Learning2gether Episode 300

Download mp3:
https://learning2getherdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/2015nov15evomc_slang15.mp3?

On Sunday Nov 15, Learning2gether celebrated its 300th episode on the 2nd day of the SLanguages conference. Under the skillful wizardry of Heike Philp, four co-moderators of the proposed EVO Minecraft MOOC session met in Adobe Connect, where Bron Stuckey and Vance Stevens introduced Minecraft, explained its pedagogical significance and appeal to young learners, and extended that appeal to teachers using Minecraft as a vehicle for understanding gamification in the course of their professional development. Filip and Marijana Smolcec, also with us in Adobe Connect, shared a screen where young Filip proceeded to demolish forests for resources and build a shelter as night set in, which he survived despite giant spiders overhead, and emerged at dawn to watch them burn.

This and in fact all recording links from the SLanguages conference are available in this post, and below you can find a YouTube embedded recording of Shelly Terrell’s presentation on badges given as an EVO Moderators training session just prior to the Slanguages event.

Title of talk: Minecraft as a way to Gamify Learning

Recordings:

• Adobe Connect:
  http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/p8widn4br2q/
  or
  https://www.google.com/url?q=http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/p8widn4br2q/&sa=D&usg=AFQjCNGsTtOuQfRhnatallOv7OYUeq1bZg
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/SmeT9cw9h30

Find us on the program here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1USVsLxTnRcis-lysMDpCNnS8I8rKIzZPG0MX7qaEeRw/
and http://slanguages.org/program/

Session description (presenting EVOMC16 in the context of EVO)

Electronic Village Online is an annual 5-week event sponsored by TESOL where teachers share expertise with one another through carefully crafted professional development training sessions. In 2015 one of the new sessions was Minecraft MOOC, which proved so stimulating to its participants that another is planned for 2016 with an expanded panel, including two of the presenters of this SLanguages event.

Dr. Bronwyn Stuckey spoke about teacher use of Minecraft and its popularity with young learners. She explained what Minecraft is and what it looks like in learning, mentioned case studies of teachers using it in learning, and showed how teachers can use Minecraft to gamify their curriculum.

Some of Bron’s projects mentioned during her talk:
http://globalclassroom2013-14.wikispaces.com/Minecraft+Life+Forms+Project
http://minecraftexperience.net/

Vance Stevens examined what teachers (who, in EVO, are learning about the game through the experience of playing it as learners) are learning about designing worlds within the game that will meet their curriculum objectives and create an engaging and enjoyable experience for learners. The presentation explored how teachers can be made aware of the affordances of Minecraft by creating such spaces for one another and interacting in those spaces with young learners who in effect become their teachers.

Marijana and Filip Smolčec shared a view from in-world Minecraft, Filip at the controls, showing us how to accumulate resources, survive a night, and emerge in the morning to watch the spiders and creepers burn.

Our presentations showed how Minecraft can be adapted to a range of learning contexts including languages, particularly English. The game lends itself to task-based language learning, as all players are by definition builders, and also in that all players can be story-tellers who act out and record narratives set within the game in ways that engage them to develop their language skills.

Vance’s slides:
http://www.slideshare.net/vances/evo-minecraft-mooc-at-the-2015-slanguages-online-conference

Click here to find the chat transcript of the Minecraft session from Adobe Connect
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lqb0jnlyM00XIXjkytjyyJ0C3c9ACBmx_I9z-eHNlTw/edit?usp=sharing

The transcript is too long to be pasted here. Scrolling through it on a mobile device is like spinning a roulette wheel with your thumb.

 Announcements

• http://taedtech.ning.com/events/learning2gether-episode-300
• https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/evonline2002_webheads/conversations/messages/31925
• https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/learningwithcomputers/conversations/messages/7075
• https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/multilit/conversations/messages/2111
• Facebook Groups
  • Learning with Computers https://www.facebook.com/groups/6577061586/
  • TAEdTech Sig https://www.facebook.com/groups/TAEdTech/
  • Multiliteracies https://www.facebook.com/groups/evomlit/
  • Webheads in Action
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/webheadsinaction/
  • Learning2gether https://www.facebook.com/groups/learning2gether/
• Google+ Communities
  • Web 2.0 Teaching and Learning https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/112197420264775820915
  • Teachers for Interactive Language Learning (TILL)
    https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/106289715383230353120
  • Webheadsinaction https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/114550321376936920900
  • MultiMOOC https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/104523567430842485789
  • EdTech Mojo
    https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/110130856353339654958
  • Learning2gether https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109504049211076695836
  • Plus EVO 2016 Moderators and EVO Minecraft MOOC communities

Sat-Sun Nov 14-15 8th SLanguages Annual Symposium

See more details and RSVP on Virtual Round Table Web Conference:
http://www.virtual-round-table.com/events/event/show?id=3109966%3AEvent%3A77366&xgi=4sHwnMDtfBlnrD&xg_source=msg_invite_event

Heike Philp followed up as follows:

This is to announce that the recordings of the 8th SLanguages Annual Symposium are now available on the SLanguages.org website under http://slanguages.org/program-overview-2/.

We enjoyed a breathtaking 28h program jam packed with the latest in virtual reality (VR) and virtual worlds (VWs). Amongst others we explored 7 different worlds: Unity3D, ActiveWorlds, Escape sim in Digiworldz (OpenSim), Edmondo (Opensim), Minecraft, AvayaLive™ Engage (formerly web.alive) and of course our great locations in Second Life.

We managed to livestream all of these different worlds, so that the conference participants were able to see everything through Adobe Connect which in itself premiered the first triplecast ever: a share pod in Adobe Connect screensharing Unity3D on Gord Holden’s desktop, me screensharing Second Life on my desktop and Adobe attendees were able to see both worlds on their screen. The Second Life window showed Gord’s head with his lips move when he was speaking,  like a 3D webcam. Very funny. I am especially proud of this technical masterpiece because at VWBPE conference, they also explored different 3D environments but everyone had to create accounts, wait for approval, download virtual world software,  download and install audio streaming software, cope with new complex interfaces and I wanted to save our participants the disappointment which happened to me, managing only to hear the last 5min of my beloved keynote speaker.

We had a great list of true experts in virtual worlds present their latest developments and their presentation were greatly enriched by a whole long list of machinima showcasing teaching in action, artist work and documentaries. Don’t miss out on watching these machinima (all listed on program) as well as the recordings – a truly stunning multi-media experience.

Next, there will be

• our annual EVO session in Jan/Feb 2016, this time all about games in virtual environments (EVO ViLLAGE = EVO Virtual Language Learning and Games Environments),
• 5th DaFWEBKON for teachers of German beginning March
• and Virtual Round Table will be back again end of April, for the 8th time after a one year break.

Sun Nov 15 Letizia Cinganotto at SLanguages the Italian experience in Edmondo
This was a presentation about the Italian educational Open Sim

Sun Nov 15 Shelly Terrell on Badges and Certificates for EVO moderator training and others interested

Download mp3:
https://learning2getherdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/evo-mods-training-nov-15-2015-shelly-terrell-on-badges-yg-pxpo1ruy.mp3?

Chatwing and recording in Hangout on Air
http://evo-training.pbworks.com/w/page/103029493/Week3live

Shelly’s slides: http://ge.tt/2qbYjmR2/v/0  

Session event page: 
https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cke5dle3k1tnrc6vcvjea2fu9tg

Earlier this week

Learning2gether Episode 299 – Sun Nov 8 David Winet on Virtual Reality Headsets and Robots for Teaching and Learning

and EVO Moderator Training Week 2

https://learning2gether.net/2015/11/08/learning2gether-with-david-winet-on-virtual-reality-headsets-and-robots/

Wed Nov 11 1100 UTC Cristina Costa shared a class on Digital Identification

Christina Costa shared a Hangout on Air Event with her Google+ circles called “Brainstorm Session”

The event led to a YouTube stream at this URL https://youtu.be/4ZqjkaxAWcU

From other videos in the sidebar it was possible to infer that the Twitter tag was #TELstrath

https://twitter.com/search?vertical=default&q=%23telstrath&src=typd

It was instructive watching how Cristina lectured from Hangout and took questions from the class in Twitter 🙂

At this tag you can find samples now of Cristina’s students’ digital essays, linked from there in attractive display.

What a thoughtful way to showcase your students’ work.

Vance Stevens ‏@VanceS
I learned about something I can use with students today, an animation tool called
https://www.moovly.com/  thanks @cristinacost on #TELstrath

Thu Nov 12 1800 UTC Rita Zeinstejer Globinar on Video Learning and Teaching Revolution

Full poster available here:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8905964/Breeze/rita_video_learning.pdf

• Info: http://v.gd/videorevolution
• access link: https://webconf.vc.dfn.de/videorevolution/

Rita is just back from Dublin where she attended Digital Ireland 2015. There she met Russell Stannard and gave a reduced version of the presentation she intends to expand on here. Her slides from Dublin appear below.

Meanwhile …

Nellie Deutsch wrapped up her Action Research Webinar series Feb 10 and ongoing for 41 weeks through Nov 14

https://www.wiziq.com/course/90468-action-research-projects-to-improve-instruction-and-learning

For an overview  of similar events: http://www.wiziq.com/teachblog/whats-ahead-2015/