Copernicus' Epicycles Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) is sometimes called the father of modern astronomy. He's famous for introducing to Western Europe a thorough and worked-out model of the Solar System with the Sun at the center. At the time, nearly everybody accepted Ptolemy's Earth-centered model, with planets riding on celestial spheres, and riding on epicycles inside […]

Punctuated Equilibrium, Neoteny, and Evolution: A tribute to the late Dr. Stephen Jay Gould Stephen Jay Gould was undoubtedly one of the most influential scientists of the 20th Century who along with Niles Eldredge published the theory of Punctuated Equilibrium. He was a prolific author of many articles on Neoteny, and other ideas that revolutionized […]

11th Annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Opening Ceremony of VWBPE 2018 Join us at the Gateway for Kick Off Event of VWBPE 2018.  This is a time to socialize and network with friends, old and new, while enjoying the lovely piano music of Arisia Vita. The Conference Executive and Organization Committees will share a […]

Picture: Wikipedia The session features an panel of educators actively utilizing Minecraft in educational settings. Participants will explore how Minecraft can be utilized as a tool to motivate and engage young 21st century learners. Diverse examples of integration will be presented for participant consideration. The panel will discuss creative and innovative ways to integrate Minecraft […]

Presenter: Ebbe Altberg/Ebbe Linden (Avatar) Moderator: Kevin Feenan/Phelan Corrimal Join us for an engaging conversation with Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg, who once again opens up about topics that are most important to educators and communities of practice within Second Life. Topics will vary and conversation will flow organically. More information & location

Presenter: Marie Vans/amvans lapis (Avatar) Educators and Trainers Valerie Hill/Valibrarian Gregg Educators and Trainers Virtual World librarians are positioned to lead efforts to develop digital citizenship by developing programs that assist in the mastery of responsible and appropriate technology use, including online identity, communication etiquette, and rights and responsibilities by learners. We present the definition […]

Photo: ESA Presenters: Lisa Laxton/Lisa Laxton (Avatar) Research and Development Community Foundation Cynthia Calogne/Lyr Lobo Educators and Trainers Singergirl Mode Business and Entrepreneurs Dieter Heyne Coders, Scripters, and System/IT Analysts Gentle Heron Support and Help Communities Many virtual world technologies are available today in the social virtual reality realm. Because teachers and researchers often do […]

Photo: VWBPE Lecture hall A Presenter: Wendy L. Keeney-Kennicutt/Julia Tiraxibar (Avatar) Educators and Trainers The design, implementation and assessment of college-level chemistry experiments conducted in Second Life suggest that VWs can be effective for teaching chemistry laboratory. In this pilot study, 55 students successfully completed two virtual experiments and showed learning gains similar to 67 […]

Presenters: Carolyn Lowe/Clowey Greenwood (Avatar) Educators and Trainers Amy Pihlainen/Elsie Ocello (Avatar) Educators and Trainers The authors, working with children ages 10 through 14, have found that allowing the students to create the learning spaces increases engagement, deep learning, and motivation to learn and do more. This presentation will demonstrate this through showcasing the many […]

Photo Etopia Presenter: G Ronnie Kraegel/Namaara MacMoragh (Avatar) Advocacy and NonProfit As an ever evolving project, Etopia is designed to bridge SL and RL by providing safe, educational space and activities for skills exploration with partners such as Peninsula College and Brain Energy Support Team. The benefits of learning social, sustainable, and behavioral skills in […]

Presenter: Renne Emiko Brock/Zinnia Zauber (Avatar) Educators and Trainers Let go of control. Instructors empower students through agency with active learning ownership, not with ultimate authority. Build validating lessons prior to entering virtual situations with surprising personal investigation, mood board creation, and character sketches. Develop education buy-in through accelerated and immediate avatar customization to reveal […]

Photo ESA Introduction to astrobiology and the scientific search for evidence of microbial life beyond Earth, especially on moons in the solar system. Review, with questions welcome, the very real and exciting possibility of finding such life in the fairly near future, and its far-reaching implications. For a general audience, brief discussion of key basic […]

The theme of the SLartist@UWA Machinima Challenge (L$430,000 prize pool) was 'ART OF THE ARTISTS.' We encouraged connections and collaborations between 3D artists and machinima makers. Any artworks that sit on the UWA Sims in Second Life, including artworks created when the sims themselves were created in 2009, could be selected to feature in the […]

Abstract Variations in the sequence of mitochondrial DNA can be used to identify human lineages and mark human migration patterns.  In 1987, mtDNA samples from 147 women were compared and used to infer the sequence and origin of the mitochondria of the common ancestor of all humans.  The popular press and science writers were quick […]