tech-ed collisions

More on Natal - imagine what could be done in education

In a previous post I briefly reminisced on the development of interaction devices with computers over the years. Today we are seeing an incredible array of devices and the games arena seems to be the area really pushing the limits. In that post there was an embedded video on Microsoft's Natal that I thought demonstrated tremendous potential for that technology in education and training - then I saw this amazing post on the BBC News:Technology site - Now that should really get educational technology innovators excited! Imagine having your own virtual mentor or any number of other incredibly powerful educational scenarios. Of course Microsoft and developers on their platform such as Lionhead Studios aren't the only ones doing amazing things. We've seen the huge success of the Nintendo Wii and many innovative uses it has been put to. Sony is right up there too as this report from the BBC also shows. The E3 Games conference really showcases just how rapidly that industry is evolving and the BBC has done a superb job highlighting and reporting on what was on show. There are many lessons to be learned from the games technology industry by educators and the educational technology industry.

Filed under  //   Microsoft   virtual worlds  
Posted June 10, 2009

A truly versatile input device - You!

It's great to look at the way input devices have changed over time. From what I understand the QWERTY keyboard was a way to slow down typists initially way back when we had mechanical typewriters. The seemingly random placement of the keys was supposed to slow users down to a speed that the mechanical bits could keep up with. I have been around long enough to remember the confusion some encountered the first time they used a mouse to interact with a computer. Along the way we have seen trackpoints, trackpads, the ipod 'wheel', any number of games controllers, joysticks, chords everywhere, introduction of wireless input devices, 'wands' from Nintendo, multitouch screens, interactive whiteboards, the Playstation Eye, tablet pcs, iPhones and many others. The Wii from Nintendo was a revelation for me - it brought using the body rather than just the eyes and fingers into the mainstream. So what's next? I just found this on the Guardian UK's Games Blog: Obviously there is tremendous potential in the gaming arena but think how easily this could be applied to an education or training setting. How about in skills development, rehabilitation - the use of feedback in this is just great. And - you don't have to worry about losing the device - you are it!

Filed under  //   Microsoft   virtual worlds  
Posted June 2, 2009

Nice set of videos of Project Wonderland

Project Wonderland is an open source toolkit from SUN for creating 3d virtual worlds. This set of videos provides a great overview of the types of things you can do in them, what some people are actually doing, and what new functionality is available. One of the projects that I never seem to be quite able to get around to is installing a virtual world platform at home. To date I have had one attempt at Croquet and want to try Wonderland. Whichever is the easiest to get up and running usefully will win with me. I've got Croquet up and running but haven't really got much further with it yet.

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Filed under  //   virtual worlds  

Interoperability standards for virtual worlds

Virtual worlds are getting quite a bit of attention at work at the moment and for good reason. Clearly there is a huge potential for their use in education and momentum in this area is really building. Like many I have experimented a bit with platforms like Second Life but am now wanting to do more. Second Life, while being great for some uses may not meet all requirements for everyone. I am particularly interested in installing my own virtual world and there are a number of options. Once installed, the first thing I need to do is start building or populating my virtual worlds and so far this is not easy for a novice. A lot of effort seems to be required to start creating appealing and useful artefacts for these worlds. What I'd really like to do once I have created something is to be able to transport it into another virtual world so that I can get some re-use out of it. Some sort of standards and mechanisms for such transportation would be great here. Interoperability specs here we come! So it was with interest I read this post on the readwriteweb blog. 'Teleporting' sounds a lot more interesting than 'harvesting' (metadata). Sharing and re-using assets from virtual worlds is going to be very important and I look forward to hearing more about work in this area (perhaps we will see an OpenSocial for virtual worlds). Cheers, Jerry.

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Filed under  //   standards   virtual worlds  
Posted July 9, 2008

mashing up virtual worlds and interactive whiteboards

Every now and then you come across something that really inspires or impresses you. That's what happened to me when I came across Edusim3d, an open source virtual world designed for use with classroom interactive whiteboards. The best way to describe Edusim3d is simply to link to the video on their website and let it speak for itself. Cheers. Jerry

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Filed under  //   virtual worlds  
Posted June 30, 2008

open source virtual world

At the VET eStandards Expert Group meeting yesterday there was an update on the four projects selected for the emerging technology trials. The one that I was really interested in is the trial Canberra Institute of Technology is doing on Virtual Worlds. The platform they have selected is Croquet, an open source development environment really worth looking into if you have any sort of interest in virtual worlds. Have a look at the Croquet website, the people behind it (such as Alan Kay) and you will get a feel for why this platform is worth some serious consideration if you are considering your own virtual worlds project.

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Filed under  //   virtual worlds  
Posted June 19, 2008