vej june 2015
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Mining the Craft... Teachers and students share their work and play in Minecraft. ISTE 2015 Conference highlights and articles by several presenters are also featured in this June 2015 issue of VEJ.TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 2015
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Hello Everyone! I am getting
excited, are you? As I write this, there are only a few more days before we converge in Philadelphia for ISTE2015. It has been four years since ISTE held its last conference
in Philadelphia – which, by the way, is also when the first issue of the Virtual Education Journal was published with pre-conference highlights about ISTE 2011. Just before I sat down today to write this editorial, I caught up with Scott Merrick in Second Life. Scott was busy setting up the ISTE VEN (Virtual Environment Network) Maker’s Space where conference attendees will be able to interact live with people virtually from anywhere around the world and within the metaverse. Check out the last two articles in this issue and be sure to join the fun! As Scott and I talked we realized it has been four years since we humbly started VEJ as a way to document the work and tell the stories of the early trailblazers and pioneers traveling into the unknown territories of virtual worlds. Second Life is still the permanent home of ISTE VEN Headquarters and VEJ Headquarters. Over the course of the past four years, however, the nomads among us have continued to move on into other virtual environments, exploring, putting down stakes, and building communities. We aren’t as close as we once were living together in Second Life, yet, oddly, our paths keep intersecting and we still remain connected even as we venture further and further into opensims and other worlds. The first VEJ Issue (May 2011) has a story called “Welcome to VSTE” inviting people to checkout VSTE Island. Interestingly, this issue of VEJ has two articles about VSTE: VSTE Island Has A New Look; and Virginia Teachers Get Busy in Minecraft- A Photo Album. Be sure to take a look, as it is fun to compare where we were four years ago with where we are now. In fact, I invite you to peruse all of the VEJ issues to see just how far we have come – including those tumultuously painful days of downsizing we thought we would never survive! Looking back at where we’ve been, and forward to all the new, exciting, and challenging directions our real and virtual lives are taking, makes me even more committed and proud to serve as the editor of VEJ! In this issue, we ask, “Where have all the children gone?” They are “Mining The Craft” and their teachers are not far behind. We have some great stories about how students and teachers are using Minecraft and other virtual environments to learn with and from each other. We are excited to bring you an article by Dr. Chris Dede from Harvard as well as Part 2 of Boise State’s EDTECH 532 Educational Games & Simulations. We also catch-up on Draxtor’s latest projects and have the latest information and schedules for ISTE2015 VEM and GSN activities and sessions. You can attend either in real life or virtually at the VEN Maker’s Space. Discover Lan Parties and enjoy Gammo’s Mini Adventure in Minecraft by Bluebarker Lowtide. This issue of VEJ has something for everyone! Whether you are in Philadelphia, hanging out at the VEN Maker’s Space, or both, please be sure to stop by and say hello to BJ Gearbox and me at the VEJ table. We would love to hear what you are doing and find out from you what we can do to make VEJ even better! Most of all, we would love to have you share your stories about your work with our readers in future issues of VEJ. Be sure to check out our website and learn how you can write for VEJ.
Remember, VEJ is only as good as we all make it! Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue of VEJ (including two fifth grade students from Connecticut) who share with us what it means and what they do and/or learn when they “Mine The Craft.” After all, isn’t that why we are all here?
We know you will want to devour this issue – so don’t wait, take your first byte! You will discover, like always, VEJ is “Out of this World!”
Keep Smiling J
Roxie Neiro (SL), Rosie Vojtek (RL) Cover art by Noah Constantine, 5th grade student in Connecticut. Design Editor – BJ Gearbox.
In This Issue • Mining The Craft by Noah Constantine and
Nathan Berube • I Found A Diamond: Minecraft Club – First
Year Reflections, an Interview with Kim Harrison by Bluebarker Lowtide
• Immersive Authentic Simulations: Complementing Virtual Worlds with Augmented Realities by Dr. Chris Dede
• Minecraft: (Games-‐Based) Learning Internationally! by David W. Deeds
• Catching-‐Up With Draxtor Despres! by Roxie Neiro
• Using Virtual Worlds To Improve Student Learning and Creativity by Dr. William Schmachtenberg
• The 2015 SAIL4Life 12 Meter Race Regatta by Roxie Neiro
• Virginia Teachers Get Busy in Minecraft: A Photo Album by Beth S. O’Connell
• 2015 EDU: Simvalley Offers Free Land by Selby Evans
• Gammo’s Mini Adventure in Minecraft: Exploring New Frontiers by Bluebarker Lowtide
• A Found Treasure – Trish Cloud by Laura Briggs
• VSTE Book Club by Bluebarker Lowtide • Woot Lan Party! Wait … What’s a Lan? By
Chris Luchs • Check it Out – VSTE Island Has A New Look! • Machinima, Gaming, and the English
Language Arts Teacher by Lee Ann Tysseling, Ph.D
• The International Art of Greeting by Any1Gynoid
• Digital Games and Virtual Environments Are Not the Same Thing by Tanya Martin
• EdTech 532 Educational Games & Simulations Part 2 by Dr. Chris Haskell
• Moving Toward ISTE2015 by Scott Merrick • Come Play With US – ISTE2015 VEN Maker
Space! • Write for VEJ
VEJ Vol. 4 Issue 2 Virtual Education Journal
June 2014
To Read VEJ online visit: http://www.virtualeducationjournal.com/ For more information about ISTE SIGVE/VEN or to join the fun, visit: http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net/ Follow us on Twitter @VEJournal or #VEJournal
©Vej is an Edovation Publication
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The Urban Dictionary defines “Mining The Craft” as “the act of playing Minecraft.” We asked a couple of fifth grade friends, Noah Constantine (his picture is on the cover of this issue of VEJ) and Nathan Berube, from Bristol, Connecticut, about their “play” in the world of Minecraft. Here is what they told us.
Mining the Craft
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Mining The Craft By Noah Constantine
Minecraft is changing learning forever. It is helping kids change their attitude towards school. Some kids are really into this new game. They can help each other and make things together, improving teamwork. This is something that is needed in schools.
Minecraft has power. It can bring people together to create something
unique. An example of that is my friend, Nathan Berube, and I play Minecraft on Xbox. We create different worlds together. We have survival worlds and creative worlds that we play on.
We also play on pocket
edition. I have a custom superman skin and he has a dragon skin. This is how we make Minecraft our own game.
We each have different
building styles and both prefer different things in Minecraft. But no matter what, we always can work together in a survival world to find resources or in a creative world making awesome buildings.
Some people are spreading their love of Minecraft by making YouTube videos and even whole instagram accounts dedicated to Minecraft and their creations. There are YouTubers, like Popularmmos, who make videos about them exploring Minecraft. They make a community for Minecraft. They are sharing “how to’s.” They are making the community a great place by inspiring kids to do things and to dream.
Because as we all know, the only limit in Minecraft is world height!
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Mining The Craft By Nathan Berube
My friend Noah and I enjoy playing Minecraft on Xbox. Noah likes to build while I love adventuring through the worlds that I build. We both can play together and still take part in what we like most about Minecraft.
When not playing we like watching Youtubers such as Popularmmos and Gaming with Jen. These are two gamers that build with each other and battle zombies. They also play challenges.
My friends & family
like to fight monsters in an arena that I built and sometimes we go into different dimensions to fight bosses, like the “Wither and Ender Dragon.”
Noah and I built a huge tower and a deep mine so that we could try and find diamonds in the world we built. Unfortunately, we only found iron so we weren't as strong as we expected. I ended up losing all of my building materials & food to a zombie.
Just Tuesday we built a huge castle with no entrances. You have climb the walls and go in through the roof. We built a big mansion together and a Hunger Games map with just the two of us. When playing with friends or alone there are many things you can do when on Minecraft.
Minecraft lets you get creative while stimulating and entertaining your mind. The possibilities are endless in the Minecraft world.
[Pictures from Noah Constantine.]
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A few VSTE VE PLN members in front of the Parthenon that YosemiteWahWah built.
I Found a Diamond: Minecraft Club -‐ First Year Reflections
An Interview with Kim Harrison
By: Bluebarker Lowtide (sl) Vasili A. Giannoutsos (rl)
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This interview is with Kim Harrison, an Instructional Technology Specialist in a Virginia School District. She helps with computers, software, updates, student digital literacy and technology education integration with teachers at her school. She is the Current Chair for the Virginia’s Society for Technology in Education’s Virtual Environments Professional Learning Network as well as a member of the Inevitable Betrayal Educator’s Guild in World of Warcraft and avid Server Hostess of VSTE’s Minecraft Server. She is in one virtual world one day and another the next.
Bluebarker: Hello and thank you for joining us today for this interview. This issue of VEJ revolves around all things Minecraft, so in your own words, how would you describe Minecraft to someone who has never used it before?
Kim Harrison: Well, Minecraft is a sand box tool for ages 3 – 100. It’s a very simple virtual environment (VE) where you can break and build things. Everything is in the form of a cube and you click to punch and build. Kids can build anything from houses to art, to castles to complex machines; you can build from the most simple to the most complex.
Bluebarker: What are your views on seeing how both kids and adults have used Minecraft?
Kim Harrison: I have most commonly seen that kids are not afraid of breaking things, which seems as though they don’t feel like they are responsible, but they are fearless. They jump in and explore. I have seen kids play together and they are not afraid to ask questions and advance readily through different skill levels. Adults, on the other hand, are afraid to go in the first time. They seem afraid to step in and give it a try. Then there are others who have the mindset that it is just a game and not worth their time. Believe me I’ve heard them all, from “I don’t
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have enough time” to “I don’t think my computer can do that.” And you know, it may take some of us longer to learn while we try and look for a purpose and have a plan but we should be facing this like the kids . . . just jump in and see how far you can go. Kids are always testing the limits and saying, “I bet I could do this better.”
Bluebarker: What would you say is the main difference between the kids and the adults in Minecraft?
Kim Harrison: I feel the kids have fun playing and lose themselves in Minecraft. I don’t see that with most adults.
Bluebarker: Do you think Minecraft is easy?
Kim Harrison: I think Minecraft is easy to learn initially, especially for kids. I have grandchildren who, when they were in kindergarten and given an iPad, figured out on their own how to work it and how to test things out. If something didn’t work they could just press the home button and they could start over. On the other hand there have been some things I have seen that overwhelmed me, which I wouldn’t know where to start if I had to recreate them. But that’s also the beauty of it . . . like a deck of cards; you can play anything from a simple game of Go Fish to Tournament Bridge. There is always more to learn.
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Three of my club members at school gathered for a selfie in front of the
Jamestown build they were working on.
Bluebarker: So, what would you say is your favorite thing about Minecraft?
Kim Harrison: One of the things I like most about Minecraft and Virtual Worlds in general is there are other people involved. For me, the social component makes a real difference between the kind of world you are in and whether you want to be in it or not.
Bluebarker: You recently held a Minecraft Club for your elementary school, could you tell us some of the challenges you had with getting that approved?
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Kim Harrison: Yes, first of all, I had to wait for a Principal that could support me in this. Having a Superintendent that was pro-‐technology was a plus, too. My current principal likes technology, likes afterschool activities, and has a son who plays Minecraft, so she understood it.
Next, in my district I had to set up a ticket in order to get permission to install new software. Knowing MinecraftEDU would not be readily accepted, I decided to follow this ticket to see where it was as it progressed through the system. I could see who had it from week to week and send them a friendly email asking them what they needed from me to keep the ticket moving to the right person. I was talking with engineers and network specialists who were feeling at first it would make our network unstable and allow intrusions through some kind of gap in the system. I didn’t know specifically what kind of jargon they were referring to, but I had to try to influence them to side with me. When looking for help from MinecraftEDU I found Joel Levin very responsive to Tweets. He is the Head of Teacher Gaming for Minecraft EDU (http://services.minecraftedu.com/wiki/What_is_MinecraftEdu ). He was able to supply answers to questions members of the department of technology had.
When my ticket to install MinecraftEDU landed on Ramesh Kapoor, the Chief Information Officer’s desk, I wrote him an email, too. I felt he championed my cause and encouraged others to make this happen for our students. Without these two folks, I don’t know how successful I would have been and it might have taken another year to get this settled. I had started this process at the beginning of the school year in September and didn’t get the approval until November. It took until January to get the appropriate hardware in place and software installed. My husband and I had to come in over the Winter Break to move computers with better graphics cards into the computer lab. In January the department of technology did the installs for us – one server and ten clients.
Bluebarker: Only ten? How many students wanted to be in the Minecraft Club?
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Kim Harrison: We expected all students would be interested in participating in the club but we only purchased ten licenses. It was not an easy task choosing the students. We thought about inviting 20 students to be in the club having pairs share a computer, but we decided ten students would have a better experience. We managed to come to a solution of sorts to narrowing the candidate pool to 5th graders. I created a Google form for parents to apply for their children and set a deadline. After the deadline, I used a random number generator to select ten of the students and contacted their parents. In the end everything did manage to turn out okay and they were really a great group of kids.
Bluebarker: How long did your club last?
Kim Harrison: It met every Tuesday from February to April. We had to stop then so we could focus on SOL reviewing and testing.
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Bluebarker: That seemed like a lot of time to work on this. Was this worth it?
Kim Harrison: Yes, I really, really wanted to do this. This was the first year it was even possible. And in fact, it was really the first in my area to do this so I was really excited. Everything lined up perfectly and I couldn’t have asked for a more exciting opportunity.
Bluebarker: How well do you think the kids responded to the Minecraft Club?
Kim Harrison: Well, they loved it! Not all the kids who were in the club were allowed to use Minecraft at home because they didn’t have the right devices or they had limited screen time. Most of them hadn’t done Multiplayer before. They enjoyed that they could see someone doing something and they could stand
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nearby and watch and learn or talk about it across the room. It was enjoyable to see them interact and learn in this informal setting.
Bluebarker: Did you have them complete any projects in there or was it a free-‐for-‐all?
Kim Harrison: Some of each. I had them set their own rules and govern themselves. First we did the tutorial built into MinecraftEDU. Then they were assigned a project where they each had their own plot of land and they had to build a house with a specific area and size. They had to plan it on graph paper and then build it inworld. (shared link: http://blogs.vbschools.com/KimsKaleidoscope/2015/02/10/minecraftedu-‐club-‐day-‐2/ ) Finally I asked them to agree on a large community-‐building project that they could make to show the educational value of MinecraftEDU. They built a model of Jamestown. They brainstormed what was needed and broke into subgroups to carry it out.
Bluebarker: What are your plans for the future of this Minecraft Club at your School?
Kim Harrison: I expect to do this again next year, but we are trying to incorporate Minecraft into the classroom and get a class set to be able to use it for instruction. There are several Instructional Technology Specialists and Teaching and Learning Coordinators in our district that would really like to use it in various content areas.
Bluebarker: How about your vision for how Minecraft can be used in the future of Education?
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Kim Harrison: Well, every child should have a rudimentary understanding of what it was and how to use it. It would be the gateway to digital literacy and digital citizenship for very young students. We could give them a choice to explain a book, science concept or show a math problem in whatever way they’d like: show it on the board, built it in Minecraft, describe it with ChatterBox, present it with PowerPoint, etc. Minecraft would simply be one-‐tool students have to show what they know. I would also really like to see some projects become standard in the curriculum, such as building examples of ancient architecture from the civilizations we study.
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Experiences such as internships in 21st century workplace settings offer potential benefits for student motivation, academic learning, and mastery of skills for the global, knowledge-‐based, innovation-‐centered economy (Dede, 2012). However, providing extended, mentored real-‐world activities outside classrooms is difficult, particularly for younger students. Moreover, internship/apprenticeship models are hard, if not impossible, to bring to scale, partly because the number of workplace sites willing to accept mentoring responsibilities for students is limited, and partly because teachers accustomed to conventional classrooms often struggle to adapt to this form of education. Fortunately, virtual worlds and augmented realities now offer ways for students to experience simulated internships without leaving classrooms.
Two types of immersive media underlie a growing number of formal and informal learning experiences:
• Multiuser virtual environments (MUVEs, or “Virtual Worlds”) offer students an engaging “Alice in Wonderland” experience in which their digital avatars in a graphical, virtual context actively participate in experiences with the avatars of other participants and with computerized agents (Ketelhut et al., 2010).
• Augmented reality (AR) enables students to interact—via mobile wireless devices—with virtual information, visualizations, and simulations superimposed on real-‐world physical landscapes. This type of immersion infuses digital resources throughout the real world, augmenting students’ experiences and interactions (Klopfer, 2008).
Immersive Authentic Simulations:
Complementing Virtual Worlds with Augmented Realities
Chris Dede, Harvard University
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By immersing students in authentic simulations, MUVEs and AR promote two deeper-‐learning strategies, apprenticeship-‐based learning and learning for transfer, that are very important for education.
EcoMUVE as an example of multi-‐user virtual environments
The EcoMUVE middle grades curriculum teaches scientific concepts about ecosystems while engaging students in scientific inquiry (both collaborative and individual) and helping them learn complex causality (http://ecomuve.gse.harvard.edu). The curriculum consists of two MUVE-‐based modules, allowing students to explore realistic, 3-‐dimensional pond and forest ecosystems. Each module consists of ten 45-‐minute lessons and includes a complex scenario in which ecological change is caused by the interplay of multiple factors (Metcalf et al., 2013). Students assume the role of scientists, investigating research questions by exploring the virtual environment and collecting and analyzing data from a variety of sources over time (Figures 1, 2). In the pond module, for example, students can explore the pond and the surrounding area, even venturing under the water; see realistic organisms in their natural habitats; and collect water, weather, and population data. Students visit the pond over a number of virtual "days" and eventually make the surprising discovery that, on a day in late summer, many fish in the pond have died. Students are then challenged to figure out what happened—they travel backward and forward in time to gather information to solve the mystery and understand the complex causality of the pond ecosystem.
Figure 1. Students can collect pond and weather data Figure 2. Summarizing and interpreting data
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The EcoMUVE curriculum uses a “jigsaw” pedagogy, in which students have access to differing information and experiences; they must combine their knowledge in order to understand what is causing the changes they see. Working in teams of four, students are given roles that embody specific areas of expertise (naturalist, microscopic specialist, water chemist, private investigator) and that influence how they participate and solve problems. Using the differing methods of their roles, students collect data, share it with teammates via tables and graphs that they create within the simulation, and then work collaboratively to analyze the combined data and figure out how a variety of inter-‐connected parts come together to produce the larger ecosystem dynamics. The module culminates with each team creating an evidence-‐based concept map—representing their understanding of the causal relationships at work in the ecosystem—which they present to the class.
EcoMOBILE as an example of augmented realities
Designed to complement EcoMUVE, the EcoMOBILE project explores the potential of augmented reality (as well as the use of data collection “probeware,” such as a digital tool that measures the amount of dissolved oxygen in water, to support learning in environmental science education (http://ecomobile.gse.harvard.edu). The EcoMOBILE curriculum is a blend of the EcoMUVE learning experiences with the use of digital tools that enhance students’ real-‐world activities, as illustrated by a 3-‐day project that has been field-‐tested successfully (Kamarainen et al., 2013): During one class period, a group of middle school students participated in an EcoMUVE learning quest, completing a 5–10 minute on-‐line simulation in which they learned about dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and pH. The following day, the students went on a field trip to a nearby pond, in order to study the relationship between biological and non-‐biological factors in the ecosystem, practice data collection and interpretation, and learn about the functional roles (producer, consumer, decomposer) of organisms in the life of the pond.
At a number of spots around the pond, students’ handheld devices showed them visual representations—overlaid onto the real environment—of the natural processes at work in the real environment, as well as interactive media including relevant text, images, audio, video, 3D models, and multiple-‐choice and open-‐ended questions. Students also collected water measurements using Vernier
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probes (Figures 3, 4). On the next school day after the field trip, back in the classroom, students compiled all of the measurements of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity that had been taken during the field trip. They looked at the range, mean, and variations in the measurements and discussed the implications for whether the pond was healthy for fish and other organisms. They talked about potential reasons why variation may have occurred, how these measurements may have been affected by environmental conditions, and how to explain outliers in the data. Our research shows that virtual worlds and augmented realities are powerful complements to enable learning partnerships for real-‐world, authentic tasks.
Figure 3. Handheld device delivering information Figure 4. Collecting data on turbidity
Summary
Overall, immersive media can be used in a number of ways to promote deeper learning, such as by facilitating case-‐based instruction, peer-‐to-‐peer collaborative activities, simulated apprenticeships, and the development of inquiry skills (Dede, 2014). Simulations allow students to learn skills under controlled conditions that may be difficult to replicate in the real world (Dawley & Dede, 2013), but which convey some degree of authenticity, allowing what is learned in one setting to transfer to the other. And Augmented Realities embed learning in the real world, giving students a deeper understanding of the immediate environment (Dunleavy & Dede, 2013). On their own, each of these approaches has important benefits for students; and blending them together presents even greater opportunities for deeper learning, student collaboration and partnerships on authentic real-‐world tasks.
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References
Dawley, L., & Dede, C. (2013). Situated learning in virtual worlds and immersive simulations. In J.M. Spector, M.D Merrill, J. Elen, & M.J. Bishop (Eds.), The handbook of research on educational communications and technology (4th ed.), pp. 723-‐734. New York: Springer.
Dede, C. (2014). The role of technology in deeper learning. New York, NY: Jobs for the Future. http://www.studentsatthecenter.org/topics/role-‐digital-‐technologies-‐deeper-‐learning
Dede, C. (2012). Interweaving assessments into immersive authentic simulations: Design strategies for diagnostic and instructional insights (Commissioned White Paper for the ETS Invitational Research Symposium on Technology Enhanced Assessments). Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. http://www.k12center.org/rsc/pdf/session4-‐dede-‐paper-‐tea2012.pdf
Dunleavy, M., and Dede, C. (2013). Augmented reality teaching and learning. In J.M. Spector, M.D Merrill, J. Elen, & M.J. Bishop (Eds.), The handbook of research on educational communications and technology (4th ed.), pp. 735-‐745. New York: Springer.
Kamarainen, A.M., Metcalf, S., Grotzer, T., Browne, A., Mazzuca, D., Tutwiler, M.S., & Dede, C. (2013). EcoMOBILE: Integrating augmented reality and probeware with environmental education field trips. Computers & Education. Available online 14 March 2013
Ketelhut, D. J., Nelson, B. C., Clarke, J., & Dede, C. (2010). A multi-‐user virtual environment for building and assessing higher order inquiry skills in science. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(1), 56–68.
Klopfer, E. (2008). Augmented learning: Research and design of mobile educational games. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Metcalf, S., Kamarainen, A., Grotzer, T., & Dede, C. (2013). Teacher perceptions of the practicality and effectiveness of immersive ecological simulations as classroom curricula. International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, 4(3), 66-‐77
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Minecraft: (Games-‐Based) Learning Internationally!
By David W. Deeds, Technology Integration Coach, American School of Guatemala
Back in 2012, I was the IT Manager for Changchun American International School in China. We wanted to expand our games-‐based teaching/learning, with real games, for a much-‐needed change. You know what I mean. Kids know when you’re trying to sneak one of those so-‐called “educational diversions” into the mix! Those “games” are like sugar-‐free soda…they always leave a funny taste in your mouth.
I had been experimenting with Minecraft (OK, OK, I had been playing it along with my students!) since it came out in 2009. But, I just couldn’t figure out a way to use it long-‐term in the classroom. And we did try, however, we never got
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past one or two-‐day lab exercises. Great for midterm breaks, though. I’m hardly a control freak, but having kids log in and then never seeing them again just didn’t have that same teaching-‐learning “feel” to it! I would ask students about this, and the consensus was that they preferred something…anything…that kept them working together, collaborating as a group.
Outside the classroom, I had the usual problems trying to sell a virtual learning environment to the powers-‐that-‐be. “What if they meet TOP?” I had started abbreviating “That Objectionable Person” to “TOP” in order to save myself
time. I had already successfully pitched (and was using) both Second Life and OpenSimulator, however, it was the fact that this is indeed a “game game” that required yet more justification. This has always been weird to me. Do parents nowadays keep their kids locked in basements so they won’t meet anybody in Real Life…?
Finally, I managed to convince everybody but myself. Even if I ran my own server behind our firewall, Minecraft still lacked some sense of…oh, I don’t know…”structure” is as good a word as any…that I liked to have for my lessons as
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an IT Teacher. I’m just funny that way. Cool, yet anal retentive…I think it’s a fascinating mix, although for reasons unknown others don’t share this opinion.
Then I discovered MinecraftEdu, and I knew we
had found the answer. If you’re having difficulty convincing skeptical administrators, parents, etc., on the concept of using Minecraft, this just might be your solution too. Every teacher becomes a network/system administrator, in total control of who gets in (and, as I’ve mentioned, this is important to some folks!). You also have the ability to turn features on and off, give assignments, etc. Freezing students is not only practical, it’s a hilarious way to annoy them!
OK, so…as our Middle School IT Teacher and I were installing MinecraftEdu in a computer lab, he said: “You know, I’ve never played Minecraft before.” I told him: “Don’t worry. Every teenage boy is going to be your subject matter expert.”
Talk about the gift of prophecy! We had two kids in particular we couldn’t get to shut up. I’d send them to see the MS IT Teacher and he’d send them back to see me. I’d finally have to say “Guys, let’s save it for our next class.” I seldom if ever
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had to answer any questions in the lab. Not that I was lazy…I was just letting students be in charge of their own learning experience! That’s my story, anyway, and I’m sticking with it.
With me so far? I’ve already written my dissertation, so I don’t need to impress you with why I think Games-‐Based Learning is so great. It works, and everybody has fun. Hard to beat that! If you’re having trouble selling GBL at your school, try it with MinecraftEdu. It has lots of nifty features. And if you’re hesitant to try Minecraft because you don’t have a clue about it, go ahead and rely on your students.
Now then…I’m not sure why, at least not yet…saving the research for my next ebook, I guess…but things really took off at my next school in Mexico. With 9th and 10th graders, as part of our newly created Computer Workshops. The guys went crazy from Day One, as expected…the gals were hesitant at first. Until I suggested a Boys vs. Girls Design Contest. Then it got serious…maybe a little too
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much so. Remember those features you can turn on and off using MinecraftEdu? Well, ensure that “TNT” is something that’s not available! I got tired of having to enforce things via switches. I wanted to see if my students could exercise self-‐control. No, they could not! Amusing anecdote follows.
The girls had created a magnificent structure…and the boys blew it to smithereens. Tempers flared…I even had parents trying to contact me because the assumption was that the gals would fail the assignment!
I reassured everybody that no student of mine has ever failed a class (if one can’t succeed according to a certain set of criteria…I just change the criteria!) and we carried on with business as usual. Or, so I thought. I should have known something was going on…there was a group of girls who were just too quiet. Here’s what they were up to…while some were providing a “cover story” by building above ground, others were stealthily digging a tunnel across the map. A tunnel underneath the boys’ latest masterpiece, that is. This went on for weeks.
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The guys were just putting the finishing touches on their design when BOOM! Everything was in ruins. To their credit, the guys were good sports about it. Justice is justice, after all. I
gave the gals the highest marks possible for project planning!
Here in Guatemala, I’ve been using MinecraftEdu only in my Games-‐Based Learning Club so far, and only because firewall issues prevented us from starting with OpenSimulator. Next year, we will be using Minecraft…at least in Elementary and Middle School…maybe in High School, too. I want to introduce it as a means of getting interdisciplinary efforts started, such as combining IT and Art course assignments. It’s great for introducing Project-‐Based Learning, too!
Write to me: [email protected].
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We interviewed Draxtor Despres in the February 2014 issue of VEJ (http://issuu.com/edovation/docs/vej_february_2014_2_10_14). As I stated in the introduction of that interview, Draxtor is the quintessential digital anthropologist (i.e., someone who studies and archives the relationships and cultures that develop and exist from humans and their use of digital technology). If you are not familiar with Draxtor’s work, be sure to read the first interview we did in the February 2014 issue of VEJ.
Much has transpired in the exponentially changing digital world since our
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last interview. I was excited to catch-‐up with Draxtor to learn about his latest projects, his thoughts about Second Life, and his predictions about the future.
Roxie: Since we last talked to you, what projects and/or stories have you been working on or completed?
Draxtor: I am doing the Drax Files World Makers every five weeks. There’s always something going on. It’s always either in production or we are pre-‐producing and scheduling new people – so it really never ends. As they say, after the game is before the game. So the minute something comes out publically, it means I am on to the next thing – laying things out – the story and trying to find more guests. So there’s always a challenge. The latest few stories were pretty exciting, mainly all from Paris in the fashion world like Nylon Pinkney. These are people who are well known. I try to have a balance between well-‐known people and maybe not so well known, and not so high profile.
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Draxtor: Maylee Oh, [Draxfiles World Makers Episode 30] for example, is talented in so many avenues that I think that it can also be kind of intimidating. She’s a good illustrator. She makes fashion. She’s financially successful in Second Life, so, it is always for me – I am very conscious of making sure that I am on the side of the – I am not trying to give a plug for the people who already have a platform. But, I wanted to pursue her story, because it is compelling and she is quite humble and she started from very humble beginnings. So, it’s another thing, where I think that her work is very polished, and like I said, it can be intimidating, it can also be invigorating – saying, “Hey, she started from nothing, maybe I can do this!”
Roxie: Are you doing work in other virtual worlds or 3-‐D games? If so, what?
Draxtor: No, not really. I am not a gamer. I am not really interested in games. My son is a gamer. That’s great. I don’t understand the appeal of games to be quite honest. I read books, I read paper books, and I am in Second Life. Those are my two things. I hardly watch any movies any more. I watch documentaries – political documentaries, documentaries on social issues. But I am very conscious of the time I have. . . the limited time, so this is of interest to me. So the wandering and exploring in Second Life, the exploration and communication with other people is to me way more satisfying than a 3D game, where up top I get pushed down sort of a narrative that I have to follow. I am just not interested in that. High Fidelity, I’ve checked out. And, I will do a podcast on High Fidelity which is Philip Rosedale’s new virtual world.
Roxie: I bet that will be a very interesting podcast! When I think of you, I think of you as the quintessential digital anthropologist. Do you agree? Why or why not? How do you best describe your work?
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Draxtor: Well, Digital Anthropologist, Oh, gosh, I don’t even know what the official definition of anthropologist is? So, that’s why I would caution it. I would like to call myself an “Advocacy Journalist” as opposed to, let’s say, an investigative journalist who goes in and investigates and then either exposes wrong doings or is very much neutral, I guess, and changes – you know, doesn’t go in with a preconceived narrative. I have to admit, I go in with an opinion. When I do the videos, my opinion is that creativity is an amazing force that can heal people and bring people together. That is what I want to bring out. So, I don’t probe people when I interview them or force them to say stuff that I need for the story. [Laughing] They say that stuff! Right? So, that is actually quite easy in the sense that I always get the material that I need. I mean, it’s very labor intensive to put it together, but we in Second Life, we have an overlap in the sort of opinion about what makes us tick – and, what makes us tick is the awe of a world where people can express themselves freely. And, to me, that’s what I would call advocacy journalism. I journal. I document what people do. But, I have a point of view and that point of view is shining through. Maybe I am a little bit of a sociologist as well. For a sociologist observes social structures and then might be quite critical. I am not critical in that sense. I could do any number of critical exposé’s in second life. There’s plenty of things that are not all fine and dandy. There is addiction. There is abuse. It would be very interesting to do something long term, to explore those things. But, this is a hobby. I decided to do this, to dedicate my time to this.
Roxie: The last time you talked with us, you said that you are not just a “parachute journalist – you live there.” Living in virtual worlds, what have you gleaned? What have you learned? What are the take-‐aways. . . that is the lessons of living in virtual worlds that all of us could benefit from?
Draxtor: Yes, I live there. Living in virtual worlds . . . The takeaway is that it can co-‐
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exist. That’s the main thing. You can co-‐exist in a virtual world and in the so-‐called real world. That’s the most important thing that I try to get across to the critics. I think we need to also understand that we do not have to be defensive about saying that we live there. You know there are plenty of people who live in [laughing] I don’t know . . . they live at home with their daytime television . . . I am not going to make a judgment here. A Reality television of the most terrible sort . . . we live in a beautiful world. We should be very, very proud of that. There was a recent article in Atlas Obscura about Second Life. About a guy who came in, an outside journalist, who was guided by our own Ziki Questi. He wanted to be in there longer – not parachuting in and out and then writing some stuff. He wanted to really walk around and see stuff. That was such a breath of fresh air when it comes to outside journalists.
Roxie: Since we last talked, what are some of the most creative pioneers doing in virtual worlds? Who should we be watching?
Draxtor: I don’t know. I know one percent of Second Life. I sometimes feel I don’t know anything. I do a weekly podcast and I learn, you know, there’s Harry Potter role-‐play. They make Quidditch Games. There are any number of educational projects that I don’t know anything about because of the vastness of it. Sometimes when I talk to Linden Lab folks, they have a hard time keeping track of what’s happening. I would always be watching people who used the latest tools from Linden Lab, for example, the experience tools that allow a little more control over interactivity and gameplay. Although I said, I am not a gamer at the onset, the experience keys feature, I think, is marvelous to also make educational content that is interactive and engages you. So, I think there
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are a handful of people who work on that stuff. I do want to say that Loki Eliot is a great content creator in Second Life. He must either be independently wealthy or he lives on an endowment of some kind [laughing] because he has – it is so great that he can spend so much time creating stuff. And it’s like almost the minute Linden Lab comes out with a feature, he implements it in something.
Roxie: I love “The Drax Files World Teasers: Loki’s Airship Battle”. I think this is a great example of the kind of creation you are talking about. I also found his Loki –Digital Mischief Maker blog very interesting. The theme for this issue is “Mining
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The Craft”. In the last interview we did with you, you talked about playing Minecraft with your son. Maybe we should interview him! What are some of the projects he, you, or the both of you have done in Minecraft? What have you learned from your projects?
Draxtor: Yeah, you can ask him. You can send him some questions. He is on the podcasts all the time. I will ask him. Listen to the podcasts. His assessment of virtual reality is actually quite interesting. He’s out of Minecraft. He’s not interested any more. He is 11. He hasn’t been doing things for over a year in Minecraft. He is not interested. He plays violin. He plays drums. He’s in the jazz band. And he plays outdoors. Isn’t that weird, huh? Most kids who everybody says are just glued to their phones – it’s not happening. He thinks his daddy’s a loser – NO! [laughing] I am very proud of him! He is excited about some games. But, I have no idea why Minecraft doesn’t appeal to him anymore. I think he thinks it’s for kids. But, what worries me a little bit is that Minecraft does provide this creativity, and this outlet to make things, and I want him to learn a little bit of coding. But, he’s really not interested in actually interacting with the computer that much. So, that is very interesting. He plays violin at a really high level and just started drums a year ago. He is already in the Jazz Band! He has a real talent and he’s just in that avenue!
Roxie: Which also sounds like a great place to be! It sounds like he is very talented! From your experiences how can educators, especially elementary and middle school teachers, use Minecraft as a catalyst and motivator to engage students in learning?
Draxtor: Minecraft is interesting because it gives you a sense of belonging – because you get a place right away. So, that is important. You get land. I think, this needs to change in Second Life. The motivator – I would ask you to listen to Podcast #68 where we have Mirek Hancl from Germany talking for 45 minutes
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about how Minecraft works in the classroom. It’s amazing what he does. I defer to him. He has the expertise. I don’t.
Roxie: Students are already learning and using 21st century skills primarily outside of school (i.e., problem-‐solving, collaboration, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, communication, maker spaces, coding). What technologies can educators use, and how can teachers harness digital technologies, especially virtual worlds and virtual realities to engage and instruct these 21st century skills?
Draxtor: The problem-‐solving – Mirek Hancl talks about that stuff. Problem-‐solving, collaboration, critical thinking. That’s how he uses Minecraft. He has tremendous knowledge and success with that approach. He teaches at a German high school. Listen to Episode # 68 of the Drax Files Podcast.
Roxie: Yes, it is very interesting to listen to him talk about how he uses Minecraft with his 6th to 12th grade Computer Science and Chemistry students. I just want to let our readers know that when they listen to the podcast, the conversation with Mirek Hancl begins 35:00 minutes into The Drax Files Radio Hour #68 podcast.
Draxtor: I think that what we’re missing here is – broadly speaking we use technology for testing and for keeping kids in line rather than unleashing their creativity. That’s all I can say. I am a broken record on that. It is really depressing how administrators, because they are so forced to deliver scores, test scores and stuff that they buy into this crap of testing software versus unleashing the creativity. It’s really sad. It makes kids less of critical thinkers and problem-‐solvers. It turns them into convenient sheep, right? It’s the obsession with this data and the drilling, killing thing.
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Roxie: Agreed. [Sigh] You are talking to the choir here! Changing the subject . . . As you know, the power of Virtual Reality headsets and motion control technologies (e.g., Oculus Rift, Google cardboard, HTC Vive, LEAP Motion) is extremely exciting and has the potential to revolutionize how people experience video games and virtual environments such as Second Life. What and how are you using these new innovations? What is your prediction for their use in the near future?
Draxtor: Yeah, it’s exciting. I don’t know. I have been to all of these conferences. I am kind of skeptical that they will be in the household everywhere, as some people say. Chris Collins from High Fidelity says that. But, I don’t know. I think they might go the way of the 3D television. Maybe, I don’t know. Right now there is a lot of hype around it. The gamers all love it. There is no doubt about it. They will get their hands on all of this, but if the general population will do that, I am not so sure. There needs to be really, really hands on, educational uses. There is also a lot of skepticism among teachers and among parents, too, about letting games in the classroom. That’s a much broader issue that I don’t think can be solved with headsets. There’s tons of skepticism. It is the same skepticism that happened in Second Life. That is why Second Life was never broadly adopted. I think the reason why Second Life was never broadly adopted in the educational realm is not because of the bad press or anything. But, because there is just a complete division between educators like anywhere else. People who are open to new ideas and people, who are, “No, you are going to sit down and you read this book until your eyes bleed.” [laughing] Screw experiential education, right? I think that is the case. It’s based on my anecdotal evidence when I talk to teachers.
Roxie: What other future technological advances or trends do you see on the horizon that will be changing the landscape of possibilities?
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Draxtor: I like to see virtual worlds and the freedom to create being adopted, but it goes back to having this in conjunction with very basic traditional values of well-‐trained teachers. I think we first need to train teachers well.
We need to pay them good salaries and we need to bring class sizes down. It is not working. No technology will fix that. Those are long standing issues. If you use technology as a Band-‐Aid to taper over this stuff it will never get any better in this country. Other countries have solved that.
My country and some of the Scandinavian countries – how have they solved it? Very simple. Funding education. Putting your money where the mouth is.
Roxie: What projects and stories are you currently working on or hoping to work on in the future?
Draxtor: I’m working on tons of stuff. The series goes on. The podcast goes on. Linden Lab just started the, “What Does Second Life Mean To Me” project that I am involved with. I did three videos.
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Roxie: I love the video you did, “What Second Life Means to me – Draxtor Despres” that is in the Featured News on the Video Share Project page. Simply beautiful the way you explain how anyone can use Second Life to create. Not only do you tell the stories of these people so well, but you do it in a very creative way! So, in the next 5 years, how do you see your work evolving?
Draxtor: Oh, boy! [Laughing] I have to keep with the times. It is a constant struggle to stay relevant. But, what will stay relevant are stories and I think I have a knack for storytelling of a particular kind. And, I think that will never get old, because people are interesting. People will never cease to interest me. And I think other people will also be interested in other people. Right? So it is just like a book. Right? The book is not dead. The book is very much alive. And it is printed on
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paper and there are letters on the paper, and, you know, a good novel – you can take everything away from me, but don’t take away a good, good, thick one thousand page long novel!
Roxie: [Laughing] There is nothing better! What do you hope your digital footprints, your legacy will be?
Draxtor: That is a good question. I mean, I like to, I enjoy thinking about that. At some point people will look around – you know, we will all have complete virtual reality everywhere, with contact lenses where we can switch to a different world – an overlay or a complete immersion, or whatever. Then people will unearth the beginnings of this technology and they will stumble across my series and they will go, “WOW, look at that – what they did back then!” [Laughing] And so, that’s cool! That’s cool to know that at least for a little while I was able to document it and keep it alive in that sense – documented that history, so that it won’t be lost.
Roxie: And that is so important. It is what we, the Virtual Education Journal are attempting to do as well – archiving the important work educators and early adapters are doing in virtual environments. So, last question, is there anything else you would like to tell our readers that I didn’t ask about your current work?
Draxtor: No. . . . I do a lot of music, which is very important to me. I am working on a piece for a short film with the Bavarian State Opera. The music is from them. It was recorded at the Opera, which is very exciting. Like I always say, these projects, they pay the rent. And they’re exciting. But, they are well funded. And these are professionals who do it full-‐time. So it is exciting that I am involved with that. And that I can express myself in these projects as well. The project is called, “Opera On Acid” by the way. But, again, the difference between Second Life and a project like “Opera On Acid” is that, Second Life is opening up and leveling the
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playing field for everyone to be at the table to create. And that is philosophically huge to me. I am very vis-‐à-‐vis, you know, vis-‐à-‐vis, someone who has $100,000 to do a film. Yeah, they started from somewhere also, but, yeah, what can I say? It is more exciting to me when someone who has never been told they can be great designers, that they start stuff, and they get a satisfaction from it – that’s actually the 90 second “What Second Life Means To Me” videos that are all about.
Roxie: You are right, Draxtor! So right! I know you are very busy. We greatly appreciate the time you spent talking with me about your current work. Thank you so much!
[Note: You can find all 73 Drax Files Radio Hour Shows on the archive pages at http://draxfiles.com/. Also checkout the Drax Files World Makers Episodes on Youtube. Subscribe to Draxtor Despres at https://www.youtube.com/user/draxtordespres . You can also follow Draxtor on Facebook and @draxtor on twitter.]
ISTE 2015 Machinima Fest
It's Machinima mania at the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference this year! Machinima - it’s a portmanteau of the words machine and cinema. It is the screencapturing and editing of 3D games and virtual environments. Here is an example of one of the past winners. Lego Universe- Crumple’s Pet Skunk Tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llf1zfk4nmQ See the learning happening there.
At the 2015 ISTE Conference in Philadelphia, we will be announcing the winners of the 2015 EduMachinima Fest on Monday, June 29, 5:30–6:30 pm EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)
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One of the main standards created by ISTE is to promote student learning and creativity though face-‐to-‐face and virtual environments. Certainly, teachers traditionally use face-‐to-‐face lectures, labs, and other activities to promote learning. But, I rarely see virtual environments used for this purpose.
In my presentation at the annual ISTE conference, I can show you how to put your educational content into a virtual world and use it with your students. One of the most popular tools for creating virtual worlds is Unity 3D. I have found that students love to create beautiful landscapes in Unity 3D with the terrain tool, and then texture them by simply painting the graphics on the landscape. As a teacher you may feel you do not have the time or the interest to create a virtual world. For this purpose, Mariah Boone, one of my students created a tropical island for you to explore.
Using Virtual Worlds To
Improve Student Learning and Creativity
By Dr. William Schmachtenberg
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As you navigate around the island you will find shells that you can click on. The shells bring up questions that test your knowledge of a certain subject. Teachers can import their content into this simulation with an easy to use template for the questions, answers, and feedback if the students get it wrong. Once the content is entered, Unity 3D can create software that runs on pcs, macs, or even an internet website.
For students who have trouble finding the shells, an in-‐game GPS system helps them locate shells they are having trouble finding. The green square
represent shells that have not been found. The red triangle shows the orientation and position of the student in-‐game. As shells are found they are removed from the GPS display.
During the ISTE conference, I will have a computer available for teachers to use to create their own tropical islands. Educators can
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also download Unity 3D and the project files needed to create their own tropical island simulations from this website: www.evwllc.co.
Creating virtual environments for mobile devices is more difficult. Science Island available on the Apple App Store is a free app that allows you to explore a tropical island on your iPhone or iPad. As the name suggests the shells contain questions about 20 topics in science. For those of you who want to explore inside the volcano and answer questions about geology, you should try Geology Island 2.
This app contains 40 shells and a range of topics including rocks, volcanoes, and plate tectonics.
Or perhaps you would like to explore the murky depths of the oceans. Ocean explorer designed for iPad, iPod, and the iPhone allows you to do just that!
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Search for 20 different animals and test your knowledge of the oceans. There is a sonar display that can help you find the animals, and after you are done, search for a World War II submarine.
Another app is called 3D Fossil Explorer.
As the name suggests you can search for 20 fossils in a simulation based on the classic geology of the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. As you click the fossil, you will be asked questions that help you understand how to identify the common fossils found in nature. On screen guides provide a wealth of information on the topic of paleontology.
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As the name suggests you can search for 20 fossils in a simulation based on the classic geology of the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. As you click the fossil, you will be asked questions that help you understand how to identify the common fossils found in nature. On screen guides provide a wealth of information on the topic of paleontology.
Establishing a colony on Mars is currently only a dream, but in Mars Colony 2, you can explore how a functioning Mars Colony would actually work.
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In this simulation, explorers can terraform the atmosphere, study the moons of Mars, and even do a virtual field trip on the surface of the red planet.
Finally, there is 3D Weather Adventure.
In this app, students can vary meteorological variables such as Humidity, Temperature, Dew Point, and Air pressure by means of slider controls. When the controls are properly set, fog, rain, snow, and even a tornado can be produced! Don’t worry if you are not a meteorological expert, as Panni your virtual guide is there to help.
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All of these apps will be on display at the Educational Virtual Worlds table, Tuesday morning. Come visit us and check them out on iPads that will be available at the table. You can also get more information on these apps at www.evwllc.co
[You can contact Dr. William Schmachtenberg at [email protected]. This article is Reprinted with permission from “Mobile Mini-‐Magazine” editor Laura Briggs ]
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Sailing Away
THE 2015 SAIL4LIFE 12-‐METER RACE REGATTA June 21-‐22, 2015
This was more than just a boat race. This was a fundraiser to benefit cancer research through the Relay For Life in SL.
Read all about here: http://www.virtualworldsailing.com/index.php?/topic/751-sail4life-twelve-meter-regatta-june-20-21/
If you are looking for something fun to do on a summer afternoon, you may want to become a spectator at one of the many boat races in Second Life. Or, you may want to even adventure onto a sailboat of your own and learn how to sail. For more information, visit The Virtual World of Sailing for a calendar of events and places you can go to rent a boat or learn to sail! Then kickback and ENJOY!
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Virginia Teachers Get Busy in Minecraft: A Photo Album
by Beth S. O’Connell
Seeing the need for more student-‐friendly virtual worlds, the VSTE Virtual Environments PLN decided to host a Minecraft server so teachers could learn to use the immensely popular game and virtual world. (VSTE is the Virginia Society for Technology in Education, an ISTE affiliate; the VE PLN is a Professional Learning Network within VSTE.)
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We meet there one Monday a month, and teachers are welcome to go play there any time they’d like. The VSTE Minecraft server is private, so teachers must be whitelisted (added to a pre-‐approved list) to enter. VSTE pays $100 per year to host the server, and teachers are expected to pay their own one-‐time fee of $26.95 for a Minecraft account from Mojang.
The server is in Creative Mode so teachers can play without worrying about
monsters. Everything is a work in progress; it’s fun to check in and see what new things have sprung up since the last visit!
Near the spawn point are colorful signs with coordinates for some of the notable landmarks.
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WitchyRichy’s house includes a hedge maze(middle of photo) designed after the historic one at the Governor’s Mansion in Williamsburg.
Next to the spawn point is K4sons’ House, one of the first buildings on this server.
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There are two locations for Redstone Experiments; this is the one on the sign.
Grid’s Overlook shows some creative landscaping.
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Loren has used redstone technology to create an amazing train network
throughout the grid. This is Junction Train Station, one of many.
MIne-‐Kar-‐Nak Station is It's in the desert and Egyptian, so the name is a play on
"Minecar" and "Karnak."
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If you were wondering why you couldn’t get a train car promptly, it may have
been occupied by a chicken…
or a horse!
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Redstone rails look especially dramatic in the evening light.
Many of VSTE’s conferences are held at the historic Hotel Roanoke, re-‐created
here.
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Another frequent conference location is the Virginia Beach Convention Center,
shown here.
Minecraft can be surprisingly beautiful, as in this view of the Parthenon at sunset.
This was a collaborative build begun by YosemiteWahWah.
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There are two more levels underneath the Parthenon.
The VSTE VE PLN got its start in Second Life. To the left is the Book & Tankard Pub, by Beth Ghostraven, next to BluebarkerSL’s castle. Maps can be made to help us find our way around.
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The pub has all the comforts of home, including a pet dog.
Mr Zwaa’s Redstone area includes a huge digital clock.
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The clock is powered by a complex system of redstone pistons.
WitchyRichy’s roller coaster features a magnificent lava slide in the background.
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The best part about the VSTE VE PLN Minecraft server is, of course, the people. Interacting together in this environment helps us all realize the value of play and collaboration in learning. A recent Minecraft Monday found us taming dogs and riding horses, and dealing with an overpopulation of chickens.
The logical next step is to take this into our schools and involve students in the many educational possibilities that virtual environments like Minecraft offer. To this end, the VSTE VE PLN will be hosting a summer Book Club in Second Life, reading the book Minecraft in the Classroom: Ideas, inspiration, and student projects for teachers, by Colin Gallagher. We’ll meet in Second Life on the newly redesigned VSTE Island on July 13 and 27, and August 10.
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Please contact Beth O’Connell ([email protected]) or Kim
Harrison ([email protected]) for more information about the Book Club, or about joining the VSTE VE PLN Minecraft server.
GSNetwork Alive
Join the Fun at ISTE 2015 in Philadelphia Sunday June 27th – Wednesday July 1st. For more information and schedule visit http://patriciacloud.wix.com/gsnetworkalive
GSNetwork Alive
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2015 EDU:
Simvalley offers free land, 1024 sqm, Free sim for awhile. Help Island: BeatThis
Educators: If you are looking into the Hypergrid as a place to try using virtual worlds for instruction, Simvalley is an educator-friendly grid that offers free land and good entry level on-boarding for incoming students.
Arrival point Click image to enlarge
• Paste the line below into your world map next to the Find button, Find. Enter • sv.simvalley.nl:8002 • (I get script warning errors at the arrival point and ignore them.) • Problems may be due to server location in Europe and low bandwidth • Every new citizen gets 1024 sqm. free land (for now) • Educators can rent a sim (65,000 sqm / 15,000 prims) till 1-1-2016 for FREE! • Owned by BUSINESS INSPIRE • Web site: Simvalley • These pages are sometimes unavailable (time out error). • Problems may be due to server location in Europe and low bandwidth. For more information contact Selby Evans at http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/ and ThinkererSelby Evans in Second Life.
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A Found Treasure
Trish Cloud GSN Award Winner and
Game-based Learning Facilitator
by Laura Briggs, ISTE GSN Officer The ISTE Games and Simulations Network would like to congratulate our Games and Simulations Excellence Award winner, Trish Cloud. Trish Cloud continues her efforts in excellence in advocacy as she shares experiences and resources with other educators who are looking into implementing games and simulations in their classrooms. She demonstrates excellence in collaboration by inspiring and encouraging others to create and become involved in GSN projects and initiatives. Trish continues her contributions
for excellence in communication and innovation by advancing the use of games and simulations in education through unique projects and student involvement as well as contributing innovative ideas in multiple social media venues. Trish also leads excellence in mentorship and professional development as she leads sessions and shares many resources to help others learn about games and simulations. Trish is a very active participant with the GSN and has participated in and supported many
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network events and the ISTE Conference for many years of service. Trish Cloud actively engages students in using a variety of games for learning as the Technology Associate at Grand Oak Elementary, including Minecraft, Oregon Trail, coding games, and more. Students explore these games in after school clubs, but Trish pushes their use out into the classroom as well. She supports the development of Minecraft Clubs by others in her district through the Minecraft in CMS website. Trish shares her experiences with the broader educational community through presenting at NCTIES and ISTE conferences and a multitude of online venues: the GSN Metagame Book Club, Connected Educator Month events, the Minecraft and More Unsymposium, the Virtual Education Journal, etc. She actively promotes events as the Social Media Maven of the Metagame Book Club and her work on the Communications Committee for GSN. In GamesMOOC tweetchats, she has collected all resources mentioned into PearlTrees. She frequently shares new developments in the world of gaming and education through Twitter, the Inevitable Betrayal educator’s guild Google+ community, Facebook, and more. Trish Cloud has earned this Excellence Award through her extensive use of games with students and the many ways that she promotes game-‐based learning in the educational community. We interviewed Trish about the engaging opportunities she provides for students using Minecraft in education. Laura Briggs: How do you use Minecraft with students? Trish Cloud: Funny, as I sit and type this I have kindergartners in the room playing Minecraft. It is the last week of school and all classes are getting to play for their last Technology class. Needless to say all of the kiddos want to come to Technology this week.
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During school hours I (or other teachers in my building using iPads) have used Minecraft with grades 2-‐5. I know 3-‐5 have used it for Mathematics and Science. I have used it with 2nd graders building communities they had already planned out in class. Fifth grade students have completed Social Studies assignments that took place in Colonial Williamsburg and re-‐enacted the Battle of Bunker Hill. Our Math Facilitator has created a fraction lesson incorporating MinecraftEdu. Laura Briggs: What challenges have you faced in using Minecraft at school and how have these challenges turned into successes? Trish Cloud: The first big challenge was actually getting the administration to allow me to do this. So I started by asking to start a club. The next challenge was funding. So, I had students sign up to be in the club and asked for 10.00 per student to offset the cost. I started with 60 iPads, so with that many kids contributing, I had enough to buy 30 licenses of MinecraftEdu and 60 Minecraft PE. Once we had everything installed I had 30 on desktops and 15-‐20 on ipads. And by going about it this way it gave other schools in our district the plan of how they could get Minecraft. Some now get funding this way while others have gone the route of getting grants. One of the negatives, which at times could be a positive, has been the server issue. Our district would not allow a server to be set up in a school as that was something our district was getting away from and they weren’t going to re-‐go down the local server path again. So, for the past couple of years I have been running servers off desktops while the students played. This could be a problem in a couple of ways: (a) it required starting anywhere from two to fifteen servers; (b) all the students could not be in the same world at the same time; and (c) I had to have the exact same mods on all computers hooking up to the same server. Our district has been thinking of solving this issue with a cloud-‐based server but finding one that would not violate the district security and get allowed in through ports was our largest stepping stone. MinecraftEdu is presently running a beta of their cloud-‐based server and we were able to get on board with that. We now
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have 2 schools connected to the same server. It requires the school to send in specific logins for each student that would be using MinecraftEdu so that is a bit of work. And at the present time no more than 30 students can be in game together at one time. But all in all, it’s working out well now and it cuts down on the work the teacher has to do to get the students started. They simply login and go. Laura Briggs: For a teacher wanting to use Minecraft for engaging students, what advice would you give? Trish Cloud: Remember with the little ones a lot of them have never played Minecraft on a desktop. In fact more often than not, the only way they have played in on an iPad if at all. Be patient and have some older kids come around and be guides-‐at-‐the-‐side. Have the older kids show them how to move around, fly, move inventory to the hotbar, break blocks, and place blocks. Keep it simple. Minecraft builds can get out of control easily. Kids get lost in the details and what you thought was going to be a simple build ends up taking far too long. Give clear instructions on how long they have to build. Keep them on track by checking on them frequently. From the beginning establish firm guidelines for what your expectations are for their behavior. Write your rules down and go over them before class starts.
• No trolls! • Respect each other's work and their
vision of what they are building even if you don't agree.
• We create, we do not destroy. • No bad language in real life or in game.
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• Good behavior in class during the day is required or you will be suspended from the club.
• No messing with other people’s inventory. • No spawning animals or mobs without the teacher’s permission (this rule is
for me more than anything. If I don’t try to curtail it I could end up with 500 cows roaming around the server and they start to bother the other players).
Laura Briggs: What are some Minecraft activities/challenges you have used with students for Social Studies, Science, Math and Language Arts? Trish Cloud: Students have worked in the classes on individual projects their teachers have designed using Minecraft PE on their personal devices. They have brought them in via BYOT. I know teachers have done projects in Math, Science, and Social Studies. In Technology, using MinecraftEdu, we have done lessons on Colonial Williamsburg and a recreation of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Between my class and our Media class we did a joint project on colleges. Each teacher in the school listed where they went to college. Our 5th graders selected a school and researched where the school is located, entrance requirements, what majors were offered, what kind of extracurricular activities they offered, dorms, etc. They needed to interview the staff member who attended that school and put all this information in a presentation format. Some students chose to build their school in Minecraft and give a short tour of the campus. Our Math Facilitator developed a lesson and rubric for a fraction lesson for 5th grade. I had some 5th graders build it to test it out. Only problem, they built way too big (see hints up above “keep it simple), and it was hard for them to get the fractions they needed. It looked fantastic, but too big. We will try again this fall.
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Our second graders study communities. At the end of their community unit, they come downstairs and for 2 or 3 weeks in Technology they build a community they have designed in class. The community is built by a team of town planners headed up by a mayor. Laura Briggs: So why do you do this work? Trish Cloud: I never thought of myself as much of “techy”, but when I was placed in the job it sort of “clicked” -‐ passion discovered! Since then, I have dove head first into all things geeky; hardware, software, coding, games, all of it.” Laura Briggs: We have definitely discovered a treasure in Trish Cloud. The Games and Simulations is proud of the great work Trish Cloud continues to do as she engages students and teachers in using games and simulations for fun, innovative learning!
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Woot LAN Party! Wait …
What’s a LAN?
Chris Luchs (RL) Abacus Capalini (SL)
On June 29th, the Games and Simulations Network will host a LAN Party for ISTE members and their families. One of the most common questions fielded is what is a LAN Party?
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For those of you that LAN is a new term for, Wikipedia has a good write up at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAN_party. LAN Parties or Local Area Network Parties, started in the late 90s and early 2000s and consisted of invited players bringing their own computers, cabling, modems and routers and then connecting all of them in a single cable only network. They were the only real way to allow for social gaming prior to the advent of affordable broadband. These events typically focused on either console games or computer games. They were one of the first methods of incorporating multiplayer functionality and allow synchronous communication for games that did not allow multiplayer or did not have VOIP capabilities. Some LAN Parties were also used to reduce latency in the game due to the proximity and computing power of all the computers. LAN parties ranged in size from a few friends to over 22 thousand (http://kotaku.com/worlds-‐biggest-‐lan-‐party-‐had-‐over-‐22-‐000-‐computers-‐loo-‐1664913524) at the November Dream Hack (http://www.dreamhack.se), which is the largest such event. In addition, T.L. Taylor and E. Witkowski provide an interesting review of Dream Hack and their analysis in This is How we Play It: What a Mega-‐Lan Can Teach us about Games (http://tltaylor.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2010/06/TaylorWitkowski-‐ThisIsHowWePlayIt.pdf).
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The most common games used in LAN Parties were Counter Strike, World
of Warcraft III, Starcraft and more recently League of Legends and Dota 2. These games lend themselves to the player versus player (PvP) mode that most LAN parties focused on. PvP is exactly how the name sounds. It describes gaming that pits one player or a team of players against another player or team. The interaction is one where players compete based on their skill, knowledge of fight maps, and gear. The LAN Party was the gamers solution to poor internet connection, lack of VOIP, and latency issues that were common during the 90s and 2000s. There were many how to guides like http://www.lanpartyguide.com/lansetup.html where interested players could go and learn how to set up, support and run LAN Parties.
The best games that lend themselves to LAN play are those without progression. Progression is in the majority of games and manifests itself when players have to reach a certain level or achievement to get a specific gear set or weapon. Progression has a negative impact on LAN players because not all players will have the same access/resources so it does not allow a level playing field. Ben Kuchera provides an excellent explanation of the overall effect progression has had on LAN parties and the current state of small local LAN parties at http://www.polygon.com/2015/1/29/7944755/lan-‐party-‐gaming-‐call-‐of-‐duty. LAN Parties are still around as the attendance to DreamHack and its worldwide events demonstrate. However, small LAN parties have virtually disappeared due to access to high-‐speed internet and crisp VOIP technologies like Mumble and Ventrilo. In their heyday, LAN parties provided access to social gaming, taught computer-‐networking skills to players, and provided opportunities for gamers to really understand how their computers and networks worked.
However in the spirit of LAN Parties everywhere the Games and Simulations Network offers our LAN Party themed event. So if you are at ISTE 2015, please feel free to drop by Marriott 307 and check us out. We will have tables for World of Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons, Interactive Fiction, and more; we’ll even have a mini-‐game jam session! Feel free to bring your own computing device and socialize with other players! There may even be some Guild Recruitment going on. :D Come celebrate all games digital, tabletop, cards, and more! This is entirely social but you will see evidence of people successfully mixing business (learning) with pleasure (fun, flow and fiero)!
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We'll also have a game arcade and Machinima pod in Answerables. Peter Cameron will be on site to show you all about it.
Devon Young will be there at the beginning of the LAN party so we can take a peak at Classcraft. For people who would just like to play and chat a bit.... Mini Game Jam -‐ Matt Farber
The Mobile Mini Game Jam table will feature several hands-‐on opportunities to create and test paper-‐based and digital games. One example will be Floors, from Pixel Press. Visitors will be given special graph paper to imagine and draw game levels. After scanned in with an iPad camera, participants will see the result: a side-‐scrolling (think: Super Mario Bros.) video game that springs to life page to the mobile device! Bloxels, the latest Kickstarter from Pixel Press—not available until October—will be demoed, too! Other jam activities include the Grow-‐A-‐Game app and the “What’s Your Game Plan?” card game.
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Gadgets and More -‐ Come Cool Hunting with Marie Bjerede and Laura Briggs Laura has you playing with coding games, programming robots and VR cardboard. Come try these out for yourself and see how you can engage even the youngest students! In addition to VR Cardboard headsets, mobile devices with games and apps for programming robots will be available for you to play and explore. Marie will show you the latest gadgets and wearables sure to please the tween set. Sit down, play and chat about the latest trends at Maker Faires, robotics clubs and wearable fashions.
For people who would like to play something specific or watch game play (lurking is always allowed and encouraged).... Minecraft -‐ Trish Cloud
Trish, who normally plays Minecraft with the K-‐5 set, would like to expand her and your Minecraft horizons. So bring your i-‐Pad or a laptop, it doesn't matter. Sit down and let's play...show me your world and we'll show you ours.
World of Warcraft (WoW) -‐ Chris Luchs
Guild master of Inevitable Betrayal, an educators' gaming guild will lead whoever wants to go through a Boss fight. Even if you didn't bring your laptop or have WoW downloaded take a seat and tell us about your experiences in WoW, MMOs or eSports.
Dungeons & Dragons (D & D) -‐ Russell Brandon
Yes, this is the original! Table top, dice rolling, role-‐play game that inspired all of the other sword and sorcery video games. Russell will be your Dungeon Master (DM) and play the lead storyteller and referee. Bring your die and character sheets (we'll have extra if you don't have them or know what they are). You and your fellow adventurers will be going on a quest. D & D Basic Rules
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Lastly, cosplay, or wearing something game related, is never required but always encouraged.
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Check It Out:
VSTE Island Has A New Look! VSTE Island is ready! A complete redesign has created beautiful new spaces for learning and sharing.
Come tour the island, and celebrate the real beginning of summer with us!
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Even if you work year-‐round, the kids are gone, and the pace slows a bit. DJ Rocky will be spinning tunes . . . and we always have a good time together! Visit us at: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VSTE%20Island/62/104/22
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I expect that all readers of this journal are convinced of the value of technology integration in teaching and learning. Yet, too often, classroom teachers hesitate to include the more engaging games and virtual environments in their regular teaching activities. Sometimes this can be because they are not comfortable with the games and software themselves. However, recently I’m hearing that the pressures of the new Common Core (CCSS) assessments are making them feel that there is not time to include these “fun” things in the classroom.
I am going to offer some ideas for using a combination of these technologies with literacy development. My goal is to provide you with some specific ideas for persuading English language arts, reading, and special education teachers (from now on all three of these will be referred to as language arts teachers) that there are ways to fold literacy development into machinima. (And, encourage you to come visit Machinima Fest at ISTE.)
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Anyone working with school-‐aged children is aware of their fascination with a number of computer games, particularly MineCraft. It is possible to use this passionate play in combination with literacy instruction to create powerful learning experiences that advance students’ literacy development based on their knowledge of games and the creation of machinima. However, without carefully planned scaffolding, modeling, and instruction the opportunities for learning are diminished.
https://youtu.be/gt5XHvJPLvk
As technology specialists you are well aware of the instructional routines and scaffolds necessary for effective machinima development (or at least those necessary for creating digital movies). Children and adolescents are already making their own movies and posting them on YouTube. There are some great opportunities for literacy development that can be combined with moviemaking. I will briefly list a few that you can use in convincing language arts teachers to collaborate with you:
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1. Comprehension and Text structure: One of the most important skills in reading comprehension is noticing and making use of text structures. In creation of machinima students can develop and refine these skills. Additionally they can learn the more “branching” structures that often are part of digital content. One of the differences between print and digital reading/writing skills is that digital text structures are often different from the linear text structures of print. Introducing story mapping (using digital application like C-‐map, Popplet, Inspiration, or MindMeister or traditional paper outlines or “spider webs” (graphic organizers) will help speed up the creating of a good organizational structure of the machinima as well as help students acquire and refine this essential comprehension skill.
2. Writing Informational Text: Machinima includes “how to” videos and informational videos. Helping students learn to write the text supporting these videos will help them as they also compose the “print” forms of writing needed for school, the real world, and CCSS.
3. Writing Dialogue: Good dialogue is one of the most challenging tasks in narrative writing (both fiction and imaginative nonfiction). The machinima format helps provide a scaffold for developing writers. Their familiarity with television and video dialogues will help them feel a bit more comfortable as they begin composing their original works.
4. Word Choice: Whether or not the machinima includes spoken tracks, most machinima includes some text, even if it is limited to titles and credits. The language arts teacher can use these opportunities to help students refine their word choice skills (a part of the Six + 1-‐Traits writing process) and expand their vocabularies. Finding just the right word is an essential skill.
5. Transitions: Moving between scenes and the more subtle transitions in dialogue is a composing skill that the language arts teacher can also fold into machinima creation. These are also directly related to the text structure skills mentioned earlier.
6. Speaking (Communication) and Group Work: These skills are part of CCSS. I am a strong supporter of including these skills and strategies as a part of all classrooms but particularly in language arts.
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Unfortunately, I think they have been left out of the current CCSS assessments. I do know, however, that these are language arts skills that are essential for success in life. I include them in curriculum and instruction because of their importance even if they are not going to appear on the test.
https://youtu.be/Vs09zz_izuM
We will be discussing these and other ideas at the Machinima Fest in a few weeks at ISTE. I hope you’ll join us Monday June 29th at 5:30 pm in Philadelphia. You can also visit our website to preview this year’s award structure and view the 2014 winning machinima entries at: https://machinima4meremortals.wordpress.com/
Lee Ann Tysseling, Ph.D. Department of Literacy, Masters in Literacy Program Boise State University
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The International Art of Greeting By Any1 Gynoid
How much of what we do in Second Life (SL) is say “Hello”? I’ve studied multiple SL groups, and up to 42% of lines of chat are various kinds of hellos, with larger groups devoting the most chat to greetings. The frequency of greeting varies by group, but a typical group of 20 avatars devotes about ¼ of its chat lines to greeting, with more intense greeting early in the hour of an activity.
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Why is greeting so important to our second lives? Greeting is an acknowledgement of presence and group acceptance. Traversing Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (bottom up), avatar users have few in-‐world physiological needs. In most regions, safety needs are neither a concern. Love and belonging constitute the base of our in-‐world Maslow’s pyramid, and greeting is a key mechanism for satisfying this need.
Since studying this frequent SL activity, I have noticed extensive use of informal vernacular greetings rather than formal textbook-‐style greetings. Let us review a few examples of how love and belonging can be expressed in English vernacular common to SL.
Formally, a user might greet with “Hello Ms. Jane Doe”, but this is very uncommon, something I have not witnessed in chat logs. More common is “Hi Jane” or “Hiya Jane” or even “Hugs Jane,” conveying a sense of warm and friendly recognition. Even friendlier forms of greeting include “Hiya Jane Hugglezzzz!” or “Hi Jane GTSY!” (great
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to see you). I call these forms tag line greetings. One can push tag lines even further, such as this double tag line construction: “Hiya Jane! Hugs! Cheers Love!”
Most fascinating are how vernaculars are used in natural language communities in SL. I first noticed these peculiar vernacular greetings in a German-‐speaking group in SL. Users were greeting each other with “huhu” and “moin”… which I discovered are vernacular forms of hello. Further, “huhu” can be extended with “huhu du” and even “huhu du du”, a double tag line indicating endearment. Another curious German vernacular used in SL are the suffixes “-‐chen” and “-‐maus” which translate to little dog and little mouse. A greeting “huhu Janechen” or “huhu Janemaus” could confer a special sense of belonging and familiarity.
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Native speakers appear to know these forms implicitly. In French-‐speaking groups, I noticed the phrases “kikou” and “coucou” seemingly interchangeable friendly forms of hello. According to psychologists, we meet each other at the level of fantasy in virtual worlds. The common use of these phrases may indicate an assumed level of familiarity and friendliness rarely encountered in real life.
In this short article, I introduced you to the important ritual of greetings in SL. A practice specialized in SL language communities, which we can readily learn
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just by visiting and witnessing. A much more informal and diverse version of this article appears in the new SL magazine Enigmatic Minds as “The Art of Hello”. Also, I invite you to a series of classes on this subject at New Citizens Inc; see invitations on SLED and education-‐related SL groups.
For our Virtual Education Journal (VEJ) readers, I encourage educators to explore diverse language communities in SL. SL is a world resource for inter-‐cultural engagement. Other VEJ readers may have a research interest in these matters. Public SL chat logs are an open source of research data that could yield key insights into human social behavior. VEJ researchers could even answer some very big questions about human interaction, such as psychologist Eric Berne’s classic question, “What do you say after you say hello?”
Any1 Gynoid (display name Maggie Mae Bhaktiguru) is an instructor at New Citizens Inc in Second Life, and a feature writer for Enigmatic Minds SL Magazine.
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Digital Learning Games and Virtual Environments are sometimes confused. Having played in both, I have found them both to be engaging, motivational, and full of potential. Though they sometimes have some similar characteristics, they are really quite different.
The obvious similarity is that they are both played on a digital device. The biggest difference is that games have a win-loss scenario and virtual environments are an open-ended place to “play”. Despite the fact that we can use the word “play” for both, the ways and means do not look the same. A game has objective/s, rules, and a feedback mechanism to let players know how they are doing. Conversely a virtual environment is an open ended "sandbox". There are no objectives or any criteria that are established in game. A game can be created within a virtual environment, in which case players are playing a game within an environment but the environment is not the game.
Wow is a Massive Multiplayer Online Game that provides constant feedback on actions the player is taking. Addons provide a view of how other players on the team are doing. The data can be used to strategize and improve play.
Digital Games and Virtual Environments Are Not the Same Thing
By Tanya Martin
PD Chair for ISTE Games & Simulations Network
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Second Life provides a sandbox environment where players can build in items in 3D. Here participants are attending a class on making avatar hair.
The popular “sandbox genre” game Minecraft has characteristics of both game and virtual environment, depending on which mode is being used. The creative mode puts people into a virtual environment where they can freely create, limited only by their imaginations and the parameters of the software.
In survival mode Minecraft becomes a game and the players now need to strategize, and work to survive against the obstacles built into the game. They may not survive, and that is the win loss scenario inherent in a game. The learning that occurs in each of these environments is distinct and a skilled instructor will know when to employ a virtual environment and when to use a game instead.
Minecraft day -‐ In Creative Mode Minecraft is a virtual Environment offering a sandbox to play, communicate and create.
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MInecraft night In Survival mode -‐ MInecraft becomes a game with perils and plans of avoiding the pitfalls.
WoW Auction House: Buying and selling gear in a game provides authentic opportunity to study economics, mathematics and commerce.
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The charts below describe some of the distinctions as well as similarities between Digital Games and Virtual Environments, as they relate to teaching and learning. They are observable differences that I have experienced.
Social Interaction in Digital Games and Virtual Environments
Communication Collaboration Digital Games Learner/player interacts with technology
programmed scenario or with other players in a multiplayer game. Communication occurs throughout the game. Social interaction is prevalent in a multiplayer game providing opportunities for practicing Digital citizenship.
Learner/player can accomplish tasks playing solo or in groups, depending on the game structure. Collaboration is most common and often required in a multiplayer game providing opportunities for deep thinking, sharing strategies and teaming to accomplish set objectives. The rules associated with games provide parameters in which players/learners must collaborate. Dealing with colleagues from different time-‐zones adds a dimension to collaboration that contributes to a future work environment that is becoming more commonplace.
Virtual Environments
Learner may/may not communicate with others. Learner reads instructions in the virtual environment or accompanying websites/forums and may have external communication. Social interaction is not required but is often employed as the learner participates in a virtual environment.
Collaboration is not required but can be useful as participants determine and work on tasks. Collaborative tasks can be developed and the limitations of the software generate some parameters.
Creativity and Problem Solving in Digital Games and Virtual Environments
Creativity Problem Solving Digital Games Creativity is typically associated with the way in
which a player/learner addresses a problem/scenario that is set up as part of the game. Creativity in a game is also exhibited via creation of machinima and writing/storytelling that extends beyond the game.
Problem solving is inherent in a game as there is a set of problems/objectives that need to be solved with multiple methods of accomplishment. Increasing difficulty in objective accomplishment and failure as a part of the learning are inherent in digital games. Players must deal with consequences.
Virtual Environments
A virtual environment provides a “sandbox” for creativity. Learners are free to use their imaginations to create 3-‐dimensional models, add audio, produce machinima, and even develop games within a virtual environment.
Problem solving in a virtual environment is typically associated with problems that occur in interacting with the software. So navigating the software and developing within the environment provides opportunity for problem solving.
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Skill and Content Knowledge in Digital Games and Virtual Environments
Skill Building Content Knowledge Building Digital Games Every game has a user interface that must be
learned to navigate in order to be successful with the game. The skills needed to set up audio, locate forums and use metrics are commonly used as well. Additionally, besides the skills of communication, collaboration, and problem solving, the 3Rs come into play in a natural way. The player must read and respond to others as he/she progresses through the game. Computation and natural use of algebraic thinking revolve around attempting to meet objectives.
The content knowledge of a digital game would depend on the game. There are games being designed that focus on particular content areas and others that, though not focused on a specific content, can be used through metaphor and creativity to teach academic concepts in a scenario immersed format.
Virtual Environments
Virtual Environments require a software download and a user interface that is required to navigate and create. Digital skills associated with chat, social media, audio and 3-‐D rendering/building are also a large part of virtual environments.
The content knowledge imparted in a virtual world would depend on the way that the virtual environment is being used. It is important to note that often the learner “builds” their knowledge based on research done in other places. Often what is developed in a virtual environment is a result of the research and learning done in another place or dimension.
Games and Virtual Environments are two powerful ways to engage and motivate students to be better prepared for college and careers.
Second Life western place:
Building historic locations in a virtual world provide students an opportunity to research, build, and role-‐play as they learn.
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When last we left Episode One of a Boise State University’s EDTECH 532 Educational Games and Simulations course [see April 2015 VEJ, page 30 – 34 http://issuu.com/edovation/docs/vej_april_2015/1] our characters had just selected their roles and were ready to face their first problem.
VEJ is excited to run Episode Two in this issue in serial form. You will be viewing the actual screenshots and the dialog captured from chat in thier classroom space in Second Life. It documents the entire 16-‐week course in splendid detail.
Stay tuned for Episode Three in the next issue of VEJ! Enjoy!
EDTECH 532 Educational Games & Simulations
Part 2
Chris Haskell, Ed. D Clinical Assistant Professor Dept. of Educational Technology Boise State University SL: Dalai Haskell Skype: dalaihaskell AIM: haskellboise
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ISTE 2015
Moving Toward ISTE 2015 By Scott Merrick
Just a note to note we're getting into some pretty darned interesting stuff
for the Virtual Environment’s Playground at ISTE 2015 in Philadelphia June 27 – July 1, 2015.
New this year, we're giving up half our playground so that the Games and
Simulations Network, a group of friends we care about, can have their own playground. So essentially the two presentation areas and six ongoing presentation tables that constitute an ISTE Playground will be reduced to one of the former and 3 of the latter for each network.
Andy networks whilst Kae presents at ISTE 2012 Virtual Environments Network
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We don't mind. We're focused on bringing the best of the best to bear for our ISTE colleagues, all of them. Our Second Life Playground was one of the very first ever at NECC, oh those many years ago, and it's looked rather different every year since morphing into the SIGVE Playground and now the Virtual Environments Playground. The fact that the conference organizers this year did not have space to offer G&S their own full playground attests to the popularity of the format: Open ongoing themed sharing stations for the duration of the event, with one-‐to-‐many scheduled more traditional presentations.
So, all that said, here's what we'll look like on Tuesday, June 30, from 2:00 pm until we meet for our annual Birds-‐of-‐a-‐Feather meeting at the Pennsylvania Conference Center in downtown Philadelphia.
Virtual Environments Network Playground Presentations at ISTE 2015
2:00 -‐ 2:45 -‐-‐ Islands of Enlightenment in OpenSimulator!
Andy Wheelock & Mary Howard
2:45 -‐ 3:30 -‐-‐ Dream Realizations: SubQuan Math in Second Life!
R & C Patterson, moderated by Scott Merrick
3:30 -‐ 4:15 -‐-‐ AW3DU: Quest Atlantis LIVES AGAIN!
Rick Noll, with special guests!
4:15 -‐ 5:00 -‐-‐ Minecraft Learning: The Best of the Best!
Marianne Malmstrom-‐-‐aka Knowclue Kidd
5:00 -‐ 5:30 pm VEN Birds of a Feather Hope to see everyone there!
You can see the VEN Playground schedule at https://sway.com/nP67Bb_dx_-MGplE .
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How about the ongoing presentation tables? Got that for you, too!
At one table we'll have Laura Briggs sharing Google Cardboard and the Virtual Reality platform "Biome for Kids." At another our stellar, Rosie and Bob Vojtek, will be sharing their fine work at the hot-‐off-‐the-‐virtual-‐presses Virtual Education Journal; and at the third (or is it the first?), our Marianne Malmstrom and crew will be sharing the best of the best in Minecraft. All will be network and Internet connected for guest appearances and virtual fly-‐throughs and these folks know their stuff. Come learn from them. Or come teach them: IT'S A DIALOGUE!
One last plug here, and it's for those educators who cannot, for whatever reason, attend in person this year. We're planning to connect as fully as we can in Second Life. Throughout the week, beginning Sunday, June 28, as many of us who are there as can will be sharing on-‐site happenings in SL, at the ISTE VEN Maker Space. Visit as often as you like, and learn from the immensely sharing, deeply caring, learning opportunities that comprise The Virtual Environments Network at ISTE 2015.
Want to keep up with both Playgrounds and have access to scheduling and presentation details for both in a LIVE document that at any given time will reflect adjustments? Check out the Google Doc that does just that!
Note: Be sure to stop by the ISTE15 VEN Playground and say “HI” to Roxie Neiro & BJ Gearbox. Learn how you can write for VEJ!
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Come Play With Us
ISTE2015 VEN Maker Space!
June 27 – July 1, 2015
The ISTE Virtual Environments Network have already created a space for everyone to gather whether we're physically at ISTE 2015 in Philadelphia or we are home in our pajamas at our laptops, in Sydney or Kyoto, it matters not. Watch this one-minute Maker Space intro (by Scott Merrick June 22, 2015 blog entry), then meet us in Second Life at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Eduisland%202/132/168/201 for the fun, and, yes, the games! Visit http://tinyurl.com/scottiste2015 for Scott Merrick’s best guesses (schedule of events) about whereabouts at any given time.
Scott Merrick busy getting everything set up for ISTE2015 in Second Life VEN Maker’s Space.
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Write for VEJ We are especially interested in how educators are using virtual environments and/or
digital game environments to motivate students from early education through college. What’s working? Not working? What are the best practices when using virtual environments and/or digital game environments for instruction as a teaching tool? How can teachers/administrators harness the power of these environments to motivate students? How can these environments be used to promote local and state standards and curricula including the common core standards? How are virtual and game environments/worlds being used in teacher prep programs? How can we best promote the effective use of virtual and digital game environments to enhance and engage teachers and students in quality learning experiences.
Please submit articles, approximately 500 – 1800 words (in Cambria 14pt). Please include pictures and graphics with the highest resolution possible (using png, tiff, jpeg) to: [email protected]. Be sure to put “VEJ” in subject line.
If you have questions, email [email protected] or give Roxie Neiro (sl) a notecard in second life. You can find more information and see previous issues of VEJ at www.virtualeducationjournal.com
Be sure to visit us at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduIsland%209/21/39/22 in Second Life, our website at http://virtualeducationjournal.com/, and follow us on twitter @VEJournal and #VEJournal. To learn more about ISTE SIGVE events visit http://sigve.weebly.com/.
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