Skoolaborate – Avatar Hunt

12 students took part in the Avatar Hunt in Skoolaborate today. These students had done some preparation work for this meeting.

Students created an outfit for their avatar and filled out an email with a personal profile. This they emailed to Japanese students.

During the meeting, the students engaged in conversation to find out who is who. There was a huge turn out of students in 3 of the areas we have created. The above shot is from the Japanese students building (of course). Initially, our students rushed into the conversation, which was too fast, too furious for their new ESL friends. By the end of the session they evolved to simplify their language and it was great to see students helping other students ‘in world’ and in our Learning Centre itself, to communicate. We learned a few things. Some students changed their appearance! Confusing the confused … some students bumped into others (so and anti-push) freebie is in order, and students need to stop flying around so much, to allow ESL students to compose their questions and answers.

As this was out first outing, some degree of high spirits was at play, but it is amazing that after just one week, our students are able to navigate, communicate and have begun learning skills in their new virtual world.

50 Way to tell a story – Web2.0

Alans great post which shows a vast array of tools to tell a story using Web2.0. Just when you thought you’d got a toolbox. Try this. Also a reflection by the Learnscopers, posted by Alex on Voicethread.

Well I guess you all want to see my new baby! … thanks to Dave for collecting it. I think it will be called Wav. Just because all the cool people give their VWs names, all my others are called, moneypit.

It’s a 72 Type 3 Fastback. I case you want to know.

There goes the neighbourhood – PMHS are on the Teen Grid!

Some days don’t go to plan … but then you get a boost from people in your PLN (still not over that term yet). Our school is now part of the Skoolaborate community, and so took up residence on the third floor. In the next few weeks I will add some outbuildings and start to give students internal projects to showcase the student works.

Given the nature of some students, I don’t think it will be too long before we see some major progress.

My first impression was just how professional and well thought out the space is. The quality of design is outstanding, and will give an immediate bench mark for those students who will be interested in building.

So here’s a first photo … you can make out the green box on the third floor …. thats us.

How cool is this … so you’ve decided to build a new school, and your architect has drawn you the plans. All you then need to do is find yourself a Mike and he’ll turn your floor plan into a reality (virtual that is). When completed, you students can not only see the school, but go to school. The development of this building is going to be fantastic to watch.

Travels in the NMC

A quick snapshot from the NMC Campus. It takes so long to get around all the great stuff here,
but this exhibit is a great visual to show the evolution of the primative. I am very much looking
forward to working with them and Anya at the University of Sydney in the future. It is amazing
how a ‘game’ has become such a big professional influence in the last few months. I think that it
is a good thing.

Not mine, and leeched it from Judy … but worth looking at … I learned a new term PNL … Personal Learning Network … I like it!

New School

I wanna study here, can this be called PD?

All the stuff you missed out on

http://www.nswlearnscope.com/elearning07-podcast-downloads

If you want to know why we need Web2.0 in the classroom, why students and teachers need it to be relevant in the world they are going to live and work in … listen to this stuff …

Who are you following today?

NMC – Videocast – Watched in SL@Learnscope

I met Alan from the NMC – the largest educational consortium in Second Life – but they do exisit in RL!. This is the video about their work. How exciting then to be working with this group ! Alan took a bunch of people at Learnscope ‘in world’ to see their campus and amazingly – watch this video in their campus cinema. You can visit Alan’s blog from the blog role – or look for CogDog in SL. He is, as you might imagine, the one dressed in red with the dogs head.