announcing the release of:

LEARNING IN VIRTUAL WORLDS: RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS

Edited by:
Sue Gregory, University of New England, Australia,
Mark J.W. Lee, Charles Sturt University, Australia,
Barney Dalgarno, Charles Sturt University, Australia, and
Belinda Tynan, The Open University, UK

With a Foreword by Chris Dede, Harvard University, USA

Part of the "Issues in Distance Education" series
(Series Editor: Terry Anderson, Athabasca University, Canada)

Published by Athabasca University Press as an open-access publication—
Free PDF download available at: http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120254
Also available for purchase in Paperback and ePub formats

*** Description ***

Three-dimensional (3D) immersive virtual worlds have been touted as being capable of facilitating highly interactive, engaging, multimodal learning experiences. Much of the evidence gathered to support these claims has been anecdotal but the potential that these environments hold to solve traditional problems in online and technology-mediated education—primarily learner isolation and student disengagement—has resulted in considerable investments in virtual world platforms like Second Life, OpenSimulator, and Open Wonderland by both professors and institutions. To justify this ongoing and sustained investment, institutions and proponents of simulated learning environments must assemble a robust body of evidence that illustrates the most effective use of this powerful learning tool.

In this authoritative collection, a team of international experts outline the emerging trends and developments in the use of 3D virtual worlds for teaching and learning. They explore aspects of learner interaction with virtual worlds, such as user wayfinding in Second Life, communication modes and perceived presence, and accessibility issues for elderly or disabled learners. They also examine advanced technologies that hold potential for the enhancement of learner immersion and discuss best practices in the design and implementation of virtual world-based learning interventions and tasks. By evaluating and documenting different methods, approaches, and strategies, the contributors to Learning in Virtual Worlds offer important information and insight to both scholars and practitioners in the field.

*** For More Information ***

A flyer containing further details about the book, including a copy of the Table of Contents, is attached. The full text of the entire book and of individual chapters can be downloaded for free in PDF format at http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120254 . The PDF and ePub versions can also be purchased from this site.
_______________________________________________
My source:

open-education mailing list [closed?]

Design an interactive space - 2 meters square - for Expolab project

My source: DESRIST discussion LinkedIn

Hello DESRIST members.

This is about an interactive design project, and the folks at Citilab are very interested in design research. Check it out if you're interested.

Letting you know that Citilab Cornella has an open call for exhibits that explore digital technology for their new project "Expolab". This experiment challenges designers to design 1 or more Expolab cubes with interactives that explore how new digital media and tech affects how we share memories, connect, travel through time and space, work, and experience safety. An opportunity to experiment, and work with the brilliant Expolab team Irene Lapuente, Ramon Sangüesa, and Astrid Lubsen of Citilab.

Start with the cubed 2mx2m space, then modify the space/walls as needed to make it experimental and interactive. Spaces will be equipped with electric and internet connections if needed. Citilab will build 6 of these and put them on display in Barcelona. Expolab cubes can have any number of walls, you can design the whole thing as long as it fits in 2mx2m. The Tech Virtual hosts free 3D prototyping space in Second Life for you to build or document your entry ( http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Tech%202/160/211/33 ). If you'd prefer to use your own tools that's fine too, just upload your screenshots after creating a project at:

Looking forward to some new input on this experimental venture! Expolab team comes online for live design reviews Thursdays at 13:00 EST / 10:00 PST / and 18:00 CET (Barcelona). Did I miss anything? Send a note to ...

About Expolab:

"Expolab is a new way to understand exhibitions. It is a laboratory devoted to researching and creating new exhibitions in the area of technology, innovation, science and design, which are the main focus of work at Citilab. Expolab raises the possibility of creating exhibitions with strong citizen participation and contribution from the very beginning of an exhibition, and not just using the audience as providers of feedback once the exhibitions is one. This represents a new challenge within the world of museums and exhibitions.

Being all things to all people: and virtually 2nd

I don't ever want to be like 'jam', as that may indicate that one has also become a statistic. In IcT though it's very difficult to spread yourself as completely as you might like. The desire and apparent need to 'multi-webtech' is profound. So it is gratifying (if that's the right word?) when news comes through that the grass is not always greener being an 'early adopter' and in with the in-crowd. For me this missed opportunity and news comes c/o Second Life.

As with the philosophy dialogue there is a virtual effort that dates back to 1991. I realised ages ago that if you are going to build a community dedicated to the compound conceptual space that is Hodges' model then virtual - augmented reality is the space to Be. I have long thought of the model as the ideal portal for a virtual learning environment. So here is news that actually indicates a trend, a shift in the maturity of the web as the established newspaper media also takes stock of traditional journalism, its investment in web content and how to monetise. The latest sign of change is today's news of a possible NewsCorp and Microsoft alliance against Google in The Independent. Here's the Second Life news item:

Subject: [NetBehaviour] Second Life To Remove Free Content From Web Search.

"In a move that continues to shake the Second Life community of content creators, merchants, and consumers, Linden Labs has declared that free virtual content will no longer be searchable without listing payments on their website portal - (formerly at:)
(http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Managing_Freebies_on_Xstreet_SL_Roadmap_FAQ);
and additional fees will be added with the intention of discouraging content listed for inexpensive selling prices. The move is particularly troubling because the online Web listing service is the de facto search engine for virtual content in Second Life, since the in-world search tools are unable to provide information about an object beyond name and location - basic textual descriptions, pictures, or descriptions of licensing, size, or content-category are not possible. While initially the change was explained as a response to community feedback, the residents involved in this feedback process were revealed to be fewer than 100 in number, primarily larger merchants among a community of millions. Within 24 hours of the announcement, the feedback thread (https://blogs.secondlife.com/message/38923#38923) has swelled to over 1,000 overwhelmingly negative responses. Additionally, in-world protests have erupted throughout the day, and over 20,000 objects have been voluntarily removed from the online store by angered merchants."

Read on for more details on the brouhaha.

Adding to the controversy are the officially stated justifications in the FAQ
(http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Managing_Freebies_on_Xstreet_SL_Roadmap_FAQ),
such as 'They [free content listings] hinder the shopping experience because a "sort by price" puts all freebies first,' and the perplexing statement 'They [free listings] garner so much attention that Residents are driven toward the freebies instead of quality, fairly priced items.'

Various independent virtual content listing sites have been proposed, such as Meta-life.net and Slapt.me, but attempts to post this information on the Second Life forums has been met with aggressive administrative censorship of these links.

Found originally on slashdot.org
My source: CI list and marc garrett (FurtherField)

Additional links:
FurtherField
NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity