Photos by Grizzla. Join our VWER groups at Flickr and Koinup to add your own pictures!

Kali Pizzaro: Hi everyone, and welcome to the Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable. We meet each Thursday at 2:30pm SLT for an hour.

Kali Pizzaro: The Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable is a forum to educate and inform the community about issues that are important and relevant to education.

Kali Pizzaro: This is a public meeting, so we will be keeping and publishing a transcript of what is said in local chat. If you’ve not seen our transcripts, you should check them out – they are an excellent information asset.

Kali Pizzaro: The transcripts can be found at our web site http://www.vwer.org – select the LIBRARY tab at the top.

Kali Pizzaro: The Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable continues to develop a community of educators from around the world with a variety of thoughts, needs, and ideas. Please join the Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable group here in SL. If you are on Facebook,

Kali Pizzaro: please join our group there – Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable.

Kali Pizzaro: You can also find and post pictures to our Flickr group and follow us on Twitter @VWER. When you blog or tweet, please remember to include the tag #vwer.

Kali Pizzaro: Tonight’s theme is “Welcome to New Moderators” Grizzla and Sam55 who will have part of the meeting each.

Kali Pizzaro: Grizzla’s topic – “What steps are you taking these days to put together your VW projects?” Sam will be discussing “What are the advantages /disadvantages of VWs outside of SL?”

Kali Pizzaro: Lets get started the way we always do by introducing ourselves. I am Evelyn McElhinney a RN, Nurse lecturer in Advanced Practice Nursing at Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland

Grizzla: Chris Robinson, Virtual Assistant, Office of EdTech, Georgia Gwinnett College in metro Atlanta

Samantha Chester: I am Ashlyn Dugan. I am a Writing and Composition instructor at NPCC in Arkansas.

Geoff Lumley: Geoff Lumley is Geoff Barker-Read from the University of Leeds, UK

JeanClaude Vollmar: Hi everyone. I’m Jeff Le Blanc from the University of Northwestern Ohio. I’m their VP for IT.

Jewle Rae: I’m Barbara Tomlin, consultant

Olivia Hotshot: Ann Steckel – Cal State Chico – generic tech nerd and educator

Kali Pizzaro: going

Kali Pizzaro: going

Kali Pizzaro: gone to the very chilled Mister Lumley

Geoff Lumley: Merci!

Kali Pizzaro: ok so we are welcoming our two new Moderators

Grizzla: and the mysterious octopus

Kali Pizzaro: so Grizzla is talking about “What steps are you taking these days to put together your VW projects?”

Kali Pizzaro: so hit it Grizzla

Grizzla: Thanks!

Grizzla: Well, you know my question… The reason I thought of it is that so much of what we talk about is general, conceptual

Grizzla: and I confess that as my college is new in its VW project, I’m thinking thru practical steps.

Grizzla: So what are yours? What are you doing these days in your VW project/s?

Kali Pizzaro: mine is a little at a standstill as we have had lots of changes to staff but i plan to do more next semester and work on some stuff through this one. making new scenarios for our bots.

Kali Pizzaro: and hopefully recruiting new volunteers to let my students take their real life health history

Olivia Hotshot: i have another campus build on the burner – but it is in open sim.

Kali Pizzaro: which sim

Olivia Hotshot: ooh you want all my secrets now, don’t ya kali?

Grizzla: Absolutely!

Kali Pizzaro: oh ok sorrryyyy

Olivia Hotshot: heh

Grizzla: Kali, do you folks use purchased bots, or do you make your own?

Graham Mills: Good evening

Kali Pizzaro: we made our own

Kali Pizzaro: AIML with voice and text

Kali Pizzaro: case based

Samantha Chester: what do you use them for Kali?

Kali Pizzaro: to let students take a health history – practise history taking

Olivia Hotshot: Building for a college in Eugene, OR for a class that teaches students how to write code for computer games

Olivia Hotshot: i have a region to play with – going to be very WoWesque in nature

Samantha Chester: well you plan your designs out on paper first don’t you Olivia?

Olivia Hotshot: i do Sam, i draw all the buildings first, make a map of where they are going to go, and then upload them and post them on the sim so all my collaborators know what is going to take place

Grizzla: How many collaborators are in your team?

Olivia Hotshot: this project will have 4 – but i am the lead and coordinating the project

Olivia Hotshot: collaborative building is an art i have learned after being inefficient on a few other projects

Samantha Chester: what caused those projects to be inefficient Olivia?

Olivia Hotshot: well for starters i wasn’t the lead… *just kidding*

Grizzla:

Kali Pizzaro: hehe

Olivia Hotshot: but – there is a process that helps – one i have developed and can communicate easily to others – i didn’t have the process in place before

Grizzla: Is your process something you can share at some point?

Kali Pizzaro: how long did it take you to get it sorted

Olivia Hotshot: Grizz, i have serious thoughts about writing up for a chapter submission to a book

Grizzla: Great!

Olivia Hotshot: it took about 3 projects Kali

Kali Pizzaro: excellent Ann

Olivia Hotshot: then little by little i have it to where i can go with my team and commando like do a blitz build

Kali Pizzaro: that would be very interesting Olivia

Olivia Hotshot: thanks kali

Grizzla: And an Educause presentation

Olivia Hotshot: Olivia Hotshot goes back to sleep and listens

Kali Pizzaro: http://caledonianblogs.net/soh-secondlife/ here is the link to look at our blog where you can find a video of the bot

Olivia Hotshot: hehe possibly

Grizzla: Who else has some steps they’re taking these days?

Kali Pizzaro: yeah Geoff you usually have something on the go

Geoff Lumley: Well, to be honest Kali, it’s all looking rather quiet at the moment. The artificial life ecosystem is still up and running, but not much else I’m afraid

Kali Pizzaro: is that your time or others Geoff

Geoff Lumley: Not mine. The AI system is supported by a colleague from manchester Metropolitan University and an academic from somewhere in Italy

Samantha Chester: You are doing a project with Georgia TEch aren’t you Grizzla?

Grizzla: We’re not, but there are some possibilities for collaboration eventually.

Grizzla: In our situation, we have a brand-new VP for EdTech who is interested in VWs but admits to having no experience – so I’m getting info together to give him a basis to decide where it fits in current priorities

Grizzla: Another of my projects is to get a group together, something like this one, for educators in the Georgia University System to collaborate.

Grizzla: Geoff, what is your sim?

Kali Pizzaro: yeah takes a lot of organising Grizzla

Grizzla: Is it in SL?

Geoff Lumley: Education UK is the sim Grizzla

Geoff Lumley: Yes, it’s SL

Grizzla: Is it open for visits or restricted?

Geoff Lumley: Totally open. We welcome visitors – some of these good folk have seen the AI ‘zoo’ already

Sheila Yoshikawa: I’m hoping to get some students for my freshman students to interact with … last year I had someone lined up, but in the end it didn’t work out with her students

Olivia Hotshot: exciting stuff going on !

Geoff Lumley: Lots of strange critters. Some are now linked to web-based chatbots

Geoff Lumley: You can have a pseudo-intelligent conversation with one or two

Kali Pizzaro: are you collaborating with someone abroad Sheila

Graham Mills: Um, yes, Geoff — very interesting work

Grizzla: Welcome Eve! One of my buddies from Georgia.

Olivia Hotshot: welcome Eve

Kali Pizzaro: woo

Kali Pizzaro: Oron come on in

Eve Maven: hi, thanks

Samantha Chester: Hi Eve I used to be from Georgia

Olivia Hotshot: makes me hungry for peaches

Grizzla: Eve, click to sit on one of the seats, and another chair will appear

Sheila Yoshikawa: well, the person I was going to work with last year was in the US, but the main thing is (I think) to try and find people their age who will be spending a bit of time inworld

Grizzla: To the newcomers – we’re talking about practical steps we’re taking these days in our VW projects.

Grizzla: Feel free to chime in

Grizzla: Sheila, what age are your students?

Kali Pizzaro: no but i would like to Graham

Sheila Yoshikawa: 18-19 mostly

Kali Pizzaro: 12 on the sim for the transcripts

Sheila Yoshikawa: the ones next semester

Grizzla: IM me later, Sheila – we may be able to help

Kali Pizzaro: woop love it

Kali Pizzaro: providing a service

Kali Pizzaro: i can see a paper coming lol

Sheila Yoshikawa: oh thanks Grizzla, will follow that up

Grizzla: Almost time to move on to Sam. Hard to summarize everyone’s individual steps.

Oronoque Westland: OUCH!

Grizzla: Anyone have anything additional they’d like to share – sort of “show and tell” without the show?

Kali Pizzaro: add any links if you have

Sheila Yoshikawa: a bit low at the moment, I’m “on holiday” and have a rather rubbish connection from my mobile stick

Eve Maven: I have 28 students inworld to my project in a couple of weeks

Grizzla: Everyone should see Eve’s build. It’s beautiful!

Kali Pizzaro: ok folks lets move on then to Sam55 – Welcome Samm is going to discuss “What are the advantages /disadvantages VWs outside of SL?

Samantha Chester: thanks Kalli

Samantha Chester: How many of you have projects in a VW outside of Sl?

Olivia Hotshot: me

Graham Mills: Me

Olivia Hotshot: but you know that

Oronoque Westland: moi

Samantha Chester: yes I have seen Oro’s

Graham Mills: I’m on a French grid — you should join us, Oro

Oronoque Westland: half finished

Olivia Hotshot: i bet the food is great there Graham

Samantha Chester: You have made changes to your sim oro?

Oronoque Westland: my French is tres mal

Graham Mills: Yup, and the clothes

Samantha Chester: Which VW Graham?

Graham Mills: New World Grid

Samantha Chester: How is it different from Sl?

Graham Mills: But it isn’t just French — though it is a registered non-profit in France

Oronoque Westland: @Sam55, have not had time….a real pity

Graham Mills: Well, it’s a lot smaller than SL

Samantha Chester: One of the problems I have had when I visit some grids is there is no one around

Samantha Chester: No one to answer questions

Graham Mills: Some of the sims have much lower concurrency

Kali Pizzaro: does it still have similar communication

Graham Mills: We are having an Open Day in October

Kali Pizzaro: voice?

Kali Pizzaro: ah think i saw that will need to try to get to that

Graham Mills: There is not much use of voice — it is Freeswitch based at the moment if you want it

Graham Mills: Lower quality, non-spatial compared to SL

Kali Pizzaro: right

Samantha Chester: Oro you are in Jokaydia?

Oronoque Westland: Jokaydia and JokaydiaGrid

Oronoque Westland: the first is in SL

Kali Pizzaro: i need to get back on JokaydiaGrid

Kali Pizzaro: has it grown much in the last 3-4 months

Oronoque Westland: when Montclair closed the residential sim I moved my SL home to Jokaydia, but my regions are on JokaydiaGrid

Graham Mills: One of the issues is that the various grids are on different versions of the Hypergrid at the moment

Samantha Chester: In Jokaydia so you really need to be a good builder to create a sim?

Grizzla: @Sam – catching up on reading comments after taking pix – when I visit any VW or ed sim in SL, it’s rare to find anyone

Oronoque Westland: on JokaydiaGrid I have generous neighbors so we share a lot

Kali Pizzaro: timing is crucial

Kali Pizzaro: yes there is lots of sharing

Kali Pizzaro: WB Sheila

Oronoque Westland: I think picking the “right grid” is important

Graham Mills: I think outside ReactionGrid and jokaydiaGRID, one of the challenges is finding out what is going on

Oronoque Westland: for me JokaydiaGrid is right because it has a community of educators

Kali Pizzaro: yeah that is one of the disadvantages of having multiple grids

Kali Pizzaro: me thinks

Eve Maven: which one is the largest right now?

Samantha Chester: @Oro and you can make contact with them?

Graham Mills: There is a big community forming on OSGrid too now with John Rogate at the helm

Samantha Chester: Thats good to know Graham

Kali Pizzaro: yeah i see him tweet i think

Kali Pizzaro: a lot

Graham Mills: UEL has a sim there

Oronoque Westland: Jokay Wollongong (the “landlady”) is very active, has a website, etc., plus takes customer support very seriously…I think that makes a big difference

Grizzla: I love Jokay

Samantha Chester: Sure Grizzla

Oronoque Westland: I am not so concerned with overall population size as common interest group

Samantha Chester: nods

Eve Maven: yes, which ones seem to draw educators?

Oronoque Westland: that is the focus of Reaction Grid and Jokaydia Grid

Grizzla: I agree, Oro. It would be nice if we could all agree on one grid. Hypergridding exists but is problematic

Graham Mills: There are some educators on NWG but there is a strong cultural influence generally so it works well for me — it runs in the same time zone too which is good for support

TommyJW Ninetails: 3rd rock grid talked about supporting SL educators

Kali Pizzaro: good point Graham

Oronoque Westland: yes, I like NWG for the cultural aspects

Graham Mills: Hypergridding will be easier once we are all on 0.7.1.1

Kali Pizzaro: yes that will be a game changer. do you think?

Oronoque Westland: I used to have a 3RG sim but left

Grizzla: There is something called The VIEW which is being developed for education, but still too early to see whether it’ll be worth a shot

Samantha Chester: Why Oro?

TommyJW Ninetails: I would like to see a live boot hypergrid on startup CD created. Something which comes with all one would need to support a class and sandbox.

Oronoque Westland: 3RG is a diverse community and some of what I saw there was not appropriate (from my perspective) for impressionable students

Kali Pizzaro: can you not do that on a stick Tommy

Graham Mills: Yes, simonastick is awesome

Kali Pizzaro: interesting Oro

TommyJW Ninetails: that would be even better

Kali Pizzaro: it is possible now

TommyJW Ninetails: I’m a bit of an old timer

Samantha Chester: I have got to try simonastick

Kali Pizzaro: you got a link Graham

Grizzla: Yeah, CDs are so 20th century ;0)

TommyJW Ninetails: I would love to see lots of free lib of objects and tools.

Graham Mills: http://simonastick.com/

Oronoque Westland: @Kali, 3RG puts a lot of emphasis on community and I thought it better to relocate than to try to censor anyone on 3RG

Graham Mills: I’ve generated a Google Custom Search Engine that cross-searches some of the OpenSim web content sites

Graham Mills: That’s http://bit.ly/hyperfind

Grizzla: Yes, I have that bookmarked. It’s great!

Samantha Chester: Well we are about out of time for today

Samantha Chester: anyone have something they want to add?

Graham Mills: There’s a also the http://metaverseink.com/ search engine

Grizzla: Folks should take a look at Eve’s sim – Valdosta State University

Eve Maven: I’d be happy to show it to anyone

Samantha Chester: I would love to see it Eve

Grizzla: They have some amazing areas for role-playing for social work students. I showed some of it to our VP last week.

Samantha Chester: So what did we decide are the advantages to other VW’s?

Eve Maven: we can do it now or set up a time, Sam

Graham Mills: Cost, control

Samantha Chester: Yes we did not discuss cost did we?

Kali Pizzaro: control is big

Grizzla: My impression is that OpenSim is kinda “free like a puppy.”

Graham Mills: Backups

Graham Mills: OAR files

Samantha Chester: Yes very important Graham

Kali Pizzaro: what is yours is yours

Oronoque Westland: incentive to learn to create and not buy, buy, buy…heehee

JeanClaude Vollmar: Content that is really yours to keep.

Kali Pizzaro:

Kali Pizzaro: Ok I would like to thank Grizzla and Sam55 for a great job at moderating woop

Graham Mills: Yes, many thanks — great meeting

JeanClaude Vollmar: WOOT!

Oronoque Westland: @ninetails…I luv the octopuddy

Samantha Chester: And Eve if you have time I would love to see your sim

TommyJW Ninetails: ty.

Kali Pizzaro: next week Chris Collins, CEO Tipodean.com will be interviewed by AJ

Kali Pizzaro: so join us for that