Hello everyone,
I wanted to bring your attention to the Virtual World Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) Conference. It is a free conference running from March 15-17, 2012. Chris Luchs, Associate Dean of CTE at CCCOnline, is one of the conference organizers. Below is a information regarding the conference from Chris. I hope some of you are able to take advantage of this conference -- it sounds like it will be full of great information!
Terry
Info from Chris:
On March 1st, CCCS
released the Request for Proposals (RFP) for $10,000 to $100,000 grant
applications for game based and immersive learning projects. This is part of
President McCallin's proposed $3 million grant program for incorporating games
based learning into our classroom and online instruction that she announced at
the 2011 2:2 conference.
For instructors not
familiar with virtual worlds, games, simulations, and alternative reality,
there is a free online conference running from March 15 - 17, 2012. This
conference is the Virtual World Best Practices in Education (http://www.vwbpe.org) and last
year almost 2,500 educators logged in from around the world to attend this
conference. VWBPE takes place in a virtual world called Second Life (http://secondlife.com/).
However, you do not have to explore this event unprepared.
On March 8, 2012, we
will be holding two informational sessions to provide an overview and an
orientation for those interested in attending the conference. The two sessions
are:
Conference Overview on
Elluminate March 8th from 1 – 2 pm MST and
Orientation to Second Life March 8th from 2 –
3:30 pm MST.
The Conference Overview session will go over where the
conference will be held. We will also identify the games and virtual worlds
presentations for attendees. This will give you an inside track to efficiently
and effectively utilize your time while at the conference. This session will be
delivered via Blackboard Collaborate at https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2008363&password=M.6DF43B6EDFA48BA68570CC4BF2C858
You can also attend this at Westminster
Campus of Front Range Community College in room C1158 just next to Faculty
Resources.
This Orientation to Second Life (March 8th from 2 –
3:30 pm MST) session will take place in the Second
Life virtual environment. During this session, we will assist attendees in
navigating the virtual environment and mastering skills such as moving,
sitting, virtual conference etiquette, and other essential skills necessary for
those new to virtual worlds. For this session, attendees will need to go
to http://secondlife.com/
and create an avatar. You will also need to download the Second Life software
onto your computer. Please go to http://secondlife.com/support/system-requirements/
to see if your computer meets the minimum requirements.
You can also attend this at Westminster
Campus of Front Range Community College in room C1158 just next to Faculty
Resources.
For this session, please RSVP to Christopher.luchs@cccs.edu
and include your avatar name if you already have one :D
Chris Luchs
Associate Dean, Career & Technical Education
CCCOnline
