Showing posts with label TU-SL news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TU-SL news. Show all posts
8.12.2009
TU Design Faculty present SL work at UCDA Design Education Summit
Jan Baum, Bridget Sullivan and Jessica Ring, Department of Art+Design, presented the following papers at the Annual Design Education Summit, held in Mobile, Ala., May 28-30: Teaching Design in Second Life: Institutional, Program and Course Level Implementation Strategies, Jan Baum and Bridget Sullivan; Teaching Interactive Media and Object Design using Web2.0 technologies and Second Life, Jan Baum and Bridget Sullivan; Fostering Community, Connections and Change Through Green Mapping, Jessica Ring; and Design and Social Entrepreneurship, a.k.a. Design Like You Give a Damn, Jan Baum.
2.16.2009
The Second Life Unveiling @ TU event got some nice campus press - www.thetowerlight.com
Second Life, a virtual social network, is being used by some professors to expand the classroom environment for their students. Faculty members held a presentation in Paws Thursday to share with others their new method of teaching.
"Second Life is a virtual 3-D environment where you create a persona, an avatar, and you can exist in this environment," OTS instructional design technologist and trainer LaTonya Dyer said.
Dyer was one of the collaborators for this project, along with department of computer and information sciences lecturer James Braman and associate professors for the department of art Bridget Sullivan and Jan Baum.
According to Sullivan, the professors requested a teaching innovation grant to have a "visual island" in Second Life.
"I teach online, so this [Second Life] offers a different way to interact with each other instead of just through e-mail and Web page," Sullivan said.
"Now we can actually get together 'in world' and we can hear each others' voices."
Released in June 2003, SL has grown from a social network for anyone to an educational environment for many universities. "Many universities have their own islands, such as University of Delaware, Princeton and MIT," Sullivan said.
Sullivan hopes that SL is taken into consideration by more professors on campus and used as another way to teach students.
"It really extends the boundaries of teaching," Baum said.
"As a teacher, I am always looking for what is the new frontier in technology because I really want to prepare my students for their competition in the real world."
Baum, who teaches metalsmithing and jewelry, uses SL in her classes and has said unlike SL, traditional teaching is very labor intensive and very costly, when it comes to making the art and getting professionals to see her students' artwork.
"With SL it is much faster and free. My students can get immediate results to see what works and what does not work with their art pieces," she said.
"I could be in China right now and if my students needed feedback, I could simply log on and do so," Baum said.
Though the collaborators agreed that SL has potential to grow on campus, most of their students were skeptical at first using the virtual network in class. "Initially, most of my students thought it was a little crazy at first," Braman said. "Once they saw the potential and what could be done with it, they are more open to it and they think it is interesting."
Junior mass communication and communication studies major Melissa Novak went to the presentation and signed up for Second Life because it looked like her favorite video game, The Sims.
Although Novak felt that SL would be another way for meeting new friends, she is not too sure if it can be used for educational purposes.
"I am not sure if it can be used for classrooms. Professors on Facebook still freaks me out," she said.
On the other hand, there were students at the presentation who immediately felt comfortable with the emerging teaching method.
"Overall it is pretty easy to become acclimated to Second Life and students can benefit from this because you do not have to be in class at certain times and you can log on to Second Life from anywhere, on your laptop," graduate student Amy Klainer said.
According to Dyer, Second Life was officially unveiled to the University on Thursday.
Despite the skepticism, Second life has received positive feedback and provides a new opportunity for faculty and students.
"It is free; you just simply create an account. Just make sure that your computer meets the system requirements," Dyer said.
Second Life used as way of teaching
University granted "visual island" to communicate in virtual social network
Olivia Obineme | 2/15/09
|
"Second Life is a virtual 3-D environment where you create a persona, an avatar, and you can exist in this environment," OTS instructional design technologist and trainer LaTonya Dyer said.
Dyer was one of the collaborators for this project, along with department of computer and information sciences lecturer James Braman and associate professors for the department of art Bridget Sullivan and Jan Baum.
According to Sullivan, the professors requested a teaching innovation grant to have a "visual island" in Second Life.
"I teach online, so this [Second Life] offers a different way to interact with each other instead of just through e-mail and Web page," Sullivan said.
"Now we can actually get together 'in world' and we can hear each others' voices."
Released in June 2003, SL has grown from a social network for anyone to an educational environment for many universities. "Many universities have their own islands, such as University of Delaware, Princeton and MIT," Sullivan said.
Sullivan hopes that SL is taken into consideration by more professors on campus and used as another way to teach students.
"It really extends the boundaries of teaching," Baum said.
"As a teacher, I am always looking for what is the new frontier in technology because I really want to prepare my students for their competition in the real world."
Baum, who teaches metalsmithing and jewelry, uses SL in her classes and has said unlike SL, traditional teaching is very labor intensive and very costly, when it comes to making the art and getting professionals to see her students' artwork.
"With SL it is much faster and free. My students can get immediate results to see what works and what does not work with their art pieces," she said.
"I could be in China right now and if my students needed feedback, I could simply log on and do so," Baum said.
Though the collaborators agreed that SL has potential to grow on campus, most of their students were skeptical at first using the virtual network in class. "Initially, most of my students thought it was a little crazy at first," Braman said. "Once they saw the potential and what could be done with it, they are more open to it and they think it is interesting."
Junior mass communication and communication studies major Melissa Novak went to the presentation and signed up for Second Life because it looked like her favorite video game, The Sims.
Although Novak felt that SL would be another way for meeting new friends, she is not too sure if it can be used for educational purposes.
"I am not sure if it can be used for classrooms. Professors on Facebook still freaks me out," she said.
On the other hand, there were students at the presentation who immediately felt comfortable with the emerging teaching method.
"Overall it is pretty easy to become acclimated to Second Life and students can benefit from this because you do not have to be in class at certain times and you can log on to Second Life from anywhere, on your laptop," graduate student Amy Klainer said.
According to Dyer, Second Life was officially unveiled to the University on Thursday.
Despite the skepticism, Second life has received positive feedback and provides a new opportunity for faculty and students.
"It is free; you just simply create an account. Just make sure that your computer meets the system requirements," Dyer said.
10.23.2008
Towson Innovation Lab setting for student building sessions
Last Monday evening a number of students showed up for an in-world building session. It was great fun and we all had a good LOL while leanring about PRIMS and scripting. Please join us for the fun on an upcoming Monday evening. Bee Zimminy is in world about 8 PM Eastern time. Just IM her for an invite.
10.14.2008
Towson Innovation Lab island is born!
Last night Ruby Snook, Valen Voom and Bee Zimminy checked out the terraform build of the new Towson Innovation Lab island in Second Life. The New Media Consortium is building the island for the TU-SL team and Larry Pixel (Larry Johnson CEO, NMC) anticipates it should be complete in the next few weeks.
The island is not yet open to the public, but will be as soon as the build is complete.
Stay tuned for progress reports and photos.
Bee
4.17.2008
Teaching at Towson takes on a Second Life
Students, professors interact in virtual classrooms
(originally posted: 4/14/08 at thetowerlight.com)
By: Sharon Leff
Bee Zimminy (aka Prof. B. Sullivan) with ART641 students in SL
Imagine a Towson University with all its educational opportunities and social possibilities but none of its parking problems or construction projects.
All of that exists in Second Life, www.secondlife.com, a virtual world that can resemble real locations and can include fictional ones. Second Life residents can create avatars, interact with others and purchase items with Linden dollars, the currency used on the site.
Bridget Sullivan, an associate professor in the art department and program director for the online interactive media design graduate certificate, began using the site in Fall 2007. She said she was hooked on it after hearing a presentation about Second Life at the Distance Learning Conference in Madison, Wis. last August.
"I love to create things and SL is a new medium of expression. SL is full of fun things to learn about. I think of it as a big puzzle or complex tool for making art and design," Sullivan said. "I am an artist and I enjoy learning about new art materials. This is the latest set of art tools in my toolbox."
Sullivan's initials, BZS, inspired her to create her online name "bee Zimminy."
"I thought it sounded friendly. I wanted my avatar to be approachable since I am using the avatar for teaching," she said.
Towson President Robert Caret said he has started exploring the site and the possibility of holding Study Breaks online. Caret periodically meets with students in the Student Government Association and is considering holding sessions on Second Life.
"What we're looking at is how to play with [Second Life] a bit and maintain ongoing contact with a large student body," Caret said in an interview last month.
Sullivan said there is excitement about the site among both her students and her colleagues. She also holds office hours on the site.
"I find the office hour meeting a non-pressure event. I just let students know I'll be there if they want to stop by. It gives them a reason to log in and a destination to go to. From now until the end of the semester we will use the office hour time to tour SL as a group," she said. "Once students log into SL they can IM me and I send them an invitation to teleport to my location. Each week we will be meeting in a new location."
LaTonya Dyer, an instructional design technologist/trainer for the center for instructional advancement and technology in the office of technology services, said she's active in Second Life because she's excited about all the research, simulations, entrepreneurship, socializing, networking, communicating and creating possibilities that come along with the site.
"I have had the opportunity to interact with others all over the United States and around the globe. How else could I do this from the comfort of my desk at home or at work?" she said. Dyer said one of the benefits to the site is it places everybody on the same playing field and allows for various types of simulations.
"These simulations can and are being used for training purposes. I have heard of companies using Second Life for customer service training for their employees. Some researchers or developers are also simulating natural events like tsunamis or schizophrenia," she said. "Towson faculty members are using or planning to use Second Life for course projects, research and content development."
Sullivan said she would love to see Towson more involved with the site.
"It would be great to develop a TU community of users and events," she said.
Dyer said that sometimes there are a few technical issues when using the site, and sytem requirements and Internet connection speeds must be taken into account.
"Second Life is unavailable when upgrades are made, which normally occurs on Wednesdays during specific times. So you have to be careful when scheduling events," she said.
To help Towson get more involved with Second Life, Sullivan created a blog, http://towsonusecondlife.blogspot.com/, with instructions and tips. © Copyright 2008 Towerlight
(originally posted: 4/14/08 at thetowerlight.com)
By: Sharon Leff
Bee Zimminy (aka Prof. B. Sullivan) with ART641 students in SL
Imagine a Towson University with all its educational opportunities and social possibilities but none of its parking problems or construction projects.
All of that exists in Second Life, www.secondlife.com, a virtual world that can resemble real locations and can include fictional ones. Second Life residents can create avatars, interact with others and purchase items with Linden dollars, the currency used on the site.
Bridget Sullivan, an associate professor in the art department and program director for the online interactive media design graduate certificate, began using the site in Fall 2007. She said she was hooked on it after hearing a presentation about Second Life at the Distance Learning Conference in Madison, Wis. last August.
"I love to create things and SL is a new medium of expression. SL is full of fun things to learn about. I think of it as a big puzzle or complex tool for making art and design," Sullivan said. "I am an artist and I enjoy learning about new art materials. This is the latest set of art tools in my toolbox."
Sullivan's initials, BZS, inspired her to create her online name "bee Zimminy."
"I thought it sounded friendly. I wanted my avatar to be approachable since I am using the avatar for teaching," she said.
Towson President Robert Caret said he has started exploring the site and the possibility of holding Study Breaks online. Caret periodically meets with students in the Student Government Association and is considering holding sessions on Second Life.
"What we're looking at is how to play with [Second Life] a bit and maintain ongoing contact with a large student body," Caret said in an interview last month.
Sullivan said there is excitement about the site among both her students and her colleagues. She also holds office hours on the site.
"I find the office hour meeting a non-pressure event. I just let students know I'll be there if they want to stop by. It gives them a reason to log in and a destination to go to. From now until the end of the semester we will use the office hour time to tour SL as a group," she said. "Once students log into SL they can IM me and I send them an invitation to teleport to my location. Each week we will be meeting in a new location."
LaTonya Dyer, an instructional design technologist/trainer for the center for instructional advancement and technology in the office of technology services, said she's active in Second Life because she's excited about all the research, simulations, entrepreneurship, socializing, networking, communicating and creating possibilities that come along with the site.
"I have had the opportunity to interact with others all over the United States and around the globe. How else could I do this from the comfort of my desk at home or at work?" she said. Dyer said one of the benefits to the site is it places everybody on the same playing field and allows for various types of simulations.
"These simulations can and are being used for training purposes. I have heard of companies using Second Life for customer service training for their employees. Some researchers or developers are also simulating natural events like tsunamis or schizophrenia," she said. "Towson faculty members are using or planning to use Second Life for course projects, research and content development."
Sullivan said she would love to see Towson more involved with the site.
"It would be great to develop a TU community of users and events," she said.
Dyer said that sometimes there are a few technical issues when using the site, and sytem requirements and Internet connection speeds must be taken into account.
"Second Life is unavailable when upgrades are made, which normally occurs on Wednesdays during specific times. So you have to be careful when scheduling events," she said.
To help Towson get more involved with Second Life, Sullivan created a blog, http://towsonusecondlife.blogspot.com/, with instructions and tips. © Copyright 2008 Towerlight
2.20.2008
TU joins New Media Consortium
Teachers' Buzz workshop held in NMC Campus in SL
Towson University students, faculty and staff may now join the New Media Consortium and enjoy the benefits of TU's new insitutional membership. Membership benefits include is the use of the NMC Second Life campus as an alternative learning venue.
About NMC
The New Media Consortium (NMC) is an international 501(c)3 not-for-profit consortium of nearly 250 learning-focused organizations dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies. NMC member institutions are found in almost every state in the United States, across Canada, and in Europe, Asia and Australia. Among the membership are an elite list of the most highly regarded colleges and universities in the world, as well as a growing list of innovative museums, research centers, foundations, and forward-thinking companies.
The New Media Consortium nmc.org maintains a virtual campus in the Second Life environment so that member universities may experiment with Second Life and host educational events. Beginning January 1, 2008 the award of a Teaching Innovation Grant by the Graduate School will fund an institutional membership for Towson University in the New Media Consortium. (nmc.org)
Membership benefits also include the opportunity to attend NMC in-world events and conferences. You can read about NMC campus events on the NMC Campus Observer blog.
View the movie "NMC Campus: Seriously Engaging"
Join the New Media Consortium
Download the free Second Life Software and set up your free SL membership
Teleport to the NMC virtual campus
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
