Why should you try joining the Virtual World MOOC 2020?

Hello, there! We are back this year with great enthusiasm to invite you all to experience learning in Virtual Worlds. It is definitely a very different experience from remote learning or Zoom conferencing.

 As Louise Matsakis from the Wire puts it, "On Zoom, the conversational format is essentially "virtual sharing circle," where one person can talk at a time and you're never completely sure whose turn is next. Social gatherings are transformed into formal meetings—exactly what Zoom was designed to facilitate but not what you always want. Fun backgrounds aren’t enough to feel like you’re at a real party or hangout, or at least not a good one, especially if you’re spending most of the time staring at your own face on screen."

Virtual Worlds provide a wonderful venue where you can create a virtual representation of yourself, called avatars, and interact with other avatars, places, or objects. Virtual worlds aren't just fancy chat rooms -- Avatars can do much more than communicating with one another. For one thing, they can contribute to the world around them, creating buildings, objects, or even animations. There are many thriving education related communities in virtual worlds and they will be presenting and touring their sites and work. VWMOOC2020 will help you connect with these experienced communities so you can profit from the great affordances that virtual worlds provide to face the challenges of Covid-19 lockdown. 

The 7th annual Virtual World MOOC (formerly called the SLMOOC) will take place from September 1-30, 2020. The theme of the current MOOC is Connecting for Learning in Virtual Worlds. There are a plethora of communities in virtual worlds promoting education and learning through connecting online via web technologies such as Second Life. The MOOC will focus on connecting online for collaborative learning and teaching around the world through virtual worlds like Second Life, Digiworldz,  Minecraft, Kitely or OpenSim. The live presentations will include the speakers’ reflective process on teaching and learning in fully online and blended learning formats. VWMOOC20 is for educators, schools, and public and private businesses that wish to provide professional development in virtual worlds. A final certificate of completion will be available to participants for free.

Here you can access a Google Doc with the syllabus of the MOOC. To register visit Moodle for Teachers (click here to access VWMOOC20). Her you can visit our VWMOOC2020 headquarter in Second Life

Well, hope to see you, soon. Come look around add us Pionia Destiny and my Friend Maggie Larimore to your list of friends and we'll help you get you started in virtual worlds.  

This is a video that will help you get started in Second Life: