Your Name and Title: David W. Deeds, IT Manager/Teacher
School or Organization Name: Changchun American International School
Co-Presenter Name(s): Adrian Hodge
Area of the World from Which You Will Present: China
Language in Which You Will Present: English
Target Audience(s): All teachers
Short Session Description (one line): 3D learning environments (e.g., OpenSimulator) enable the creation of a virtual world grid via which teachers and students around the real world could connect, communicate and collaborate.
Full Session Description (as long as you would like): Read the K-12 version of the 2011 Horizon Report (http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2011-Horizon-Report-K12.pdf) and you'll realize that games-based learning: (a) is the greatest thing to hit education since the invention of the printing press, (b) will be mainstream in schools as early as 2013. Why wait? OpenSimulator, e.g., is a great way to teach computer-aided design, programming and project management, but there's more to it than that...a lot more. Imagine a 3D grid, along the lines of ReactionGrid, OSGrid, etc., that is exclusively for K-12 schools! Students and teachers could log in from different countries/continents and work together on projects, engage in language or other cultural exchanges, etc. Perfect for schools with tight budgets that can't afford to send teacher/students traveling. Picture your learners being able to go on virtual field trips to other countries, to take, e.g., Chinese lessons from Chinese students! Picture teachers being able to attend seminars and other meetings with educators all over the world! And it's already happening! Changchun American International School has partner schools in Brazil, Indonesia and Ireland. We hope to add Colombia and other countries soon. Join our cause and help us produce a proposal to either the International Baccalaureate Organization or some other worldwide educational institution to create the K-12s Grid! Or just join us inworld, on our Second Life cybercampus (for all teachers and students 16+) and/or our OpenSimulator cybercampus (all teachers, students of all ages). If you have no idea what all this is about, don't worry, we can get you started today! In addition to the Horizon Report, get your free copy of the "OpenSimulator: School Quick Start Guide":
http://www.scribd.com/doc/57959626/OpenSimulator-School-Quick-Start-Guide
You'll see how easy it is to get your school started with 3D virtual worlds. Our presentation will be about how we're currently using 3D virtual worlds and the successes our teachers and students have been enjoying, tips on how you can get underway, and, of course, we'll include a sales pitch for the K-12s Grid!
Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session: www.indeeds.com, www.caischina.org
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