2019 #VWEDU #DTA: DTA and digicoach take on a form to suit the task: Shoulder pet, HUD, NPC, signs in places.

DTA and digicoach take on forms to suit the task: 
Shoulder pet, HUD, NPC, signs in places.  

The Digicoach cannot emulate a human and need not try.  For traditional content instruction, it might be embodied in scenes relevant to the content.  For coaching to improve learning skills it might he a shoulder pet    This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

The Empty Classroom

Gone to the digital world

• DTA and Digicoach are a collection of services to support learning in a digital world. 
• They would be developed as independent modules and made available that way.
• Some services fit to places: Digicoach might be objects or signs.
• Some services should go with the avatar as  a shoulder-pet or a HUD.
• Some services may work better coming from a human-like form: NPC
• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary

2019 EVENT: PROMO: Promoting and finding events on the Hypergrid: Hypevents is the most comprehensive resource

Promoting and finding events on the Hypergrid: 
Hypevents is the most comprehensive resource

Recommendations for using Hypevents to promote and find events on the Hypergrid.

Dance event at Caribou 

Go there

• Hypergrid address:
• grid.kitely.com:8002:Caribou
• Put the HG address in the Find bar of the world map, click Find, TP
• In Kitely use Firestorm hop
• hop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Caribou/111/267/39
• Paste the hop in the Firestorm address bar, Enter.
• Caribou website

• Hypevents 
• Get your event posted.
• Search the event list.
• Promoters: post any where you can, but don't skip Hypevents

• Update 8/29/2019 VWMOOC19 Starts Sept 1st. Firestorm now supports stereo

2019 EDU: Leadership is sharing--Matt Harris, Ed.D.

Leadership is sharing--
Matt Harris, Ed.D.

To lead you must be visible.  You only lead people who hear from you.

• Watch on YouTube

As part of the Tenets of Educational Technology Leadership series, I talk about the need for Sharing. EdTech is a field built on collaboration and shared practice. Effective leaders must continue that effort by sharing their work, inviting others to their schools, and using social media to talk about the great things they do.

After the break 

• Share by posting in social media
• Where to post
• Share by following
• What the posting does for you

• VWMOOC19 Starts Sept 1st. CVL Presents ACRL Sunday Tour

2019 #VWEDU: #DTA: Newcomer welcome coach for OpenSimulator. Suggested design and text for JIT instructions to beginners. A DTA content page

Newcomer welcome coach for OpenSimulator.  
Suggested design and text for JIT instructions to beginners.

Plan for providing Just-In-Time (JIT) instruction to beginners in OpenSimulator.   This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

The Empty Classroom

They study on the web

"What do I do now?"

• That's usually the first reaction people have when they arrive in a virtual world.
• Educators want to get students past that point fast.
• We can give them written instructions: 
• The Secret of the Instruction Manual  If you want to keep a secret, put it in the instruction manual
• A DTA  Welcome Coach can give JIT training just when the student needs it.
• Create the need for the instruction.  Give the instruction.  Have the learner practice.
• Just-In-Time (JIT) learning in virtual schools, with DTA coaching
• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary

What do we need to create DTA welcome coach?

• List of basic skills to be taught.
• Brief instructions for each skill.
• Selection method to let learner chose what to learn next (or revisit).
• Situations in the welcome MUVE that create a need for each skill.

• VWMOOC19 Starts Sept 1st. CVL Presents ACRL Sunday Tour

2019 #VWEDU: DTA: Once you hear lecture about swimming, you never forget what you learned about lectures. Talking is not teaching.

Once you hear lecture about swimming, 
you never forget what you learned about lectures.  
Talk does not teach skills. 

Heard about the learning/doing gap?  There is no such thing.  Sure, you tell people how to do something and they can't do it.  Talk does not teach, it just informs.  To learn a skill, you have to practice it.   This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

The Empty Classroom

Learning to swim?

• The Learning/Doing Gap
• A lot of people are talking about it:
• Gap between learning and doing (search)
• The learning/doing gap does not exist.
• Just-In-Time (JIT) learning in virtual schools, maybe with DTA coaching. 
• The Secret of the Instruction Manual
• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary
• What can we do about it?  Scroll down.

2019 #VWEDU: #DTA: A virtual world is not just 3D. It can have people to talk with and things to interact with

A virtual world is not just 3D. 
It can have people to talk with 
and things to interact with

Providing a 3D environment is just one of the things virtual worlds (MUVEs) do.  By itself a 3D environment provides no more education than does an empty school building.  The MUVE can be equipped with scripted objects that do instructional things. And it can bring together groups of students to learn collaboration.  This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

Discovery learning is a game

The signs tell you

The objects teach you

• Beginner's building on the Hypergrid. Primland, the building tutorial game
• Beginer's building on the Hypergrid. Primland, the building tutorial game, Part 2

-

• Of course it is 3D, three dimensional.  You don't need virtual binoculars to see that.
• You just press the up arrow key and your avatar moves forward.  
• You can't do that in a flat picture.
• And you have your avatar represent you in the 3D world. 
• We rarely learn a lot from just looking, not even in 3D
• You can marvel at that 3D world for, maybe, 10 minutes.
• Or maybe less if you don't have good stereopsis.
• Then you wonder what do you do here?
• Or, if you are in education, you wonder how you can use it to teach.
• Scripted things can give instructions, open websites, ask questions, evaluate answers, offer suggestions. 
• People can do most of the same things people usually do.
• You need them if the learning involves interacting with other people.
• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary

2019 #VWEDU: #DTA: DTA content pages: The plan: Initial DTA content on the web here. Can be used from here or copied for use elsewhere.

The plan: Initial DTA content on the web here. 
Can be used from here 
or copied for use elsewhere.
Updated 10/25/2019

Preliminary plan for Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) content pages to support development.   This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

The Empty Classroom

Learning online

• Uses: By DTA and solo
• Design:  template and style

What is a DTA content page?

• DTA content pages are offered for instruction on using virtual worlds for education. 
• The page is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).
• That means anyone can use it as is or modified with or without credit to the source.
• Digicoach might send people to this page with specific search terms.
• Educators might put this page on their own site and send students there.
• Educators might use this text in their own version of Digicoach.
• Viewer developers might use these pages in the Help system
• These content pages will be revised as needed or as improvements are identified.
• The pages are designed to maximize ease of search and minimize text.  
• The user is expected have an active viewer screen while reading the instructions 
• The user is expected to follow each step after reading the instructions.
• Published DTA content pages are cited here:
• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary

Why on the web?

• Easily available to everyone.
• Easily revised or copied
• Directly usable as is
• Easily given to students via web link
• Uses hypertext to provide optional background links

2019 #VWEDU: #DTA: Firestorm settings for beginners. A DTA content page

Firestorm settings for beginners. 
A DTA content page

Suggested changes in Firestorm settings for use with students in educational places.   This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

How to search FS Prefs

• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary
• A Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) in MUVE (virtual world): What would it do?

How to search Firestorm preferences

• Top line of Firestorm, Avatar (full left), click Avatar
• On drop-down menu click Preferences. 
• To search preferences panel:  Use the white bar at the top of the panel.
• Type part of the setting and the panel will show settings that match.
• See graphic above.
• Details on Preferences: Viewer 3.3+ Preferences window, Summary
• Using viewer: Firestorm for OpenSimulator set to Viewer 5 (drop-down menus) 

Key terms

• Name tags
• Enable voice
• Media
• Movement
• View
• World Map
• Notifications
• Buttons
• Search this page: Ctrl+f opens search bar near top of page.

• #VWEDU: update 8/15/2019 CVL Presents ACRL Sunday Tour. OpenSim users split on impact of Firestorm fork.

2019 #VWEDU #DTA Student-thinking versus breadwinner-thinking versus entrepreneurial thinking: coming of age in school

Student-thinking versus
breadwinner-thinking versus 
entrepreneurial thinking:
coming of age in school

Students come of age while they are in school.  They are (we hope) preparing to be breadwinners or even entrepreneurs.  The learn school subjects and they learn skills.  They start out thinking as students.  When they finish (we hope) they are thinking as breadwinners or as entrepreneurs.   How could schools teach breadwinner thinking?   

The Empty Classroom

Students to breadwinners

• Does Higher Education Still Prepare People for Jobs?
• Student motivation (search)
• Coming of age in school.
• Digicoach for project-management in self-managed teams: (Note: skills to be learned in doing these tasks)
• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary

2019 #VWEDU: VWMOOC19 starts on September 1st. Now seeking presenters: educational activities in virtual worlds

VWMOOC19 starts on September 1st.  
Now seeking presenters: 
educational activities in virtual worlds

Educators of the virtual worlds! Are you interested in presenting on or providing a tour of your educational activities in virtual worlds, highlight your research on education and VWs or your world-building activities?  VWMOOC19  needs you.

VWMOOC19 headquarters 

in Second Life

• VWMOOC19 (Virtual Worlds MOOC for 2019)
• VWMOOC19 starts on September 1st and ends on September 30th.
• Continuing education for educators. 
• Headquarters in Second Life: 
• To visit the VWMOOC19 Headquarters in Chilbo used this SLURL: 
• http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chilbo/166/51/97
• Put the SLurl in the address bar of the viewer, Enter
• On the porch are boxes with information on how to schedule a presentation.
• For more information IM Maggie Larimore or Greg Perrier in Second Life
• Or Selby Evans in OpenSimulator

• #VWEDU: update 8/15/2019 CVL Presents ACRL Sunday Tour. OpenSim users split on impact of Firestorm fork.

2019 BIZ: #VWEDU: A place for people (you) to design gardens. Or other places. No lifting. No digging. Concentrate on placing and seeing the result.

A place for people (you) to design gardens. 
Or other places.  No lifting. No digging.  
Concentrate on placing and seeing the result.

A system to design any kind of layout (where you arrange things for attractive appearance or other purpose.)  The objects are supplied as inventory.   The user selects and places them.  Learners can practice placement.  Designers can do rapid prototyping.  Customers can see the planned layout before they approve it.

• Watch on YouTube

Go there

• Web link: Garden Palettes
• Closed to Hypergrid (use a Kitely avatar)
• Firestorm Hop (In Kitely paste in the address bar of Firestorm viewer, enter.)
• hop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Garden Palettes/44/254/22

What can you do there

• Arrange the garden to suit your artistic taste.
• Take pictures of your garden and share them by email.
• Post the pictures on Facebook, Pinterest, or your blog.
• Save the pictures in your digital portfolio.
• If you are teaching landscaping, you can show examples to students.
• If you are learning landscaping, you can practice here.
• Teachers don't need to learn how to build in virtual worlds to teach there.
• Portable places, buildings in a box, layouts as you like them.  Rezmela™
• More after the break.

• #VWEDU: update 8/15/2019 CVL Presents ACRL Sunday Tour. OpenSim users split on impact of Firestorm fork.

2019 #VWEDU: #DTA: Newcomer welcome coach (1): Basic skills needed promptly

Newcomer welcome coach (1):   
Basic skills needed promptly 

The newcomer welcome coach teaches the skills needed to get started in OpenSimulator. This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

The Empty Classroom

They study on the web

"What do I do now?"

• That's usually the first reaction people have when they arrive in a virtual world.
• Educators want to get students past that point fast.
• We can give them written instructions: 
• The Secret of the Instruction Manual  If you want to keep a secret, put it in the instruction manual
• A DTA  Welcome Coach (DTAW) can give JIT training just when the student needs it.
• Create the need for the instruction.  Give the instruction.  Have the learner practice.

What do we need to create a welcome DAT?

• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary
• List of basic skills to be taught.
• Brief instructions for each skill.
• Selection method to let learner chose what to learn next (or revisit).
• Situations in the welcome MUVE that create a need for each skill.

• Using viewer: Firestorm for OpenSimulator set to Viewer 5 (drop-down menus) 

2019 #VWEDU: Digital Literacy: Matt Harris Vlog. Connections to the DTA and the virtual campus

Digital Literacy: 

Matt Harris Vlog. 

Connections to the DTA and the virtual campus

"We need to work toward Digitally Literate students, teachers, parents, schools, EdTech companies, classrooms, and much more." You develop skills by practice. The online campus and the Digital Teaching Assistant are resources for practice.

• Watch on YouTube
• The online campus: Your campus on the internet. Meet fellow students, work with them
• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary
• A Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) in MUVE (virtual world): What would it do?
• The Web Report: Educator Edition: Digital Citizenship (beta)
• Virtual Libraries and digital smarts February edition
• Digital citizenship: "Be Internet Awesome " Awesome needs public demonstration
• Digital smarts. Who should teach it? Internet libraries? Internet museums? The old school system?
• (More after the break.)

• #VWEDU: update 8/8/2019 OpenSim users split about impact of Firestorm fork. Encore Escape reenacts Woodstock.

#VWEDU: #DTA: Digicoach can support collaborative homework and study sessions

Digicoach can support collaborative 
homework and study sessions 

Overview of homework assistance Digicoach could provide easily with current software technology. This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

The Empty Classroom

Off on a digital field trip

• Collaborative homework
• Fipped classroom
• Educational games
• Social games
• Visible Thinking
• Students can meet in a virtual world (MUVE) no matter where they are.
• They can work together with no travel, no travel costs, no travel time.
• A digital teaching assistant (DTA) can be on call for help at any time.
• A Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) in MUVE (virtual world): What would it do?
• What could the DTA do to help with homework?
• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary

#VWEDU: #DTA: The digital teacher assistant and FERPA: there are security issues.

The digital teacher assistant and FERPA: 
there are security issues.

Preliminary consideration of privacy issues in virtual worlds when DTA collect data traceable to individual students. This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

The Empty Classroom

Security here?

FERPA compliance

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• FERPA (Wikipedia)
• Privacy of education records (search)

DTA and FERPA compliance

• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary
• A Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) in MUVE (virtual world): What would it do?
• DTA is creating and transmitting personally identifiable student records.
• DTA must make a reasonable effort to keep these records private.
• FERPA applies only in the US, but other nations may have similar laws.

• #VWEDU: update 8/8/2019 OpenSim users split about impact of Firestorm fork. Encore Escape reenacts Woodstock.

2019 # VWEDU: Will the Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) need artificial intelligence?

Will the Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA)  
need artificial intelligence?

Consideration of the need for artificial intelligence (AI) services to make DTA work effectively.  Conclusion: no evident need at this time.   This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

The Empty Classroom

• No.  Not the expensive kind of artificial intelligence you read about in tech news.  
• Yes, some of the low cost things that used to be AI until the became low cost.
• The capabilities in my articles are limited to what can be done with current technology.
• DTA interaction with students would be with a chatbot.
• The DTA might be improved with more built-in intelligence.  
• But that would be human intelligence (HI), not artificial
• The closest the DTA would come to using AI would be Google search.
• That uses AI and DTA could teach how to use it effectively.
• A Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) in MUVE (virtual world): What would it do?
• A digital teaching assistant (DTA) in a virtual world. Can it be done?
• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary

2019 NEW: Considering virtual worlds? Considering Hypergrid? Here is information you may want

Considering virtual worlds?  
Considering Hypergrid?  
Here is information you may want

Virtual worlds are readily available and (on OpenSim) at low cost.  For some areas of interest, there are existing communities that can help you get started.  For example, there is a large and active educational community.

Dancing at 

Kitely Welcome Center

What does it cost?

• Nothing if you just want to meet people and look around
• Nothing if you just want to try building. (There are free sandboxes for that.)
• Sandboxes in Kitely
• Probably nothing if you want to start with a place of your own. 
• (Free rental places are often available.)
• And there are rental places at a few dollars.
• Rental places in Kitely
• Other Grids also have rental places and sandboxes.
  I use the Kitely listing because it is available on the web.

Is there a steep learning curve?

• Only if you want to become a skilled creator.  
• Lots of there are lots of things available as  freebies
• Freebie places in Kitely
• You can also buy things  for a few dollars per item.
• Kitely Market

What do people do in virtual worlds?

• After the break

• #VWEDU: update 8/8/2019 OpenSim users split about impact of Firestorm fork. Encore Escape reenacts Woodstock.

2019 ART: #VWEDU Teaching at the Art Ark in Second Life 3.0

Teaching at the Art Ark 
in Second Life 3.0

Fulbright Scholar Dr. Mary Lou Stokrocki (Marylou Goldrosen in SL) presenting on “Teaching Digital Ethnography at the Art Ark.” 

• Watch on YouTube
• Art in virtual worlds
• Digital Ethnography, Cyber-ethnography

Art videos from virtual worlds

• The ZEROG SkyDance performance company. What would virtual worlds performing art look like?
• New century art: Torben Asp: Music with particle accompaniment
• YadNi Monde Makes Arts
• The River of Forgetting - A Randt & Hoisan Production
• The Changes Changes - A Randt & Hoisan Production. Video-poetry
• "Unmindful." The 19th video collaboration between filmmaker Natascha Randt and poet/creator Karima Hoisan
• Multimedia art. Echo Starship plays, Fuschia Nightfire accompanies in visuals
• Art videos from the virtual world
• ART: VIDEO: Believe --An illustrated poem
• Art done in virtual worlds, Summary

• #VWEDU: update 8/1/2019 Encore Escape reenacts Woodstock for 50 year 

2019 PEOPLE: Finding the funnies: a plan for comedy in 3DWebWorldz.

Finding the funnies: 
a plan for comedy in 3DWebWorldz.  

Summary plan for comedy event  in  3DWebWorldz.  

• Watch on YouTube
• Slide Presentation Tool in 3DWebWorldz -- tutorial

How it works

• Some of the people bring something funny to the event.
• Maybe pictures: funny pictures or pictures that call for funny comment
• (See tutorial above--you just have to upload the images.)
• Maybe jokes: anyone talks and everyone hears.
• Maybe funny news items or funny comments on news items.
• Maybe funny audio clips--speech or sounds.
• Maybe funny readings, perhaps with funny accents.
• Maybe something I haven't thought of.
• We present one item at a time, inviting comment from everyone.
• We may get video of part of the event for posting on YouTube.
• Details after the break

• #VWEDU: update 8/1/2019 Encore Escape reenacts Woodstock for 50 year anniversary. CVL opens in Kitely

2019 #VWEDU: #DTA: Digicoach can support homework in virtual worlds with JIT learning, immediate feedback

Digicoach can support homework 
in virtual worlds with JIT learning, 
immediate feedback 
Updated 10/19/2019

Consideration of how MUVEs with Digicoach could support Just-in-Time learning by creating conditions that require the learner to use the new learning to win in a game.  This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

The Empty Classroom

Doing homework

• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary
• A Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) in MUVE (virtual world): What would it do?
• A digital teaching assistant (DTA) in a virtual world. Can it be done?
• Just-In-Time (JIT) learning in virtual schools, with DTA coaching. 
• DTA could record and report performance data on students, but note FERPA issues.
• DTA records could support formative assessment.

• Is the homework effectively inducing learning in the student? 
• The teacher can answer that with quizzes in class.
• But online homework can give its own quizzes.
• Quizzes can be given in any kind of online homework.  
• MUVES are well suited to tasks that let students show what they are learning.
• An educational game creates challenges that demand use of the learning.   
• A scripted MUVE can evaluate at the time of learning.
• It can provide immediate feedback to the student.  
• Immediate feedback in the classroom 

• #VWEDU: update 8/1/2019 Encore Escape reenacts Woodstock for 50 year anniversary. CVL opens in Kitely