MUVE Main Page

Teachers Discovering
History As Historians

Google Search

YOU ARE HERE > Main > Teacher Resources > Multi-User Virtual Environments

Multi-User Virtual Environments

Presentations

MUVE Documents

Groups

Multi-User Virtual Environment PPT

RezEd Global Kids Classroom Curriculum

TAH is currently evaluating the academic potential of Multiple User Virtual Environments (MUVEs), the most common example being Second Life (http://secondlife.com/): "A downloadable client program called the Second Life Viewer enables its users, called "Residents", to interact with each other through motional avatars, providing an advanced level of a social network service combined with general aspects of a metaverse. Residents can explore, meet other Residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade items (virtual property) and services with one another."

TAH is interested in two issues: a). the potential for teachers to access the numerous educational island sites within Second Life including educational networking conferences, universities, libraries, historical reenactments and literary sites; and, b). the potential for student interaction within a specific historically based learning environment on a secure, adult monitored, password protected, Teen Grid site, a completely separate MUVE from Second Life. A well documented site for review is Ramapo Island out of Ramapo Central School District’s Suffern Middle School run by librarian Peggy Sheehy (http://metaversedltd.com/).

There are currently a number of education based programs underway on Teen Grid, supervised by teachers and librarians. The MacArthur Foundation recently awarded GlobalKids (http://www.globalkids.org/) a grant for the development of RezEd (http://www.rezed.org/) a site for learning in virtual worlds. Stanford, Harvard, Columbia and MIT are four of 127 colleges and universities currently with presences in SL (http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Institutions_and_Organizations_in_SL#UNIVERSITIES.2C_COLLEGES_.26_SCHOOLS). New sites are added daily.

We are in the research phase of this project exploring the pedagogical implications for teaching history and serving teachers. The educational potential of using MUVEs to reach students as digital natives is tremendous and is being approached cautiously with their safety and academic success always at the forefront.

We have arranged for a video conference with Peggy Sheehy on May 9^th at 3:30 PM in the High DL lab, you are invited to join us.

Links: The following Links are provided by Andrew Wheelock of WNYRIC’s Common Set of Learning Objectives/Model Schools Program:

Andrew Wheelock and Val Rinow of BOCES whose presentation is here: http://show.zoho.com/public/31spiff/Second%20Life%20or%20Get%20a%20Life?105510969212817Nav=|&NodeID=1414

I recommend looking at a couple of the metaverses similar to Second Life. Here's a short clip from their presentation of Harvard's River City: http://muveb.gse.harvard.edu/~muvers/rivercityvideos/H264%20web/RC%20Project-pro-RC%202_Tour.mov

Here is a list of websites from Andy's MUVE page to scout out and play around with:

Parent's Guide to Teen Grid Second Life

This is an excellent PDF of information about ways to keep your Teen safe on the Teen Grid.~ From Web Wise Kids.

http://www.webwisekids.org/Second_Life_Article.pdf

Elliptic Blog

The dark side of Second Life.~ It is not all fun and games.~ Read blog entries from some people that found Second Life created difficulties in Real Life.

http://elliptic.typepad.com/elliptic_blog/2004/01/second_life_add.html

ISTE Machinima Project

Meet the real~ teachers behind the avatars.

Machinima= Virtual world movies

http://knowclue.com/ISTE.html

SLED Picayune

This site offers lots of information for Second Life Educators

http://sledpicayune.blogspot.com/

Educators working with Teens

For educators looking to use the Teen Grid for Education.

https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/educatorsandteens

SL Educators Listserv