NVWN has posted a new item, ‘Innovation in Virtual Worlds Seminar, Feb. 1‘

NVWN – The Nordic Virtual Worlds Network (www.nordicworlds.net) cordially invites you to participate in the Innovation in Virtual Worlds Seminar. This seminar is part of a series of Virtual Worlds events organized in the Nordics and its purpose is to stimulate knowledge sharing and ne tworking among individuals and organizations interested in 3D Internet innovation.

When: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012

Where: Second Life: VCEI – Virtual Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on the Stockholm School of Economics Island in Second Life.

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/SSE%20MBA/194/74/2001/?title=SSE%20Virtual%20Center&msg=Welcome%20to%20the%20SSE%20Virtual%20Center

In addition, the event will be livestreamed on NVWN’s channel: www.livestream.com/nordicworlds, and can be followed in room Pub 5 at the University of Turku, Publicum building.

Program

SESSION I: Virtual Worlds Innovation 14-16 EET (GMT +2) / 4-6 am SL

14.00 – 14.20 Presentation of the NVWN Project and Innovation Seminar (Titiana Moldovan, Matti Näsi, NVWN Project Researchers, UTU)

14.20 – 14.40 Presentation of Star Stable Online (Sweden) by Johan Sjöberg, Co-founder

14.40 – 15.00 Presentation of Indusgeeks (India) by Siddharth Banerjee, CEO

15.00 – 15.10 Break

15.10 – 15.30 Presentation on Open Sim Community by Robin Teigland, Associate Professor and Project Leader NVWN

15.30 – 16.00 Presentation on Future of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Virtual Worlds by Eilif Trondsen, Ph.D., Strategic Business Insights

16.00 -16.15 Break

SESSION II: Future of VW Platforms 16.15-18.00 EET (GMT +2) / 6:15-8:00 am SL

Panel Moderator: Robin Teigland, Associate Professor and Project Leader NVWN

Participants:

- Eilif Trondsen, Ph.D., Strategic Business Insights (USA)

-          Ilan Tochner, Co-Founder and CEO of Kitely (Israel)

-          Justin Clark-Casey, Core Developer of OpenSim (England)

-          Cemil Turun, Founder and CEO of Yogurtistan (Turkey)

Discussion and Final Remarks

The event is free of charge. In case you are not familiar with Second Life, you can join through our open channel at www.livestream.com/nordicworlds.

For additional information, please contact Titiana Moldovan (tpmold@utu.fi) or Matti Näsi (mjnasi@utu.fi)

NVWN – The Nordic Virtual Worlds Network is an international, inter-disciplinary project co-funded by Nordic Innovation, investigating entrepreneurship and innovation through virtual worlds and the 3D internet: http://www.nordicworlds.net

You may view the latest post at
http://nordicworlds.net/2012/01/25/innovation-in-virtual-worlds-seminar-feb-1/

Kim Holmberg/Zwiers EduFinland

EduFinland ja AVO hanke järjestää 12 tuntisen kansainvälisen konferenssin EduFinlandilla torstaina lokakuun 27. päivänä kello 10.00 ja 22.00 välillä. Tilaisuus kuulla kansainvälisesti tunnustettuja asiantuntijoita sekä mahdollisuus keskustella heidän kanssaan lähemminkin. Tule verkostoitumaan ja kuulemaan mitä uutta on virtuaalisissa maailmoissa tapahtuu. Lisätietoja osoitteesta: http://m2n4sl.library2pointoh.fi/

Below you’ll find the latest version of the conference programme.

Finnish local time	Event	Presenters/Participants
10.00-10.15	Opening of the conference	Kim Holmberg, Olle Sköld, Isto Huvila
10.15-11.00	Presentation	Robin Teigland
11.00-11.45	“Inquiry Based Learning with first year undergraduates”	Sheila Webber
11.45-12.00	“On the if’s and how’s of virtual world preservation”	Olle Sköld
12.00-13.00	Lunch
13.00-13.45	“How much will it cost? A workshop looking at the design considerations of Kalmar’s first university course in Second Life”	David Richardson
13.45-14.30	“Immersive virtual learning environments: from theory to practice”	Pekka Qvist
14.30-15.00	Break and small talk
15.00-16.15	Panel: “The future of learning in virtual worlds”	Joseph Clark, Terry Beaubois, Robin Teigland, Georges Segura, John Lester, Sheila Webber, Kim Holmberg, Isto Huvila
16.15-17.00	Break and small talk
17.00-17.45	Presentation	John Lester
17.45-18.30	Presentation	Terry Beaubois
18.30-19.00	Break and small talk
19.00-19.45	“The Virtual Environmentalist in Second Life”	Joseph Clark
19.45-20.00	Closing of the conference	Kim Holmberg, Olle Sköld, Isto Huvila

Kim Holmberg/Zwiers EduFinland

30.3 klo 9-11 Kulttuuri ja kansainvälisyys Culture & internationalization}

Paikka Place: EduFinland IV Auditorio

Linkki tilaisuuteen Link to EduFinland http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Edufinland%20IV/127/73/22

Ohjelma Program:

*   Dr Maryanne Maisano / DrM Magic, University of North Carolina, USA: How we use Second Life for Higher Education
*   Timo Niemelä / Tanni Audeburgh, Hamk: Miten streamaan musiikkia Second Lifeen? Streaming music to Second Life
*   Avatteret nousevat lavalle. Catwalk for Avatars - we talk about clothing in SL. Special commentator principal lecturer Dr. Pirjo Seddiki
*   Vierailut Visits to Culturally Interesting Places
a) Museum Island / SL constructor’s view, Sanna Ylikylä / Banana Naxos
b) Art in SL, Tuija Marstio / Blankuska Tebaldi (Sistine Chapel, Vassar Castle)

Emännät, Hosts: Kirsi Lindfors / Christiana Cooperstone & Irma Mänty / Rami Milena

Järjestäjänä: Haml, Lahden amk, Laurea ja Metropolia

Kim Holmberg/Zwiers EduFinland

Lista opettavista organisaatioista virtuaalisissa maailmoissa. Käydään kaikki lisäämässä omat suomalaiset organisaatiot

https://sbs.dabbledb.com/page/educationinsl/UqLOTzeG#focus:QWZnaGFuaXN0YW4tVE9MQ01vdW50YWluQ2FtcHVzLTEyNzkxMg==/page:dHJ1ZQ==

Kim Holmberg/Zwiers EduFinland

The meeting began with an insightful discussion about environmental education, representation, nature as a cultural and societal concept, and how virtual worlds like Second Life can be used to teach sustainability. When the talk drew to a close, Joseph took us on a guided tour of some selected in-world environmental education sites. The session was concluded on a small hilltop overlooking Genome Island, one of the great places we visited during the course of our little metaverse safari. For those of you who did not have the opportunity to participate the names, descriptions, and addresses to the environmental education sites visited during today’s meeting – and many more – can be found in this list of resources, kindly complied by Joseph for this occasion.

The organizers would like to extend a big thank you to all the participants, and to Joseph Clark, our guest for the day!

Selected Environmental Education Sites in SL In No Particular Order compiled by Joseph Clark (SL: JS Saltwater), Florida State University, December 2010

(Please note that these sites are constantly evolving and that this is by no means a comprehensive list–but it’s a good sampling of what’s out there in late 2010.).

· Campus Virtual FI-UNAM, Ingenieria UNAM. Information about a math ed project: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ingenieria%20UNAM/241/131/23

· Etopia Eco Village - Environment, Etopia Island (193, 56, 22). Model cohousing and green-living arrangements: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Etopia%20Island/193/57/22

· US Department of Energy (DOE) Is, Energy (94, 186, 44). Exhibits and displays: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Energy/117/132/46

· CREATION MONOLITH BIOME (128, 127, 26). Biodiversity, classification, ecology, biology: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BIOME/128/128/28

· Genome Island, Genome (117, 145, 52). Genetics: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Genome/118/145/53

· ><)))”> Splash Aquatics, Gooruembalchi (111, 176, 70). Lifelike and accurate marine life for your SL constructions: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gooruembalchi/120/179/70

· Dive and Explore, DAN (56, 127, 51). One of the better virtual coral reefs is just offshore: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/DAN/57/127/52

· Polluted Harbor, Caletta. A great place to stimulate discussion about the lifecycles of consumer products, or the hidden costs of industrialization, or even environmental justice issues: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Calleta/99/214/27

· Oil Rig, ANWR. This is the tongue-in-cheek “prim rig” but it’s a great “platform” for conversations about offshore oil drilling: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ANWR/102/168/40

· The Weather Channel HQ. NO LONGER EXISTS - but it was a great place to talk about nature in the media. And yet, isn’t all of this “Nature in the media”?

· Center of Water Studies, Better World. Great models of aquatic environments and a clearinghouse for information: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Better%20World/48/28/21

· The Abyss Observatory , Second Earth 3 (213, 35, 22). Excellent exhibit on deep-sea life: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Second%20Earth%203/214/35/23

Portals to environmental groups in SL:

· Commonwealth - Community for No, Commonwealth Island (67, 221, 31): http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Commonwealth%20Island/68/221/31

· ECO Commons @NPSL, ECO Commons (29, 20, 26): http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ECO%20Commons/30/20/27

Marine science and weather exhibits and activities:

· NOAA’s Second Island Okeanos, Okeanos (62, 214, 30): http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Okeanos/63/214/30

· NOAA Virtual Island in SciLands, Meteora (176, 160, 26): http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Meteora/177/161/27

Several “beautiful nature” builds that can be approached from a culture-studies perspective to unpack ideologies of nature:

· The SL Botanical Gardens , The Botanical Gardens (193, 59, 39): http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Botanical%20Gardens/194/60/38

· Tanglewood Forest, Caledon Tanglewood (128, 210, 22): http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Botanical%20Gardens/194/60/38

· *******JAPAN TEMPURA ISLAND ***, tempura island (168, 118, 22): http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/tempura%20island/125/45/33

Kim Holmberg/Zwiers EduFinland, Tapahtumat

On Tuesday the 14:th of December it is once again time to meet, network, and together venture into the metaverse. The theme of Tuesday’s discussion is how Second Life can help to illuminate issues of environmental sustainability in an educational context. For this session we have invited an expert of nature and environment of Second Life, namely Joseph Clark of Florida State University. Besides participating in our talk, Joseph will give us a small tour of some interesting locations that can be used to accentuate the theme of the day.
The meeting will take place at 3 PM (15.00, Finnish time, CET+1) on one of EduFinland’s islands, which can be found at the following address: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduFinland%20III/111/182/24.

Kim Holmberg/Zwiers EduFinland

The first meeting for Finnish educators interested in using virtual worlds – Second Life in particular – as a medium in teaching and learning, has now successfully taken place.

It was quite an international and professionally diverse crowd that gathered on EduFinland III in order to talk about the theme of the day – teaching foreign languages in Second Life. The discussion covered a great variety of topics, ranging from how Second Life can be used to create a safe environment for practicing spoken language skills, to how a virtual classroom can accommodate students with special learning needs. Strategies for overcoming practical issues that tend to arise when using Second Life in education– such as verification of the students’ identities and common technical difficulties – where also debated, along with the best way to start teaching in virtual environments. All in all: lots of knowledge, experiences, and insights of teaching and learning in Second Life where shared. Thank you to all the participants for your contribution in making the meeting a success!

The next meeting hosted by AVO-project and EduFinland will take place in mid-December. The main topic of discussion will be how Second Life can be used to highlight questions of environmental sustainability in an educational context. For this occasion, we have invited Joseph Clark, Florida State University, USA, to give a small presentation as well as a guided tour of islands that can be suitably used to illustrate issues of environment and sustainable development. More information will be available soon.

(written by Olle)

Kim Holmberg/Zwiers EduFinland

VTT:n ja Sibelius-Akatemian joulukonsertti ylittää todellisuuden ja virtuaalitodellisuuden rajat

 

Kim Holmberg/Zwiers EduFinland

In 2010 and 2011, the AVO-project and EduFinland will host a series of in-world networking meetings, geared towards providing educators with an opportunity to connect, talk, and collaborate with colleagues interested in teaching and learning in virtual worlds, particularly Second Life.

The theme of the first meeting is “Teaching foreign languages in Second Life”. It will take place on Thursday the 25:th of November, at 2 PM (14.00, Finnish time, CET+1). The location is one of EduFinland’s islands, situated at the following SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduFinland%20III/111/182/24. In the final segment of the meeting we will visit Kamino Island, where David Richardson, lecturer at Linnaeus University, Sweden, and an avid user of Second Life in language teaching, will give us a guided tour of the island, as well as a small presentation of how the site is used in educational activities. Kamino Island can be found at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kamimo%20Island/127/148/25.

In the second meeting, planned to take place in mid-December this year, we will explore how Second Life can be used in teaching environmental sustainability. Among other things, we will travel to a number of islands that can be useful in illuminating different aspects of environment, environmental pollution, and sustainable development in an educational context.

Welcome!

Kim Holmberg/Zwiers EduFinland

Tiedote, Marraskuu 2010

Tiedote EduFinlandin vuokralaisille

Useimmat EduFinlandin vuokralaiset ovat jo varmasti kuulleet, että Linden Labs muuttaa Second Life –maan hinnoittelumallia vuoden 2011 alusta alkaen. Muutos koskee opettavia ja muita yleishyödyllisiä organisaatioita siten että näille organisaatioille aikaisemmin myönnetty ertyinen alennus poistuu.

Alennus on tähän asti ollut noin 50 % saaren vuokrasta. Myös uuden saaren perustamismaksu on ollut opettaville ja muille yleishyödyllisille organisaatioille edullisempi. Nämä Linden Labsin tekemät muutokset vaikuttavat luonnollisesti myös EduFinlandin toimintaan ja EduFinlandin vuokralaisiin, koska EduFinland/Suomen eOppimiskeskus vuokraa EduFinland-saariston maa-alueet suoraan Linden Labsilta voimassaolevan hinnaston mukaisesti.

Linden Labs on lähettänyt seuraavan tiedotteen saarten omistajille:

Dear Educators and Not-for-profits,

By now many of you have likely read the blog regarding our recent decision to discontinue the educational/not-for-profit discount on January 1, 2011 when we will move to a consistent pricing approach for all in Second Life. We recognize that this increase in cost may pose a hardship especially with the timing of budgets and funding, which is why we’re offering an early renewal option to extend the amount of time you can continue at the current rates in exchange for a longer term commitment.

An educational or not-for-profit institution that is currently under contract with us will be able to renew early (or purchase additional regions) and continue to receive the current 50% discount on land maintenance provided that the renewal takes place prior to the December 31, 2010. You will be able to select contract renewal options of 6, 12, 18 or 24 months under these terms. If your organization renews and enters into a contract no later than December 31, 2010, it can lock in the current discounted rate for up to 24 additional months.

Please note that any new purchases or renewals occurring after December 31, 2010 will be at our standard prices without the previous discount.

We hope that this clarifies the policy regarding both early and standard renewals.

Thank you for understanding, and I hope to continue seeing many of you inworld.

Best Regards,

The Linden Lab Land Team

Kädenojennuksena opettaville ja muille yleishyödyllisille organisaatioille Linden Labs on tarjonnut mahdollisuutta jatkaa nykyisiä sopimuksia nykyisin voimassa olevin hinnoin maksimissaan kahden vuoden ajan. Jotta nykyisen hinnan saa vielä kahdeksi vuodeksi on kaikki sopimukset uusittava vuoden 2010 loppuun mennessä. Tämän mahdollisuuden EduFinland aikoo myös käyttää ja taata siten nykyisen hinnan vuokralaisilleen niin pitkäksi aikaa kuin se on mahdollista. EduFinlandin kannalta Linden Labsin hinnanmuutos tarkoittaa kuitenkin sitä, että emme pysty enää hankkimaan vuoden vaihteesta lähtien uusia saaria vanhaan hintaan ja vanhojenkin alennushintaisten saarten ylläpito edellyttää pitkää taloudellista sitoutumista maan vuokraamiseen Linden Labsilta. Tästä syystä EduFinlandin on tärkeää tietää nykyisten vuokralaisten suunnitelmista seuraavan kahden vuoden aikana.

EduFinlandin palveluihin ja vuokralaisiin Linden Labsin tekemät päätökset vaikuttavat seuraavasti:

1. EduFinland tulee uusimaan kaikki vuokrasopimuksensa tämän vuoden loppuun mennessä.

2. Vuokralaiset voivat valita uusittavan sopimuksen pituudeksi joko 12 tai 24 kuukautta.

3. Sopimuskausi on aina jatkossa sama kuin kalenterivuosi.

4. Vuoden 2010 loppuun mennessä uusittujen sopimusten vuokrien hinta tulee pysymään samana kuin tähänkin mennessä vuoden 2012 loppuun saakka sikäli kun Linden Labsin hinnoittelu pysyy nyt tiedotetun kaltaisena.

Jos siis maksatte tällä hetkellä esim. 90 euroa kuukaudessa alueestanne, on teillä mahdollisuus uusia sopimuksenne ja siten varmistaa sama 90 euron kuukausivuokra jatkossakin vuoden 2012 loppuun saakka.

Suomen eOppimiskeskus tulee pian ottamaan yhteyttä kaikkiin EduFinlandin vuokralaisiin sopimusten uusimiseksi. Suomen eOppimiskeskus tulee lähettämään kaikille vuokralaisille uuden vuokrasopimuksen allekirjoitettavaksi. Allekirjoittamalla ja palauttamalla sopimuksen varmistatte nykyisen vuokrahinnan vuoden 2012 loppuun saakka.

EduFinlandin käytössä olevien oppilaitos-hinnoiteltujen saarten lukumäärä seuraavan kahden vuoden aikana riippuu suoraan alennushintaisten vuokrasopimusten määrästä. Jotta voimme tarjota tontteja nykyiseen hintaan, on mahdollista että EduFinlandin ylläpito joutuu organisoimaan tontteja uudelleen käytössä olevilla saarilla ja äärimmäisissä tapauksissa on mahdollista, että joudumme pyytämään että vuokralainen siirtyy yhdeltä EduFinlandin saarelta toiselle.

Kiitämme ymmärryksestä ja toivomme että yhteistyömme virtuaalisissa maailmoissa jatkuu myös tulevaisuudessa.

Ystävällisin terveisin,

EduFinlandin ylläpito

Kysymyksiin vastaa:

EduFinlandin ylläpito
Kim Holmberg, kim [at] edufinland.fi

Kim Holmberg/Zwiers EduFinland