Virtual Pioneers History Conference

I was fortunate to be one of the presenters at this cutting edge conference. I was able to present student work to other educators interested in integrating virtual worlds with the study of Social Studies. Here are a few highlights from the two day event which took place in Second Life and the Reaction Grid.

Lincoln Memorial on the RG

I decided to bring one of my student projects over to the Reaction Grid. This was not the easiest thing since it was done by two students from the Advanced Computer Elective at Lowell School.

Speed Chatting on ISTE Island

As part of the newest ISTE SIG (special interest group) SIGVE (Virtual Environments), I got a chance to participate in our first speed chatting event held at the ISTE skypark. We had a group of 49 or 50 avatars talking about the group and it's place in education. I was able to get some video of the meeting's start using my new favorite video app, Screenr (Thanks Shambles for bringing it to our attention!)

More From the Reaction Grid

Today I got a chance to chat with a small group of 8th grade students on the Reaction Grid. They go to Saint Anthony of Padua in Michigan and I know their teacher from Second Life. She asked me to talk to them a bit about making clothes and so I teleported from my island to one of their Michigan islands where they have a fashion show runway and a clothing store. I hope to bring PESD students from Mr. Ross's 4th grade at Lowell onto the Reaction Grid after the winter break, so this gave me a chance to work with students on the RG ahead of time. As you can see, it looks very much like Second Life.

The Lion, the Witch, the Wardrobe, and You!

Here is an integrated lesson plan that hits many of the NETS-S standards as well as many Social Studies essential questions. There are literacy standards, visual, and performing arts standards as well.

ISTE Barn Dance