This document discusses establishing 3D virtual worlds for use by teachers, administrators, and students of the International Baccalaureate organization. It proposes creating an IB grid on OpenSim which would allow all IB schools to connect, communicate, and collaborate in a shared virtual space. Benefits include overcoming geographic isolation, combining technology tracks, and teaching 21st century skills. Students could build virtual worlds, program, hold language exchanges, and visit university campuses. The goal is to submit a proposal to the IB to create an official IB grid and establish IB islands in Second Life.

1. Establishing 3D Virtual World Presences for the International Baccalaureate’s Teachers, Administrators and Students David W. Deeds, IT Manager/Teacher Changchun American International School (CAIS) AACE Global Learn Asia Pacific: March 30, 2011

2. Establishing VWs for the IB Can’t possibly make it through all these slides and do live demos and/or machinima too! Get the slides for later reference from me or via: www.indeeds.com or www.slideshare.net. Not a technical presentation. Get the “OpenSim 101” slides. Or “Getting Your Cyberturf” subset. CAIS is an IB World school but I do not represent the IB and this is not an official IB presentation.

3. Establishing VWs for the IB International Baccalaureate (Organization): Non-profit educational foundation 3,000+ schools; 900,000+ students; 140 countries 3 major centers: Asia-Pacific; Americas; Africa, Europe, Middle East 3 programs: Primary Years Program (PYP); Middle Years Program (MYP);Diploma Program (DP)

4. Establishing VWs for the IB International Baccalaureate: DP: “Java Course” plus Information Technology in a Global Society (ITGS) MYP has 8 subject areas: Technology and the less important ones (known as “those others”) MYP: Separate Information Technology and Design Technology tracks PYP: Technology classes not mandatory; at CAIS 2-3 classes per cycle

5. Establishing VWs for the IB IB Virtual Community: Launched in 2010 with partner ePals Each school has IBVC rep (yes, I’m it for CAIS) “IB Ning”: groups; forums; wikis; etc. Users empowered with creating: groups; forums; wikis; etc. 3 languages: English; Spanish; French “Open” alternative to the Online Curriculum Center (OCC)

6. Establishing VWs for the IB 3 C’s: Connect, Communicate, Collaborate! (The IBVC is a great first – 2D – step. The next step is 3D…virtual worlds…3 C’s + Classes!)

7. Establishing VWs for the IB ASMeB = Anti Social Media Behavior 2D tools (wikis, blogs, etc.) enable the 3 C’s…people just won’t/don’t do it Facebook Phobia: people lose jobs for posting: photographs; opinions; etc. Privacy concerns; awareness of permanence; hesitation to write in general Exchanges are generally asynchronous Innovative? Interesting? FUN?

8. Establishing VWs for the IB Generic IB Problems: Schools are geographically separated, isolated Information/Design Technology split Teaching 21st century tech: teachers, budgets Specific 3 C’s Problems: Students aren’t necessarily fluent in LOI 2D tools are limited: subjects especially! Privacy; permanence; ASMeB; FUN?

9. Establishing VWs for the IB The answer: 3D Virtual Worlds!

10. Establishing VWs for the IB Second Life and OpenSim: Built-in computer-aided design (3D modeling) tools: students build their own worlds Built-in Linden Scripting Language: students easily learn programming with instant payoff Project management: students must work together in teams with defined roles and responsibilities Language exchange programs: virtual field trips!

11. Establishing VWs for the IB Second Life: Teachers/Administrators & Students 16+: Teachers/administrators can attend meetings and otherwise network with professional peers Students can produce products and run their own businesses, making actual profits if successful Teachers/administrators can recruit and otherwise advertise their organizations Students can visit the cybercampuses of universities or colleges they want to attend

12. Establishing VWs for the IB OpenSim: Teachers/Administrators & Students 3-19: With grid, teachers/administrators can do everything possible in Second Life, except perhaps economics Students can enjoy completely private regions/grids while intermittently going on virtual field trips Technology classes can feature true continuity: students starting as of PYP could be professional builders/programmers by DP Younger students learn all computer basics plus advanced aspects such as project management

13. Establishing VWs for the IB Problems? What problems? Geographic location/isolation no longer a factor (except for time zones). Virtual China or Italy “next door”! Information and Design Technology tracks combined! 21st century educational technology at $100 a month, with teachers and students training simultaneously! 3D enables struggling students to succeed, while native speakers excel: ultimate differentiated classroom! Avatars are anonymous; people talk, not write; no such thing as ASMeB; and yes, it’s FUN!

14. Establishing VWs for the IB Imagine 3,000 schools united via a common IB Grid. Teachers, administrators and students connecting, communicating and collaborating!

15. Establishing VWs for the IB Our Goal(s): Create an IB Grid (or International School Grid) via OpenSim Create an IB Island or Islands in Second Life (International School Islands already inworld)! #1 is most important!

16. Establishing VWs for the IB After this conference, CAIS – along with business partners and organizations willing to assist us – will submit a formal proposal to the IB re: creating the IB Grid. Who wants to help? Grants? Research? We can proceed with any/all international schools interested in joining and then the IB schools can establish a special grid later.

17. Establishing VWs for the IB “As co-founder of Flat Classroom(tm) Projects I see huge potential in the use of virtual worlds for students and teachers to meet both together and separately. This is the next frontier in the classroom, it is a medium to teach digital citizenship skills while connecting, communicating and collaborating with others. In addition, the ability to create new structures and interactive items has enormous possibility for embedding into our IB curriculum. Once again this is action-based, student-centred learning, not passive. I look forward to potentially piloting my ITGS class immersed in a virtual world next year!” – Julie Lindsay, E-Learning Coordinator, Beijing International School

18. Establishing VWs for the IB “Western Academy of Beijing would support this idea [of creating an IB or International School Grid]. It is my feeling that students understanding and participating in virtual world activities can, if done well, promote student learning and allow them to understand how to successfully communicate and collaborate in ways that will become a normal part of their lives.” – Jeffrey Holte, Educational Technology Director, Western Academy of Beijing

19. Establishing VWs for the IB “Pedagogically, virtual worlds provide an opportunity for students and teachers to interact in a way that is not affected by appearance, location or culture. People are known for their ideas not their status. Practically, virtual worlds allow individuals from around the world to meet and discuss ideas in a common environment. This provides a forum for better understanding others, which in turn leads to a better understanding of mankind in general.” – Dr. Leigh Zeitz, Instructional Technology Professor, University of Northern Iowa

20. Establishing VWs for the IB "...3D realities [are] collaborative learning environments...inherently...and no matter what learning goal is intended, students instantly respond to the ‘world building’ aspect of virtual realities by framing their learning around group information seeking.“ – Beth Sachtjen, Virtual World Developer, New Media Consortium

21. Establishing VWs for the IB "Because Second Life gives me a feeling of presence, it has become a significant part of my professional learning community. I have teacher friends from all over the world, most of whom I’ll never see, and I share with them inworld activities...[which] have had direct impact on my students. It has opened me to knowledge of tools and applications for education that I wouldn’t have discovered on my own. This resource would knock down walls for so many other teachers!” – Kim Harrison, Computer Resource Specialist, Indian Lakes Elementary School, Virginia

22. Establishing VWs for the IB “[With 3D virtual worlds] I can connect with people all over the world without leaving the classroom! And I’m really communicating… talking with them…while we are working together toward a common goal. Wikis and blogs are just texting. You can’t design and create a building with a wiki or a blog!” – Yvette Yuan, CAIS MYP5 Student “I didn’t understand why we have a Design Cycle until we started working in Caisland. Now I can use what I know about project management in my other subjects.” – Ling Hua (“Oscar”) Gao, CAIS MYP5 Student

23. Establishing VWs for the IB “[3D virtual worlds] are AWESOME! You get to do so many interesting things. I always thought learning programming would be boring, but now I can’t wait to try new scripts to make my creations do different stuff! Building is fun, too. I want to be a professional 3D designer after I finish school so I can make virtual world fashions! And I never liked working together with the whole class until we started doing this. Now I want to work together with everybody around the world!” –Jorgette Rojas, CAIS MYP5 Student

24. Establishing VWs for the IB More information: 2011 Horizon Report: http://www.nmc.org/publications/2011-horizon-report “The Second Life Grid: The Official Guide to Communication, Collaboration and Community Engagement” by Kimberly Rufer-Bach, Wiley Publishing, ISBN: 978-0-470-41291-6 “Learning and Teaching in the Virtual World of Second Life” (edited) by Judith Molka-Danielsen, Tapir Academic Press,ISBN: 978-82-519-2353-8

25. Establishing VWs for the IB More information: “Learning Online with Games, Simulations and Virtual Worlds” by Clark Aldrich, Jossey-Bass, ISBN: 978-0-470-43834-3 “Learning in 3D” by Karl Kapp, Pfeiffer Publishing, ISBN: 978-0470504734 “The World Is Open: How Web Technology Is Revolutionizing Education” by Curtis J. Bonk, Jossey-Bass, ISBN: 978-0470461303

26. Establishing VWs for the IB More information: “The Entrepreneur's Guide to Second Life: Making Money in the Metaverse” by Daniel Terdiman, Wiley Press, ISBN: 978-0470179147 “A Practical Guide to Using Second Life in Higher Education” by MaggiSavin-Baden, ISBN: 978-0335242146 “Cutting-Edge Social Media Approaches to Business Education” by Charles Wankel, Information Age, ISBN: 978-1617351167

27. Establishing VWs for the IB More information: “Higher Education in Virtual Worlds” by Charles Wankel, Emerald Group Publishing, ISBN: 978-1849506090 “Empowering Students with Technology” by Alan November, Corwin Press, ISBN: 978-1412974257 “Training and Collaboration with Virtual Worlds” by Alex Heiphetz, McGraw-Hill, ISBN: 978-0071628020

28. Establishing VWs for the IB Connect/Communicate/Collaborate? Research project with university/organization? Other IB/international schools interested? IBVC: ibo.epals.com Groups: 3D Virtual Worlds: Second Life and 3D Virtual Worlds: OpenSim RezEd: www.rezedhub.ning.com Classroom 2.0: www.classroom20.com Other ning/wiki/blog? Or use Teaching in Second Life, Caisland in ReactionGrid?

29. Thank you… Establishing VWs for the IB

30. Establishing VWs for the IB Thank you for your attention! Questions/Comments? David W. Deeds, Ph.D. Work: +86-431-8458-1234, ddeeds@caischina.org Home: +86-186-8668-4534, davidwdeeds@ymail.com Facebook & LinkedIn: David W. Deeds Skype: davidwdeeds, Twitter: dwdeeds Second Life: Deed Davids (visit Teaching!) ReactionGrid: Deed Davids (visit Caisland!)