Best Practices Conference in SL May 25
I know we're all busy, but innovation is happening. Interestingly if you peruse the About Us for Horizon page, you'll see that many of the busiest people are each taking an hour or two for this project. This is about this project but it is also about having the conversations and research to improve education at a very real, practical level.
Beth Ritter-Guth, an advisor to the virtual worlds team and Second Life Expert is organizing a conference and any of you who would like to present or discuss your viewpoints of this project need to get in touch with Beth immediately. Following is a transcript of our discussion today that I have used with her permission.
Transcript from Google Talk on 4/14/07; sorry for the typos!
I guess I didn't know I might need to think about being intimidated. All the people here are just like you and I -- they want to make a difference and they live their lives like the rest of us -- still feeling like that 16 year old kid wondering what they'd do when they grew up and wondering how the rest of their life will pan out.
I don't know about the future, but I'm proud to be small part of an educational revolution that is growing up around the feet of education. Will you join in and add your voice and practices?
We need 3 experts to give three specific teams expert feedback during the project via the wiki on April 23rd, do you know an expert or person who follows these areas?
We are signing up sounding boards to take one classroom day, we will have lesson plans for high school and middle school levels (High school for April 23 and 30) Middle School will be available the first week of May and will probably be video evaluation. Kudos to Sharon Peters and Graham Wegner who are going to be our coaches for the peer review process. (See the rubric Sharon has already posted that will serve as the basis for the beginning of the discussions they will lead.)
Remember, those educators who are giving a little time are being added to our private ning network that will allow you to follow the conversations that Julie and I and all of you are having about how to conduct this project and what needs to change for the future. We have 21 members over there and a few who still have to accept their invitation to join (about 27 of us.)
This is exciting!
tag: hz07, horizonproject07, teacher_reflection, virtual_worlds
tag: second life, SL, web3d, Beth Ritter-Guth, Sharon Peters, Graham Wegner
Beth Ritter-Guth, an advisor to the virtual worlds team and Second Life Expert is organizing a conference and any of you who would like to present or discuss your viewpoints of this project need to get in touch with Beth immediately. Following is a transcript of our discussion today that I have used with her permission.
Transcript from Google Talk on 4/14/07; sorry for the typos!
So, if you want to present or be involved, get in touch with Beth. One rule on the new Internet -- don't wait to be asked, if you see something that interests you, don't say "I'm not important, they wouldn't want me" because I guess I was blessed early on by not knowing how important the people are that helped me and were encouraging me with their comments and e-mails.Beth: hey VickiBeth Ritter-Guth: 2007 SL BP Conference...HERE WE COME!Victoria: Hey, girl.Beth: I am planning a conference in SL for the end of May, and was wondering if your students would like to put together a poster session on the Horizon projectVictoria: Now, I can go on the adult grid but they can't.Beth: they wouldn't have to go in - they could make the graphics and PPT, and you could operate the avatarVictoria: What is the date?Beth: uploading itMay 25Victoria: That is really cool!Beth: FridayVictoria: Oh, our last day of school! Ha ha!Beth: they could do a presentation or a poster sessionVictoria: We get out at noon that day, but I could do it that afternoon.We could create the powerpoint or actually, how about a video that we stream in?
Beth: The conference is 24 hoursVictoria: yes, we could do it that morning.Beth: That would be perfectVictoria: Or right after it gets out.How about I ask them if they want to see it or not.
Beth: you can pre-record at any timeinto MOV file
Victoria: Yes, we could prerecord a mov file!That is so cool!
Beth: We are encouraging nest proactices from the tenn gridsorry, bestso, the whole event is Gand you are welcome to present on thier behalftheir
Victoria: That would be really amazing.Can I ask them if they want to watch on the smartboard or not?And is a person going to be videoing the event (machinima?)
Beth: surethat is what a lot are doing
Victoria: They are doing movies and pulling in and presenting for their kids?
Beth: we are looking for someone to do it, yes
Victoria: Cool-o
Beth: yes, they are being the avatar
Victoria: Hey, can I copy and paste this onto the Ning?
Beth: and putting it up on the projector for thd kids
Victoria: And if we do it in class, they could actually "be" me and we supervise.
Beth: yes, please doand please invite EVERYONEyes, they can be you
Victoria: I can share it on my blog too-- do you have a slurl or something?is the wiki and the main Slurl is there
Victoria: Ok, I'm going to post this everywhere and will talk to my students about it (and administration).
Beth: I am updating it now
Victoria: The last day of school will be tough but I really feel like they are a small part of a very big and growing revolution.I want them to be a part and what a way to end.How long would it be?
Beth: we want to showcase the cool things happening in K-12it can be as long as you wantno more than an hour
Victoria: OK, and do you want me to mention it to the other teachers on the project.
Beth: yes, please :-)
Victoria: You might even want Sharon Peters who is working with the sounding board in there too.We would probably only be able to do 20-30 minutes at most.
Beth: it is 24 hour gig, so we can do the live portion at a good time for everyone
Victoria: We run a short schedule on the last da.OK, I'll get back to you on Monday.
Beth: ty :-)I think it will be cool for them to have a place to go with it - teaching the professors
Victoria: The kids are the center of this thing and that would be really cool.We could see if some of the people from the NMC would come in.
Beth: NMC is one of our Gold sponsors :-)they will be very happy to see the connection, I think
Victoria: Alan Levine is an advisor on the horizon project and has been VERY helpful with some questions.
Beth: They are awesomeI would like to post up a wiki-board in SL on the Horizon project at Lit Aliveis that ok?
Victoria: YES! Awesome! I'll ahve to come over and edit.And perhaps we coudl schedule some times with the class that you and I can interact and they can interview you in sL
Beth: It will be screen shotssaved as jpegsure!
Victoria: It would be awesome to have an interview in thereAnd some way to film it.I don't know how to do machinima.
Beth: camstasia works soooo slowbut it can be used
Victoria: I have camstudio.Beth: it goes super slow, but it will workVictoria: The free thing.Beth: let me see if one of the animators will help usVictoria: Oh, that would be great.
Because I would love for that group to have some real machinima in their final video.I've already required them to listen to last week's show.
Beth: one of the people i have met here is one of the animatots from Lord of the RingsVictoria: Wow!
Beth: what is the link?
Victoria: to their project page?
Beth: I will email him and copy youto the wow page
Victoria: Nothing on the page yet but their project page is at http://horizonproject.wikispaces.com/Virtual+WorldsSent at 8:50 AM on Saturday
Beth: oki sent him an email
Victoria: Awesome!I'm going to make sure that everyone over at horizon and on my blog looks at this.
Beth: excellent :-)We really want the K-12 population to have a voice at the conferenceGlobalKids will likely be a gold sponsor
Victoria: And I'll let you know on Monday -- If we do it, it will be from 8 a.m. until around 8:40 on Monday at the longest -- maybe closer to 8:10-8:30 but I have to check the final schedule.I wish there was a way to have it on an island on the teen grid and get approval for the adults who enter.
Beth: I know :-(Kids peopleoopsWE are going to chat with Global Kidsand see if they can stream
Victoria: And yo uare the originator?
Beth: lolof courseI like to start firepassionVictoria: It is wonderful!Beth: we are very blessedVictoria: OK, I'm going to leave up this box and copy some of it onto the blog in amoment.graham wegner is thinking about agreeing to be a sounding board for our peer review process.And give advice for middle school peer review.Beth: awesome!!!!Victoria: It is very exciting.OK, thank you and I'm going to be in touch on Monday.
Beth: I am asking one of the gurusif we can stream live into both teen and M grid
Victoria: Oh YEAH! Now that would be awesome!
Beth: I know we can do the videosat the same timebut then the QA
Victoria: Ok.Hmmm
Beth: would be streamed over from teen grid
Victoria: Well, it sounds like you have some work to do.We'll just make ourselves available.And I hope to do an interview with you for our team next week. I'll be in touch.
Beth: lolno i am good at delegatingtc :-)
Victoria: OK, we'll be in touch.I'm excited and I'll pass this along!
I guess I didn't know I might need to think about being intimidated. All the people here are just like you and I -- they want to make a difference and they live their lives like the rest of us -- still feeling like that 16 year old kid wondering what they'd do when they grew up and wondering how the rest of their life will pan out.
I don't know about the future, but I'm proud to be small part of an educational revolution that is growing up around the feet of education. Will you join in and add your voice and practices?
We need 3 experts to give three specific teams expert feedback during the project via the wiki on April 23rd, do you know an expert or person who follows these areas?
- TBA - User Created Content
- TBA - Social Networking
- Beth Ritter-Guth - Virtual Worlds, Creator of the first Literary world in SL
- Stewart Mader - The New Scholarship and Emerging Forms of Publication, Author of Wikis in Education
- Kelly Christopherson - Massively Multiplayer Educational Gaming K - 12 school principal; Blog: www.kwhobbes.edublogs.org
- TBA - Mobile Phones
We are signing up sounding boards to take one classroom day, we will have lesson plans for high school and middle school levels (High school for April 23 and 30) Middle School will be available the first week of May and will probably be video evaluation. Kudos to Sharon Peters and Graham Wegner who are going to be our coaches for the peer review process. (See the rubric Sharon has already posted that will serve as the basis for the beginning of the discussions they will lead.)
Remember, those educators who are giving a little time are being added to our private ning network that will allow you to follow the conversations that Julie and I and all of you are having about how to conduct this project and what needs to change for the future. We have 21 members over there and a few who still have to accept their invitation to join (about 27 of us.)
This is exciting!
tag: hz07, horizonproject07, teacher_reflection, virtual_worlds
tag: second life, SL, web3d, Beth Ritter-Guth, Sharon Peters, Graham Wegner
