Second Life Uses in K12 - Gr2

• 1. What type of virtual experiencescould be helpful to students in places like Second Life?

2. Virtual experiences can Virtual be helpful in the Simulation classroom when they supplement the resources and data students have from theirReal LifeClassroomExperience Material class room material and their real lifeInquiry experiences.Based Learning When these three resources are used together, they can effectively encourage inquiry based learning. 3. Real-Life Experience Remember last month when so many students were out with the flu?Class room material Lecture, Readings, Statistics Definitions and Case StudiesVirtual Simulation Experience an epidemic in Whyville. Collect and report data, discover solution, monitor results. 4. Whyville is an example of a virtual experience that encourages inquiry based learning. Participants are able to interact in real-time virtual science simulations! Organizations, such as NASA, CDC, and the Getty Museum have all created outreach material in Whyville.http://www.whyville.net 5. Help discover a cure for WhyPox, a contagious disease that has hit Whyville. Rescue aliens trapped Geodig is a geology on Earth by using the game that takes yousun to locate them. around the world in Build a rocket search of rocks,launcher that will get fossils, and gems.the Space Shuttle tothe Space Stationsafely. 6. To be truly useful, I Integration with class believe that an room lessons and state effective virtual standards environment for the Automatic reporting classroom will requirecapability- the site several elements: reports back to teacher Kid-friendly and easy all student activity and to useaccomplishments Accurate and up-to- Proven effectiveness in date information from increasing student reliable sourcesmemory and inquiry based learning skills 7. Why does this type of virtual experience encourage inquiry basedlearning? 8. Virtual environments encourage inquiry If students are to gain an based learning by: appreciation for science Providing studentsand compete in the with learning scientific and technically opportunities that oriented society of the new encourage millennium, they will investigation, dataneed a curriculum that collection, student-promotes active learning, lead experimentation problem solving, and and a chance to solveways to solve questions. problems based on(Llewellyn, 2005) their experiences. 9. Identify View water Research Take a waterorganismssample underorganism samplepresent in microscope sample 10. None of these steps were cookie cuttersolutions. Take boat to water Reduce problem Based on researchEach required the with sensor to(in this case bychoose student to determine adding plants)appropriate evaluate andorganism levelsand monitorsensor analyze data toand sourceresults.come up with thebest solution! 11. What other types of places would be useful to a group of high school sciencestudents? 12. Pick your science topic. Join with other future Citizen Scientists from around the world. Get together with your science classmates and teachers and start a Research Theme that may carry your ideas to Melbourne, Tokyo, Lisbon, London, New York, Vancouver or across town . Your study may touch the lives of thousands of students for many years to come. Sign up as a whole school, as a science class, or as an individual science student. 13. You can also join an: On-going Cooperative Multi-year Project Through High Schools United: Current Projects: Global Warming Where are all the Fish? The End of Amphibians? Rainforests in Crisis Survey of the Worlds Birds Inquiry-based learning: Grow Our Energy: Biomass Starts with your imagination! Recycle, Reuse, Reduce, Rethink Students could initiate and create their Sustainable Diets own world wide study theme. Genetic Engineering in the 21st Century They can see it grow and prosper. They can watch it move on to other Your potential is onlystudents in other states and countries. They would feel a part of a much larger limited by your scientific community of learners imagination.inquiring about science topics and posing questions ad broadcasting findings. 14. 24/7, All-Year-RoundConstantly Changing and Always Interesting!Special Exhibits Now Present your findings to the world andto your friends and family.Showing Include: Create you own science web site or putit on YouTube and get the worldexcited. Compete with other students fromaround the world and be recognizedfor your hard work and imagination. You can sign up as a whole school, as aclassroom or as an individual sciencestudent. This would be a socially interactive,engaging lab related activity. TheThe The Big It really would be the ultimate Human Life ofPicture-inductive student-initiated minds-onlab. Body in a Cell Our There is an opportunity for inquiry Action Globes based learning---to conceive, createand display their own exhibits andHealthworking experiments. 15. Regular Guest Speakers, Past and Present, in our Great Hall. This Months Guest Speakers : Charles Darwin, Francis Crick and James Watson, Gregor Mendel, Louis Pasteur, Jane Goodall, John James Audubon and Albert Einstein. Listen to them live as they speak and carry out virtual experiments. Talk to them afterwards and get answers. Know the past and present and be the future. Help hook your class up with Albert Einstein live. There is an extensive library of archived talks that can be viewed and downloaded. Tell your science teacher about them.This is science history and science present, and it is alive. Actively delve into science in the past and discover questions asked then that still need answers today. Learn about the historical context of scientific concepts and the individuals who formed them, and provides a better understanding of scientific inquiry. 16. TheMilk- Origin DNA is safe toof a drink? Species Double Helix. 17. Talk to them face to face or watch as they talk to fellow students from around the world . Talk directly to other science students from around the world. Volunteer to help tutor a fellow student from Costa Rica to China to Senegal.Students would be better able to create their own Darwin Finchy is your moderator. understanding of scientific concepts andexperience fresh perspectives and insights onthose concepts from students around the world. Likewise, as they mentor other students, theirunderstanding of scientific concepts becomesdeeper. If they can teach someone from a differentculture a scientific principle then they reallyknow it. Docents, interpreters and translators are available 24/7 to assist you. Get with your school and use it in study hall and hook in to review for science tests or quizzes or to create labs. This is active, engaging, socially interactive homework study, not just passive memorization. 18. 3-D Virtual Space is just waiting for you. Customize your own lab and invite fellow students to participate with you. Dont burn down your parents house. Instead, pick your own problems, make your hypotheses and test them with your own procedures using your own virtual equipment. Make conclusions and publish results. Chat with real scientists live about your experiments; get their advice. Create your own science blogs or websites. Produce and host your own regular science programs to be published on the World Wide Web. Helpful student and adult docents available. Excellent science advice and production assistance available. This is another ultimate inquiry based student initiated learning tool. They create not only their own lab experiment but their own virtual lab complete with equipment. The student chooses everything and creates everything in his/her space. They can then go on to run experiments and publish results as they see fit. 19. How can we use Second Life forProfessional Development??The possibilities areendless! 20. Assistance for writing a grant! www.TeachersNetwork.org Variety of grants for teachers www.TeachersCount.org Find a grant for your classroom www.schoolgrants.org or for professionalGoing for the Gold! grant development! writing workshops are designed www.NWP.orgby educators for ... Especially Free resources offered by thevaluable to those who are new National Writing Project!to grant writing, school grants www.teach- teachers.net/projects/grants nology.com/teachersTeachers - Join the grant writing Web Sites that examine funding mail ring for teachers! ... School grants- educators.about.com/cs/grant grant opportunities, grant writing/htm writing tips, fund raising Grant writing sources and tips opportunities, contests, ... to make grant writing easy 21. Networking Page (Talk to teachers in your area or around the world!) Find other teachers (of your discipline) in your area Question and Answer Blog page Looking for a mentor, or offering your services? (tutor, mentor, host teacher) Share ideas, photos, journal entries 22. Where to find guest speakers for professional development Where to offer your services Virtual workshops, lectures, and conferences Virtual laboratories for lab demos Virtual meeting rooms and lecture halls 23. A virtual world for: Job posting from employers around the World (or in your area!) Cover letter and resume help Job search and interviewing tips Graduate School Program Brochures & Virtual tours 24. Used Science Equipment for Sale Gear Swap! Equipment Loans! Science Supplies Free to a Good Home! Wish List section for your school Scientific Catalogs on- line! (Wards, Boreal Laboratories, etc) 25. On-line texts Ideas and Activities Lesson Plans Curriculum Guides Field Trips in your area Field Guides on-line Virtual tours with docent guides (Galapagos Islands, Saturn's Ring, Mt. St. Helens Display your student's work! Research library & database 26. We used the following tools in assembling our project: Angel- Over 35 emails! Slideshare- Between the three of us, we were using two different presentation programs. Slideshare allowed for quick viewing with downloads. We were also able to embed presentations right into our emails! Upload and share your PowerPoint presentations and Word documents onSlideShare. Share publicly or privately. Add audio to make a webinar. 27. Group Presentations: Next time you do an onlinePowerPoint File Size:group project, try using A tip I picked up wasGoogleDocs for groupto start yourpresentations. It allows you toupload a PowerPoint presentation with apresentation and then haveblank slide. It reducesmultiple users edit it online.the file size. There is also a Google forEducators discussion group Here is a pdf of somewhere you can read ways other PowerPoint tips.teachers are using GoogleDocsin the class room- includingpresentations andspreadsheets! Even if youdont google, there are somegreat examples!