This week our assignment was to create a video with the parameters of it having to have something to do with Second Life. Usually it takes me a while to come up with an idea, but this week I knew what I wanted to do. I decided to give a tour of the projects that I have completed in Second Life so far this semester, as I thought that it would show a variety of techniques and different ways to teach someone something.
Making the video took a while as I had never used Camtasia studio before. I must say that making a video was quite a learning curve but once I got the hang of it, I was able to complete the video process.
I had trouble with the recording process but eventually figured that out. Also, when I tried to produce and share the video my computer froze up and I had to restart it. Luckily my project was saved so I was able to produce and share it.
Making the video clips was not difficult. The challenge was to edit these clips to make them flow smoothly from one video to the next. I chose to add the "Mystique" audio from Camtasia Studio so that I could have a little background music. I chose to have the background music playing low so that when I recorded my voice it wouldn't be drowned out. I then added a few "still" pictures to the video and used the "faded cube" option to go from one video clip or picture to the next. I also used some "title slides" and "call outs" to enhance the overall video.
Here is a link to my video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8bhhJOFUwg
I can see a great future using video capture, but I must get more practice on it before I try to implement it in a teaching atmosphere. I think this process would be great to use as instructional videos in the classroom.
Thoughts on final project
To be quite honest, I really haven't had a lot of time to think about my final project. I have been so busy with work and school work that I haven't had a lot of free time to just sit and think. I will try to put more thought into the topic of my final project this week.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Pandorabots and Pikkubots
My Pandorabot
This week our assignment was to create an object and put the trained brain of a Pandorabot inside it. Here is my introduction of my object: Hello. My name is Oliver Twist and I am here to help you learn more about me. If you ask the right questions I will answer them. I hope that you have fun learning about me. Here is how it looked as I was created:
My idea behind creating a book was to introduce and reinforce learning about this classic novel. This concept could serve two purposes. The first way could be used to introduce students to a novel before they had even read it. The second way could be used as a quiz for students that had already read the novel.
I did not include my questions and answers in this blog as I did not want to take away from the element of surprise. Here are some broad categories of the kinds of questions that are included in my object:
In total I have about 54 different questions. Some are simple yes/no answers and some are more thought provoking, with a few that included concepts from Bloom's Taxonomy. The categories that I used from Bloom were: Knowledge, Comprehension and Analysis.
The hardest part of my thinking process was trying to anticipate what someone would ask, but I tried to cover all my bases.
Putting the questions and answers on the Pandorabots site was not difficult (Thanks Cheryl for the great directions). When it came time to train my Pandorabot, I asked all of the questions that I had put in and then went to the "Advanced Alter Response" to make sure that the answers would project as I wanted them to.
Second Life Issues and Happenings
I watched the "Virtual Worlds Presentation for 2012 Virtual Enterprise Conference at Glyndwr University -The Right Tool for the Right Job: Best Practices in Virtual Worlds. What a great video! It was very informative and full of useful information. During the presentation, I discovered that there was a book entitled New Media 1740-1915 that shows how technology has evolved. I might have to read this as I think that it would provide good background information on technology and the endless possibilities that it can provide. There were several things that were said in the video and here are some that stuck with me:
I also read postings from SLED and Linden Blogs. One of the readings that I read was, "K-20 Educators Exploring Virtual Worlds" and I discovered that voicethread.com is free for educators to use in the classroom. I have experienced using voicethread in a previous CED class and I can see how this kind of technology could enhance a lesson in a classroom setting.
I also watched a video entitled, "Game engine renders photorealistic Earth-sized worlds." This video was great! Although the video and accompanying article is about gaming, I can see how using something like this could be used in an educational environment. I can visualize teaching students about different points in history from all over the world using this type of environment.
My favorite part of class so far
I still like the concept of the Holodeck but as we are exposed to more ideas about using different types of instruments for teaching, its getting harder to pick a favorite. I really enjoyed the Pandorabot activity this week as it really challenged me as far as trying to think of questions and answers about my object. The challenge was trying to anticipate what someone would ask and then based on that what the answer would be. I can see how using a Holodeck or a Pandorabot in a classroom environment would benefit students by enhancing their overall learning experience, and perhaps make it more memorable.
Questions
I do not have any questions up to this point but I'm sure that I will have some as we progress with class this semester.
This week our assignment was to create an object and put the trained brain of a Pandorabot inside it. Here is my introduction of my object: Hello. My name is Oliver Twist and I am here to help you learn more about me. If you ask the right questions I will answer them. I hope that you have fun learning about me. Here is how it looked as I was created:
My idea behind creating a book was to introduce and reinforce learning about this classic novel. This concept could serve two purposes. The first way could be used to introduce students to a novel before they had even read it. The second way could be used as a quiz for students that had already read the novel.
I did not include my questions and answers in this blog as I did not want to take away from the element of surprise. Here are some broad categories of the kinds of questions that are included in my object:
- Name
- Birthplace
- Age
- City
- Symbolism
- Orphan
- Pickpocket
- Parents
- Famous phrase
In total I have about 54 different questions. Some are simple yes/no answers and some are more thought provoking, with a few that included concepts from Bloom's Taxonomy. The categories that I used from Bloom were: Knowledge, Comprehension and Analysis.
The hardest part of my thinking process was trying to anticipate what someone would ask, but I tried to cover all my bases.
Putting the questions and answers on the Pandorabots site was not difficult (Thanks Cheryl for the great directions). When it came time to train my Pandorabot, I asked all of the questions that I had put in and then went to the "Advanced Alter Response" to make sure that the answers would project as I wanted them to.
Second Life Issues and Happenings
I watched the "Virtual Worlds Presentation for 2012 Virtual Enterprise Conference at Glyndwr University -The Right Tool for the Right Job: Best Practices in Virtual Worlds. What a great video! It was very informative and full of useful information. During the presentation, I discovered that there was a book entitled New Media 1740-1915 that shows how technology has evolved. I might have to read this as I think that it would provide good background information on technology and the endless possibilities that it can provide. There were several things that were said in the video and here are some that stuck with me:
- "The deepest learning happens not when we feel safe, but when we are fascinated with and challenged by our environment."
- "Finding a balance between the familiar and the fantastic."
- "Engage people in memorable ways."
- A Jibe world can be embedded on any web page."
- "Jibe integrates and communicates with web portals, LMS/CMS and industry standard databases."
I also read postings from SLED and Linden Blogs. One of the readings that I read was, "K-20 Educators Exploring Virtual Worlds" and I discovered that voicethread.com is free for educators to use in the classroom. I have experienced using voicethread in a previous CED class and I can see how this kind of technology could enhance a lesson in a classroom setting.
I also watched a video entitled, "Game engine renders photorealistic Earth-sized worlds." This video was great! Although the video and accompanying article is about gaming, I can see how using something like this could be used in an educational environment. I can visualize teaching students about different points in history from all over the world using this type of environment.
My favorite part of class so far
I still like the concept of the Holodeck but as we are exposed to more ideas about using different types of instruments for teaching, its getting harder to pick a favorite. I really enjoyed the Pandorabot activity this week as it really challenged me as far as trying to think of questions and answers about my object. The challenge was trying to anticipate what someone would ask and then based on that what the answer would be. I can see how using a Holodeck or a Pandorabot in a classroom environment would benefit students by enhancing their overall learning experience, and perhaps make it more memorable.
Questions
I do not have any questions up to this point but I'm sure that I will have some as we progress with class this semester.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Making Clothes in Second Life
This week our assignment was to make clothing and accessories (if we chose to) for our avatars. There were numerous links provided on making clothes and I read many of them before deciding on what clothing and accessories that I should make. There is definitely a learning curve between creating clothes using prims and creating clothing using the "Appearance" mode in Second Life. For me, creating in the "Appearance" mode is much easier than creating clothes using prims.
The first article of clothing that I created was a long sleeved red shirt. I referenced the Creating Your First Shirt in Second Life" by Nicola Escher while creating. It was a little challenging but in the end I figured it out.
Then I decided that I wanted to try to make a chain link necklace. I referenced the Creating Jewelry Part 4 (Chain Link) by Natalia Zelmanov while trying to create it. I followed the directions and was doing fine until I reached setting up the Loop Rez. I was able to create a script but could not figure out where the Loop Rez Object was located. I ended up building a box to try and rez the chain links and was able to do this a few times. You can see this in my picture below:
I tried and tried but could not figure to how to complete this necklace. I ended up using two of the individual chain links to make earrings for my avatar so it wasn't a complete waste.
The first article of clothing that I created was a long sleeved red shirt. I referenced the Creating Your First Shirt in Second Life" by Nicola Escher while creating. It was a little challenging but in the end I figured it out.
Then I decided that I wanted to try to make a chain link necklace. I referenced the Creating Jewelry Part 4 (Chain Link) by Natalia Zelmanov while trying to create it. I followed the directions and was doing fine until I reached setting up the Loop Rez. I was able to create a script but could not figure out where the Loop Rez Object was located. I ended up building a box to try and rez the chain links and was able to do this a few times. You can see this in my picture below:
I decided to create the rest of the clothes using the "Appearance" mode in Second Life. In the end I decided to design three looks and add accessories.
My first look was pairing a long black skirt with my newly created long sleeved red shirt. I then used ring prims to make a green and a black bracelet. I changed my hair to match one of the colors of the bracelet.
My second look is a purple sequined shirt, a long white skirt and purple sequined shoes. I created all three pieces in the "Appearance" mode and added wrinkles to the shirt so that it would look more natural. I changed my hair to white to match the outfit.
My third look is a short sleeved pink shirt, pink leopard pants, black platform boots and a black belt. I changed my hair to match my outfit.
After creating my looks, I wanted to find a fun way to display all three of my looks. I decided to make a red carpet runway surrounded with posts and ropes. I made a "Designs by Lucy" sign and put it on the runway as well. I made my posters transparent and then applied pictures that I had taken of my avatar to complete the process. Although the pictures appear a little blurry, I think that it gives a good representation of my new looks. Here are some pictures of my runway:
Tranceformational Learning
The principles of transformational learning involve objectives, attention, in group interaction, immersion, emotion, authenticity and learning. I can see the value in using all of these principles to design learning that is engaging and effective for the learner, especially in a virtual environment. If I ever taught a Second Life class, I would most definitely keep these principles in mind to ensure that the learner had a worthwhile educational experience.
Readings
After creating my runway looks, I decided to do a little more reading about things in Second Life.
The first blog that I read was Spring Clean Your Inventory for a Happier Second Life. Before reading the article I watched the video and it is absolutely hilarious! The article talked about creating a temporary folder and putting in any items that your not sure about and then organizing them from there. There are some good organizing tips here.
The next blog that I read was Get less lag in seconds by increasing your Maximum Bandwidth!. I learned that the maximum bandwidth setting in Second Life is 500 kbps and that by keeping the setting like this it often creates excessive lag. There are instructions on how to change your settings to decrease lag and I definitely plan on doing this.
The next blog was Can't see? Get a new perspective, change your camera angle! This blog featured a video that shows you how to get better angles when taking pictures. I also found out that there are scripted camera gadgets that will allow a user to automate their camera angle changes. There was also mention of two of these gadgets. One is free and the other costs L$100. The free one is Penny Patlons's Camera Control (HUD) and the other one is Rian Jayaram's Dvandva Region Snap. Links to both of these gadgets can be found in the blog.
I then read a few articles and the first one was from the Chronicle of Higher Education and it was titled "Professor Avatar" and was written by Andrea L. Foster on September 21, 2007. I found this article while looking through the Fontbonne library electronic databases. This article was really interesting because it talked about how a professor used Second Life to teach because his real world surroundings were not safe for his students. He also brought up the point of the potential international reach that both he and his students could be exposed to. Another point was, "more than 150 colleges in the United States and 13 other countries have a presence in Second Life." I was surprised that more colleges in the United States are not present in Second Life. This article then went on to discuss six stories about other professors and their experiences in Second Life. One of these stories is from Sarah B. Robbins who is a doctoral student in rhetoric and composition. One of her comments is that "the platform makes many students more enthusiastic about learning" and I couldn't agree more. Another comment was "If we let the students create the space, then they make the space that's best for them. And that gives us insight into how they learn and makes them more engaged and more responsible for their learning." I could not agree more and think that when students are given freedom to create their own space it makes them more creative. This process enables students to retain information and learn more.
The last article that I read was Smithsonian turns 3D to bring collection to the world. This article caught my attention because I remember visiting the Smithsonian as a child and loved it. The Smithsonian is currently looking into having 3D-printed models, exhibits and replicas to create a digital archive so that anyone, anywhere can view the collection. There are currently only two people that are working on the digitization and resources are needed in order to complete the full collection. They have to be very selective on which objects they choose to digitize. I think this is a great idea and can see a collection like this in a Second Life environment.
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