Taking Distance Education to the Virtual Level Dr. Melinda Korzaan MTSU ShareFair 2010

Why Second Life? “We remember 90% of what we Say & Do”

Virtual... –Tools –Travels –Techniques INFS 6510: Information Technology Project Risk Assessment and Control Second Life Teaching in a Virtual World

Shared Media on a Prim Video –Existing Video (You Tube) –Create Your Own Video in Second Life Record a presentation Simulate how to handle conflict in a team Record a class session –Tools to create your own video CamStudio Debut Video Capture Virtual Tools

Google Docs –Student Collaboration in Virtual Teams Places to Shop for Teaching Tools –Free: Dudeney Ge’s Educator Freebie Shop (this EduNation Island is also a free public sandbox) –Not Free: Dracy’s Virtual Shop Virtual Tools

Foreign Languages –EduNation –Virlantis, there’s almost always activity here ISTE Island –The primary island for educators – Virtual Travels

Texas State Technical College –Uses Second Life to address budget cuts – Texas A&M University –Pharmaceutical School –Avatars present health case studies and students answer questions on the cases – Virtual Travels

Open University –The world’s first distance learning institution – International Schools Island –Educational tools here include the Opinionator – University of Cincinnati –The bookstore has one of the better selections of freebies – Virtual Travels

Remember when traveling to other islands it is important to comply with their rules

INFS 6510: IT Project Risk Assessment and Control Goals this semester: –Create a virtual learning environment that provides real time communication, simulating a traditional classroom discussion experience. –Assign a virtual team research project with virtual collaboration and in-world presentation of research findings. Virtual Techniques

Introduce Students to Second Life –Create Second Life Account Using NMC –Lab Conducted on-campus Provide a document with Second Life Activities 6zaKnoSnLsDvMzd5Hp7OX0YmcMEV_JHZXtIagkMR4&hl=en&authkey=CIbtoM4Ghttps://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1M- 6zaKnoSnLsDvMzd5Hp7OX0YmcMEV_JHZXtIagkMR4&hl=en&authkey=CIbtoM4G Record Chat Automatically –Some students chose to collaborate on their midterm project in-world – ZyrUkmAU&hl=en&authkey=CPjit-ADhttps://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1wwSpm_TnHogAPxHlDiW286eImVOGxQYGT3f ZyrUkmAU&hl=en&authkey=CPjit-AD Virtual Techniques

Meet in the amphitheatre Break out into discussion groups –Use Google Docs to answer questions collaboratively Return to amphitheatre and have a spokesperson from each group share their group discussion with the class –Display Google Docs document for the class on a shared media prim Virtual Techniques: The Virtual Class Session

Peaceful and Uncluttered MTSU Island Before My Class

Students show creativity during the lab

Students build an elevated platform for their avatars

My students turned MTSU Island into a forest! How will we get to the amphitheatre through all of these trees?

Class meeting in the Amphitheatre Glad we found our way through all those trees.

Blue Group Working in the Amphitheatre

Green group is working in the media center

Orange group collaborating on the KOM roof

Purple group focusing on their document in the KOM

Air view of the Yellow group working in the Mushroom Classroom

The Red group collaborating in the hills of MTSU Island

Class is over and I’m flying home on my Pegasus Questions?