Taking Distance Education to the Virtual Level

Dr. Melinda Korzaan

MTSU ShareFair 2010

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

• Virtual...– Tools– Travels– Techniques

• INFS 6510: Information Technology Project Risk Assessment and Control

Second LifeTeaching in a Virtual World

• Shared Media on a Prim

• Video– Existing Video (You Tube)– Create Your Own Video in Second Life

• CamStudio• Debut Video Capture

Virtual Tools

• Google Docs– Virtual Teams: Student Collaboration

• Places to Shop for Teaching Tools– Free: Dudeney Ge’s Educator Freebie Shop

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduNation%20II/143/213/25

– Not Free: Dracy’s Virtual Shop http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Zerelia/239/109/74

• Links for Shared Media Prim In-World» Links for ShareFair.docx

Virtual Tools

• Ekim Dollinger and Haley Swanson, NDE Island

• Foreign Languages– Karelia Kondor, EduNation

• http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduNation/28/98/22

– Virlantis• http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UWA%20VIRTLANTIS/137/130/20

• ISTE Island– http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/87/58/31

Virtual Travels

• Janyth Techsan, Texas State Technical College

– http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/TSTC%20Commons/123/139/23

• Dr. Danick, Texas A&M University – http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/12th%20Man/11/145/26

• Open University– http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Open%20University/90/38/25

Virtual Travels

• International Schools Island– http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/International%20Schools%202/101/156/55

• University of Cincinnati– http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/University%20of%20Cincinnati/155/53/24

Virtual Travels

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

• Introduce Students to Second Life– Create Second Life Account Using NMC

http://sl.nmc.org/create.php

– Lab• Provide a document with Second Life Activities• Take groups on a tour of Maslow’s Hierarchy

– Set Privacy Settings to Record Chat• Me -> Preferences -> Privacy.  Then select Save nearby chat

logs on my computer, Save IM logs on my computer, and Add timestamp.  Then, Click on the Browse button to select the location of your logs in a folder that you can easily access after the Second Life session is completed.

Techniques

• INFS 6510: IT Project Risk Assessment and Control

• Goals this semester:– Create a virtual learning environment that provides real time

communication, simulating a traditional classroom discussion experience.

– Assign a virtual team research project with virtual collaboration and in-world presentation of research findings.

• Create Second Life Account Using NMC http://sl.nmc.org/create.php

– Lab• Provide a document with Second Life Activities

• Take groups on a tour of Maslow’s Hierarchy

– Set Privacy Settings to Record Chat• Me -> Preferences -> Privacy.  Then select Save nearby chat logs on my computer, Save

IM logs on my computer, and Add timestamp.  Then, Click on the Browse button to select the location of your logs in a folder that you can easily access after the Second Life session is completed.

Techniques

• Meet in the amphitheatre

• Break out into discussion groups– Use Google Docs to answer questions

collaboratively

• Return to amphitheatre and have a spokesperson from each group share their group discussion with the class– Display Google Docs document for the class

on a shared media prim

Techniques

Peaceful MTSU Island Before My Class

Students show creativity during the lab

Students build am elevated platform

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

Class meeting in the Amphitheater

Blue Group Working in the Amphitheater

Green group is working in the media center

Orange group collaborating on the KOM roof

Purple group focusing on their document in the KOM

Air view of the Yellow group working in the Mushroom Classroom

The Red group collaborating in the hills of MTSU Island

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

Questions?