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Monday, March 11, 2024

VWBPE 2024 Conference MYTHIC ORIGINS 14 - 16 March 2024 in Second Life®

Monday, March 11, 2024 conference, event, Mythic Origins, press release, second life, Virtual Worlds best practices in education, VWBPE 2024 No comments

The 17th annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference, beginning on Thursday, March 14th, 2024, will be an online distributed conference happening in multiple virtual spaces. This conference focuses on the use of immersive virtual environments for educational purposes including virtual and augmented reality.

This year we are returning to our Earth build. Each region represents a different terrestrial biome, including wetlands, desert, badlands, grasslands, and forests. Conference attendees will be among the first to be able to explore!

To the best ability possible, VWBPE provides educational and networking opportunities that are relevant to educational curriculum development utilizing virtual environments and “best practices”. These include

helping to build community through extension of learning best practices to practical application of those ideas and techniques;

providing networking opportunities for educators and the communities that help support education; and

providing access to current innovations, trends, ideas, case studies, and other best practices for educators and the communities that help support education

One of the key challenges faced by the educational community is how to make the best use of new immersive technologies in a way that is sustainable and accessible based on limited budgets available to both instructors and students. Platforms that are free or open source, or that can be shared across a broad audience are showcased, including methods and research around best practices in their use and applicability.

Our theme for this year is Mythic Origins.

Mythic stories can provide a way to engage students in critical thinking and analysis, as well as developing their creativity and imagination. Mythic origins can provide students with a deeper understanding of their own cultural heritage and how it has evolved over time. It allows us to explore the origins of our socially constructed myths and legends that have inspired educators and their various works.

Join us as we all share experiences and successes in how virtual technologies used in the classroom have helped shape education for the better.

This year's keynote speakers are Wagner James Au and Dr. Nellie Deutsch. Invited speakers include representatives from Linden Lab, and the 2020 Thinkerer - Renne Emiko Brock.

The VWBPE conference keynote speakers and their respective presentations are featured on the conference website (http://vwbpe.org), along with a program of exciting presentations, social activities, and networking events that will set extraordinary discussions in motion.

The VWBPE Immersive Experiences showcase unique and interesting work being conducted across the metaverse. We invite you to join us as we explore eleven interactive and engaging locations across five virtual environments. The Immersive Experiences are scheduled from March 9th through 31st (exclusive of the conference dates). Details and access instructions for the experiences are found at https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe24-program.

Additionally, this open and free conference would not be possible without the generous contributions of our VWBPE sponsors. https://www.vwbpe.org/vwbpe-2024-sponsors

The Rockcliffe Registration Portal is open for people to register new Second Life® avatars and find out more about the VWBPE conference in-world. Go to https://www.enroll.onl/secondlife.php . The instructions are there to get you and your friends started at this educator-friendly newcomers’ region in Second Life®.

The full conference program is online here: https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe24-program.

You can also view presentations live on YouTube at http://vwbpe.org/watch.

All of the conference events will be in Second Life® this year, and the locations are included in the listings. When you click on a conference event and click Add to Calendar, you can add the event to your own calendar (Google and more).

NOTE: Daylight Savings Time

In most of the United States and Canada, Daylight Savings Time is in effect as of 10 March 2024. In Europe, Great Britain, and many other locations, DST is in effect as of 31 March, 2024, after the conference ends. Check this page to find out when (and if) a time change is in effect for you: https://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/2024.html.

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**VWBPE 2024 GATEWAY**

SLurl:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Grasslands%20Gateway/128/123/23

**VWBPE 2024 SOCIAL VISITOR CENTER** http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Wetlands%20Marsh/175/158/21

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**KEYNOTES**

https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe-2024-keynotes-invited-speakers

KEYNOTE: “Mythic Origins of Metaverse Myths”

Wagner James Au / Hamlet Au

Author

Thursday 14 March 2024

4:00 pm SLT @ VWBPE Auditorium

KEYNOTE: "The Hero's Journey of Learning Transformation in the Digital Age"

Nellie Deutsch (Ed.D) / Nellie Homewood

Co-Chair of TESOL CALL-IS and Instructor, International Hellenic University

Friday 15 March 2024

9:00 am SLT @ VWBPE Auditorium

**INVITED SPEAKERS**

https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe-2024-keynotes-invited-speakers

ABOVE THE BOOK: What's up at the Lab?

Host: Kevin Feenan / Phelan Corrimal

Guests: Grumpity Linden, VP of Product

Thursday 14 March 2024

12 noon SLT @ VWBPE Auditorium

ABOVE THE BOOK: Catching up with the Thinkerers

Renne Emiko Brock / Zinnia Zauber

VWBPE 2020 Thinkerer

Saturday 16 March 2024

3:00 pm SLT @ VWBPE Auditorium

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**WEB PAGES**

Conference Information: http://vwbpe.org

Program: https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe24-program

Registration: http://vwb.pe/register

Sponsors: https://www.vwbpe.org/vwbpe-2024-sponsors

Rockcliffe Gateway to Second Life®: https://www.enroll.onl/secondlife.php

Watch VWBPE Livestream: https://www.vwbpe.org/watch

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**SOCIAL MEDIA**

Second Life® Group

secondlife:///app/group/8b03480a-793d-ba5b-5b6b-dd10afb5d38e/about

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/vwbpe

Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vwbpe_org/

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/3754644/

Twitter

http://twitter.com/vwbpe

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/VWBPE

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**MAJOR SPONSORS**

Linden Lab

https://www.lindenlab.com/

Rockcliffe University Consortium

https://urockcliffe.com/

Hire A Helper

https://www.hireahelper.com

Porch.com

https://porch.com

Knomaze Corporation

https://knomaze.com/

Virtual Ability

https://virtualability.org/

Agile Dimensions

https://www.agiledimensions.com/blog/

Journal of Virtual Studies

https://jovs.urockcliffe.press/

Whole Brain Health

https://www.agelessmindproject.org/

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**CONTACT**

Beth Ghostraven

VWBPE Communications Chair

marketing@vwbpe.com

For Immediate Release: VWBPE 2023 Conference UNCOMMON REALITIES 23 - 25 March 2023 in Second Life®

Saturday, February 18, 2023 Augmented Reality, conference, education, International Conference, press release, second life, Uncommon realities, virtual worlds, VWBPE No comments

The 16th annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference (#vwbpe23), beginning on Thursday, March 23rd, will be an online distributed conference happening in multiple virtual spaces. This conference focuses on the use of immersive virtual environments for educational purposes including virtual and augmented reality. VWBPE provides educational and networking opportunities that are relevant to educational curriculum development utilizing virtual environments and “best practices”. These include - helping to build community through the extension of learning best practices to the practical application of those ideas and techniques; - providing networking opportunities for educators and the communities that help support education; and - providing access to current innovations, trends, ideas, case studies, and other best practices for educators and the communities that help support education. Primarily, the issue being faced by the educational community is how to make the best use of new immersive technologies in a way that is sustainable and accessible based on limited budgets available to both instructors and students. Platforms that are free or open source, or that can be shared across a broad audience are showcased including methods and research around best practices in their use and applicability. VWBPE will again be using Linden Lab’s Second Life® environment as our primary conference venue for presentations, exhibits, roundtables, and discussions. Participants are free to submit proposals and immersive experience tours in any environment for education using technologies for virtual or augmented reality. We actively encourage showcasing multiple technology platforms. This includes practical application, researched papers, and conceptual, and content creation supporting those technologies. Our theme for this year is Uncommon Realities and the exploration of areas outside of our expertise that may be potentially opposed to our current outlook or worldview. As educators, we are having to adjust to more than just a transition from in-person to online methodologies. We are facing urgent challenges in the areas of remote classroom management, outdated policies or policies not designed to be applied to online environments, child psychology and welfare in online environments, health and safety considerations, and personal privacy, among others. This means embracing the ability to quickly adapt to changing circumstances and innovative technologies to their best effect. Additionally, this open and free conference would not be possible without the generous contributions of our VWBPE sponsors. https://www.vwbpe.org/our-sponsors/vwbpe-2023-sponsors. The Rockcliffe Registration Portal is open for people to register new Second Life® avatars and find out more about the VWBPE conference in-world. Go to http://urockcliffe.org/reg/second-life/. The instructions are there to get you and your friends started at this educator-friendly newcomers’ region in Second Life®.

** WEB PAGES ** Conference Information: http://vwbpe.org Registration: http://vwb.pe/register Sponsors: https://www.vwbpe.org/our-sponsors/vwbpe-2023-sponsors Rockcliffe Gateway to Second Life®: http://urockcliffe.com/reg/second-life/

** SOCIAL MEDIA ** Second Life® Group secondlife:///app/group/8b03480a-793d-ba5b-5b6b-dd10afb5d38e/about Discord Channel https://discord.gg/Xjp5nn9D Facebook http://www.facebook.com/vwbpe Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/vwbpe_org/ LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/groups/3754644/ Twitter http://twitter.com/vwbpe YouTube http://www.youtube.com/VWBPE ** MAJOR SPONSORS ** Linden Lab https://www.lindenlab.com/ Rockcliffe University Consortium https://urockcliffe.com/ Hire a Helper https://www.hireahelper.com/ Porch https://porch.com/ VSTE Virtual Environments PLN https://vste.org/ Virtual Ability https://virtualability.org/ Ageless Mind Project https://www.agelessmindproject.org/ Journal of Virtual Studies https://jovs.urockcliffe.press/ Agile Dimensions https://www.agiledimensions.com/blog/ ** CONTACT ** Beth Ghostraven VWBPE Communications Chair marketing@vwbpe.com

EDUCATION IN CYBERSPACE – VIRTUAL WORLDS BEST PRACTICES IN EDUCATION: JOSH(THOMAS1 BELLIC) REPORTING

Friday, April 22, 2022 conference, CyberSpace, education, innovation, josh bellic, second life, spotlight feature, Thomas1 Bellic, Virtual Worlds best practices in education, VWBPE No comments

The SecondLife Grid is home to a great many innovative groups of people who have devised new ways to incorporate Virtual Worlds into our daily lives. The areas of art, entertainment, finance, education, and others, have all been enhanced through their creative efforts. Leaders in the use of cyberspace in education, the folks at VWBPE just wrapped up their 15th annual Conference. I recently sat down with Beth, iSkye, LV, and Kevin, me of the Staff of VWBPE and they graciously consented to answer a couple of questions about their innovative work in support of education.

Let's get started, shall we?

Josh (Thomas1 Bellic) JB: So then, tell me, Beth. Exactly what is this VWBPE thing the buzz is all about?

Beth: VWBPE stands for Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education, which culminates in an annual online conference held each spring. Immersive virtual environments have been used in education long before the advent of head-mounted viewers like the Oculus Quest. We bring together educators and other interested people from all over the world to discuss how these environments can most productively be used for teaching and learning.

JB: How did the idea of a VWBPE conference come into being?

LV: Back in early 2007 there were informal groups of educators and those interested in the potential of virtual worlds for education who would get together to talk about the ‘what might could be’. One of the ideas tossed around based on their personal (and physical) experiences was “What would happen if we had a conference and asked educators to share their best practices?” These informal discussions became more serious, and SL-BPE (Second Life Best Practices in Education) was born.

On May 25, 2007, 1300 educators from around the world gathered at the Second Life Best Practices in Education: Teaching, Learning, and Research 2007 International Conference in the virtual world of Second Life. The event was the first 24-hour, international conference ever to take place entirely within a virtual world.

After a year’s hiatus, Rockcliffe University Consortium took over the conference co-ordination and SL-BPE was reborn in 2009 as Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE). It continues to this day.

JB: This Conference is a big undertaking. How many folks does it take to put on something like this, of this magnitude?

Beth: At the top, we have the Executive Committee of three people. They are joined by six more people to make up the Organizing Committee. We also have the help of dozens more people who assist with the conference itself. Our volunteers are second to none in their dedication, enthusiasm, and energy, in every part of the Conference.

Kevin: All in total there are between 70-90 people that are dedicating their time to bringing this conference to life.

JB: What are some of the more interesting areas a visitor might see at a VWBPE Event?

Beth: My favorite part of this conference is the Exhibit Hall, which is unlike anything you’d see at a brick-and-mortar conference. Our theme for the conference build for the past three years has been Outer Space, so exhibitors are given a parcel floating in space in which to build something. It’s so amazing to see the things they come up with to portray their ideas and offerings! The exhibits are open through April 23rd, by the way.

It’s also fun during the conference to see some of the different avatars that people use to represent themselves. At various times I have been a human, a tiny hedgehog, and a bunny, for instance.

JB: What are some of the more inventive things that have been pioneered at VWBPE?

iSkye: One example is a different approach to mathematics, called SubQuan, which if you try it, revolutionizes the ability to do and understand math, from addition/subtraction to multiplication/division, to algebra, geometry, and more. The demonstration was entirely in 3D. A 5-year-old child could catch on within minutes - me with a university degree, I caught on very quickly and I haven’t forgotten it!

JB: Have you heard of some success stories as educators implement the things they learn at these conferences?

Kevin: Many educators credit their desire to create a curriculum in Second Life based on what they have seen other people do at our conference.

LV: Absolutely. A common story is that someone was inspired by a presentation or an exhibit and later made contact with the presenter, becoming collaborators in future work. Another is graduate students using presentations to further their research interests and partnerships. An advantage to virtual world events like this is the ability to IM someone immediately to express an interest in their work.

JB: Second Life is, arguably, a VW platform designed for adults. Do you know of any particular child-safe Virtual Worlds that teachers can use in their classrooms or during remote learning scenarios?

Beth: Although the conference deals with a multitude of virtual environments, we use Second Life for the conference itself because it’s the crossroads for virtual world educators to make connections with each other. Open Simulator and Minecraft: Education Edition offers the privacy that’s needed for younger children, and some of us are working with Linden Lab to have the same affordances in Second Life.

JB: You do employ a lot of volunteers for these events. How might someone get involved in supporting VWBPE, either during the annual conference or throughout the year?

Beth: The best thing to do is to contact Bluebarker Lowtide, our Volunteers Chair (https://www.vwbpe.org/contact). Starting in January we’ll begin recruiting volunteers for the conference itself, and the volunteer registration form opens up at that time. If you’re interested in more of a leadership role, contact Kevin Feenan at info@vwbpe.org at any time. Planning for the next conference begins right after the past conference, and starts to pick up speed in the Fall. Volunteering is a great way to meet interesting people!

JB: Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about VWBPE?

Beth: These environments are incredibly immersive and creativity-inspiring. There is a myriad of inventive ways that people are using different environments for education, and this conference is the heart of it.

Kevin: Instructors have used these environments to create immersive experiences that help students connect with skills in a way that is simply not possible simply by reading a book, watching presentations, or videos. The ability to place your mind’s eye from the vantage point of people at the heart of a learned experience and to appreciate the critical reasoning by being in the moment can provide greater insight by reframing one’s situational awareness.

JB: Where might a person go to get more information about VWBPE?

Beth: We keep our website (http://vwbpe.org) updated with current information and blog posts during the year. If you’re in Second Life, there’s a VWBPE group you can join that’s very helpful. We’re also on several social media platforms that are linked to the website. You can also ask anyone on the Organizing Committee, including me, Beth. (Beth Ghostraven) for more information - we’re happy to help you get involved with education in immersive 3D worlds.

So there you have it, folks. For the most innovative solutions and cutting-edge uses of Virtual Worlds to enhance education for students, check out VWBPE.org and learn how can get involved in this innovative outreach.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Gateway%20Pyxis/98/128/24

Be there! Aloha!!

VWBPE 2022 Conference PHOENIX RISING Opens 31 March 2022 in Second Life®

Tuesday, March 29, 2022 Augmented Reality, conference, education, opportunities, press release networking, second life, virtual world, VWBPE 2022 Phoenix Rising No comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The 15th annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference, beginning on Thursday, March 31st, will be an online distributed conference happening in multiple virtual spaces. This conference focuses on the use of immersive virtual environments for educational purposes including virtual and augmented reality.

VWBPE provides educational and networking opportunities that are relevant to educational curriculum development by utilizing virtual environments and “best practices”. These include

- helping to build community through the extension of learning best practices to the practical application of those ideas and techniques;

- providing networking opportunities for educators and the communities that help support education; and

- providing access to current innovations, trends, ideas, case studies, and other best practices for educators and the communities that help support education.

Primarily, the issue being faced by the educational community is how to make the best use of new immersive technologies in a way that is sustainable and accessible based on limited budgets available to both instructors and students. Platforms that are free or open-source, or that can be shared across a broad audience are showcased including methods and research around best practices in their use and applicability.

VWBPE will again be using Linden Lab’s Second Life® environment as our primary conference venue for presentations, exhibits, roundtables, and discussions. Participants are free to submit proposals and immersive experience tours in any environment for education using technologies for virtual or augmented reality. We actively encourage showcasing multiple technology platforms. This includes practical application, researched papers, conceptual, and content creation supporting those technologies.

Our theme for this year is Phoenix Rising and the exploration of areas outside of our expertise that may be potentially opposed to our current outlook or world view. As educators, we are having to adjust to more than just a transition from in-person to online methodologies. We are facing urgent challenges in the areas of remote classroom management, outdated policies or policies not designed to be applied to online environments, child psychology and welfare in online environments, health and safety considerations, and personal privacy, among others. This means embracing the ability to quickly adapt to changing circumstances and innovative technologies to their best effect.

This year's keynote speakers are Dr. Randall Sadler and Oksana Levytska. We also have several invited speakers: Patch Linden, Maria Korolov, and Dr. Cynthia Calongne.

**VWBPE 2021 GATEWAY**

SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Gateway%20Pyxis/100/128/24

**WEB PAGES**

Conference Information: http://vwbpe.org

Program: https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/program

Registration: http://vwb.pe/register

Sponsors: https://www.vwbpe.org/vwbpe-2022-sponsors

Rockcliffe Gateway to Second Life®: http://urockcliffe.com/reg/second-life/

**SOCIAL MEDIA**

Second Life® Group - secondlife:///app/group/8b03480a-793d-ba5b-5b6b-dd10afb5d38e/about

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/vwbpe

Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/vwbpe_org

LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/groups/3754644

Twitter - http://twitter.com/vwbpe

YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/VWBPE

VWBPE 2019 Conference “Re:Visions” Opens April 4, 2019 in Second Life

Thursday, March 28, 2019 beth ghostraven, conference, education, press release, second life, virtual world, Virtual Worlds best practices in education No comments

April 4 starts the three-day Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference, with an amazing lineup of speakers, workshops, sim demonstrations, poster presentations, open discussions, and more. The conference will cover a wide range of subjects concerning virtual worlds and their use for education, virtual reality, smart games, arts and science, and the future of technology. Although the main part of the conference will be held in Second Life this year, there are sessions about different virtual worlds, and events on other virtual world grids.

This year's keynote speakers are Dr. Tom Boellstorff, Dr. Tuncer Can, and Dr. Jonathon Richter. (https://vwbpe.org/conference/keynotes-and-speakers-2019). They will help us consider an anthropologist’s view of virtual worlds (including the feature film “Our Digital Selves: My Avatar Is Me” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQw02-me0W4&feature=youtu.be); the use of virtual worlds in language learning; and what works in immersive XR (VR/AR/MR).

The VWBPE conference keynote speakers and their respective presentations are featured on the conference website (http://vwbpe.org), along with a calendar of exciting presentations, social activities, and networking events that will set extraordinary discussions in motion.

The VWBPE Immersive Experiences showcase unique and interesting work being conducted across the metaverse. We invite you to join us as we explore sixteen interactive and engaging locations across five virtual environments. The Immersive Experiences are scheduled from March 24 to April 19 (exclusive of the conference dates). Details and access instructions for the experiences are found at http://vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe-calendar.

Additionally, this open and free conference would not be possible without the generous contributions of our VWBPE sponsors (http://vwbpe.org/sponsors-2019 ).

The Rockcliffe Registration Portal is open for people to register new Second Life avatars and find out more about the VWBPE conference in-world. Go to http://urockcliffe.com/reg/second-life/ and all the instructions are there to get your friends started.

The full conference schedule is online here: http://vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe-calendar. You can also view presentations live on YouTube (http://vwbpe.org/watch). All of the conference events will be in Second Life this year, and the locations are included in the listings. When you click on a conference event and click Add to Calendar, you can add the event to your own calendar (Google+ and more).

**Keynotes**

VWBPE Main Auditorium

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWBPE%20Central%204/34/31/22

Keynote: Paraethnographic film as mode of education: Lessons from disability in virtual worlds

Dr. Tom Boellstorff, University of California Irvine

Thursday, April 4, 2019

9:30 – 10:20am SLT/US Pacific Daylight Time

Keynote: Teacher training within Virtual Worlds

Dr. Tuncer Can, Istanbul University

Friday, April 5, 2019

9:00am – 9:50pm SLT/US Pacific Daylight Time

Keynote: Crossing the Horizon together: Scanning, transforming, and sharing “What Works” in Immersive XR