VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

VE PLN

The VSTE VE PLN Is On the Move in Second Life!

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Logo for Virtual EnvironmentsFor over 10 years, the VSTE Virtual Environments Professional Learning Network has maintained VSTE Island, a full region in Second Life, as part of our professional development program. With a shift in focus to expanding to other virtual environments, we have decided to downsize and move to a parcel on the Second Life Mainland, with significantly lower costs. The new parcel will be revealed on Monday, August 19, 2019 at 8:00 pm EDT (5:00 pm SLT/Pacific time).

The VE PLN will very much still be in Second Life and other virtual worlds, meeting (almost) weekly on Mondays at 8pm Eastern time. Minecraft Monday will continue on the first Monday of the month at VSTE Place, our shared Minecraft server. Our other excursions will include Opensim on Avacon, Unity (including SineSpace and ViWoLe), and other virtual environments new and old. As VSTE Island Facilitator Kim Harrison says, “We need to be good stewards of VSTE's funds." By downsizing in Second Life, we are able to expand into other worlds and online communities.

We would encourage anyone to try Second Life for professional learning and networking. According to Beth S. O’Connell, another VSTE Island Facilitator, “Although Second Life is not ideal for K-12 instruction, it’s essential for networking between educators. Second Life is the crossroads and is used for instruction by colleges and universities worldwide. Familiarity with virtual worlds is an additional kind of literacy needed by tech-savvy educators.” Virtual worlds are already part of the Virginia Computer technology standards CT9-12.15.  For getting started with Second Life and setting up an account, the VE PLN suggests using the Rockcliffe University Consortium’s Gateway at https://urockcliffe.com/reg/second-life/.

Upcoming VSTE VE PLN Events:

Monday, June 3: Minecraft Monday with the VE PLN

Thunder and Jaz will show us how to build a Creeper trap! If you’re not already whitelisted at VSTE Place, our Minecraft server, contact k4sons@gmail.com for information on attending.

Monday, June 17: Come Sail the 5Cs With Us

Please join us in Second Life at a temporary location as Thunder and Bluebarker help us understand how one assesses creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, citizenship, and communication. We navigate the particulars of identifying different ways to incorporate the 5Cs into lessons with Web 2.0 tools and New Media Technologies.

Monday, June 24: End of the School Year Party

Please join us in Second Life at a temporary location, as we dance the night away with music from a DJ and Greedy table games for those who want a challenge. We’ll have good times as we celebrate the end of another school year past. With some chapters coming to a close and others starting anew, it doesn’t matter how you see it, celebrating with friends makes it all the more exciting.

VEPLN Summer of Survival

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Picture from MinecraftThe Virtual Environments Professional Learning Network (VEPLN) will be sponsoring the second annual Survive the Summer event at VSTE Place in Minecraft.

WHAT

Yes! We are doing this again! Shorter and sweeter, this summer, July 2 through July 31, VSTE Place will hold its second Summer of Survival! Participants will be able to warp to survival mode for a completely different Minecraft experience. We will discover why our students beg for survival mode at school.  It's challenging, but fun, and we will need each other to survive!

There will be specific tasks for participants to complete for a certificate from VSTE. You may be able to use that in your district for professional development points or recertification points, but managing that will be strictly up to each participant. We will be here to certify that you participated and to make sure we are all having fun learning about the gaming aspect of Minecraft. Kim H. and Lisa A. will run the course for VBCPS. Laura B. will be running a course for other teachers. Please contact one of us for details.

WHY

The VSTE VE PLN has enjoyed learning to build together in VSTE Place, our Minecraft server, for a while now. We meet there the first Monday of the month at 8 PM Eastern time for networking. We have had speakers, guest teachers, students as teachers, and fun activities. We do most of these things in creative mode.

Many of us have expanded our classroom practice to include teaching and learning with Minecraft. We have both after school clubs and create learning experiences for the instructional part of our students' day. During these activities, inevitably the students request, or rather plead, for survival mode. Therefore, we have decided to dive into Survival mode this summer to see what all the fuss is about.

JOIN US!

To join us  on VSTE Place, the VSTE Minecraft server and/or participate in VSTE's Summer of Survival! email K4sons@gmail.com with your PC Mojang Minecraft account name. minecraft.net

K4sons will reply with the server address after she has added you to the whitelist. Warp to SOS2018, /warp sos2018. our survival world, is at spawn. You will see it immediately. Veteran players have been building a safe area for you that looks remarkably like Jamestown!

Website https://sites.google.com/view/vstesofs17/

Help Plan Minecraft Survival Summer II: May 7 at 8 PM

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logo for minecraftThe VSTE VE PLN will once again "Survive the Summer" in Minecraft! This year, the organizer, Kim Harrison, is asking for community input when planning this experience. Anyone interested being part of this now-annual event should meet with the team on Monday, May 7, at 8 PM Eastern time, in Minecraft ( IP address 69.175.17.26:25565) and on Discord (https://discord.gg/ZHbjsv) to discuss it.

Participants may be able to earn points from their division with the VSTE certificate of participation. There will be a list of achievements to accomplish within a certain time period. Participants can complete them in a few weeks or take the entire summer. The idea is to have fun while networking with other educators inside Minecraft, learn why our students love this game, and brainstorm ways to use it for instruction.

Won't you come help organize?

In order to participate, you must have a computer Minecraft account from https://minecraft.net/en/ to join. There is a one time fee of $26.95. Download and install the software. Choose multiplayer and add a server: Name VSTE Place IP 69.175.17.26:25565 Our server is protected. If you want to be whitelisted to enter anytime you want to continue building this, or anything else, email Kim Harrison at K4sons@gmail.com or kvharris@vbschools.com from an educational email address with your real name and minecraft name.

The Virtual Environments Professional Learning Network sponsors events in virtual environments including Minecraft and Second Life. The best way to keep up with their work is to join their Google Plus community.

Minecraft Monday, April 9, 2018

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logo for minecraftMinecraft Monday April 9 at 8 PM EDT will be a chance to build and share potential student projects. 

Join the group to see what everyone has been building this week. Learn more here.

Start NOW by creating a 3D model at VSTE Place /warp schoolwork

Display something you'd have your students create. Find a lesson in your curriculum that might normally be done with manipulatives or as a 2D diagram. Create it in one of the spaces provided and we will tour them on the 9th!

Feel free to use more than one space if you have several ideas. Be sure to put out signs as to grade level, subject, builder...

In order to access VSTE Place, you will need a Mojang account and the Minecraft software. Contact Kim Harrison, K4sons@gmail.com, with your Mojang name so she can whitelist you and provide the server access information. You will also want to get involved with the .

The Beauty of Second Life

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From Kim Harrison (Thunder) and Lisa Alconcel (Jazmemo)

picture of Second Life trainOne of the reasons we love Second Life is the beauty created by the users. There are some amazing sims to wander through and enjoy. For instance, the Linden Endowment for the Arts gives artists grants for six months at a time. There are also historical simulations and culturally significant educational sites to visit. Science and health sims provide experiences that cannot be duplicated in the physical world.

 

On Monday, March 26, at 8 PM EDT, "Jazmemo" and "Thunder" will show you how to use your in-world camera and lead you on a tour through some interesting sims to take SL photos and return for show and tell. What will you discover? You might think you are living Ready, Player One!photo from Second Life

​ If you don't have a Second Life account get one, it's free, at https://urockcliffe.com/reg/second-life/. Download and install the software. While your Second Life viewer (software) is open click this link http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VSTE%20Island/61/104/22 and voila! Look for an avatar on VSTE Island and say, "Hey, I'm new!" We will take care of the rest.