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Presented at the Texas Computer Education Association Feb. 2009, Austin
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Virtual Worlds inEducation & LibrariesTCEA Convention February 2009
Valerie Hill, LISD Librarian, TWU Doctoral [email protected] Dr. Kaye Bray, [email protected]
•Habbo Hotel
•Ty Girlz
•Webkinz
•Gaia Online
•Second Life
Virtual Worlds
•Opened in 2000•“Hangout for Teens” (for ages 13-18)•Social networking website w/customizable avatar •Guest rooms can be created & limited to specific users•Used by youth organizations to educate about Internet safety, drug education, etc.•Credits, bought w/$, are used to buy virtual furniture, etc. •http://www.habbo.com/
Habbo Hotel
•Opened April 29, 2005•Special code on stuffed animal label that allows access•For ages 10-15•KinzCash earned by answering knowledge questions, playing games, etc.•KinzChat –users cannot type, but can choose phrases from list•KinzChat Plus –words are restricted, must have parental permission•http://www.webkinz.com/
Webkinz
•Opened February 18, 2003•Create customizable avatar & virtual homes•For ages 13-18•Gaia Gold earned by playing fames or posting to forums –can also be bought at Target•http://www.gaiaonline.com/
Gaia Online
•Opened April 13, 2007•It’s a Girlz World!•For ages 10-15•Special code on girl doll label that allows access•Avatars, games, chat room, & virtual economy•http://www.tygirlz.com/
Ty Girlz
•Virtual World•Launched in 2003, popular in 2006•Downloadable client program –Second Life Viewer•Motional avatars (residents)•Local chat & global IM•Residents create most content of world•Building & selling virtual objects•Linden Dollar exchangeable for currencies•http://www.secondlife.com/
Second Life
Why Second Life?
•ALA Island•Alliance Virtual Library•Educational Opportunities
American Library Association in SL
Librarians shareIdeas through blogs.
Jenny Levine’s BlogThe Shifted Librarian
Alliance Virtual Library
•Reference Desk•Exhibits and Events•Libraries•Book Discussions•Global Collaboration
Reference Desk
Goal of offering reference help 24/7 from around the globe.
Exhibits and Events
Virtual “Starry Night” “The Bookbinder’s Ball”
Global Collaboration
California Library Association’s first event in SL on Talis.
Educational Opportunities
• Virtual Classrooms
• Conferences and Workshops
• Immersive Learning Environments
• Research Symposiums
Virtual Classrooms
Synchronous learning without distance as a barrier.
Conferences and Workshops
March 8, 2008 Virtual Worlds: Libraries, Education & Museums Conference
Immersive Learning Environments
Land of Lincoln TCEA and the Virtual Alamo on ISTE
A New Mode of Communication:3D Interactive Tools
•Building tools•Scripting tools•Digital resources•Holodecks
Pic here
Research for the Libraries and Schools of Tomorrow
Valibrarian ResearchTalis Cybrary Island
Valibrarian’s Blog
Second Life Partnership build begins in Spring 2008 on ISTE Island
Shots of the building project on Animoto
Join SL Group: Texas Computer Education Assoc
•Main grid for 18 & over•Teen Second Life developed 2005•For ages 13-17•New identity/age measures proposed•http://teen.secondlife.com/
Teen Second Life
•http://www.myepets.com/
•http://www.hasbro.com/littlestpetshop/
•http://www.bratz.com/
•http://www.shiningstars.com/
Other Virtual Worlds
Educational Virtual World
TappedIn.org- Online Virtual Community
•SitePal - http://www.sitepal.com/
•Voki - http://www.voki.com/ - Create a character, make it talk, take it anywhere –free, but includes ads
And More Avatars…
•http://www.signingavatar.com/products/cddescript.html •SigningAvatar™ software uses computer-generated, three dimensional (3D) characters called "avatars,” to communicate insign language with facial expressions
Signing Avatar
Tools for Sharing Online
• Slideshare.net
• Blogs, Wikis, Nings
• Animoto
• Flickr
• YouTube, Bliptv & TeacherTube
• Getting started
Virtual Worlds:•Synchronous•Participants can create individual characters with unique identities•Participants can interact•Not bounded by physical laws•Information can be manipulated in ways that are not normally possible in the real world•Real-time voice communication is possible
Limitations: Learning curve; expense
Virtual Worlds – Pros and Cons
References
Bell, L., Pope, K. and Peters, T. (2007). Get a [Second] life! Computers in Libraries, 27(1), pp. 10-15.
Bell, L. (2007). A Report on the First Year of Operation of the Alliance Library 2.0 Second Life Library Project also known as Alliance Archipelago Island.
Bell, L., Pope, K. and Peters, T. (2008). The Universal Library in a Virtual Universe. Searcher, Vol. 16 No. 5, pp. 26-61.
Erdman, J. (2007). Reference in a 3D World: Preliminary Observations on Library Outreach in “Second Life” The Reference Librarian, Vol. 47 No. 2, pp. 29-39.
Ferry, K., Gelfand, J., Peterman, D. and Tomren, H. (2008). Virtual Reality and Establishing a Presence in Second Life: New Forms of Grey Literature? University of California at Irvine Conference on Grey Literature, pp.113-118.
Floyd, J., Frank, I., De la Pena McCook, K., and Smith, A. (2007). Second Life for Librarians. Florida Libraries, Spring, pp. 4-7.
Gee, J.P. (2003). What Video Games have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Godfrey, K. and Dinberg, D. (2007). Brave New World or 500 Librarians Can’t be Wrong! Felicitr, Vol. 4, pp. 214-215. Canada Library Association.
Grassian, E. (2007). “Stumbling, Bumbling, Telelporting, and Flying…a Librarian Avatar in Second Life: a mixed media presentation” http://virtualbridges.net/node/22 (accessed 13 September 2008).
Howard, John. (2008). “Stepping into Virtual Worlds” http://www.steppingintohistory.org (accessed July 21, 2008)
Levine, J. (2006, April 12). “Second Library”, The Shifted Librarian. http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2006/04/12.html#000383 (accessed 13 September 2008)
Miller, P. (2007). What Happens When We Mash the Library? Ariadne (Online) Vol. 50 No. 1.
Spencer, B. (2008). Librarians in Second Life. Mississippi Libraries, Vol. 72 No. 1, pp. 14-16.
Stephenson, N. (1992). Snow Crash. New York: Doubleday.
