NASA International Space Museum

This is a substantial sized sim. There's a lot going on here. So there's quite a bit to talk about.

First, I'm going to rant about the downsides, some of which are unavoidable. Still, they are things to keep in mind if one is going to build one's own place of learning online.

The first is simply a matter of scale. Generally the objects are built to scale. This is usually a good thing, but the problem is that in Second Life it makes it extremely difficult to actually see things. If one zooms out far enough to see an entire rocket, one tends to go out past the typical rezzing distance. Half the rocket disappears. And that assumes there aren't three other rockets between your target rocket and the view point blocking the view. Additionally, the space itself is so large, with so much stuff it gives one the sense of a real museum. Again, usually a good thing, but when one gets the sense that one is going to be there for hours and not see half of it...

Next is the set up on their solar system. The planets I went and visited did not have easy navigation. One arrived at the planet, viewed the satellite(s) there, and then couldn't get back. The only way to escape was to jump through the center hole and return to earth, then ride the rocket again... This was, for me, rather a deal breaker. I didn't pursue much because of the inconvenience.

Also, I didn't find that much interactivity. Beyond the flight to the ISS and the little quiz kiosks, it was a pretty static place. In spite of my enjoyment of space exploration, I struggled to keep my interest after the initial "geewiz" effect of seeing all the rockets in the initial circle.

On the upsides, however, there were several interesting things. The Gemini ride to get to the ISS was rather enjoyable, aside from the side effects:
























It was rather a neat way to get up there. It gave one a little bit of an interactive sense. Watching the transition into space was enjoyable. I probably should have turned the sound up.






I mentioned my issues with exploring the planets. Never the less, here I am at Pluto. It was interesting seeing the little comments floating there, including the question about the planethood of Pluto.






Back on Earth I was gratified to find this little gem. The fact that NASA included non-NASA endeavors like Spaceship One helped to create a stronger sense of this as a space museum, not a NASA museum.










I KNEW IT WAS FAKE! They used Second Life!












So, where are the Jawas?







I think there was a good bit to be learned from this exploration. The initial awe factor of seeing the scale of the rockets was fascinating, but quickly wore off after the frustrations of being unable to really see things. The low interactivity also created a brevity of interest. More interaction and activity would make it more exciting. However, the quizes were stimulating, and the fact they gave out little rewards did capture some degree of competitiveness hampered only by the fact someone who didn't really care that much could simply guess repeatedly until they guessed right, making it a time trial instead of a knowledge test.

Still, an interesting visit.

NOAA

I'm going to write this as I go, since I am not in class any longer.

I just finished the Science on a sphere exhibit. The video on Global warming was fascinating. Who would ever have thought to put it one a globe? But here, a place that has the three dimensionality, but without needing to spend tends of thousands of dollars for projectors and equipment, but instead a few pennies on uploads... That is a very clever thought. I am amazed at this idea!

Alright... I am so not doing the crab fishing exhibit. I've watched "Dangerous Catch" too much. But a neat idea! It applies what we are talking about, making a story, or adventure, out of learning.

The hurricane exhibit seems a bit broke. I'm in three piggybacked planes. Make that four. Ooh! Neat! Clouds! (Welcome to the wide world of Stream Of Conciousness class assignments.) And now I am stuck in the plane. Okay, other than flying through a cloud layer, that one was less impressive.

Oh, a choice between the tsunami exhibit or the submarine? Well, everyone in class was talking about the Tsunami exhibit. I'll take a page from Robert Frost here.

Well, now, the submarine tour just took me past a sunken car. Is that Jimmy Hoffa? And there's a scooter... Ooh! Undersea vent and octopus! Neat. The orca is creeping me out...

Alright, that was interesting. The ocean seems to be getting pretty junked up though. I suspect that may be the point.

And I'm stuck inside the ride again... Note to self. When designing interfaces, make sure you don't get stuck in them.

Ooh. Falling out of the sub in desperation had an unexpected dividend. I found a hidden sign that takes you to a web page for the underwater lab NOAA ran. Niiiiiice. Of course, now I'm all (simulated) wet.

All in all, a well arranged sim. Very good looking, and with interesting ways to educate. My favorite was the globe exhibit, but the rides were a neat way to do it.

Club One Island

This was explored during class. Kimmy was with me for part of the exploration.

What an interesting place. It had an interesting mixture of things to educate people who were exploring wait loss. Thus people could somewhat tailor some of their experiences to their own personal styles while reinforcing their weight loss goals.

One of the areas that stuck out the most to my mind, near the Visitor Center, was a series of rooms which revealed a number of settings that could challenge one's weight loss goals. It was full of food that would chase you around, whispering negativity in your ear as you wandered about until you told the voices "no" often enough. It was actually rather creepy, and did a good job of creating some of the sense of pressure you can get in the physical world.

Another spot was the "Room of Doom". In that one you could beat the tar out of cravings with pink hammers. Very fun, very amusing, and I'm sure it was rather cathartic.

In the apartment complex there was a little shop with foods. In that one you could see all the nutrients those foods would provide. They were arranged much as 0ne would find in a real store. This could get one used to thinking of these matters when one is out shopping in the physical.

Each of these presented a different way of approaching the concept of weight loss and health consciousness in a virtual world. One used intimidation and fear, and ways to deal with that. Another made a game of it. A third was educational. Each was a different approach and quite good.

Are games better than life?

There was a good deal of focus in this regarding graphics and audio quality. These are major parts of the gaming industry, and well worth paying attention to. The important thing, however, is what is brought out by the student video.

Good graphics and sound are useless next to a game with a story that grabs you. The ability to be flashy and sound great is meaningless if you cannot create an addictive pathos in a player. The student video strikes this point deep into the heart of the matter.

A couple of games I have played in the past really illustrate the point. One was a small scale Multiply Massive Online Role Play Game that came out right around the turn of the millennium. The graphics were merely average even for that day (and are downright antiquated now). But the people who came in, and the stories that were told, created a sense of belonging and passion that brought us back again and again. I played for seven years, and learned many lessons from that play. The other was a Japanese Sound Novel style of game. Decision points were few, and the graphics were nothing but cartoonish stills. But the story about an older brother caring for his dying little sister, with you being able to occasionally step in to determine what meaning making acts would occur, this created such a powerful experience it is still, in my opinion, both the greatest and worst game I have ever played. I'll always remember how well I was pulled into caring, the lessons I learned, and I will never play it again.

These extremely strong emotions, this impact we can create in a world that seemingly should not matter becomes an extremely powerful tool. Like any other tool, if used carefully and well they can bring people to engage in their own progress. A powerful connection to a place where valuable lessons are learned and skills picked up can lead to an accelerated learning that will produce entire generations of geniuses early and often. If used badly, it can create an easily manipulated generation that can be guided into truly dark corners of our existence. The audio and video quality may make it easier to immerse, but it is the pathos that will ultimately teach, for right or wrong.

Self-Portrait

And here's the Self Portrait requested.

Science Officer Candidate 2nd class Aoi reporting for duty, sir!

7 Ways to Reward the Brain

I am reminded of Ed Castranova's book "Virtual Worlds". In it Dr. Castranova wrote about various things such as the rewards systems and the economics of Virtual Worlds. It dovetails nicely with what was being said in this video.

The divergence point is where it is taken. For Dr. Castranova (an economist) the payout was on the way Virtual Worlds were reflecting physical world economies, and the potential future to which they could lead. He was both excited and frightened by the potential for this escapism to dominate our futures. For Dr. Chatfield, however, he was drawn into the way the game model could be used to impact education.

I wasn't clear on a point in the video. It sounded to me like he was going so far as to suggest that these models could be brought into non-computerized classrooms. To a degree I suspect that could well be. For example, awarding points for participation in activities can easily be done. "Turn in a group paper, everyone gets five points automatically." I am uncertain exactly how one can make "opening boxes looking for pies" into a lesson in a class room setting, however. I imagine, given enough thought, it could be done.

In virtual worlds and online games, however, it seems obvious that one could easily apply all seven points. Imagine, for example, a game based around Shakespeare. Students could find that they are in a castle. They have been promised a reward of, say, getting the rest of the class period off, if they complete a task in time. To achieve this they have to retrieve the goblet from "Hamlet". First they have to convince Rozencrantz and Guildenstern to show them the way to the castle by revealing that Hamlet switched the letter. At the castle they have to get Polonius to show them to the King's chambers by correctly identifying one of his adages. After reaching the chamber they must defeat Claudius by correctly identifying how he killed King Hamlet. Etc. Etc.

To apply this to my own particular interest, I can see how to apply some of this as well. In a game, I could create an environment in which people have to overcome social gender imbalances. A game could be created in which people gain points by literally breaking the glass ceiling...

First Post!

Alright, to begin with, this is the first post in accordance with the class assignment. That assignment is to give a little bit about me. I'm afraid this is going to be a touch schizophrenic, but I'm a tad complex.

To begin with I am going to switch the order of the three questions. You see, the first two questions, about teaching, are colored by the third question, me.

This thing is that, while the monkey behind the keyboard is male, the avatar is female. Yes, that's right, I am a "male-to-female crossplayer." So if you find yourself looking at a diminutive oriental female avatar with a baritone voice with a southern accent, this explains the confusion.

Why is this important to know? Well, this gets into the questions asked. I am not currently an educator. However, it is my goal to complete a Ph.D. in communication and become a university professor. My subject of choice? How we communicate our identities, particularly in terms of sex and gender. (Beware, I'm a post-modern feminist! Know fear.) "Aoi" came about as the result of an off-handed comment by a female friend and colleague. After a small experiment I conducted a couple of years ago testing gendered communication (by having people crossplay to see if they were detected by my pet lab chimps) she suggested that it was my turn to try it.

Aoi is that attempt. I've found over the past year and a half that it has been a greatly educational experiment. I have, over that time, learned a bit about some of the pressures that females face in a male dominated world. Even though I do not actively hide the gender difference between the monkey and the digital, so few seem to investigate very closely that it has left me subject to some interesting situations that have given me a greater appreciation for the struggles women face. (Having strangers make suggestive comments, the online equivalent of a wolf whistle, has been quite discomforting.)

So what interests me in education? Exploring how we, in virtual worlds, can adopt new identities and learn from doing it. Whether it is race, sex, age, or one of hundreds of other identifying marks we can learn to walk in another's shoes here. We can learn how we communicate these roles. To me, virtual worlds can be a "game" that can teach us a more equal way to "play" at life.

So there we are. Me in a deceptive nutshell.