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.