Learning2gether Episode 522
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Wed 1 Sept – Thu 30 Sept Virtual World MOOC 2021
The eighth annual Second Life MOOC (renamed the Virtual World MOOC in 2018) started in 2014. The current iteration, VWMOOC21, took place from September 1-30, 2021 on Moodle for Teachers https://moodle4teachers.org/course/view.php?id=114 . The theme was “Connecting in Virtual Worlds. Communities of Practice”
The MOOC strove to connect a plethora of communities in virtual worlds promoting education and learning through connecting online via web technologies such as Second Life. The MOOC focused on connecting online for collaborative learning and teaching around the world through virtual worlds like Second Life, Digiworldz, Kitely, Minecraft, or OpenSim.
The MOOC and the live online classes were organized and coordinated by Dr. Nellie Deutsch, Dr. Doris Molero, Dr. Valerie Hill, and Ann Nowak.
The live presentations were posted here
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SD_K8x089JYv9oFKt7nYPyvNyN3rHcOfLdGHIY6osFY/edit?usp=sharing
There was also a YouTube playlist for the Second Life MOOC (VWMOOC21) at this link
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8JUcjyABKxk08_ezhMOydQO0DryPXiZe
I had hoped to participate more fully in this event. A complicating factor was that the sessions took place almost entirely during very wee hours where I live in Malaysia. Consequently, I tried to follow it using the option provided for any participants who reflected on 10 live sessions and filled in the feedback form at the end of the MOOC, to be eligible for a certificate of completion.
To qualify for the digital badges and for the final certificate I would have to reflect on one of the presentations of the week in this discussion forum
https://moodle4teachers.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=24036
The due date for the reflections was October 1, 2021.
I only managed two reflections, which I’ve posted below.
Reflection 1
Starting with the opening session, https://youtu.be/NQnSjUXg32A a 1-hour video, Nellie started by introducing the other moderators with a video within a video, which included a mention of each of the presenters, to consume the first ten minutes. After that there was a thorough description of what’s on the Moodle portal: organizers, presenters, live sessions, how to enroll in the course. After 20 min. I finally skipped ahead to 30 min, which is where Doris appeared to take us into Second Life.
Doris then started a tour in SL and noted they would be including VR. Nellie pointed out that this was especially relevant for engaging learners in remote learning these days. Valerie (librarian) joined us in SL, screenshot https://www.screencast.com/t/jNcHtacYeSd.
This was the home location in SL, https://www.screencast.com/t/OvvPLb8HQ3
Doris showed us how to get a bookmark to return here from boxes on the floor. There were boxes where you can find links to previous VWMOOCs. She showed us how to get resources from posters on the wall, https://www.screencast.com/t/ncG63AxxhHn, but she had to drop out from serious lag at 40 min.
Zoom was being used to document and stream to YouTube, but it was disappointing to realize that this event was going to be interactive-live on in SL and other VW spaces, so I would probably not be able to participate to a great extent thru YouTube videos.
Doris demonstrated that YT videos are also functional from players on the walls in SL, which is critical, because whereas intuitively you might think why bother to access them through layers more cumbersome than your browser, in this space you can “be in a room” with your students and play the videos to the group through SL, which is much more engaging than doing it through Zoom.
In the last ten minutes of the video, Doris walked us through the pleasant surroundings, where you can meet and discuss – “For language students this is a paradise.” In the last 5 minutes we find a clown which gives you party favors and things you need for dancing, and then we see how the dancing is done.
Doris is giving numerous sessions and would be fun to work with, but all here sessions are at 4 am my time 😦
And as Doris says at the end, if you do not do this, then you cannot teach your students how to do it. How true 🙂
https://www.screencast.com/t/tmM9cCBaDI0
Reflection 2
Nellie was particularly proud of this one and posted its recorded link widely. https://youtu.be/vNtXjzlttuo
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September 25 Saturday |
Katsii Tennen |
CVL Music Library LIVE Music Event: Music in Virtual Worlds (Click on the title to access the recording) |
Come hear live music and visit the CVL Marly Milena Music Library- a dynamic library Musician: Noma Falta has been honored with awards like Best Musician in SL, Best Blues Musician in SL, Best Rock Musician in SL, numerous times. If you want a party, she’ll bring it. If you want some delicious slide, acoustic guitar or bass, she’ll bring that. She’ll share covers & originals. Come join us in our beautiful Library. Nominate your favorite original SL musician to be a part of the Library. |
At https://communityvirtuallibrary.org/marly-milena-music-library/ it says
This Community Virtual Library branch is a collaboration between the Community Virtual Library and Octagon: Creative Exploration. To learn more about CVL, join the Second Life Library 2.0 group in Second Life or visit our homepage. To learn more about Octagon, join the Octagon:Creative Exploration group in Second Life or visit Octagon’s website. Octagon hosts diverse events, including art, music, and therapy exercises and exhibits.
They organize a musician of the month on the 4th Saturday of every month.
Noma Falta was streamed to YouTube through Zoom, and thence into Second LIfe.
So, impressions: great music, excellent musician, great concept for SL, but from a visual and participatory perspective, there were a lot of gyrating avatars, lots of attention to clothes and costumes, probably not all of it free (you have to purchase certain gestures, and this seeds some peer competition among participants in participatory circles in SL).
Avatars can start group dances in SL and invite others, which you can accept (or you can just touch a participating avatar, e.g. “the back of Kedwin’s skirt”, to join the group dance).
Case in point on costume one-upmanship, this dancing bird character.
There’s more info at https://www.facebook.com/nomafalta; interesting stuff there, all in the interest of promoting learning in immersive worlds, where the main thing is not to be thinking, “how can I use this in class on Monday”, but “what does this suggest about the potential of immersive worlds for engaging participants in whatever you think they should be doing, among whom might be my learners”.
Earlier Events
Learning2gether about the nether: Immersed in a VSTE Minecraft Mondays nether world community gaming adventure
Recording https://youtu.be/D4heuGSEvNY
Thu 17 June from 1600 UTC 2nd Library 2.021 mini-conference on Reinventing Libraries for a Post-COVID World
I copied and pasted this from promotional email. It is a free event.
The second Library 2.021 mini-conference: “Reinventing Libraries for a Post-COVID World,” was held online (and for free) on Thursday, June 17th, 2021, from 12:00 – 3:00 US-Pacific Time.
The recordings of the sessions have been posted at https://www.library20.com/reinventing-post-covid.
You need to be a member of Library 2.0 (free) to access them there.
Please join the Library 2.0 network to be kept updated on this and future events.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, librarians have been faced with all manner of challenges as they have worked to bring their service, resources, and events into the virtual realm. Unsurprisingly, librarians have not only met this challenge but thrived in bringing new dynamic digital content, engaging virtual programming and instructional events, and exciting online such as virtual book clubs, gaming tournaments, and even makerspace activities to their patrons. Please join us as we discuss the ways librarians have adapted and evolved their service offerings for a post COVID world.
This event was organized in partnership with Ellyssa Kroski, the Director of Information Technology and Marketing at the New York Law Institute as well as an award-winning editor and author of 60 books. Everyone is invited to participate in our Library 2.0 conference events, which are designed to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among information professionals worldwide. Each three-hour event consists of a keynote panel, 10-15 crowd-sourced thirty-minute presentations, and a closing 30-minute keynote. A mini-conference FAQ (frequently asked questions) page is here.
Participants are encouraged to use #library2020 and #librariespostcovid on their social media posts about the event.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, JUNE 17th – 12:00 – 3:00 PM US PACIFIC TIME
(Click the link on any session title to see the description and/or to correspond with the presenters. The actual Zoom session links will be emailed to registered attendees the day before the event.)
12:00 PM (NOON) US-PACIFIC TIME(Click HERE for Other Time Zones)
- OPENING KEYNOTE PANEL (one hour, see the speaker bios below!)
1:00 PM US-PACIFIC TIME(Click HERE for Other Time Zones)
- Creating Community in the Cloud, IdaMae Craddock, Albemarle County Public Schools
- Getting the most out of your virtual programs (and the case for keeping them post-pandemic!), Kelly Williams, Supervisory Librarian, Gwinnett County Public Library
- Learning from the Pandemic: Mechanics of Post-Pandemic Programming, Sasha Kinney, Adult Services & Reference Librarian, Sacramento Public Library | Bryan Duran, Materials Manager, San Francisco Public Library | Brittany Garcia, Adult and Teen Services Supervisor, Rancho Cucamonga Public Library | Shamika Simpson, Associate Professor & Librarian, Long Beach City College | Ashleigh Torres, Youth Services Librarian, El Dorado County Library
- Library Preparedness and Pandemics: A Documentation and Project Management Approach, Elizabeth Szkirpan, MLIS, Director of Bibliographic Services, University of Tulsa McFarlin Library
- Submerged librarians living in a virtual world: embedded effort builds on instructional collaboration, Denise A. Garofalo, Librarian, Mount Saint Mary College
1:30 PM US-PACIFIC TIME(Click HERE for Other Time Zones)
- Lights, Camera, Action at a Distance: Two and a half ideas for family programming with the doors closed, Matthew D. Thompson, PhD, Community Engagement Librarian, Suffolk Public Library
- No Trivial Matter–Virtual Trivia nights as “stealth” outreach to the public, Robyn Russell, University of Alaska Fairbanks Rasmuson Library | Paul Adasiak | Genova Brookes Boyd
- Preserving and sharing local history through digitization, Michelle Skinner, MLIS | Chickasha Public Library
- Transforming Library Engagement in a Virtual Landscape, Rosa Y. Rodriguez, Outreach Coordinator, California State University San Marcos, University Library
- Virtual Programming Development, Emily Mroczek (Bayci), Freelance Children’s Librarian
2:00 PM US-PACIFIC TIME(Click HERE for Other Time Zones)
- A Triumphant Return to the Library: Tips & Tricks for Our New Normal, Molly Virello, Head of Children’s Services, Southington Public Library & Museum
- Engaging Adult Gamers during the Pandemic Year, Edward Mayberry, San Antonio Public Library | Lorin Flores | Yanel Cepeda
- Libraries in Virtual Reality Environments, Dr. Valerie Hill, Community Virtual Library
- Flexible Work Arrangements: Managing Remote, Bridgit McCafferty, Dean, Texas A&M University-Central Texas University Library | Lisa Hopkins, Assistant Dean and Head of Technical Services
- Use the Librarian Skill Set to Demonstrate Value to Your Post-COVID Organization, Carol Ottolenghi, Director of Library Services, Office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost
2:30 PM US-PACIFIC TIME(Click HERE for Other Time Zones)
- CLOSING KEYNOTE by Chris Jacobs (30 minutes)
Sat 26 June 0200 UTC – TEFL Kuwait Colloquium: Optimizing English Language Education: Practical Takeaways
Join us for yet another magnificent lineup of speakers at TEFL Kuwait Colloquium: “Optimizing English Language Education: Practical Takeaways”
Date: Saturday, the 26th of June
Time: 5.00 PM AST, GMT+3 Hrs
It’s a free event
Click here to register: https://algonquincollege.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcscO2przsjGNYBw7dmGnMZbzbfHLEN4jIb
Fri-Sun 6-8 Aug MMVC21 – 10th Anniversary MoodleMoot Virtual Conference
The 10th annual Free MoodleMoot Virtual Conference (MMVC21) for 2021 took place from August 6-8, 2021.
The purpose of the conference was for educators to engage in learning best practices and challenges involved in teaching and learning face-to-face and online (blended and fully online learning) using Moodle and other technologies. The theme of MMVC20 is teaching and learning with and without technology.
Enrol
https://moodle4teachers.org/enrol/index.php?id=249
to get access to the live sessions, content before and after the conference, your badges and final certificate for reflecting and presenting.
See the presentations scheduled
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j5VYDDuxlhPdqdu1hbXYssVSdGRBlI4HWyVRGW6nJ2E/edit
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This blog is written and maintained by Vance Stevens
You are free to share-alike and with attribution under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
The date of this update is November 15, 2021 03:00 UTC
Learning2gether 
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