[Conf] Announcing release of two papers in GK Series on Virtual Worlds
This week brings the exciting release of two papers that were written based on findings during the 2007 Second Life Community Convention in both the education and non-profit focused panels. They were authored by two prominent SL community members in both fields and feature numerous references, quotes and work being done by various educators, virtual world professionals and non-profits within Second Life and other related spheres.
We are proud of the papers and welcome you to download them, share with your colleagues and leave comments.
Support for these reports was provided by the Digital Media and Learning Initiative of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. We thank them and all who helped contribute in some way to the publishing of these documents.
Reports from the Field: Second Life Community Convention 2007 Education Track Summary
Best Practices from the Second Life Community Convention Education Track 2007
prepared by Cathy Arreguin, MA Educational Technology
The first paper in the Global Kids Series on Virtual Worlds discusses common themes, methodology and best practices in education in virtual worlds and concludes with recommendations.
Perhaps reflecting the unique and collaborative characteristics of the virtual platform itself, the Second Life educational community has distinguished itself as being remarkably collegial and generous in sharing both knowledge and resources with colleagues across boundaries that have traditionally not been crossed. Rather than adopting a silo mentality of research and practice, many educators routinely construct knowledge and discover best practices with colleagues in different disciplines, schools, institutions and countries. A higher education instructor in California may advise a middle school teacher in Saudi Arabia. An independent e-learning professional may offer instructional space to a virtually landless university professor.This collaborative spirit is reflected in the principles and best practices gleaned from the Education Track at the recent Second Life Community Conference held in Chicago, Illinois in August 2007. A representative cross-section of Teen, Higher Education, Corporate and Government presentations reflected both common instructional strategies in maximizing a virtual world environment, as well as examples of tailoring that environment to best help specific learning populations.
Best Practices for Non-profits in Second Life – Fall 2007
prepared by Rik Panganiban
The second paper in the series includes key recommendations for non-profits on education, outreach, collaboration, fundraising and advocacy.
Well-heeled patrons sip martinis while bidding on shimmering gowns to raise funds for cancer research. A humanitarian aid worker just back from Sudan talks about the plight of Sudanese refugees to an international audience. Regulars at a weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting sit in a loose circle, helping each other through another day of sobriety. Teenagers are creating sets, costumes and lighting to shoot an educational video about child soldiers in Uganda. Pretty normal non-profit activities – if not for the fact that all of these events took place in the virtual world of Second Life.
This report is a preliminary examination of some of the best practices of non-profits active in Second Life, inspired by a series of discussions that took place during the “nonprofit track” at the Second Life Community Convention in August 2007 in Chicago. This past year Second Life has become a testing ground for exploring the possibilities of using virtual worlds for the social good. Given the fairly recent entry of many non-profits into Second Life – many non-profit offices are under one year old – these findings and recommendations are very much subject to revision. Indeed, we consider this just the beginning of a much longer conversation about what is the role of civil society, philanthropy, and the public sector writ large in the virtual world.
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