EDUCEDGE,

Fffff! The WASC presentation went well. But what a big venue. Our room sat 100 people, about 50 showed up…not too bad considering that this was the last concurrent session between the keynote speakers (James Paul Gee) and a series of paid workshops on Saturday, April 19th.

We had a great spread, the deluxe version. We asked -and got- 2 huge screens, 2 projectors, 2 internet links (after a few shuffling of the passwords), and the expected podium and mic. Really nice.

Here is our blurb on the WASC program p40 (http://www.wascarc.org/documents/ARC%20Program%20Guide.pdf)

Virtualities? The Rich Opportunities and Pedagogical Perplexities of Immersive and Social Learning in Virtual Worlds (Harbor Island II)
Although wildly popular with the 9 million “inhabitants” (avatars) and over 100 institutions of higher education that now have “islands,” Second Life remains unfamiliar to many academics, even as much more powerful virtual worlds lie just over the horizon. This tour of virtual worlds introduces novices and the unacquainted to emerging possibilities for engagement that challenge common assumptions about real learning.
Presenters: Brock S. Allen, Director, Center for Teaching & Learning; Sabine Lawless-Reljic, Doctoral candidate, San Diego State University; Suzanne Aurilio, Assistant Director, Qualcomm Institute for Innovation and Educational Success; email: Brock.Allen@SDSU.edu;

Here can be found the Machinima I created for Suzanne’s presentation (music simulation), and mine (social presence, immediacy behavior, archive-able, machinima techniques and purposes, etc.)
http://willowshenlin.blip.tv

The workshop was a great review of basic knowledge on current and potential SL users. Maybe a few extra resources such as the SaLamander Wiki or the JoKay Education in SL blog would have been useful for the audience. I had my laptop so it was easy to follow, but I suspect that this should have been titled more as a guided discussion more than a workshop. I did not see any other laptops in the room…which would make the workshop idea a bit problematic. Anyway, I got to meet Alan Levine.

Summary of the workshop:
Engaged Learning within Immersive Worlds
This workshop will offer participants an overview of the innovative and varied uses of immersive worlds such as Second Life by educators around the world. Workshop facilitators will highlight their potential for engaging learners, inviting participants to think about how their faculty’s teaching might be transformed within these new environments. Participants will explore student identity, best practices, policies governing use, and subject areas that fit well with the properties of Second Life. Participants will leave with an understanding of the educational uses of immersive worlds, a list of resources and working groups related to Second Life, and guidelines for launching and supporting these applications within higher education environments. We presume no prior experience (or avatar)!
Facilitators: Susan E. Metros, Associate Vice Provost for Technology Enhanced Learning and Deputy CIO; Holly Willis, Research Assistant Professor and Director of Academic Programs, University of Southern California; Alan Levine, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, The New Media Consortium (NMC), email: smetros@usc.edu; hwillis@cinema.usc.edu; alan@nmc.org