Virtual Solutions to Real World Problems

I do have the "wow" factor when it comes to using "Second Life" as a social game, and as an educational tool, obviously I am part of the converted and speaking from the position of the converted.

I do realize, accept, however, that as convinced as I am, others are not and the arguments do need to be made for adoption and experimentation, and if not "Second Life" its equivalent, but thats for another day and another blog!

I saw this article about "Virtual Solutions to Real Problems", from the "Serious Games Initiative" and I was "wow"ed again!

This virtual video tour, see below for the actually video, looks at:

• Eolus One, where a virtual world energy management system is reducing energy consumption in real-world buildings;
• Etopia Eco-village which showcases sustainable architecture and sustainable living;
• the Avatar Action Center that seeks to educate Second Life residents about sustainability issues and empower them to take action in their real lives; and
• Second Chance Trees where residents plant virtual trees that trigger the planting of endangered tree species worldwide.

Please do follow the link and read the article and of course take the tour !

Murias Slide Show

Creating a MUVE for Development Education

Murias is an Island created for Teachers to explore Second Life for use in their teaching practice for Development Education.

Funded by Irish Aid
Three Year Project
Principle Investigator: Tim Savage
Supported from Education by Ann Fitzgibbon

The strategic aims of this programme of work are:

• to create a MUVE with rich resources, artefacts, and experiential learning experiences.
• to promote and disseminate the work and ethos of the agencies concerned.
• to provide inputs and artefacts from global and local communities perspectives.

To achieve these strategic aims the programme of work is broken down into three phases for Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 and a number of streams of work:

• the creation of two islands: Teachers Island and Student Island populated with rich content from Development Education resources and provide areas for exploratory and structured learning experiences.

• the pursuit of a rigorous research programme to establish best practice, identify gaps in the peer reviewed literature and publish our own findings from the MUVE teaching and learning implementations.

MUVE = Multi User Virtual Environment