WoW in education

     World of Warcraft (WoW) is much more then a game. It has great potential to become a staple in education. At the meeting in WoW on Thursday night at 8:00, we brainstormed numerous possibilities for using WoW in the classroom. The ideas that really stood out to me were using it for journal writing. I think WoW would be a great way for students to explore their creativity. I also like the idea of using WoW to build leadership. I feel that it would provide students with teamwork as well.
     Besides WoW enhancing face-to-face courses I think it is a great way to have students become engaged in online courses. WoW provides critical thinking activities that promote strategy making. In online courses I feel that critical thinking is sometimes lacking. The idea of teamwork in WoW is also a great contribution to online courses. In other online courses there is no feeling of connection and true interaction, WoW eliminates that distance. For example I felt a great feel of interaction and connections when I attended the WoW meeting on Thursday night, even though I was unable to get my "hangouts" to work I was able to listen in and contribute to the google docs brainstorm. I also got to have my see my avatar gathered around with my classmates and instructor. I was also able to have help finding the location to meet from Norana. Usually in traditional online classes there is no help from other participants in that way.

     Besides exploring WoW I explored many locations in SL. Here are some of my favorite scenic pictures from this week.

 Gatsby's Mansion

 NYC

Hollywood 

Exploration in SL

     This week I started a new journey in WoW and continued to explore in SL. I found WoW to be a little confusing at first and exploring SL seemed to be a great way to relax. I found it helpful because SL was a little nerve wracking for me at first too, so seeing what I could do now in SL helped me to realize that in time WoW would come easier as well.
     In SL this week I went to the Cliffs of Moher and then to the Blarney Stone. Ireland is one of my favorite places on Earth so getting to get a little visit in, even if it was virtual, was awesome. Here are some of the pics from the two Ireland simulations, I visited.

I also visited a few educational landmarks. I visited the Ivory Tower where you can build with tutorials at your own pace and in a friendly building environment. Then I went to visit the Autism Awareness Center. At the Autism Awareness Center I was able to learn about Autism Spectrum Disorders. I would recommend visiting the Autism Awareness Center to anyone wishing to learn a little more about it. Overall it was a exploration filled week. 

Exploring SL

This week I did a lot of exploring in Second Life. I went to the other side of the world, back in time, and to the fictional future. This morning we all met at Esme's house then we went off to Exploration Central. There everyone paired up and went on our partner adventures. I traveled to China' Bamboo Garden with Cfong. After a bit Esme contacted us and asked for us to send a teleport to Cabana to meet up with us. The Bamboo Garden was disappointing. It did not have anything interesting to explore and was dark, even in midday. After exploring in small groups fro twenty minutes we headed back to Esme's and shared notecards about our adventures. Then we did something I thought was awesome, an interactive 3D survey. Later on this evening I headed back to SL to do some more exploring. My first stop was Paris in the year 1900. I visited Notre Dame and was blown away by the detail and building that was carried out in the virtual world. After visiting the past I went to the future at the Star Trek museum. I was amazed by the museum, but what I loved was exploring the USS Enterprise especially the teleport pad and Captain James T. Kirks quarters. I feel like I am getting over my fears, for the lack of a better word, about exploring SL. Please check out the pictures from my adventures below!

-Gilzee out. 

 Notre Dame-Paris, 1900

 Teleport Pad aboard the USS Enterprise 

 China-Bamboo Garden with Cfong

 China-Bamboo Garden with Cabana

 China-Bamboo Garden with Cabana and Cfong 

Post adventures meetingat Esme's

Interactive survey activity 

Adventures From Week 6

This week I explored both Jokaydia and Second Life.  While in Jokaydia I spent some time taking pictures by the water. While at the water I was able to set the sky to various backdrops (sunrise, sunset, etc.). I really enjoyed getting to see different things Jokaydia had to offer in terms of environment settings. 

 While I was exploring Jokaydia I decided to teleport to the shopping center in order to get a fresh new look. I was able to get a new hairstyle and new clothes at an excellent Jokaydia price of 0$.

 After spending some time in Jokaydia I chose to explore deeper in Second Life. While in SL I put myself through various makeovers. I had a few difficulties but I seem to have finally worked them all out. In SL this week I also got to attend a meeting with my fellow explorers. I am looking forward to what else I will get to see and do in both Jokaydia and Second Life in the upcoming weeks.