Skoolaborate

It really is a great place to be

I have so many great great stories to tell lately.  In particular about the students.  I was just telling my wife how cool it was that our Skool didn't have swearing or guns and how the kids were just decent people enjoying working together. I got home tonight and got this email from one of our new partners Barrie....

Our first week has been most joyful.  These are the happiest moments of all for teachers.  To see students learn for the joy of learning is most rewarding.  When class is over, I get a collective booo and have to drag them away.

Being digital natives, almost all of my students are taking to Skoolaborate like ducks to water.  A few immediately identified themselves as enthusiasts and leaders; they are already on step 8 while the rest of us are moving toward step 2.  I had them tell their exciting stories today: chatting in Japanese with a student from Japan, shopping at the mall, learning how to build and script by watching students from the UK.  They have found everyone to be so friendly and helpful.

We are on line at school on Monday, 10:15 - 10:45, Wednesday 8 - 9:40, and Friday 8 - 9:40 am.  About half of my students are able to access Skoolaborate from home. (Don't worry Barrie we are onto it, the students will put on meeting times etc shortly)

Wednesday, I will try to get my students focused on basic skills; this past week, they were just too excited.  Then, we'll move from there.

We are very interested in communicating with other students and would like to set up meeting times.  We will be exploring projects currently underway, then work on initiating our own.

Thanks so much for everything.....

I had just written to Barrie to tell him about a great kid I had met from his school LA School for the Arts (check out their expected school wide learning results).  My wife and I talked to him on the weekend and introduced him to a few of the other students who were regulars.  He told us of his fantastic school and the array of talents they needed just to get in (performing arts school).  Our son went to a similar school here in Australia.  Pretty soon he started talking to the other students and my wife and I backed off and enjoyed watching new friends finding each other in new worlds.

We have also had the not so great times and they will come again but this week, I think I will happily agree with Barrie - life in teaching and learning can be just joyful.

What we have learnt

Recently Chris Flesuras from Kyoto Gakuen school created the movies below (Part 1 and Part 2). Not much more than a year ago MLC school began our journey and were very unsure of how virtual worlds would work.  Since that time we have had many meetings, many trial activities, many failures and successes.  What Chris' videos say to me is that we have learnt plenty.  So watch both parts and enjoy.  Whilst it is only explaining one event within Skoolaborate I believe it clearly shows how our understanding on 'how to work with Education in Virtual worlds' has grown.

Skoolaborate - Jidaimatsuri (Part 1)


Skoolaborate - Jidaimatsuri (Part 1)

Heuristic 5 - Collaboration is the key - Do we test this?

Another secret to success and it is around Collaboration.  We have seen two types of partners participation.  Some ask why things are not finished yet.  They get frustrated and leave having nothing to do.  Others ask what can be done, see a problem and work feverishly to fix it.  They have plenty to do and stay.

Yesterday I had Lucy, a student, visit me with a problem.  Lucy said that there was not enough going on 'in world'.  Yes, I said, "you have a problem".  "So what are  you going to do about it?"

 Lucy accepted the challenge and, after a brief discussion, got to work.  She agreed that we needed regular and purposeful events that matched our vision and that would attract students.  She picked awareness raising for cancer as it is almost November and we do a fund raising drive as part of the Movemeber initiative.

Lucy then sent an email (the content of this blog entry) and asked me what I thought.  My answer was that after reading her email I had a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat as she had demonstrated to me the best thing about teaching and learning here at MLC School - independent thought and confidence to take action. 

What  you have done, Lucy, is taken a small concept and expanded it to the point that it may just work. 

I read, from her text, a true understanding of how to build community,  how to think strategically and how to engage youth from cultures around the world in purposeful activity.

Thanks so much Lucy and keep at me to support you as best I can.  Exciting stuff, wish it was on some exam somewhere. Yes lets chat some more. 

I have included, within her text(in pink), the comments that show  you what I saw, I guess this is  what I would mark her on if the curriculum allowed me to test this stuff.

Hey Mr.Field,

Ok so here's what I've done. I have decided that the event (student matches vision of site and creates purposeful activity  - cancer awareness) should run for about 30 to 40 minutes, leaving it short and sweet. (strategic event planning awareness)

I'm going to run the even twice, once in the morning at about 7:30 and again in the afternoon at about 5:00 (in order to give all schools globally a chance to participate)(global awareness). I'm not sure how these time suit everyone though.

I was thinking the event could run on the 20th, that's a Thursday which would be good for you, right? (nice work, meeting the clients need - this is the time our partners have indicated, on our wiki, their best availability ) So during this time we will have someone (i guess it will be me?)(responsibility, although we could speak about delegation here) who will introduce and conclude the events and keep everyone focused (making it purposeful).

So we will stream the video of your ex-Aussie Idol guy through (use of multiple and appropriate technoliges) and that can go for about 10-15 minutes (strategic - catering for the audience - good music for all to enjoy).

I'm going to make a stall that gives out free prim moustaches so that every one can wear one (initiative and technical skills). All this would be located at the stage, I think this would be a better place than the beach because there's more room (strategic thinking).

So also what I was thinking is, my mum has lots of contacts and I could get someone who knows about Movember and Men's health (ability to network), I could interview them and stream that though or do you think that would be too boring? We do have to have some information about the Movember theme. We could also put up some information on boards.

The other thing I thought of that I think would be really fun and heaps of people would want to join in was a building comp. (pre conference planning) I thought we could make it start on the 1st and finish on the 20th, so then we can give out the prize and announce the winner at the Movember party. So I thought if we do, do it, people would have to register so we know how many people are evolved.

We can make a working space for each in the Sandbox. I don't know what the prize would be, I was thinking somewhere along the lines of, a box of scripts and textures...? Starting on the 1st doesn't give us much time but I think I can pull it off. I need to contact the other schools and let them know about it and also put up some posters in world. (Understanding of virtual worlds and global working)

So what do you think of all this, its all to be confirmed ofcourse. Im going to up load some of these ideas on the Wiki tonight (sharing vision and communication skills), also start to make posters and notifying other schools. By the way, what if the full name of the ex-aussie idol guy? We need to organise for him to come to school one day. (follow up and pro active behaviour) Do you still want me to come see you tomorrow?

Lucy

Lucy is 14 years old and doesn't always do brilliantly in 'normal' classes.

The last word on this from our Principal...

Hi Lucy,

What a great idea!

Never underestimate the power of one to get a good idea up and active!!

Congratulations.

Mrs Stone

Watch this space and let's see how she goes, must talk about  delegation but really, isn't this what education is all about?

The 'Education grid' emerges with Skoolaborate?

A recent article published in The Metaverse Journal suggested that Skoolaborate was becoming the elusive 'Education Grid'.  Whilst this is quite flattering it was never our intention to take over the planet.  We did intend to give students and teachers some experience in Virtual worlds as the research suggested that they will be the next iteration of the web. Getting used to the environment has given us a heads up on the understanding we will need as the web progresses into a new 3d Environment.

The recent release from Exit Reality indicates that we are not that far away and I am confident that my students at MLC School and the students of our Skoolaborate partners certainly have a head start.  It seems like we might have been onto something - take a look at this (click the graphic ).

What we recognized early was that the success of these environments depended on community.  And community is what we have been building.  We are not a complete site at this stage and don't have a thousand completed units of work to display but what we are quickly gathering is that community. The richness is in the battle of not knowing what to do and not being as good as we want to be yet.  It is just so inspiring seeing the students taking the lead as partners with teachers in this journey.

Epstein says . 'this partnership should bring together a rich and diverse mix of folks, students and educators, which should create a varied, stimulating environment in which to learn'.

And this is what is happening.  Recently we have had Chile, Portugal, the UK and several new organisations join our ranks, all motivated and ready to go.  My next few blog entries (coming soon) will demonstrate some of the planning that has taken place and the progress we have made. 

For me the interesting point is when I describe who has done the work. 
For example to list who contributed to the Welcome tower (an orientation model) I would say, Mike, Chris F, Francesca, Lucinda, Zac, Karl, Westley and Chris P.  What is more impressive is when I say they are from Japan, Australia, USA, UK and New Zealand and they are 4 students and 4 teachers.  They just meet and do it.

 

Epstein gives us credit as 'now the world’s largest virtual environment project, designed for kids of junior high school age' but then poses the question 'will the Teen Second Life Grid remain active for long enough for any of their goals to come to fruition?'

My answer would be that our goals exist well beyond Teen Second Life.  Whilst I believe the Lindens are out in front at present (and may continue) there are hundreds of Virtual Worlds in development.

Our goals lie within Global Understanding.  Our success relies on our ability to become a community.  If we are successful in that we will live beyond any software.  If it fell over today, we still would have won.

Want a little glimpse?  Check out the Debney Park students latest taster.

It's Been A Busy Summer! - Chinese Museum spreads the culture

This post is by David Cox about their plans for Skoolaborate.

Students from 1on1 English Language School, in Taiwan, have been busy working on projects for our "Cultural Area" build located near the Orientation Tower.
This space has been allocated for us to spotlight student projects reflecting local and Chinese culture.  Our students have been very engaged in several projects that will be added to the area.  We currently have two buildings under construction.

The first building is a pagoda that will house student projects.  The structure is being designed so that through scripting, it will open up to reveal the content within.  Each student has been researching a person, story or event from Chinese/Taiwanese history that they feel would be interesting to share with other Skoolaborators.  Each completed project will be displayed in the pagoda, showcasing each individually.

The second building is a Chinese-style store.  Students are currently brainstorming ideas for Chinese items that they can make and place for sale in the store.  Some ideas going around:  Clothing (Qi Pao, T-shirts), Kites (scripted for flight), Games (traditional toys: scripted tops).

We plan to add several more buildings to the area.  One such building will be a take out restaurant.  Students are making a list of the most interesting local delicacies.  They will provide a photo, Chinese/English name, and a description in English of the dish.  They will collectively put together a menu, and a photo display of each dish.  The customer will be served the actual meal, to go of course!

The largest building will be a Confucius Temple, as he is the most revered teacher in China.  Information concerning him is being gathered as an ongoing project.  There is an actual Confucius temple not far from where we live.  Students are finding/taking photos, so that we may model our temple after it.
We are hoping to put a Confucius avatar there, who will hand out notecards, each with a wise saying.  Lots of information for students to work with. I have been working together with Jeremy Koester and Eloise Pasteur in developing a word skills game, similar to hangman, that will post high scores and names of players.  It will offer translated clues for students who are still practicing English.  The Confucius Temple seems a fitting place for this game to be placed.  Hopefully, we can have the game up and running by mid 2009.

A Chinese Traditional Medicine shop was the brilliant idea of one of my students.  Everyone is on a task to identify the most common ailmets.  Along with the ailments, they list the medicine used and how to prepare it, and photos of the actual medicine.  I'm really excited about this, as I am learning a lot of interesting information.

Each student shares documents through Google as part of a collaborative group.
They log on and add info to the documents when they have the time, and then I discuss this with them in class.  As you can imagine, it is a difficult task for them to pull all the information together, translate, and combine it into something that conveys their message well.  I think the key here is in not rushing them. These are on-going projects that will unfold in time.  The list of projects is pretty long, but they are steadily working away, and making good progress.

When the buildings have been completed, the students will put together vocabulary and expressions that would be expected of a person working in a particular store.  What greetings and helpful knowledge would be important in dealing with customers?  After they have the information prepared, we can have each student take turns as the proprieter of the shop.  Roleplaying in the best environment imaginable, with students from around the world.  This has great potential.

I am trully excited about the future of English2ndLife and its partnership with Skoolaborate.  The technology is here, the students are ready, let's take education to the next level!

Please become a member of English2ndLife at http://www.english2ndlife.ning.com

New Friends I've Met Somewhere Before...

After a week of reflecting back on the time I spent in Sydney, I thought I'd add a few of my impressions to the blog...

It's been about a year since our school first joined Skoolaborate.  At that time, there were only about three of us: MLC School, Christ's College, and Kyoto Gakuen.  In retrospect, I can say that the decision to join was a difficult one because we in Kyoto felt that our hands were full with another Second Life project - the Pacific Rim eXchange.  However, after talking with Westley, I felt that we would be joining a very competent group of teachers and students in the Oceania region which also had the advantage of being closer to our own time zone here in Japan.  Though most of the first year was spent developing projects and a system to communicate among all the participating schools, we still managed to do a few joint projects and grow from a base of a few schools to the 15+ schools we have now. 

Congress '08 was the icing on the cake as many of us were able to meet in person for the first time.  For me, and I'm sure for the others in attendance,  this was the best part of the project thus far.  It's truly amazing that we have developed professional relationships online without ever meeting in person.  Through the various video conferences, iChat sessions, and in-world conversations we've had, most of us knew each other before actually meeting face-to-face.  It's a strange feeling to arrive in a country you've never been to, meet people you've never shaken hands with before, and then reminisce about all the things that have been accomplished together throughout the past year.  This, I suppose, is the power of the Internet, Second Life, and global communication.  Though I'm writing from a teacher's perspective, I imagine the feeling was the same for most of the students...

I want to thank everyone I met at the Congress - the students, developers, teachers, and administrators alike.  Outside of the workshops and lessons we were involved in, I found all of you to be extremely motivated and interesting people to talk to.  It's good to get together and share ideas with people who not only understand everything you are saying, but also contribute to the conversation with their own thoughts and constructive criticisms.  I think we make a pretty good team, and I'm looking forward to putting some of those ideas into practice in the coming months...

Chris Flesuras
Kyoto Gakuen High School

Feeling Old

From Emily (MLC School Student)
I was looking around Skoolaborate and a thought suddenly occurred to me everything has changed completely from how it was in the beginning.
At the beginning it was one Island with some boxes around, then the first 3 room tower and the apartments built by Natalia were added and we all had the Sims looking hair.

Now all that is gone. A new Tower has been built, a new apartment block has been created, more islands have been added, groups have been created, new objects and gadgets, Fashions and heaps more. Looking back its only been about a year since I joined the Skoolaborate Project and it feels like its been apart of my entire life. I feel like saying "In the old days..."
In the picture below:
- notice my sim like hair,
- the market below my avatar,
- the 3 room tower in the background,
- on the left hand side is the School that, at least, hasn't changed except in name (now called Learning Centre) and
- on the right hand side, the edge of the building is the old apartment building

Social Action

Westley Field from MLC School met Holly Willis, Director of Academic Programs School of Cinematic Arts at USC (University of Southern California).

They are really pushing some boundaries there and we are exploring ways that the students at MLC School in Sydney and those in Skoolaborate could work together to create some academically rigourous units of work and virtual experiences around media literacies, machinema and working with disadvantaged youth.

To get some idea of what they are up to read 'Click here for Torture'.  Also check out this video - food for thought....

Clean Up please

One of the issues we struggle with in our community is students and teachers leaving their builds or general rubbish laying around.  We are developing strategies with certain students having return rights etc but is there an easy way to take your builds with you?

I just came across this interesting article and you tube video that shows how some companies are recognising the issue.  Basically it explains how this company has invented a way that you can go back and forward through interactions of building designs, collaborate and move in different directions, save it all and be able to view history - much like wiki entries only for builds.

I guess teaching our kids how to put their stuff away and be smart about it is teaching them how to operate in these future (fast becoming present) environments.

The wiki-tree functions like a 3-D rendered wiki so instead of seeing a line-by-line edit, you see each iteration of a 3-dimensional model but also “branches” and “leaves” representing the different versions and direction of the changes. Collaborators can build onto the existing model, vote on modifications, revert to a previous version, and contribute to the design process from anywhere in the world.

Re Development par for the course

A recent trip to Singapore combined with some technical hitches in  current programming have caused a rethink of Skoolaborate's layout  The result will solve several issues and will take us further towards our desired objectives

Redevelopment is par for the course with virtual worlds. Both to stimulate new ideas and to generate ongoing challenges for students.

Initially we started with four islands (represented as squares) joined as below. Each island was to reflect a major theme related to our objectives.  An art gallery, for example would be built in the cultural area, a classroom in the learning area.  Whilst the plan was solid the technology did not allow the center area to function properly as crossing sims produced many difficulties like falling through floors etc.

We discussed many ideas around which way we could go. Chris quickly sketched  the following diagrams that summarised our ideas.

In this arrangement (a birds eye view) the Center Sim will be at ground level with the other sims high above (to accommodate the Dioramas described below) Later the middle sim will form a large 'diorama' like space that can be used for themed group projects. For example our first project will be to create a global zoo that houses samples of and information about endangered species from each participating country and how to protect their environments. Another to create a united nations area with displays from each partner school.

        The Green squares represent dioromas (80m x 60m x 50m). These dioramas will allow schools to add 'mini environments' as projects. For example MLC would like to create a diorama about Broken Hill (outback Australia) . It will contain Movies, pictures and stories as well as host scenes (including dust storms and old shacks etc) Other student could then visit to get a feel for the outback and learn more about that environment.

Christ College will do one about Antarctica. In the end we will have several student constructed environments that will allow other students to compare and contrast each one. They will act as 3D brouchures to entice real world exchanges.

The orange squares (80m x 80m x 50m) can either be used as Machinema studios or provide another function as partners gain understanding of how to use them.

Each of these will be hidden so as not to affect the general look and feel of the site and will be accessed via teleports built into the navigation structure.

The center will feature our 'Welcome tower' that will lead students through a series of practical tasks as an orientation to the island.  The zoo would be beneath he towers.

Below Chris provided a cross sectional view.

I will post short movies once there features are developed.