News

Our latest news reports from NMC Virtual Worlds, as well as more related stories on the sidebar.

July VWEx

published by Beth Sachtjen Jul 2, 2009 08:38am
Our first installment of Virtual Worlds Expeditions took place yesterday and was undoubtedly a huge success - nearly 70 avatars joined us for our tour of two Yale projects. We were also fortunate enough to be joined by Ken Panko and Themba Flowers of Yale to provide some excellent behind the scenes information on planning the virtual world projects and answer the many enthusiastic questions from our participants. Our first stop on the expedition brought us to the virtual version of the Seeley Mudd Library, which was built by CJ Carnot (Chris Holden) from NMC Virtual Worlds as a vehicle for collaboration between Librarians and other staff that share the real world space. By using a number of scripted interior elements, Chris created a place in which the individuals that would use the building after the remodel could ... more...

NMC Virtual Worlds Expeditions (VWEx): Explore Yale Paper Mill & Mudd Library

published by Beth Sachtjen Jun 23, 2009 06:32am
Are you interested in learning about places in Second Life that are more than pretty buildings? We are starting a new monthly informal group here at NMC Virtual Worlds where we will lead expeditions to some of the more immersive experiences. Join myself and Chris for Virtual Worlds Expeditions (VWEx) that will take place the first Wednesday of each month (see below for time and place). The first few trips we have lined up include recent projects we have completed. First up, for Wednesday July 1 (check local time) we are taking a trip to Yale University, where we will visit two exciting projects- the Yale Paper Mill and the Mudd Library. Our colleagues from Yale will be present to discuss the project and how they are being used now. cc licensed flickr photo shared by NMC Virtual Worlds The Yale ... more...

2009 NMC Conference

published by Beth Sachtjen Jun 16, 2009 02:42pm
NMC Conference Program: The Metalic Version, originally uploaded by cogdogblog. We're back from the 2009 NMC Conference in Monterey, California and as with every year it was an incredibly engaging experience. While every year allows us to meet individuals with Second Life projects on the horizon and those we've collaborated with throughout the year, it is always an extreme pleasure to see what is going on in other realms of new media education. As with the rest of NMC, the NMC Virtual Worlds project is committed to pushing the boundaries of innovative uses of technology for learners and educators and absolutely no virtual world developer on earth could have a better organization in which to feed and fuel that dedication. A few favorite moments: * Exploring the concept of a learner's "suck threshold" as Kathy Sierra so eloquently ... more...

Getting ready for the Summer Conference

published by Chris Holden Jun 2, 2009 03:34am
So, thanks to Alan, Beth & I have been given a voice outside of the virtual world which we hope to use on a regular basis to tell you about what we're working on and maybe even offer some tips along the way. This being the week before the annual NMC Summer Conference, we're actually busy preparing our pre-conference session for that, so there's not a lot of building going on which is unusual for us! That said we spent a couple of days building a pavillion for Linden Lab's upcoming land expo. I'll say at the start, this is not a grand and exciting piece of architecture, but a simple plaza featuring some display boards with an entertaining  little secret - if you get the chance, do visit it and wander among them. It's apt though, as I prepare for ... more...

Hello, World!

published by Beth Sachtjen May 27, 2009 09:03am
Hello, World!, originally uploaded by stellacostello. I'm Beth Sachtjen (aka Stella Costello) from NMC Virtual Worlds. You'll be hearing a lot more from me in the future as I blog here straight from flickr or otherwise. I'm excited to be able to bring you a window into what I do with NMC Virtual Worlds and offer a "behind the scenes" look at just how it is I spend my day. While my time might not be as vast as my list of things that I'd like to share, among the things I have planned are tips, trick, and how-tos and introductions to some of the folks I meet everyday around the NMC Campus in Second Life. more...

NMC Campus Featured in Linden Lab Case Study

published by Alan Levine Apr 16, 2009 09:43pm
There is a new Second Life Case Study created together by the NMC and Linden Lab. Announced today at the EduScape Blog as "Behind the Scenes of The NMC: The Largest Education Project in Second Life", the study aims to capture the breadth of the NMC's 3 years of experiences in Second Life. As most of you know, The New Media Consortium (NMC), a non-profit consortium of learning-focused organizations founded in 1993 with nearly 300 college, university, and foundation members, has been in Second Life since 2006 and is responsible for introducing immersive learning to many of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world. Although pieces of the NMC story have been told throughout the years, it’s always interesting to take a more holistic view of the largest education project in Second Life and—for that matter any virtual world—to both ... more...

Now These are Building Tools!

published by Alan Levine Mar 6, 2009 06:34am
Check out the 3D tools and interface the man in this movie uses to build with! World Builder from Bruce Branit on Vimeo. Filmmaker Bruce Branit uses this environment to tell a touching short story. more...

Peeking at Orientation

published by Alan Levine Feb 9, 2009 11:23am
I was flying around the other day checking out the many new changes for NMC Campus (more on that shortly, but I am thinking this is NMC Campus 3.0!) when I saw a cluster of green dots on NMC Orientation. Sure enough, this looked like a class or group getting into SL for the first time, and it was fun to watch the baby avatars walk, talk, and dress themselves ;-) Since July of 2007, the NMC has offered our own web site for creating SL accounts, where the newly created avatars end up on the Orientation Island we designed and created, rather than the crowded and often, intimidating, public ones. NMC Orientation also offers advanced orientations for people that may want to go back for a refresher (learn more...). In that time, our site was ushered in over 7000 new avatars, and ... more...

NMC Symposium Opens with Reception

published by Alan Levine Nov 5, 2008 05:35am
The twelfth in the series of NMC Virtual Symposia, Rock the Academy: Radical Teaching, Unbounded Learning, opened last night at NMC Conference Center with a nicely attended reception. This fourth of these online conference held completely in Second Life, Rock The Academy is intended to explore the ideas and activities that are changing/revolutionizing the shape of education today. With some meeting and greeting, NMC staff welcomed attendees from as far away as Hong Kong, Australia, and Austin ;-) and one NMC staff member stationed in Iceland. At the reception, participants took on the challenge of our Treasure Hunt; you can try it yourself by looking for the instructions in the treasure chest placed out in the Grace Hopper Expo Center. This activity had people looking all over the Conference Center sim for the magic lamps that handed out clues to a ... more...

Twas Halloween Night at MacBeth’s Place

published by Alan Levine Nov 5, 2008 02:25am
We heard there was a great turnout for the Halloween party over at Virtual MacBeth. We got word of this great machinima by HVX Silverstar showing the dancing on the heath: And project lead Anya Ixchel (aka Angela Thomas) reports that they have done 20 tours over the last two weeks, averaging 2000 visits per day and more than double that on weekends. But more than parties, this place is a stunning example of creating a rich immersive experience in Second Life. Learn more about the Foul Whisperings, Strange Matters project and be sure to check out the resources and educational materials on the Virtual MacBeth wiki. Don't just read about it (or gaze at all the photos). Go there. Get inside MacBeth's head. more...

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