MUVES+and+Professional+Development+(Week+5)

Begin by revisiting one or more of the MUVEs you explored this week. Then, contribute the following to your group’s wiki:

 * ====Identify at least two professional organizations that have an online presence and offer training or workshops in the MUVE.====
 * ====Identify one personal learning network available in the MUVE that will help you keep abreast of new and emerging technologies.====
 * ====Identify at least one other resource in the MUVE for information about new and emerging technologies (e.g., technology reviewer, futurist, researcher, or journal).====

Next, respond to the following question:

 * ====How could you use the MUVE—and the resources you found—to engage colleagues (local and remote) in professional development workshops?====

Assignment length: 2–3 paragraphs
Nancy's Learning Community

Two professional organizations that have an online presence and offer training in the MUVE is [] and [] from King’s College, London, UK. A personal learning network available to help keep abreast of MUVE s is Tapped IN which is an Online teacher development site that includes interactive whiteboard and discussion tools, as well as a Helpdesk staff. It is found at [|http://tappedin.org.com] and will definitely be added to my Delicious book share account. I opened an account with the MUVE **Habbo Hotel** and have requested updates. The Journal of Reserqarchc on Technology in Education is also a good place to get updates on MUVEs. __ http:// www.iste.org __

To engage with colleagues both local and remote I would go to Tapped IN and interact with others after analyzing sites found at __ http:slideshare.net/kimbowa/infomuves-information-management-education-and –the-shift-to-virtual-worlds .__ This site has so much information from many places. It would be beneficial to discuss the various sites in a book club fashion looking at the pros and cons of each site and then sharing ideas with others.

Jackie to Nancy, when I was looking online for MUVE, I came acrossed your Tapped IN site. It looks really good! I am also going to favorite and share it with the teachers in my school. I opened an account with Activeworlds, but I am going to check out Habbo Hotel because I was having some difficulties. Great suggestions! Thanks, Jackie

Jackie's MUVES and Professional Development Two professional organizations I found that have an online presence and offer training in the MUVE is []. This site offers training in many ways like webinars, online tutorials, eBooks, etc. The second site I found is [|http://it.pedf.cuni.cz/~bobr/MUVE/muveen.htm]. This site offers much information on the MUVE and includes links to several virtual sites.

One personal learning network available in the MUVE that will keep me abreast of new and emerging technologies is []. This site is a professional networking site that allows users the opportunity to share their knowledge on different topics. This site will keep me abreast of new and emerging technologies from the professionals that use them.

Another resource in the MUVE for information is []. This site keeps updated information on new and emerging technologies. One MUVE site that I found is [|http://www.worlize.com]. This site was found in [].

Through the sites I have found and as the technology teacher at my school, I can use these sites to engage colleagues in professional development workshops by demonstrating them to show their effectiveness in teaching and learning.

Kenny to Jackie: As the business teacher in my school I am also charged with teaching the computers courses, although for business and careers purposes. However, it does seem to fall to me more than any other teacher as the resource on MUVEs. So, I also will soon be sharing this with my staff as well. I am not so sure we are ready for it yet. We should probably get into blogging, Voicethread, webspiration, wordle, glogster, authorstream, etc. first. MUVEs have many issues still. It is just really time consuming and can lead to frustration. They will get much better in the near future I am sure, and by then more teachers will be using the technology tools I mentioned and will then be willing to step into the use of MUVEs.

Kenny's MUVEs: Professional organizations that have an online presence and offer training or workshops in the MUVE: Personal learning networks available in the MUVE that will help you keep abreast of new and emerging technologies: Other resource in the MUVE for information about new and emerging technologies (e.g., technology reviewer, futurist, researcher, or journal):
 * The Mayo Clinic's island in Second Life includes conference facilities and a bookstore. The not-for-profit medical practice holds regular talks and events on diseases and illnesses for interested Residents.
 * American Cancer Society: Offering hope to sufferers of this often fatal disease, the ACS in Second Life offers education/awareness programs and aims to unite survivors and caregivers. Residents can also visit Anatomica, which examines the key player in the body's immune system: the white blood cell.
 * The iEducate project - helps vocational education and training professionals (VETPROs) to learn about e-learning technologies, overcome barriers and enhance the experience for their learners.
 * New Media Consortium: Learn more about the world around you and take advantage of all Second Life has to offer in the education realm at the SL presence of the The New Media Consortium. Visit http://www.nmc.org/ for more info.
 * SciLands Orientation Island: The entrance to SciLands, Second Life's new Science and Technology Continent.
 * EdTech Island - Teacher Education in Virtual Worlds: EDTECH island offers free resources and space for all teachers and faculty. Boise State University, educational technology, teach, education, teachers, educators, teaching. Found at: http://world.secondlife.com/place/7ffac8a5-6af1-dc14-e09e-fbaec1309201
 * EDGE Technologies Update group!: EDGE Tech is a Sci-fi themed store looking for enhancing the futuristic cyber Roleplaying, or just your Second Life appearance. They work for an original and unique look, always looking the better for their clients. This group has been created for Updates and announcements. Found at: []

My colleagues and I could use MUVEs to interact with minds from all around the globe. Many times in education a local school may be experiencing problems unique to the area, and local educators may not be great resources for remedying the situation. However, I have heard that nothing is new under the sun, and this is true most of the time. I am confident that the more organized and used MUVEs become the better teachers, and all individuals, will be able to better serve in their spheres of influence as they draw upon the support and minds of others from around the world.

Just a thought, I wonder how long it will be before video conferencing is more integrated in teacher meetings? From here, the technology will be right there for our school to “conference” with other places in a MUVE. Definitely within ten years I think. However, the way things are going I would not be surprised if it was on us in the next couple years. I don’t even have a mind that can comprehend all the potential changes. Change seems to be taking place exponentially more with the influx of technology.

Sean to Kenny: I really like the link you found to American Cancer Society. My school does a lot of fund raising for Relay for Life but I am not sure most of my students understand the importance of that event. The MUVE you found might really help them understand what Cancer is and why it is such an important health issue. I also think you are on to something with video conferencing. I recently saw a movie and the teacher did a video conference with his class when he was out of class for a few days. That would open the door for co-teaching with a class in a different state, even allow grade levels to conference from different schools for professional development. I know I am looking forward to how I can use Second Life with my students in class.

Sean

One resource for educators to use to stay abreast of new technologies and share with others is the [|Discovery Educator Network]. Here educators have access to numerous webinars, current and past. There are educational blogs teachers can participate in to share and build their experiences with technology. This sight will help me stay abreast of new technologies and how to integrate it into instruction.

Another site located that has several pages that allow teachers to share their experiences is [|Facebook]. Here teachers can join groups that allow teachers to discuss and share what they are doing in the classroom with MUVE as well as other 21st Century Skills. Teachers and schools can establish their own pages to share their personal experiences. ISTE also has a page where teachers can share and learn about new technologies to incorporate into the curriculum.

[|Slide Share]is another source great for personal learning communities. There were several shows that shared the use of technology within the classroom and how to develop personal communities through various links, such as Facebook, Discovery Education, Etc.found at [] Using slide share, teachers can search for resources to help them in a specific are or present a show for other educators. One MUVE resource available for educators is [|Tapped In]. Here teachers can share with colleague’s projects they are using in their instruction and get ideas from others how they can implement MUVE in their classrooms. It also has links for professional development opportunities for educators. I attempted to use Second Life but the application was too slow and would not keep the attention of my elementary students. I read on several different sites that there are numerous resources for educators that allow them to share their knowledge and experiences and enhance their use of Second Life. However, I was unable to access them. I did however look at Whyville's virtual environment and liked the way it navigated and the activities it had for students. However, I was unable to locate a source for teachers to learn more ways to incorporate it into the classroom.

Judy Spears

Sean's MUVE topic:

[] - Professional organization website

[] - professional organization

[] - emerging technology

I created an account with Second Life, which seems to be a very popular MUVE. The site above, MUVEdesign showed me some very interesting information about MUVEs and their use. The author was explaining about the activity on MUVE and the realism that new users are applying into their virtual worlds. For one event, the design was very realistic. This made me think about ways that we can have our students broaden their own experiences. They could research famous buildings around the world, popular vacation destinations, or famous architecture. They could apply this research into their creations. Their characters, or Avatars, can allow them to be people they cannot be in the real world.

When I created my account on Second Life, I was able to pick my activity. One activity I thought my students would like is Krafties.

Krafties is a free immersive fantasy pet MMORPG adventure game. Raise, train and empower your own personal cute pets to endure challenging quests, craft amazing items or consumables and even battle with friends. Craft and battle your way power and glory! More info at [|http://krafties.com].

For future resources, I found the link for Slideshare.net. I think this would be really helpful in all subject areas. I typed in math in the search box and found multiple ideas. There were also suggested topics you could choose to read. I found one on being a woman business owner. This might be an excellent topic to debate, or even compare and contrast today’s business owner vs a business owner in the 60s.

Sean Bosley
 * Jillian to Sean, It looks like you had a lot of success while researching the different worlds and lands of Second Life, did you have knowledge of this program before or were you just able to pick up on it easily. I'm jealous!! I loved your resource that you provided, Krafties. It sounds like an excellent way to teach math and social studies in a collaborative way.**

Using the program Second Life has been a little challenging, but with the help of the search feature I was able to find a few ‘islands’ that could benefit my classroom and help me collaborate with other educators within my building and even around the world. The first island that I found to be very interesting was STEM Island. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. I visited the island and found information on various types of science including NASA. I feel that this island or network could definitely help me stay up-to-date on the latest trends and technology in mathematics.

The next island that I found was the Seminole County Public Schools – EduPLACE. It was definitely a great model for other schools to follow. This island seemed like it was created by the staff members as a way to share information. I found it to be very collaborative, innovative, and inviting.

Another island that I found was EdTech Island, EdTech. This island is described as being a free resource for teachers. There were presentations available around the island to help inform teachers of concepts and programs available..

Another resource I found to keep me abreast on new and emerging technology was Chilbo Education Research Center. This was designed to show new tools, gadgets, books, assessment tools, and other materials and resources for educators, teaching, learning, and research. [|http://chilbo.org]

I had a very hard time navigating this program. I found it hard to move around and find information. I understood teleporting to an island, but once I was there I was completely lost. I would need professional development on just using Second Life, before I would be able to use this program as a tool in my classroom or for professional development. MUVE can definitely have their place in education, but I need to understand it better before I’ll ever use it.

Jillian Engelhardt

Judy to Jillian

I too was having some difficulties with Second Life. I like the concepts and how it allows for creativity. I also think it is great that students and teachers can create places to visit and invite others to visit. I believe this is a new technology that is still emerging and has some issues that need to be worked out. I will be working with fourth graders in the fall and wonder if they will have the patience for the program. I did find Whyville's virtual world and it is a lot easier to navigate. It does not have as many features as Second Life but it still offers some new experiences for the students. They still get to communicate with others outside of the school and I value this experience. I believe communication is a skill many students fail in because they are accustomed to facing the people they are speaking with. I think virtual environments will help build these types of skills.

Judy Spears

Sarah to Jillian, I have some STEM related resources which you may be interested. The first one is Tech & Learning E-News. You can subscribe to the online magazine for free and take advantage of their ideas for use in the classroom. The link is: []. I also receive the online newsletter from EGIF which has STEM related activities for the classroom. The URL is []. Sarah

__ When researching different MUVEs, I was torn between Project Wonderland and Second Life. I watched several videos about Project Wonderland and it seemed as though it may be easier to use than Second Life. My computer would not download and open Project Wonderland after the download, so I created a Second Life account. My computer also would not load Second Life due to a problem with my video card driver. After much trouble-shooting with no avail, I decided to research different places within Second Life which have educational opportunities.

Global Kids is an initiative to educate and inspire urban youth. There are several resources within the Global Kids curriculum which can be helpful for all educators. There are workshops available to assist educators in implementing such resources as Ayiti: The Cost of Life.

Another resource I found with connections to Second Life and Global Kids is Voices of Youth. This is an online place for students to study and express opinions in regards to topics such as education, human rights, and the environment. It is an incentive which was created by the youth division of UNICEF.

One online professional learning community I found is The Science Network found at thesciencenetwork.org. This web site has links to different videos which provide information about several current topics related to science and education. This would be a great resource to share with middle school or high school students. The students would be able to gather information straight from the scientist studying the topic. I particularly like the SuperEducators section.

Another Science specific location I found is the International Spaceflight Museum which can be found at: []. This enables students and teachers to watch NASA videos and even ride on a rocket using your avatar. The museum updates its exhibits and holds events.

Another resource I found was the Blogger’s Café. It was set up by a class in Australia and its mission is to share information and educational experiences with the virtual world. The creators encourage classes to follow the blog and leave comments. This is a great opportunity for students to communicate with other students around the world.

Throughout this course, I have relied on the advice of Kelly Walsh. He is an educator who aspires to be up-to-date with the latest educational technology. Through his videos and blog, I found an online Classroom Management System which I would like to use during the next school year. His reviews and tips on educational resources can be found at: []. Sarah Williams

Tiffini to Sarah I really liked the resource you found about the International Spaceflight Museum. I have a story in my curriculum about an astronaut and this website would fit perfectly with it. I will be sure to add it to my Delicious website which saves all my favorite websites and allows me to organize them accordingly. I also got the opportunity to check out the Global Kids website, and I feel that would also be beneficial in my classroom. I found some useful ideas that I can incorporate and help my students learn about different topics. As for Kelly Walsh's website, I think that is a great way to stay in touch with the latest and newest technologies. I like how there is a blog so people can comment with their thoughts and ideas. I can definitely use some of the advice that was offered in my classroom next school year. Thanks for the helpful resources. Nice post this week. Good luck with the rest of the course! The end is near. Tiffini

Tiffini Varrasse's Initial Response

Multi-user virtual environments, also known as MUVEs, can be explored from a learner's perspective. I have found 2 MUVE websites that can be useful in helping me stay abreast with the latest technology and help keep my tech knowledge from becoming obsolete. The first professional organization can be located at []. Training-Classes.com is a public directory of training, education, learning and development seminars, programs and providers. It includes all types of training and educational seminars, including instructor-led training (ILT), courseware, e-learning, home study and self-paced learning resources. Another professional organization can be found at []. This is a great way for teachers to find work provided by other teachers specific to what they are looking for. Slide share presenations can be great in finding other resources to help increase knowledge on a topic.

One personal learning network available in the MUVE that will help me stay abreast of new and emerging technologies is a website that can be found at [|www.emergingedtech.com]. This website was also a website provided by one of my colleagues, but the owner of the site provids tips and reviews on educational resources. There is blog where fellow educators can give their advice and opinions on a topic, in addition to videos that can be watched for additional infomration on the lastest technologies. I think this would be very beneficial to me next school year when I am trying to incorporate and infuse more technology into my lessons.

MUVEs and the additional resources I found, listed above, can be used to engage my colleagues in professional development workshops. I would need to become more familiar with this topic before I could pitch it to my colleagues. I can see the benefits it could have in an educational setting, however, I need to get more comfortable with it. It would be a great way for teachers to communicate with one another in order to share ideas, but trial runs would need to be set to try to eliminate any confusions or difficulties. At this time, I am going to stick with the technology what I am comfortable with in order to reach and engage my students. If MUVEs become a way of the future, I would hope that training and/or professional development is offered to me to aid in the implementation process.

Nicole to Tiffini You have interesting resources and I like the slideshare as it is a good resource to help teachers find information and other resources on topics that they need to know more about. I agree that these resources could be effective to use with colleagues to help them with professional development and to become more familiar with the new and emerging technologies. Will you be pitching the idea of using MUVEs for educator workshops and trainings or for use in the classroom? I understand that you would want to become more familiar with it first, I agree that I would also like to learn and understand this technology better before bringing it into the classroom, or suggesting any training with it. However, it seems to me that there are still many barriers with this technology that would need to be worked through if it were to become regularly used in the classrooms. I am glad that we are becoming familiar with this technology now so that our knowledge can grow as the technology itself grows as well.

Nicole deMoll- Week 5

MUVEs are far more spread than I initially realized. After doing some research I was surprised to find so many different types and resources. I found some good and different resources at this site: [] which also gives some research and general information. Two websites that I thought were good for training and information about the new and emerging technologies were found at [] and []. Both of these offer different types of trainings and information that a school, or team of colleagues could use. This type of technology will be new and different to most educators and even teachers and administrators with knowledge of technology in the classroom could benefit from trainings in the MUVE.

I also think that using MUVEs for educating teachers and providing training simulations could be very interactive and beneficial. This article, [] discusses the use of virtual environments (mainly focused on SL- [] ) used for this purpose. Interestingly this article calls out some benefits and many barriers that are creating from MUVE in SL. There is still a lot to learn and understand before taking our students in MUVEs and therefore, I believe that it is that much more important for educators to take advantage of the workshops and trainings made available.

Nicole, I definitely agree with you when you say that it's much more important for educators to be trained properly before incorporating MUVE's into the classroom. It gives me a lot of anxiety to think of all of the technology out there and having to bring it into my classroom without the proper training. Most technology I feel comfortable enough to be able to learn as I go, but with something like this I feel that I would definitely need some extensive training before I began to use it with my students. Thank you for the resources, they are very helpful! Jillian Engelhardt