11th Annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education

Visit their official web site here: https://vwbpe.org/
Visit inworld by taking this direct link here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Gateway/179/132/38
Official Youtube Channel in case you miss something you wanted to see: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2FdFXompIUI4zmZ_wP5p0Q

(scroll to bottom of post for more of the "explore" type pics of the area)



Today is the last full day of the 2018 Virtual Worlds Best Practice in Education annual event. Hurry over to see the many interesting and educational exhibits, lectures, explore areas, and workshops.  This is always a fun and interesting event encompassing many virtual platforms but held annually in Second Life, this being their 11th years.  If you are not familiar with VWBPE this is a well organized and attended annual event.  Presenters, often teachers and educators who many times incorporate virtual platforms in their first life instruction, or others who educate inworld or in first life on a wide range of subjects present, lecture, exhibit, play, learn, and socialize. This year's theme for the event is VRevolutions. The conference is free covered by donations and sponsors.  "Play, Explore, Engage, Immerse, Learn" and be sure to grab your swag bag and fun stuff.

I hit a few presentations this morning. There are still a lot of events happening today and it all culminates with the always fun and much anticipated social at the end.  I will copy/quote what is left of today's schedule here which also gives you a good idea about what goes on.. but don't miss out on the many cool exhibits, memorials, underwater explore and educational scenic caverns, tram tour ride etc.:

Day 3: Saturday, March 17 - VWBPE 2018 Event Schedule
All sessions of the VWBPE 2018 Conference are held in Second Life®. All times are in SLT (PDT). You may access this time zone converter for your local time: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html. At some times there are two events held simultaneously. You can use the VWBPE Public Transporter HUD to get around easily. This can be found in your Swag Bag, at Gateway, and many other locations.
VWBPE 2018 Gateway
SLurl: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Gateway/178/128/38

NOTE: Daylight Saving Time
In most of the United States and most locations in Canada, Daylight Saving Time goes into effect on Sunday, 11 March 2018, the weekend before the VWBPE conference. Is your location affected? Check http://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/2018.html to find out when (and if) Daylight Saving Time begins for you.
See the VWBPE Online Calendar http://vwbpe.org/program/vwbpe-calendar for full details.
Events will be streamed live at http://vwbpe.org/watch
Events are listed in chronological order
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Sat 3-17-2018 from 9am (time of this post)
09:00 AM – 10:00 AM SLT
Cultural Appropriation? Cultural Appreciation?
VWBPE 2018 Lecture Area B
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22
Presenter: Hsiao-Cheng (Sandrine) Han/Kristy Handrick (Avatar)
This presentation describes the findings from Visual recreation, culture appropriation: An Asian artist’s perspective of virtual world visual culture.

09:00 AM – 10:00 AM AM SLT
If They Build It, They Will Come!
VWBPE 2018 Lecture Area A
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60
Presenters: Carolyn Lowe/Clowey Greenwood (Avatar) and Amy Pihlainen/Elsie Ocello (Avatar)
The authors, working with children ages 10 through 14, have found that allowing the students to create the learning spaces increases engagement, deep learning, and motivation to learn and do more.

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM SLT
Enjoy the Exhibits! Pursue the Quest! This is the Time!
If you haven’t already, stop in at the Gateway to get your Swag Bag with the Public Transporter HUD--the easiest way to get around VWBPE 2018.
SLurl: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Gateway/178/128/38

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (noon) SLT
Flying Stickies, Easy Quests, VW + Unity for Edu
VWBPE 2018 Lecture Area B
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22
Presenter: Julie LeMoine/Juliein3D (Avatar) Artists, Designers and Builders The presentation will summarize a new and emerging virtual world API running on the Unity game engine that offers a lot of creation flexibility from VW classrooms without requiring much coding.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (noon) SLT
Low Threshold Virtual Events
VWBPE 2018 Lecture Area A
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60
Presenter: Ulli Berthold/Torgon Woodget (Avatar)
Starting with a short talk on how, currently, setting up a virtual conference requires a lot of time and technical experience, I plan on showing the presentation participants a way to stage their own virtual events, simply.

12:00 PM – 01:00 PM (noon) SLT
Etopian Evolution for Real World Solutions
VWBPE 2018 Lecture Area A
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60
Presenter: G Ronnie Kraegel/Namaara MacMoragh (Avatar)
As an ever evolving project, Etopia is designed to bridge SL and RL by providing safe, educational space and activities for skills exploration with partners such as Peninsula College and Brain Energy Support Team.

12:00 PM – 01:00 PM (noon) SLT
Liberate Agency Amplification Via Avatar Identity
VWBPE 2018 Lecture Area B
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22
Presenter: Renne Emiko Brock/Zinnia Zauber (Avatar)
Let go of control. Instructors empower students through agency with active learning ownership, not with ultimate authority. Build validating lessons prior to entering virtual situations with surprising personal investigation, mood board creation, and character sketches.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM SLT
Games and Fun On the Social Plaza
VWBPE Social Plaza
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20South%203/65/112/21
Kurt Morales, an exceptional trivia player himself, will host a trivia contest on the Social Building Plaza. Questions will follow the conference and venue themes. The winner will receive a prize and bragging rights! Greedy games will be available too.

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM SLT
Compass Points Roundtable Discussion: Meta Manifesto: Think Tank 4 Effective Tactics
VWBPE 2018 Quadrivium
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/6/196/26
Presenters: Kae Novak/Kavon Zenovka (Avatar), Cynthia Calongne/Lyr Lobo, Chris Luchs/Abacus Capalini, and Trish Cloud/Trish Cloud
Using the learning that happens outside the classroom, let’s go META by considering the Most Effective Tactics Available. This round table invites participants to a think tank on tactics for virtual worlds (VWs), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and games.

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM SLT
You're Grounded! Theorizing Virtual Learning Space
VWBPE 2018 Lecture Area A
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60
Presenter: Yen Verhoeven/TheoreticallyBlue Resident (Avatar)
The digital landscape has opened a range of possibilities for understanding the different ways we learn in a virtual environment. To explore these ways, a new multidimensional learning theory, called Interactive Spatial Learning Theory (ISLT), was developed from a qualitative study in Second Life.

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM SLT
Avatars as Data Points
VWBPE 2018 Lecture Area A
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/92/86/60
Presenters: Mary Ellen Gordon/Pebbles Hannya (Avatar) and Aaron Griffiths/Isa Goodman
This presentation will introduce a new approach to teaching basic data science by using avatars as data points in data visualizations. The approach is intended to make this topics more approachable — particularly for those who may have math anxiety or limited prior quantitative background.


3:00 PM – 4:00 PM SLT
Bridging Worlds: Learning in a Strange Land
VWBPE 2018 Lecture Area B
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%201/134/126/22
Presenters: Cynthia Calongne/Lyr Lobo (Avatar) and Bradley Hodgins/Zalomar Resident
Learning in 3D comes alive through the mind of eight-year-old Jack. Join us as we explore the creation of Jack’s World, a Jurassic simulation that runs on OpenSimulator at Virtual Harmony.

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM SLT
Quadrivium Networking Topic: Waiting for the VR Evolution
VWBPE 2018 Quadrivium
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%202/6/196/26
Facilitator: PD Alchemi/Paul Rudman
Assistant:Amari DiRicchezi/Zia Rivera-Clarkson
Meet us at our quadrivium where we hope to entice you into a discussion on the VR Evolution. For many who have embraced change and have been early adopters, waiting for the rest of the world to catch up has not been easy.

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM SLT
Live Music Performance: Nina Bing
VWBPE 2018 Main Auditorium
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%204/34/31/23
Relax with us at the Main Auditorium before the Closing Ceremony and enjoy the music of Nina Bing. Nina is a classically trained vocalist who has been singing for as long as she can remember.

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM SLT
Closing Ceremony
VWBPE 2018 Main Auditorium
SLurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%204/34/31/23
Join us as we reflect upon the highlights of the conference, with closing remarks from Phelan Corrimal and other VWBPE Committee Chairs. This event is hosted by the one and only Pooky Amsterdam, CEO of Pooky Media. The 2018 Thinkerer Award Recipient will be named during this ceremony.

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM SLT
St Patrick’s Day U2 Tribute Concert
VWBPE Social Building
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20South%203/71/77/23
You won’t want to miss VWBPE18 Closing Party with Lightning Production’s U2 Tribute Concert. In honor of St Patrick’s Day dig out your “Okelly” green clothes, shamrocks, and your most comfortable shoes!

8:00 PM – 9:30 PM SLT
Dance The Night Away @ VWBPE Social Building
VWBPE Social Building
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20South%203/71/77/23
Immediately following U2 Tribute Concert, join DJ Coz Okelly for our traditional end of the conference “Dance The Night Away” party!
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~ End of Day 3 ~
Please feel free to explore the Exhibit and Social areas at any time! Your Public Transporter HUD, found at the Gateway and other locations, is the fastest way to get around!
VWBPE 2018 Gateway
SLurl: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Gateway/178/128/38
Conference Hall Map
https://vwbpe.org/conference/conference-hall-map
Exhibit Map
https://vwbpe.org/conference/exhibit-map
The VRevolution Caverns: A Quest Underwater
http://vwbpe.org/conference/the-vrevolution-caverns-a-quest-underwater
Our Sponsors
https://vwbpe.org/sponsors-2018




click directly on any pic to get to my Flickr to see more pics if desired.

10th Annual Virtual Worlds Annual Best Practices in Education Conference: March 29 through April 1

Visit VWBPE here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20South%203/128/128/5

Their web site with event schedule is here: https://vwbpe.org/news-from-vwbpe

The online watching site for some of the program: https://vwbpe.org/program/watch

Play, Explore, Engage, Immerse, Learn


                      10th Annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education
                                             March 29 – April 1, 2017
                                               2017 Theme : Legacy

"The VWBPE Conference is a completely virtual conference that is conducted using simulated environments. Participants experience the conference through a virtual reality type setting including conference rooms, theatres, exposition halls, meeting spaces, and other types of venues similar to a brick and mortar type conference.

The conference is free to attend. The cost of the conference is covered by sponsorship and donations."


                             * Play * Explore * Engage * Immerse * Learn *

Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education officially opens 3-29-17.  Be sure to check out their official web site for conference session and events dates and times and all their info.  I took a sneak peek at press day and grabbed a few photos.  There is an Under The Sea mermaid area near the events stage area and you can pick up some cool free gifts including mermaid and merman outfits, AOs and more and the extended underwater areas are beautiful and make for great exploring. So besides learning a few things you can also enjoy the scenery and events.

UWA Creation Challenge: What Makes Us Human?

Visit here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UWA/128/128/25


This looks very interesting and should be a nice challenge, check out the latest UWA 3D Creation Challenge, "What Makes us Human?"

The press release states:" A UWA 3D Creation Challenge: What Makes us Human?
UWA Encourages you to Create a Model, Animation, or Simulation that reflects What Makes Us Human at a Cellular, Organ or System Level
December 1st 2013 – February 28th 2014
Prize pool: L$268,750
Open to Everyone!
You be the teacher!
Models that simulate and models that stimulate! Your models can be interactive!Imagine riding a blood corpuscle through a three storey high heart, watching from “inside” the brain as an aneurysm bursts (a “stroke”).

OVERVIEW
“What Makes Us Human?” is an event run by UWA and sponsored by the School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology as well as the School of Physics. We encourage you to create a model, animation or simulation that reflects what makes us human at a cellular, organ, or system level. We encourage you to create fairly accurate or representative creations or models that can be used for teaching. The aim is to enable others to learn anatomical, histological, developmental and/or physiological concepts about the human body from your work.
Entries can be submitted anytime between the 1st of December 2013 and the 28th of February 2014. Entries should have no more than 300 prims. There is no limit on the number of entries you can submit. Entries will be displayed at the UWA Virtual Gallery.

HOW TO ENTER:
Fill out the Creator's Notecard form and include it with your entry.

Place the model in the contest entry receiver at UWA Gallery HERE 􀀃
    Select your item from inventory while holding down the CTRL key
    Drag the file from your inventory to the contest entry billboard prim.
    The outline of the billboard should turn red. You may then release your mouse button and your entry will be deposited.
    Do the same with the Creator's Notecard form.
    Mod/copy perms are appreciated so entries can be displayed via temporary rezzers. This will allow for a greater number of prims/land impact for individual entries, if mod is not possible copy is adequate.
If you have problems with the receiver, drop the model into the inventory of FreeWee Ling (UWA Curator of Arts) or Jayjay Zifanwe (Jay Jay Jegathesan: UWA in Second Life Founder & Lead) along with a note card stating the name of the model/animation/simulation and the creator.

SUGGESTIONS
Histology (convey the microscopic structure of human tissues)
Nervous System: What are the various representations of different types of neurons?
Muscular System: Examine structural differences and/or similarities between skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle cells.
Anatomy (convey the gross structure of human body parts) & Histology
Embryology & Foetology: What are various stages of embryonic and foetal development? Perhaps look at the transformation from embryo to foetus.
Anatomy
Skeletal System: What are the components of the human skeleton?
Present the anatomy of various types of joints.
Physiology (convey the processes that enable the human body and its components to function):
Nervous System: What are some of the neural pathways that enable us to perform day to day cognitive and motor functions?
Circulatory System: How does blood circulate through our body to meet the metabolic needs and maintain the normal function of cells/organs/and bodily systems.
Anatomy & Physiology
Circulatory System: How does the heart operate, and what are its different chambers and valves?
Histology, anatomy, and physiology are disciplines that go hand in hand. It is only natural that you may construct entries that draw on more than one of these disciplines in order to facilitate the learning of concepts.

Furthermore, you could also think outside the box. You can portray/convey the difference between normal features and functioning, and the abnormal or dysfunctional.
Other topics could include representations of anatomy, physiology and histology pertaining to the following systems: Digestive, Endocrine, Exocrine, Immune,  Lymphatic, Reproductive, Respiratory, Urinary, Visual

PRIZES:*
1st L$81,250 (~$330 USD)
2nd  L$62,500 (~$255 USD)
3rd  L$37,500 (~$150 USD)
4th  L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
5th  L$12,500 (~$50 USD)
Anatomy Special Prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Histology Special Prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Physiology Special prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Total Prize Pool = L$268,750 (~$1,090 USD)
*(Prizes will be awarded in Linden Dollars. US Dollar equivalents are shown for reference.)
Contest Entry Rules (ESSENTIALS):

    By submitting an entry, you agree to allow the University of Western Australia to use your model/animation/simulation for teaching and learning purposes, and for promotion of UWA's programs.
    Maximum land impact for any entry is 300. Mod/Copy perms are appreciated so we can rez/remove entries on demand, however, if mod is not possible, copy is appreciated.
    Size is not technically limited, but may not interfere with other exhibits or activities on the sim.
    Script lag, light or particle emitters, or sounds should be confined to the area of the entry.
    Contact FreeWee Ling, curator, regarding any special requirements such as orientation, media parcels, environmental needs, etc.

Judging Panel:
Professor Stuart Bunt (Anatomy)
Professor Geoff Meyer (Histology)
Assistant Professor Gavin Pinniger (Physiology)
Jay Jay Jegathesan (Founder & Lead - UWA in Second Life)
FreeWee Ling (UWA Second Life Curator & Designer)
Teresa Clune (UWA APHB Contest Administrator)
ENTRIES CLOSE FEBRUARY 28th 2014"