MUVES+and+Professional+Development

BrainNook – a virtual world for students in first through fifth grade I took the time to explore the suggested MUVEs from this week’s resources. However, I felt that they were too complicated for my young students. In further exploring some alternative virtual worlds, I came across BrainNook. This is a site developed through Nunook Interactive and offers students an alternative engaging learning environment filled with practical world experience. BrainNook helps kids develop Math and English skills, while exploring the Earth and playing safely with others. It contains over a hundred educational games based on fundamental concepts in Math and English Grammar. The math concepts covered range from single-digit addition to 3D spatial visualization, and English concepts ranging from building simple sentences to counting syllables. These games are embedded within colorful virtual worlds that children can unlock and explore. Two of the biggest highlights in BrainNook are that (1) children play educational games based on the [|Common Core State Standards] while exploring virtual worlds, safely competing and interacting with other children, and solving puzzles; and (2) in addition to math and English skills, BrainNook helps kids strengthen other important skills such as reading, reasoning, decision-making, analysis, memorization, dexterity and computer literacy (BrainNook, 2011). Some resources I have found to help educators learn more about BrainNook include a press coverage page that links to several blogs and wikis that give details about the site, a teacher user’s guide for step-by-step instructions on setting up accounts, managing students, tracking performance, and details about data analysis, and a parent report center that gives detailed information about what the feedback regarding student performance means. Educators and parents can follow BrainNook on [|Twitter], which posts updates about the site, allowing users to keep abreast of updates or changes. Finally, AppAppeal gives a thorough review of the site for new users. I believe that I could engage many colleagues to use this MUVE with primary and intermediate elementary students for many reasons. First, it provides data based on student performance. This is a big deal for our district, as most of our decisions are based primarily on data. Another strong appeal is that parents are updated on progress through e-mails on a monthly basis, minimizing the amount of explaining teachers would have to do otherwise. In addition, BrainNook allows for content rich exploration of many places around the world, including the Sahara Desert, Mt. Everest, the Arctic, the Amazon Jungle, and more. BrainNook also allows students to collaborate and commuicate with students around the globe. Finally, the ace in my pocket, if you will, is that the entire MUVE is based entirely around the Common Core State Standards, which are national standards currently adopted by 38 of the 50 states. This means that the content being explored is current and meaningful. References BrainNook.com AppAppeal. (2011). BrainNook review. Retrieved October 6, 2011 from http://www.appappeal.com/app/brainnook/

Course Project: Online Learning Community: Leading Technology Change Susan Craig

Tapped In ([]) is an educators’ professional development MUVE. I was happy to find a demographics page showing that of the nearly 6400 current members, the largest number of participants reported themselves as technology educators (9.85%). The current October calendar of events has several online professional development sessions scheduled for a variety of disciplines including technology. I looked into some of the 2010 archives to see what past sessions have been like and found links to some cool Web 2.0 tools that I had never heard of. The “Online Teaching and Learning” passageway has an extensive list of links to resources for new and emerging technologies.

The second MUVE resource I explored was the DEN, or Discovery Educator Network, that has located itself in Second Life. I did a lot of reading on their blog to see what its members are saying about it and I have to say that I’m excited about creating an avatar and getting started as a member. I found this blog post by Patti Ruffing to be very helpful: []. The ISTE Island looks to be very promising as an excellent way to stay current with new and emerging educational technologies. Other avenues at the DEN that I will be exploring are the virtual conferences that take place around the calendar.

Once I have been able to explore and establish membership in the DEN and Tapped In, I’ll be able to share what I’ve learned with some of the teachers in my district who share my passion for educational technology. It will be fun to invite them to join in and continue to generate further interest with more staff members.

Leading Technology Change Week 5: Stephanie Cunningham
I spent some time on Second Life this week. It took me a long time to even feel comfortable with using the multi user virtual environment. Personally, having no time for the life I have already really gives me no time for a second life. I was excited to find a teachers corner that was full of great ideas and resources. The system itself is easy to work and was easy to move from one thing to another. This year our focus at my school has been to use each other as resources. We talked about how having time to bounce ideas off of each other really helps with being more effective. Having the online virtual community only brings more people around to bounce ideas off of.

Upon a simple search on secondlife.com I found many different islands that would be beneficial to visit. There is a teacher’s corner, Integrating Technology for All, and an ISTE Island. I found myself searching for things that are not found. This shows the room for growth on these types of environments. I think the potential is there but not tapped into as much as possible. It seems like these types of resources are geared at the people who enjoy the video game aspect and enjoy the search and play interactive. That’s just not me and to me I would rather meet online in a chat room and discuss things or view something like a jing or prezi and work through it.

The first step I took this week was doing a simple yahoo search on multi user virtual environments for elementary students. I did find a very good resource that led me to sites that I could see our students using. It comes from a research center and gives good information on MUVEs and how to use them with students. The resources were every helpful to me. It can be found at: [].

**Leading Technology Change with Second Life** **By: Mary Hayn**

====The MUVE I decided to focus on throughout this section of our wiki is Second Life. Second Life is an amazing tool to implement with high school and college students in any subject area. Two professional organizations that offer training about Second Life are [|RezEd] and [|Atlantis Rising Campus]. Both organizations offers Second Life user’s numerous discussion boards, courses, and events to attend to increase awareness of what Second Life has to offer. Both are very cool websites! Atlantis Rising Campus offers an RSS feed that anyone can subscribe to. The RSS feed allows subscribers to stay abreast of new and emerging technologies within what the site has to offer. RezEd offers podcasts each week of new and upcoming technologies. [|Second Life] also offers blogs, forums, and events to not only stay abreast of Second Life news, but other topics in technology. Overall, all three websites offer users abilities to learn about MUVEs as well as other new and emerging technologies. ====

====To engage colleagues in professional development workshops, I would need to have resources and workshops readily available to discuss and pursue. Atlantis Rising Campus [|offers courses and workshops] that very reasonable. For a student to take a course, the full registration fee is only $225. I am hoping with sharing the price, and sharing numerous reasons of why these courses are worth their consideration, as a team, we would take a course together. ====

====I hope one day Second Life will come up with the ability to allow young students ages 5-9 to participate in this interactive world. ====

** Course Project: Online Learning Community: Leading Technology Change **

** Tammy Crosby **

1) Professional organizations that have an online presence and offer training or workshops in the MUVE:

[]

Participants include:


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">University of California at Santa Cruz
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Cornell University
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Univeristy of Cincinnati
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Art Center College of Design
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">University of Toronto
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Oslo School of Architecture
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">University College London
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Haags Montessori Lyceum
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Charters School
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Sacred Heart Middle School
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Boston Museum of Science
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">NASA Ames Research Laboratory
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Center for Advanced Learning Technologies
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">United Nations

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2) Personal learning network available in the MUVE that will help you keep abreast of new and emerging technologies:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">3) Resource in the MUVE for information about new and emerging technologies (e.g., technology reviewer, futurist, researcher, or journal):

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">4) How could you use the MUVE—and the resources you found—to engage colleagues (local and remote) in professional development workshops?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Hillsborough County Public Schools could create a MUVE to allow teachers to build their classroom and interact with other teachers to simulate using technology with students and to connect classrooms. This would allow aynonomous collaboration, reducing fear, and increasing teacher utilization of Technology Training opportunities available.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hillsborough County Public Schools, Florida, Technology Training and Support Professional Development Department’s <span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Mission: To develop and deliver relevant technology training for all divisions of Hillsborough County Public Schools.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Examples of MUVE Classroom use:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[]


 * 1) Turn your interactive whiteboard into an advanced 3D visualization lab in your classroom for better engagement of your students !**
 * 2) Enhance understanding by getting all students engaged in the 3D immersive content on your interactive whiteboard by getting their hands on the 3D virtual manipulatives !**
 * 3) Tell a story in an immersive way to give students a better understanding and view of the content!**


 * 4) Take a virtual field trip ! Self direct a tour through Washington D.C., take a self directed walk through the Grand Canyon !**
 * 5) Show a step by step process in a 3D immersive way - letting students see the relationships and interactions of objects in a virtual lab !**

by Samantha Cojuangco
 * My Experience with Second Life**

For this assignment I created an avatar on Second Life. I found two professional organizations that offer training and workshops within Second Life. They have nothing to do with technology use but they are involved in offering support, social networking, and information about health. As both a biology teacher and cancer survivor, I found that the Mayo Clinic and the American Cancer Society were two professional organizations that offer conferences and workshops for patients, family of patients, and other health care providers. To stay up to date with new and emerging technology that can be used in education, I joined the group called the ISTE:ET. Under the description for the network they write, “We will support the work of ISTE’s Emerging Technologies Task Force before and after NECC. Out goal is to increase the educational community’s knowledge and understanding of effective infusion of new and emerging technologies to support teaching and learning. Another resource that I found within SL is Nonprofit Commons. More information can be found about this organization at the website http://www.nonprofitcommons.org/. They basically provide a forum for various non-profit groups to share ways in which to use SL. I think Second Life can be used to engage my colleagues in professional development workshops because it offers a location for people to meet virtually and work collaboratively. For example, teachers at my school can share their best practices via slide shows, billboards, and even video clips on a designated island. Teachers can enter the island any time to receive support and meetings could be held outside of school so that teachers can communicate and help each other. My colleagues and I could attend a conference in a SL location where a scientist or other expert shares information in real time and is available to interact with our avatars. Teacher support groups could be set up for teachers who are burnt out or are extremely frustrated about some aspect of their profession similar to the support groups set up by the American Cancer Society. I am joining a support group meeting tomorrow at 12PM to meet other survivors from across the nation. I’ve only spent one day exploring the Second Life world and I am amazed at all it has to offer me, as an educator and as a learner.