Serious Gaming Moves into the Classroom discusses how virtual worlds and serious games are being used in education. Educators are using virtual worlds like Second Life to provide synchronous collaborative learning experiences for students. Serious games allow for unique, creative, and imaginative learning tailored to each individual student. Investing time in virtual worlds and serious games benefits education by providing cost effective, distance learning opportunities that develop students' technological skills and prepare them for a digital world.

1. Serious Gaming Moves into the Classroom Valerie HillLewisville ISD LibrarianTexas Woman’s University Doctoral Candidate TATN February 8, 2011

2. Current “Buzzwords” Media Literacy – the process of analyzing, evaluating and creating messages in a wide varietyof media modes, genres and forms. Transliteracy – the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks. Virtual Reality –a computer-simulated environment, whether that environment is a simulation of the real world or an imaginary world. Augmented Reality – a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery- creating a mixed reality.-Wikipedia

3. Do you have an avatar?

4. Award Winning Photo Knowclue Kidd

5. Games are now able to draw players in and deliver rich stories that evoke real emotions comparable to those evoked by any book or movie.

6. Education in Virtual Worlds What are educators currently doing? Where should interested educators start? How do I create an avatar? Which virtual world is best for school? Why should I invest my time?

7. What are educators currently doing? KZERO: Report on Virtual Worlds

8. Where should I start? Second Life is the most widely used virtual world for education.

9. How do I create an avatar?

10. Which virtual world is best for school?

11. Why should I invest my time? Technology has changed education The hierarchy of information has toppled Students are already active in virtual worlds Serious gaming provides wide-range potential

15. Benefits Cost effective Synchronous Creative & Imaginative Unique for each user Collaborative Not limited by distance

16. What is a VIEWER? To access a virtual world on your computer, you need a viewer. Second Life Viewer Imprudence Hippo Viewer

17. Recommended Viewers Imprudence Hippo Viewer

18. Discuss viewers: SL v2, imprudence, and hippo Second Life can be viewed by downloading the most current version to your computer (PC or MAC). For accessing Reaction Grid or Jokaydia Grid, the following viewers are recommended: Hippo Viewer Download at: http://outpost.reactiongrid.com/Products/105-hippo-viewer.aspx Imprudence Viewer Download at: http://wiki.kokuaviewer.org/wiki/Downloads

19. Let’s go inworld! Second Life, Reaction Grid, & Jokaydia

20. machinima examples “Machinima”- a portmanteau combining machine plus cinema Educators in a Digital Nation Innovation in Education

21. Bibliography Burgess, M. L., Slate, J. R., Rojas-LeBouef, A., & LaPrairie, K. (2010). Teaching and learning in second life: Using the community of inquiry (CoI) model to support online instruction with graduate students in instructional technology. Internet & Higher Education, 13(1), 84-88. KZeroWorldswide. 2010. http://www.kzero.co.uk/(Accessed December 1, 2010) Gee, James Paul. 2003. What Video Games have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Hill, Valerie, and Hyuk-Jin Lee. 2009. Libraries and immersive learning environments unite in second life. Library Hi Tech 27, (3): 338-56. Mastel, Kristen, and Dave Huston. 2009. Using video games to teach game design: A gaming collection for libraries. Computers in Libraries 29, (3) (03/01): 41-4.