second life
CFP: ICCE 2011 Workshop on "Real Education in Virtual Worlds" (with journal publication opportunity)
A workshop on "Real Education in Virtual Worlds" will be held in conjunction with The 19th International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE 2011), which will take place in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from November 28 to December 2, 2011. Authors of the best papers will be invited to submit revised and expanded versions for inclusion in a special issue of the International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments (IJVPLE).
A workshop on "Real Education in Virtual Worlds" will be held in conjunction with The 19th International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE 2011 - see http://www.nectec.or.th/icce2011/), which will take place in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from November 28 to December 2, 2011.
Authors of the best papers presented at the workshop will be invited to submit revised and expanded versions of their papers for inclusion in a special issue of the International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments (IJVPLE - http://www.igi-global.com/bookstore/titledetails.aspx?titleid=1134) to be published next year.
The Call for Papers for the workshop is available at the following URL: http://dtrip.ice.ntnu.edu.tw/CFP/2011REVW_CFP.htm
As per the Call, manuscripts should be submitted to Professor Lan via email at yujulan@gmail.com no later than August 27, 2011, following which they will be subject to peer review. Authors will be notified as to the outcome of the review process no later than September 3, 2011 and thereafter will have until October 8, 2011 to submit final, camera-ready versions of their manuscripts for inclusion in the Proceedings.
A learning community for teens on a virtual island - The Schome Park Teen Second Life Pilot project
Engagement data showed that only approximately one quarter of students accounted for almost all time spent in Schome Park. Frequency was associated with high levels of use of the wiki and forum. Evidence from self-reports and documentation on the wiki demonstrated very high levels of Second Life skills.
Knowledge age skills were assessed within a framework with four levels for four dimensions. In respect of Communication, all students who engaged achieved the first level and a substantial minority initiated and moderated discussions and/or organised events. In respect of Teamwork, tensions were evident early on; however, a substantial number demonstrated their abilities to operate at the highest level being actively involved in solving governance problems. With support students moved from hierarchical approaches to the formation of governance groups, each with department officers, thus furnishing evidence of distributed Leadership at level one. Evidence from a rich and diverse programme of events illustrates an atmosphere which fostered Creativity, permitting explorations, collaborations and the encouragement to risk mistakes.
Our experience suggests the importance of understanding the role of teachers in this kind of innovative environment, not as the possessors of relevant knowledge but as facilitators and promoters of a cooperative ethos. We conclude that, despite multiple challenges, there is evidence to support dramatic new possibilities for pedagogic redesigns. Students who engaged with the virtual island, the wiki and the forum demonstrated higher levels of the knowledge age skills of communication, leadership, teamwork and creativity.
The full text of this article is available in English and Spanish. The Spanish version is made possible our partner, the Organisation of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI). // El texto integro de este artículo está disponible en inglés y castellano. La versión castellana ha sido posible gracias a nuestro socio, la Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (OEI).