Exploring C.A.V.E Community of Academic Virtual Educators.

For my latest quest in the world of virtual education, I visited C.A.V.E. Community of Academic Virtual Educators.

Visiting cave seemed like I was visiting a trade show floor with vendors and different subject matter areas that I can walk up to and gather information. It was interesting that here I was in this virtual world walking around with that feeling. The trade show floor feeling really hit me even harder when I made my virtual character sit down and take part in a couple virtual presentation on Metaverses, and virtual learning.  Below you will find some of my tourist pictures from my C.A.V.E.  adventure.

 

In the picture above you can see the CAVE layout and how partners are taking part in this virtual learning journey. Don't mind my uniform, I'm petty class recruit II security officer color red on the Boise State ED TECH ship Prometheus. I know what your thinking, and yes, it's that awesome haha.  This was where I started my adventure on CAVE. 

 

 I took a quick superman fly over to the iNACOL presentation.  Here I took a picture of one of my favorite slides in their presentation. If you cannot make it out it reads "Every Student's Right to Online Learning Opportunity". This was a power title. Recently in a class I took we discussed the "digital divide" and I remember that assignment getting to me. I was fortunate enough to grow up with "Technology STUFF" and I'm fortunate still to have it be a large part of my life. While learning about the digital divide however, I realized we have an incredible opportunity to engage students in a virtual space and in a gamified way, and yet some learners who could use that type of learning (maybe even more than others), simply don't have access to such amenities. That, for lack of a better word stinks. It stinks maybe that type of learning environment could have been the remedy for those students. In this case those students I'm referring to as the ones who struggle in school, drop out in frustration or are just lost in the cracks, and are perhaps part of the digital divide as well.  That emotion is really what struck me when reading through that slide.

I found this slide so fascinating it literally took me off my feet (hah corny I know :-) ). While the previous slide to the presentation was kind of a bummer that brought back digital divide memories, this slide was a great representation of how far we've come and how much further we can go.

After some more walking around and taking in the sights, I found another great presentation, made even better by its waterfront atmosphere. This presentation was on meta-verses.

Much like the last presentation I sat in on, this one had its share of power quotes, such as the one pictured here.

After that last presentation I set out for some adventure. I found it.  Now you're probably wondering, I'm not so sure I'd step into the sci fi door with swirly twirlies. Me and my virtual character debated half out of fear of getting into some sort of Second Life middle earth and the other out of fear of just getting lost and not being able to find our way out. I entered. What was on the other side was VERY cool. I entered in to a Save Science world. In this world I noticed that a science teacher set it up as a place to go for students to learn about sheep and other items found on the other side of the door. It seemed to be a scavenger hunt for students to find, and it was a very interesting idea.

That is where my adventure ended. I quested into a glimpse of some of the great things Second Life has been used for in the virtual world. My question is, are these resources still being used in Second Life? They seem to have to much potential and to great an impact to be forgotten about so soon if they indeed where.  Great Stuff!