CED 533 Now Complete

I thought I would make my last post on this blog as a graduate student.  I have just completed my Portfolio for CED 553 and my coursework for CED 595 is already complete.  Here is a video that I included in my 553 portfolio.  Enjoy.

Unit 6 - Our Own Interests: Sim on a Stick & Open Sim

Rationale:

I fully recognize that our research was supposed to be on some aspect of SL this week.  I decided to take a slight detour, though my topic in general is about the mass exodus of educators from SL to other Sims.  I chose Sim On A Stick (SOAS) and Open Sims as my topic for discussion because I believe that Second Life and made a definitive change of course that leads away from educational uses to ones that are more commercial.  It remains to be seen whether or not Linden Labs changes it's mind and renews ties with education.  Educators are moving in new directions and on to new grids.  I see SOAS as a cost effective, safe, and viable alternative to SL, at least in a middle school environment.

Articles:

 The articles I read dealt with introducing SOAS to Multi User Virtual Environments (MUVE) users.  I watched a YouTube from iliveisl, the creator of SOAS, that has the record, as of this blog, at 576,000 prims on one SOAS.  That is amazing!  The one concern I have had is not being able to colaborate on projects as SOAS is a single user environment.  Some clever souls have fixed that too.  If you have the luxury of having a dedicated computer for SOAS, you have others log in usind the computer's IP address.  You have to create new accounts for each person but, you can truly make SOAS a MUVE.  This can all happen safely behind the school district's firewall.  I would be interested to see how it handles multiple users and how many users can it support before things start to lag out.

Another interesting article is about how machinema creators are looking to SOAS as a way to be completely secluded and in complete control of their environment they are creating.  Again, this falls in to being more cost effective.  Obviously on this front, you have to be quite skilled in building in SL but, if you are making machinema, you probably are or have someone at your disposal who is.  This is another angle I might take as I like to make machinema and taking cool photo caps in SL.  

I also read some article on Open Sims in general.  I have been on a couple but feel that I am not really satisfied with what I have seen thus far.  Open Sims add more options, sometimes are cheaper, but still require rental fees and the like.  I believe a some point, someone is going to have to build an OpenSim, that is virtually free to educators and students.  I foresee world wide conferences and sessions held in MUVEs on a variety of subjects all within a safe, well maintained virtual world.  Someone is going to have to take the lead.  It isn't that far fetched when you think how the internet has grown in the last 20 years.  I also read some interesting articles on how to transfer SL content to your OpenSim, provided what you are trying to take is not not copyrighted or without the necessary permissions.

I feel that if I use MUVE technolgy in my current teaching assignment, this is avenue I will be force to take.  I do plan to continue to come back to SL and maybe even drop by Fontbonne Island.  I will always need a sandbox to build my creations :-)

Articles & Research

Unit 5 Alternatives to Second Life

Are there dark clouds on the horizon for Second Life?

 The Exodus

Second Life has been receding since the closure of the Teen Grid on December 31, 2010.  Linden Labs have also stopped supporting their enterprise version of SL that could operate from behind a corporate firewall.  This has led many educators, corporations, military entities, and NPOs to start looking for new virtual worlds.  I am not sure what SL is thinking.  These entities were bringing new users into Second Life.  They may argue that they would come to SL for their intended purpose and leave.  In my mind I would be asking myself, "Why are they leaving?  As a SL noob, I felt lost.  The welcome center concept was an interesting concept but I think it left a bit to be desired.  I think the first thing would be a quick start guide in pdf form where noobs could learn some things to feel more comfortable with their new avatar.  I think it is this disconnect with their avatar that leads them not returning.  Second would be a destination guide, easily accessible on the the tool bar that would give them some things to see and do.  Obviously you can do this with a search today but, it is too meticulous for the new user.  You could even have beginner and advanced tool bars to have additional tools for their differing needs.  But, I digress.

Entities have been intrigued by virtual environments, even with the lack of control and adult content that SL offers.  It has left them wanting more and with SL not willing to provide, they have begun to look for new virtual environments to plant their flag.  The US Army has created their own grid that will allow them to work behind protected military firewalls.  They are working to make it to were sensitive data can be collaborated on and transferred.  Doctors, nurses and universities are using virtual world to simulate doctors exams.  It is much better than speaking to a plastic dummy.  Schools are moving to Open Simulator technology so that their creations can be housed on their own servers. 

3rd Rock Grid

My generic avatar in 3rd Rock

 I decided spend my obligatory 2 hours on 3rd Rock Grid. I was not really impressed.  I was similar to Second Life in most respects.  I never saw another soul while on the grid.  There were a total of 17 people on the grid when I was on it according to the website.  3rd Rock did get voice as of January 2012.  I looked up prices and found them to be a little pricey.  For a 3x3 Meg Region which is the equivalent of 9 standard regions, with 45,000 prim which $200 a month.  Textures are free and I was able to find a couple sandboxes to build things.  I just felt like it was just another Open Sim grid and I felt that I would not want to pay that much for server space if I could get it and my school district or on a usb drive.  I know my school would prefer to be behind a firewall.  I think I will stick with SL or SOAS.

I made a tshirt so I didn't feel so generic.

Clemson's College of Computer Science Region

Unit 4 - Interactive Virtual Games

This is the game I created for this unit, Archaeology Quest.  Obviously there is a heavy nod to the legendary Indiana Jones.  The game uses answers delivered on chat channel 6 to reveal a picture beneath.  I created the texture for the sign using Photoshop.

I made the board so that it can be reproduced again and again, with different questions and answers.  I needed to give the questions to the students so I made a treasure chest with notecard giver inside to start the game.

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Upon answering all the questions correctly, it reveals famous Egyptologist, Howard Carter.  As the tiles disappear, I added a sound to enhance the experience.  I found this to be a fairly easy project.  Since I made it a "cookie cutter" project, it will be even easier the next time around. 

Unit 3 - World of WarCraft

My Human Character HackunSlash!

I must stay, I was shocked.  So shocked that I feel like I am doing something wrong.  I was not blown away like I thought I would be.  I feel myself saying, "Is that all there is?"  I think I am missing some important element to this.  I would probably help to have a friend that plays to help me get started.  I was able to complete several quests, advanced to level 6 and too training in first aid and enchantments.  I have no idea what any of that means or what I can do with it.  I have found that there is no good tutorial on how to play.  Most games I have every played, had some kind of walk through to get you started.  With WOW, you start off fighting lesser beasts but can often times find yourself among tough predators, which usually ends in death.

Chopped Goblin Assassin for dinner!

I did not feel a sense of addiction, probably because I feel lost.  I still have an open mind and hope to learn more as time goes on. 

Practicing fighting a dummy.  No sure who's the bigger dummy!

I liked the problem solving quests I went on.  I seemed, however, that most of the quests were to go kill some strange beasts.  I think what is important is that it takes it in little manageable bites.  Then the bigger picture emerges.  I think this concept is important when structuring lessons, games, etc.

Working In SOAS

My sliding portcullis

I have been working in the Medieval world on Sim On A Stick.  I have built a wall and portcullis to divide two parts of the island.  I found an OpenSim sliding door script on the internet and dropped it into my prim.  I then had to adjust the script to move 4 on the Z axis instead of 2 on the X axis.

As you can see it works great.  Here are some other pictures from Inception Island.  Inception Island is the island in the Medieval virtual world in which students can build.

The bridge onto Inception Island

The plaque that greets you on Inception Island

Unit 2 - TranceFormational Learning

The Chapel of St. Michael

The Environment:
I created St. Michael's Church in medieval Europe during the height of the bubonic plague.  I started with walls and the east doors.  I had some difficulty getting the doors to work properly.  I tried a different script and once installed, it worked better than I had hoped.  I then went about the arduous task of decorating it.  I even used some images of real Gothic stained glass from the period.  I added sun rays to the windows for added realism.  I then added an alter, host, and communion wine. I created some candles using my Porgan Particle Generator.  I then added my Logic System for the questions.  Finally, after some expert advice, I added some sounds and prizes to the logic system for added emotional response.  It took almost four full days to complete and I could still add to it.  I finally had to say enough is enough.  My goal is for this to serve as a vignette for a larger role playing adventure.  The warrant they receive from the priest upon completion of the quiz gives them information that they would use in the next vignette.  Once complete, they would have reviewed for their Chapter 14 test in my class.

Tranceformational Learning Principles:

• Objectives-  Tranceformational Learning (TL) acknowledges the importance of good and measurable objectives but goes further in setting goals for the learner inner motivation for learning. In other words, the objective taps into the learner's own creativity and drive to complete the task.  This could apply be me having greater focus on how my lessons draw out the students own creativity instead of just repetition.
•  Attention-  TL also focuses on engaging the learner.  Similar to how the marketing and the entertainment industry creates content for their target audience, TL tries to tap into their target audience.  Activities are designed to capture and recapture attention throughout.  The learn is stimulated and their engagement is maintained throughout.  This does not mean that we simply entertain but that we create our activities with meaning so that the engagement is either personal, motivating, or something they are interested in.  I already employ this to a certain degree but there is always room for improvement.  One of the things I plan to do post graduation is take a long hard look at all of my presentations to critique the ebb and flow of the material.
• Together-  TL studies the dynamics involved in group learning.  Traditional group or shared learning doesn't necessarily mean greater learning and engagement.  The group members still have to have meaning and purpose.  TL often employs a Guild-like approach to group work.  In a Guild, each member has clearly defined, self-selected roles.  Each member plays to their strengths and has a more cohesive, shared experience.  This is a daunting task in the sixth grade.  There skill are often not developed enough to recognize and put into guild-like groups.  I do try on one particular activity in class and they do not particularly like it, until they have a hand in putting their own groups together and the gain an appreciate my pairings.
• Immersion-  This is where TL and applications like Second Life really make hay.  Immersion refers to creating an environment where the learner can forget themselves and become part of the fantasy.  In 3D virtual environments, the learner can experience from audio and visual receptors.  Highly engaging, immersive experiences can often times give the user more control over outcomes.  I am attempting to create an immersive environment in OpenSim.  I look forward to a time when I can focus on its creation.
• Emotion-  As with Attention, a lot can be learned by how marketing and entertainment tap into our emotions.  We are more engaged when we have desirable emotion associated with an activity.  TL research has shown that learning can increase as much as 40% when emotion us used effectively.  TL calls emotion "the instant cement for learning."  Emotions have there limits and cannot be sustained too long.  TL warns that a balance must be struck between being bored and overwhelmed.  Middle schoolers are never short on emotional response to anything.  I always use the emotion of humor to carry units and discussions along to great success.  Last year, I had a class that could not handle humor.  They would laugh and then take 5-10 minute to settle back into order.  They were very difficult.
• Authentic- TL strives for authenticity in both the activity and the feedback the learner receives.  TL attempts to remove all distractions to engage the learner directly in the content.  The new content becomes part of the experience.  The learner can then apply some of that learning in authentic situations.  (I did enjoy his anecdotes about story problems!)  I try to add authenticity to all of my into all of my units.  In ancient history, it is hard.
• Learning- Learning is always a goal or objective of education but, TL make a point to clearly focus on the mechanics of learning, specifically in the realm of long term retention and application of knowledge.  I like the statement that "learning has an impact on the individual."  So many lessons are just churned out to meet a state standard, cover a chapter, etc.  This goal re calibrates what it is all about, having a lifelong impact on our students.

The Chapel of St. Michael

My Pikkubot Father Mulcahy

Inside the chapel

The Holy Sacrament

Unit 1 - The Logic Syetem

Preparations:

I am a 6th grade world history teacher at Herrin Middle School in Herrin, IL.  I used, and will continue to use, my class as my target audience.  I decided to develop my Logic System questions around prehistoric man.  My questions pertain to how the hunter gatherers would have spent their day.  It wasn't all hunting for food.

Adding visuals

The Scene:

I could have just had my Logic System pad sitting out in the open, but how boring is that?  I created a small, primitive shelter with campfire to add a bit of intrigue.

Scripting

Scripting/Notecards:

The Logic System uses notecards as scripts so that major programming knowledge is not needed.  However, I found it important to know how programming works to lay out the scripts properly and troubleshoot when they did not.  This first attempt had the following cards of script:  START, GOOD, GOOD2, BAD, BAD2.  I also had the system keep score from 100 possible points.  This was the most difficult task to get working because the instructions on how to use points, I found to be vague.  An example of a card with points would have been helpful.

Beta Testing

The Beta Test:

I tested my project.  On my first attempt, I found my button text to be too long so I shortened them.  My points also didn't calculate as I stated previously.  Through trial and error and about 5-6 new cards, I was able to get it to track points properly.  I would definitely use this in a teaching environment for its effectiveness and simplicity.

Summer 2012 - CED553

I am now beginning CED 553 - An Immersive Experience in a Virtual Learning Community.  This is the final course in the series dealing with Second Life and Virtual Learning Environments offered by Fontbonne.  I will be updating the blog with my course work for the class.

Unit 12 - Final Project

The Holodeck:

For my final project in CED 552, I created an ancient Greek virtual amphitheater.  I surrounded my amphitheater with ocean views and created my seating from scratch.  I added banners, columns, statuary, and burning torches.  I linked it all together to create a holodeck so I can use this space not only for my demonstration but also as a class/meeting room or a play to produce virtual Greek plays.

The Project:

I added different elements to the amphitheater to formulate a classroom activity.  I created a Pikkubot named Themistocles73 to introduce the project.  The Oracle of Delphi gives the visitors their task to complete where they will have to interact with three separate Pandorabot NPCs to find answers to problems.  They also have the opportunity to receive a free toga and wreath of laurels.

The Purpose:

I created this space as an immersive environment for middle school world history students.  The students can gain important and interesting facts about Athens and gain a better understanding about what life was like over 2000 years ago. 

Reflection:

I had a great time with this project.  It presented a great many challenges but I was able to complete the assignment with time to spare.  I look forward to CED553 this summer!

Unit 11: Indroducing Themistocles73, My Pikkubot

My Pikkubot: 

Themistocles (Tha-mist-o-clees) was an general of ancient Athens that lived from 524-459 B.C.  Themistocles fought in the Battle of Marathon and it was his strategy and leadership that won the Battle of Salamis in 479 BC.  Considered to be one of the greatest battles in human history, the Peloponnesian League defeated the Persian Empire in a naval battle that ended Persia's grip on the Mediterranean. I created my Pikkubot to introduce my students to this important historical figure.  I plan to make him the centerpiece to my final project.  I have prepared an introductory speech for him but I will also create a Pandora brain so that students may ask questions.


SLED News:

I read an article about John "Pathfinder" Lester's world in Jibe.  I looked forward to viewing it for this piece but I could not get Jibe to work on my browser.  So I had to scratch that.

I instead read an article about Archaeology Island from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  The article discusses that IUP moved their content out of Second Life and on to ScienceSim, an OpenSim grid.  I have included a picture of me at a Mayan temple. I say, what's the point of creating a Mayan settlement on ScienceSim, according to the Mayans, we won't be around to enjoy it.  He, he, he!

Final Project:

I am planning to create an immersive ancient Greek environment.   My hope is to create a learning environment that students can use to learn, to act out ancient Greek tragedies, and/or serve as virtual meeting place for teachers and educators.  Some of the items I have used in my backdrop this week are pieces to my final project.  I am starting to assemble the look and feel.  I will also be creating costumes for participants, and other accessories.

Unit 10 - Machinima

Not much went according to plan with this one.  This assignment highlighted, for me, my need for a new computer.  I have every intention of using Camtasia and probably machinima in my classroom.  If I am going to do that, I am going to have to upgrade. 

I had trouble with the viewer.  I initially used the Second Life viewer.  I am still having trouble with my video card and the basic shaders.  I thought I would try it out in Imprudence.  I was able to turn on my basic shaders and have Ultra graphic settings without a problem.  So most of my machinima was produced using Camtasia and Imprudence.

Final Project:

Currently I am thinking about creating a Greek Amphitheater for the performance of Greek tragedies and orations.

Unit 8 - Porgan Particle Generator

This week was all about the Porgan Particle Generator.  It is a wonder device that allows you to create particle scripts with ease.  They are easily customized to fit your needs.  I created three separate particles all which started as one of the built in presets.

Particle 1:  Snow

I wanted to create a winter scene to put my Linden built cabin kit in so I decided snow particles would be a necessity.  The preset had very little going on, so I increased the rate of generation, took off the wind effect, and increased their age.  That gave me my desired pattern.

Particle 2:  Fire

I used the fire preset to start with again.  I wanted more natural flame colors so I faded red into amber.

Particle 3:  Smoke

The smoke preset looked pretty good the way it was.  I did tinker around with it a little while and felt the original preset looked the best for my needs.  Now armed with my three scripts I began to construct my holodeck.

I created a big one this time with plenty of room to do other things if I ever wish too.  There is plenty of room to hold class or give demonstrations.  This shot has two of the particle scripts in it. There is smoke coming off the campfire.  I also have three invisible balls in the air with the snow scripts in them.  That allowed me to have snow where I wanted it and the volume I wanted.

In the cabin I created a fireplace as the place for my flames.  Notice the whole family made into this build!  I added fire sounds and a bed of embers to add realism.

Completes the scene.  I learned a lot with this build.  First, there is a limited number of items you can have using a single scene script.  That number is 356 I believe.  I also discovered that holodecks do not like some sleeping scripts too.  I used a prefab bed that I customized for the cabin.  It shot my first rez across to Lucy's area up in the air.  I took that script out and if worked fine.  I also think door scripts might be difficult in holodecks.  I bet they would have to have their own scene script in the root prim.

SLEDing Around:

I tried to find the article that we were supposed to write on but I think I have deleted it.  I do vaguely remember reading it. Unfortunately I don't remember enough to write a blog about it.  So I will discuss the new Virtual Education Journal Magazine that was link to on the SLED List this week.

Open publication - Free publishing - More iste

There are some great articles about ISTE Island, virtual food, and who some educators found their way to SL.  The one I will discuss highlights the Virtual Worlds - Best Practices in Education Conference.

This years conference theme is "Be Epic."  A fitting title for the capabilities of education in virtual environments.  The conference is 48 hours of learning, networking, and sharing with educators from around the world.  Only in VR can such a conference happen.  The articles discussing the "Epic" conference show pictures of prior conferences as well as a few teasers of conference sites for this year.

For my third topic, view my OpenSim Session Reflection in the prior post.

VWBP Conference 2012

Wade Halvorson and Leslie Bonjour

I attended my first Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference in Second Life on Friday & Saturday. I cannot even begin to explain all that I learned in just three short hours of being there. It shows me what I know and how much I still have to learn.  I attended three sessions.  The first reviewed their case study on cross-cultural online student collaboration.  The second was a review on Education and OpenSim Hypergrids.  The final was on the MachinEVO trial course on teaching machinima.

Maria Korolov

I will focus this blog on the session that I got the most out of, which is on OpenSim led be Maria Korolov.  Obviously OpenSim and Sim On A Stick is something I have discussed and where I am currently working.  This session convinced me that in my current teaching position and what I would be about to use MUVEs for, OpenSim is the way to go.  Similar to our holodecks in SL, OAR files in OpenSim allow the user to create different worlds.  I could have the medieval village I am creating on one and then create another OAR file for ancient Egypt, Greece, Etc  The possibilities are endless.  Whit help from the IT Department, I could set these grids up on the network and allow for collaborative work.  All this within the safety of our firewall.

The Session gave lots of tips as well as locations to find prefab OAR files and clothing.  There was also links to people willing to help.  One of the most famous OpenSim educators is Fleet Tuque of FleepGrid was actually in attendance to the session.  It was pretty cool to be sitting and learning from some of the biggest names in SL.

Slides from the Presentation:  https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=ddtq7sff_11jzdxr4pp 

Me at the MachinEVO Session

Unit 7: Pandorabots

Introducing MirrorMirror, my Pandorabot:

Again, I tried to stay in my medieval theme so I can use this in my SOAS world.  Since it is script driven, I should be able to do that quite easily.  I just have to make copies of the scripts and recreate my mirror in that world.

MirrorMirror was designed to answer general questions about the Middle Ages.  I envision him as somewhat of a door greeter/concierge for my world.  He will have nonspecific knowledge and may be found in several places throughout the sim.  He may also serve as a little comic relief.  The real benefit of this is that I will have an "expert" that I can continue to add information to and can be used throughout the sim.  I have probably programmed over thirty questions so far.  Some in keeping with the theme and some not.  There are some jewels for Monty Python & Hitchhikers Guide fans.

Second Life Issues and Happenings:

I read and article at Virtual World Education Roundtable that discussed how virtual education has changed on year after the SL tier increase.  Some had kept their plot on SL.  Others had scaled back.  Many had left completely and had been experimenting with OpenSim grids like FleepGrid.  They also highlighted resources like OpenSim Creations.

I can help but think that virtual education is at some kind of precipice.  It will either soar to new heights through forced collaboration with other educators create an educational shared grid or it will fade away in to the mist.  These educators, participating in the discussion, have continued moving forward and trying new worlds.  Using private grids are ok but the real benefits gained from virtual worlds is through collaboration.    I think the key will be when someone or a group of educators come together and form a education grid that students and educators can visit, collaborate on, and build. 

The Class Thus Far:

What has been my favorite part thus far, you ask?  The holodeck building I think has been the most fun.  I did like the Pandorabots a lot but, it takes a long time to build a brain correctly.  It also takes some careful planning.  I think it will be much harder when students attempt to talk with it because they may have to be guided a bit on how to ask questions and what to ask.  I think a few beta test will be necessary to work out kinks, have them log questions that the mirror couldn't answer that where important.  As far as the holodeck goes, I like having the ability to set up different scenes and storing them. That could be very helpful as a world history teacher that covers different eras.  I enjoyed flexing my creativity and can do it again and again.

Under Construction

Unit 6: Clothing & Tranceformational Learning

Clothing:

Sometime I am my own worst enemy.  I wanted to create an outfit that could be utilize in my SOAS medieval world.  So I thought I would make a medieval tunic.  I patterned it after the tunic worn by Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.   I found a photo of the tunic and began to construct my likeness with a black velvet texture.  I also found a chainmail texture that I used for the arms.  Once complete, I used the Second Life Clothes Previewer (SLCP) to check out the design and look for gaps and misalignment.  This was a great tool and help to solve problems before uploading.  I quickly realized on the wire model that the shirt would not really make it look much like a tunic.  I would have to make a skirt to attach to it to fill it out.  The skirt was by far the easiest to make.  Once that was complete, it still needed something else. 

The shoulders of my tunic did not fit quite right as the shirt fits skin tight to the avatar.  I decided that adding a couple of shoulder flairs with prims may do the trick.  So, I made a triangular swatch out of my skirt texture and layered it over transparent.

I created a cylinder prim, hollowed it out, path cut it in half, and applied the texture to the inside and outside.  All other edges are clear.  Once complete I made it the relative size it needed to be, named it for the right shoulder, and took it into my inventory.  I then attached it to my right shoulder and fit it into it's proper position.  This looked much better.  I took it off and copied it to make the the left shoulder.  I fit it and it was complete.

This is the finished tunic with shoulder flairs.  Once I completed that, I then decided to experiment with making a cape with flexible prims.  It works pretty well.  I will save that for viewing in class.  I accessorized this costume with some maroon colored pants and pirate boots.

My second outfit I created was a t-shirt and jeans.

I wanted to use a shadow layer.  I have not become proficient enough for drawing my own shadows and wrinkles.  The regular clothes-making template has a shadow layer but, the shadow layer has the grid on it as well.  I am not sure why.  So, I applied my own.  I add a color layer that I started with white but ended up using black because I thought it looked better.  I colored the entire sleeve because it is easier to adjust sleeve length once the shirt is made and on your avatar.  I then adjusted the transparency so the shading form could be seen.  I then applied the chicken logo.  I have been using "Henvision" as my moniker for over ten years on my video productions.  In a prior class, I had designed this logo, so I thought it would be appropriate to apply it here.  On the back of the shirt it says, "The Hen Strikes Again!"  

The jeans I created were a little more difficult.  I decided to use a picture from a jeans store.  The model wearing the jeans had and open legs, similar to the pose above.  I had to fit the legs on the template on leg at a time.  I did the right leg first, so I could keep the seams whole on the left to mask the edges.  I had some gaps on the legs and had to use some fill and shading which was not perfect.  I learned a lot making the jeans and learned some tricks to use next time.  I think I would use seams to hide more.  The jeans had pockets so I figured that counts.

TranceFormational Learning:

"A model for designing and redesigning learning and training activities to create experiences that are more engaging and effective for the learner." (John Jamison, 2010)

The model employs Seven Principles in its design:  Objectives, Attention, Together, Immersion, Emotion, Authenticity, and Learning.  Objectives relate to the specific goals you wish the learner to achieve.  Attention is employing a tactic to grab and hold the learner's attention.  Together refers to whether you want the activity to be performed as a group or independently.  Immersion refers to the "buying-in" or engagement of the learner to the task or process.  Emotion deals with the desired feeling you want the learn to have during and after the activity.  Authenticity is the principle that keeps it real, using real life scenarios or tasks.  Finally, learning deals with the you will measure their learning and how will you receive feedback.

 I think these principles are valuable in creating positive and effective lessons using technology.  It is specifically viable in Second Life.  SL provides an immersive environment that lends itself well to lessons that require a great deal of engagement and learner interaction.  I already employ many of these principles when I design activities for assignment at Fontbonne and in my middle school classroom.

Weekly Reading:

I read a lot about on SLED and other blogs about the closing of ISTE Island in SL.  What a shame.  I am not sure why Linden Lab has moved away from education by removing the educational discount but I do not think it will not be a financially sound decision.  I came to SL through its educational usage and I quickly found ISTE Island and learned a lot.  I made sure I visited the island one last time this week.  A lot of good things happened for virtual education on ISTE Island.  Through education often drives innovation, almost as much as necessity.  Cheers to all the educational pioneers at ISTE Island.