Comments on: Reactions to our Amazing Race in SL http://www.edutim.com/reactions-to-our-amazing-race-in-sl/ Fri, 08 Oct 2010 03:37:37 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: J.B. http://www.edutim.com/reactions-to-our-amazing-race-in-sl/comment-page-1/#comment-608 J.B. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:40:37 +0000 http://www.edutim.com/?p=675#comment-608 I had a lot of fun with the Amazing Race in SL. Of course, I had the best partner (Laura),to help me with my navigation issues, which, had a lot to do with my slow connection I believe. As Laura Said in her comments, I felt the Hallucinations site was the most stright forward, however, the intermittant voices, surprised me, and creeped me out, more than I care to admit. I found the Darfur site very moving, and informational. It was the one sight that I have been to so far, that really made me think that SL would be good for education. I teach about the holocaust and Genocide, and use Darfur as a current example, however, my students never really seem to grasp the concept. I think If I could take them to that site, even in computer generated characters, they would feel more like they were connected to the issue, and have a more movin experience, as I did. I thought that using the concept of the amazing race was really a great way to get us motivated to explore. I will admit, so far, I don't explore much on my own, so being forced to, and going to pre-designated areas, was a great thing for me to experience. Having a partner to help me along was also great. If I didn't have Laura, I would have gotten lost a lot, and probably lally gagged around looking at stuff, rather than doing what we were supposed to. I was sad to see that we had only visited three of the six places, because after we went to Star Trek, I was excited to see the other sites, seeing as Tim is obviously a man after my own heart, a top sci-fi/fantasy man, to say the least! As for Star Trek...All I wanted was to get that uniform!!! And I couldn't! My computer lagged so badly, that Laura had to help me teleport back to BBI, and we never got to find the stuff we wanted. I was frustrated to no end. Either way, it was a lot of fun, and very informational. Thanks Tim! I had a lot of fun with the Amazing Race in SL. Of course, I had the
best partner (Laura),to help me with my navigation issues, which, had a
lot to do with my slow connection I believe. As Laura Said in her
comments, I felt the Hallucinations site was the most stright forward,
however, the intermittant voices, surprised me, and creeped me out,
more than I care to admit. I found the Darfur site very moving, and
informational. It was the one sight that I have been to so far, that
really made me think that SL would be good for education. I teach about
the holocaust and Genocide, and use Darfur as a current example,
however, my students never really seem to grasp the concept. I think If
I could take them to that site, even in computer generated characters,
they would feel more like they were connected to the issue, and have a
more movin experience, as I did. I thought that using the concept of
the amazing race was really a great way to get us motivated to explore.
I will admit, so far, I don't explore much on my own, so being forced
to, and going to pre-designated areas, was a great thing for me to
experience. Having a partner to help me along was also great. If I
didn't have Laura, I would have gotten lost a lot, and probably lally
gagged around looking at stuff, rather than doing what we were supposed
to. I was sad to see that we had only visited three of the six places,
because after we went to Star Trek, I was excited to see the other
sites, seeing as Tim is obviously a man after my own heart, a top
sci-fi/fantasy man, to say the least!
As for Star Trek…All I wanted was to get that uniform!!! And I
couldn't! My computer lagged so badly, that Laura had to help me
teleport back to BBI, and we never got to find the stuff we wanted. I
was frustrated to no end.
Either way, it was a lot of fun, and very informational. Thanks Tim!

]]> By: Cathy Atwood http://www.edutim.com/reactions-to-our-amazing-race-in-sl/comment-page-1/#comment-605 Cathy Atwood Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:14:43 +0000 http://www.edutim.com/?p=675#comment-605 I wanted to try this on facebook link but it doesn't show up on mine. Only IntenseDebate and twitter. But enough about that. I enjoyed visiting the places with a purpose but did feel rushed. It was hard to cope with all the chat windows as well as all the actions. I did enjoy the game. I like games but do tend to be competitive. I did go back to see some of the places I didn't get to and reading these, I think there is one more place I didn't get to. I will visit that. I am surprised, listening, that the Hallucination site didn't really affect me. It didn't look real enough but I also went through it my myself so maybe that made a difference? I just got back from another foray into SL where I had explored a landmark and got a warning that I was entering a private area and I had to leave in 10 seconds. Spooked me a bit and I quickly chose someplace else to teleport hopefully before my 10 seconds was up. I also kept getting messages in a freebie store that some vampire wanted permission to animate my avatar. While I like the dancing animating that's my limit so far! Back to class though, I really enjoyed learning about new places to visit and it just makes me realize how huge SL really is! I wanted to try this on facebook link but it doesn't show up on mine. Only IntenseDebate and twitter. But enough about that. I enjoyed visiting the places with a purpose but did feel rushed. It was hard to cope with all the chat windows as well as all the actions. I did enjoy the game. I like games but do tend to be competitive. I did go back to see some of the places I didn't get to and reading these, I think there is one more place I didn't get to. I will visit that. I am surprised, listening, that the Hallucination site didn't really affect me. It didn't look real enough but I also went through it my myself so maybe that made a difference? I just got back from another foray into SL where I had explored a landmark and got a warning that I was entering a private area and I had to leave in 10 seconds. Spooked me a bit and I quickly chose someplace else to teleport hopefully before my 10 seconds was up. I also kept getting messages in a freebie store that some vampire wanted permission to animate my avatar. While I like the dancing animating that's my limit so far! Back to class though, I really enjoyed learning about new places to visit and it just makes me realize how huge SL really is!

]]> By: @aldtucker http://www.edutim.com/reactions-to-our-amazing-race-in-sl/comment-page-1/#comment-604 @aldtucker Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:14:02 +0000 http://www.edutim.com/?p=675#comment-604 I agree; if there is a well-designed location that ties into what you are teaching, and students can move around and explore, it would be amazing. Some of the sites we visited the other night were great for this, but many "educational" locations seem to have lots of information, but not a lot of "setting." If the only things there are links to information, I think the virtual world piece could be very distracting, and perhaps a website would be as useful. But when you can BE on location somewhere and see and experience what something is like, it's definitely more powerful. Again, I will mention the Night of Broken Glass Holocaust location: <a href="http://slurl.com/secondlife/US%20Holocaust%20Museum1/71/38/27," target="_blank">http://slurl.com/secondlife/US%20Holocaust%20Muse...</a> where you can experience WWII Germany and hear stories from survivors. This is an experience that no one today could have. Yes, you could watch a movie, but this allows for choice and self-direction. I agree; if there is a well-designed location that ties into what you are teaching, and students can move around and explore, it would be amazing. Some of the sites we visited the other night were great for this, but many "educational" locations seem to have lots of information, but not a lot of "setting." If the only things there are links to information, I think the virtual world piece could be very distracting, and perhaps a website would be as useful. But when you can BE on location somewhere and see and experience what something is like, it's definitely more powerful.

Again, I will mention the Night of Broken Glass Holocaust location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/US%20Holocaust%20Muse… where you can experience WWII Germany and hear stories from survivors. This is an experience that no one today could have. Yes, you could watch a movie, but this allows for choice and self-direction.

]]> By: LauraJohns http://www.edutim.com/reactions-to-our-amazing-race-in-sl/comment-page-1/#comment-602 LauraJohns Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:26:24 +0000 http://www.edutim.com/?p=675#comment-602 [seesmic aaHYmDqfFd|<a href="http://t.seesmic.tv/thumbnail/ly4YCnRAeM_th1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://t.seesmic.tv/thumbnail/ly4YCnRAeM_th1.jpg</a> <a href="http://www.seesmic.com/video/aaHYmDqfFd" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.seesmic.com/video/aaHYmDqfFd</a> seesmic] [seesmic aaHYmDqfFd|http://t.seesmic.tv/thumbnail/ly4YCnRAeM_th1.jpg http://www.seesmic.com/video/aaHYmDqfFd seesmic]

]]> By: David Patterson http://www.edutim.com/reactions-to-our-amazing-race-in-sl/comment-page-1/#comment-600 David Patterson Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:28:19 +0000 http://www.edutim.com/?p=675#comment-600 Josh... congrats on getting the video to embed. I enjoyed seeing and hearing your response versus the traditional reading of text - another example of providing an alternate way to communicate - like we are doing in SL. That Tim guy is pretty smaht :) Josh… congrats on getting the video to embed. I enjoyed seeing and hearing your response versus the traditional reading of text – another example of providing an alternate way to communicate – like we are doing in SL. That Tim guy is pretty smaht :)

]]> By: David Patterson http://www.edutim.com/reactions-to-our-amazing-race-in-sl/comment-page-1/#comment-599 David Patterson Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:19:09 +0000 http://www.edutim.com/?p=675#comment-599 I have to agree with your comment about "wandering" - as much as I enjoyed exploring and the freedom it created, at times I got a little frustrated with not knowing where to go/what to do etc. For other learners - kids and adults - I imagine this would be true also. I have to agree with your comment about "wandering" – as much as I enjoyed exploring and the freedom it created, at times I got a little frustrated with not knowing where to go/what to do etc. For other learners – kids and adults – I imagine this would be true also.

]]> By: Josh Young http://www.edutim.com/reactions-to-our-amazing-race-in-sl/comment-page-1/#comment-596 Josh Young Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:36:02 +0000 http://www.edutim.com/?p=675#comment-596 [seesmic 4ts8cVDe3M|<a href="http://t.seesmic.tv/thumbnail/O6DWaS2jlJ_th1.jpg" target="_blank">http://t.seesmic.tv/thumbnail/O6DWaS2jlJ_th1.jpg</a> <a href="http://www.seesmic.com/video/4ts8cVDe3M" target="_blank">http://www.seesmic.com/video/4ts8cVDe3M</a> seesmic] [seesmic 4ts8cVDe3M|http://t.seesmic.tv/thumbnail/O6DWaS2jlJ_th1.jpg http://www.seesmic.com/video/4ts8cVDe3M seesmic]

]]> By: David Patterson http://www.edutim.com/reactions-to-our-amazing-race-in-sl/comment-page-1/#comment-593 David Patterson Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:13:43 +0000 http://www.edutim.com/?p=675#comment-593 Freedom to explore and discover a particular concept with my "Amazing Race" partner was very enjoyable. I liked that we were collaborating to solve the challenges faced and appreciated the shared responsibility and experience. It was "real" as we discussed the tapestries in the SL Sistine Chapel, and I totally see the value to creating such a learning environment where we can talk and share ideas and experiences. The places we visited were definitely interesting, but as with any kind of learning, relevancy is key. While I appreciated visiting such a diverse set of locations on this scavenger hunt, I can imagine how exciting (and more relevant) this would be if time were taken to create a learning space that was focused on a particular content area or concept. The independence of this experience was good, but I can also see where it might be a negative. There were definitely times when I started to feel frustrated that I couldn't find what I was looking for - this goes directly to the need for exceptionally well-planned learning spaces with ways to seek help. I know this isn't necessarily always going to be a factor, but I felt considerable pressure of time to compete against the other groups (and the clock) to achieve the goals. Maybe that is just my competitive nature, but there were definitely times when it assumed more importance than it should, likely to the detriment of my learning. Overall... loved the experience, and am fast becoming a believer in the value of virtual worlds as potential learning spaces. Nice work teach! Freedom to explore and discover a particular concept with my "Amazing Race" partner was very enjoyable. I liked that we were collaborating to solve the challenges faced and appreciated the shared responsibility and experience. It was "real" as we discussed the tapestries in the SL Sistine Chapel, and I totally see the value to creating such a learning environment where we can talk and share ideas and experiences. The places we visited were definitely interesting, but as with any kind of learning, relevancy is key. While I appreciated visiting such a diverse set of locations on this scavenger hunt, I can imagine how exciting (and more relevant) this would be if time were taken to create a learning space that was focused on a particular content area or concept. The independence of this experience was good, but I can also see where it might be a negative. There were definitely times when I started to feel frustrated that I couldn't find what I was looking for – this goes directly to the need for exceptionally well-planned learning spaces with ways to seek help. I know this isn't necessarily always going to be a factor, but I felt considerable pressure of time to compete against the other groups (and the clock) to achieve the goals. Maybe that is just my competitive nature, but there were definitely times when it assumed more importance than it should, likely to the detriment of my learning. Overall… loved the experience, and am fast becoming a believer in the value of virtual worlds as potential learning spaces. Nice work teach!

]]> By: Lilia Gears http://www.edutim.com/reactions-to-our-amazing-race-in-sl/comment-page-1/#comment-592 Lilia Gears Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:02:39 +0000 http://www.edutim.com/?p=675#comment-592 Still trying to recover even thou it is Wednesday already. It first I didn’t really care for the challenge of racing even thou I am experienced Second Lifer having of the usually difficulties of maneuvering around or opening objects. As I reflect back I think it has more to do with the first item the green team had to find the colors of Hepatitis B and of course being the over achievers that we are wanted to find the Bonus Task item being the hazmat suit which I couldn’t detach from my Avatar’s shape until I attached my original skin back on. Then there was the challenge of people being friendly like the normal are on Second Life wanting to chat when I was hunting for items for the race. As for the process it was fun and frustrating to find items that you really had know idea where they were unless you have been there before which know of the island I had been to before at least not that I remember. But to explore the island was so interesting like the Star Trek and the Vassar Island which I have every intention of going back to for some more exploring and watching a video or 2 popcorn anyone. The only big problem was the lag on the Star Trek Island, which slowed down the process of searching for the uniform, then loading and putting it on besides having to revert my skin so I didn’t look like a marshmallow. Overall I would do it again and working in groups was a huge help because 2 eyes are better then one when we are looking for particular items. I had a wonderful partner who I have to say found the clues faster then I did kudos to Zmrzlina. Still trying to recover even thou it is Wednesday already. It first I didn’t really care for the challenge of racing even thou I am experienced Second Lifer having of the usually difficulties of maneuvering around or opening objects. As I reflect back I think it has more to do with the first item the green team had to find the colors of Hepatitis B and of course being the over achievers that we are wanted to find the Bonus Task item being the hazmat suit which I couldn’t detach from my Avatar’s shape until I attached my original skin back on. Then there was the challenge of people being friendly like the normal are on Second Life wanting to chat when I was hunting for items for the race.
As for the process it was fun and frustrating to find items that you really had know idea where they were unless you have been there before which know of the island I had been to before at least not that I remember. But to explore the island was so interesting like the Star Trek and the Vassar Island which I have every intention of going back to for some more exploring and watching a video or 2 popcorn anyone.
The only big problem was the lag on the Star Trek Island, which slowed down the process of searching for the uniform, then loading and putting it on besides having to revert my skin so I didn’t look like a marshmallow.
Overall I would do it again and working in groups was a huge help because 2 eyes are better then one when we are looking for particular items. I had a wonderful partner who I have to say found the clues faster then I did kudos to Zmrzlina.

]]> By: Laura Johns http://www.edutim.com/reactions-to-our-amazing-race-in-sl/comment-page-1/#comment-587 Laura Johns Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:21:57 +0000 http://www.edutim.com/?p=675#comment-587 Sadly, I can not get Seesmic to record video so I am relegated to typing and lots of spell checking. If I was vlogging (just made that up) you would see that just as in SL, I have my red cap on. Sadly, I can not get Seesmic to record video so I am relegated to typing and lots of spell checking. If I was vlogging (just made that up) you would see that just as in SL, I have my red cap on.

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