The presentation provides some background on how virtual worlds can be used for powerful learning experiences for teachers.

1. Looking for a Revolution? Virtual Worlds in Social Studies Andrew Wheelock CSLO Model Schools E-Team

2. Are you kidding me? Building a foundation: What is quality professional development? What is quality Social Studies learning? Making the case: Virtual worlds can be used to effectively provide teachers with meaningful professional development to help both teachers and students learn powerful social studies concepts.

3. What makes quality professional development? Adults are motivated by practical applications and learning that is relevant to their own situations. This is particularly true for teachers struggling to juggle the multitude of demands on their time. Professional development will be most effective when it provides for direct application to the classroom. Teachers are busy, preoccupied, and always juggling a variety of demands for their attention. They appreciate professional development that is well-planned, sets reasonable expectations and goals, and is efficiently delivered (Peixotto & Palmer, 1994). This document's URL is: http://www.nwrel.org/request/june98/article7.html © 2001 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Date of Last Update: 09/19/2001

5. Flexible time/ variety of modalities

6. Relevant to classroom/ curriculumTake a look at this page: AFT - Hot Topics - Teacher Quality - Professional Development for Teachers. You can see this page at: http://www.aft.org/topics/teacher-quality/prodev.htm

7. What makes quality social studies learning? Teaching and learning in the elementary classroom should be meaningful, integrative, value-based, challenging, and active.7 These qualities of powerful social studies learning are foundational to the development of children’s knowledge, skills, and dispositions as participating citizens. 7. NCSS Task Force on Standards for Teaching and Learning in the Social Studies, “A Vision of Powerful Teaching and Learning in the Social Studies: Building Social Understanding and Civic Efficacy” (1992, revised 2008). Accessible athttp://www.socialstudies.org/positions/powerful http://www.socialstudies.org/positions/powerfulandpurposeful

8. How do we learn about social studies? (Be honest) Text Books? Narratives? Biographies? Autobiographies? Historical Non-fiction? Historical Fiction? Computer games? Internet? In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. - Eric Hoffer

9. How do our students learn social studies? Text Books? Narratives? Biographies? Autobiographies? Historical Non-fiction? Historical Fiction? Computer games? Internet? It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Albert Einstein

10. Meeting at the waters edge?

11. The Virtual Pioneers- Professional Development in a Virtual World

12. Why? Quality speakers/ presentations Opens up your professional network to around the world Can be done from the comfort of your own home Inexpensive A way to get ahead of the curve on emerging technologies - CNBC If we value independence, if we are disturbed by the growing conformity of knowledge, of values, of attitudes, which our present system induces, then we may wish to set up conditions of learning which make for uniqueness, for self-direction, and for self-initiated learning.- Carl Rogers

13. Umm… What is Second Life? Why Second Life? A Free Virtual World program www.secondlife.com You create an avatar You can buy things Travel the virtual world Activities range from education to entertainment And yes… there is a wild side. But… there are now adult content controls. Colleges and universities are there ISTE is there High end graphics You can create Meet people from around the world Awesome networking possibilities Great content

14. The places we’ve gone, the people we’ve met…

15. Guest Speakers We have just begun having powerful guest speakers to give us insight into social studies content. Fannie Starr- Holocaust Survivor Kimmer Jameson From PBS Ei8ht Rita J. King and Joshua Fouts- Carnegie Fellows

16. Fannie Starr- Holocaust Survivor Fannie provided a powerful first person narrative about her life as a Holocaust Survivor, but more importantly how she maintains an positive outlook that inspired us.

17. Kimmer Jameson- PBS Ei8ht Kimmer gave us a tremendous amount of information and resources to help teach Native American history using the documentary series, We Shall Remain.

18. Historical Role Play Co-creator: Rhino Pfeiffer Three of our members created a role play based on the dropping of the atomic bomb during World War II

19. Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds Carnegie Fellows- Joshua S. Fouts and Rita J. King gave us an outstanding presentation of their work highlighting Islamic culture.

20. Costume Frolic In October we had a costume party with one catch: You must research your costume and write a short summary of character or time period

21. Historical Building 101 Before meetings we often have a special historical building class led by Serena Offcourse Serena Offcourse

22. Olana State Historic Site Re-creation of historic Olana Historic Site with Carrillin Heliosense

23. Wonderful Denmark Based on a 1950’s TV show this island gave a unique look into the life and culture of Denmark

24. VSTE Island- Jamestown Settlement Jazmemo Zimminy, Alfredo Bedrosian, Mandie Mimulus, and Thunder Insippo, gave us an inside tour of historical Jamestown Settlement

25. Virtual Harlem- The Cotton Club Oronoque Westland’s Caribbean Brownstone

26. Ummah of Noor We explored the customs and history of Islam with Ahmeed Loire and R07 Lupino

27. The Holocaust Museum We recently toured the student created, US Holocaust Memorial Museum with tour guide- David Klevan (Eubie Doobie) Powerful history.

28. Recent Events Spain- Alhambra- Katarina Camino A Taste of Italy with DrM Berlin 1920- Jo Yardley Native Lands-Nany Kayo Japan Chuba with akiko Teacher to teacher with Austen Rae and Xavier A teacher’s perspective of China

29. Upcoming Events History of Irish Whiskey Virtual Pioneer Fashion Show Virtual Pioneer History Conference