Betterverse: Nonprofits in the Virtual World

What We've Been Tweeting About

What we've recently been tweeting about today...

• 06:58 Are Kids Abandoning Toys for Online Worlds a Good Thing? bit.ly/9XWExr
• 11:42 An excellent summary of a VW education project on Mars using OpenSim metatek.blogspot.com/2010/03/opensim-mars-simulation.html
• 14:06 Linden Lab announces improved "First Hour" experience for new users bit.ly/dBr1mk
• 17:03 Tech Museum Launches New Virtual Space on Renewable Energy in Kidscom World bit.ly/axWrj6
• 18:29 RT @raphkoster: Vivaty is closing down www.raphkoster.com/2010/03/31/vivaty-is-closing-down/
• 18:31 @learninginworld your tweet about Discovery Island has a link that goes nowhere

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Tech Museum Launches New Virtual Space on Renewable Energy in Kidscom World

We got word from KidsCom.com that this youth-oriented virtual world is partnering with the Tech Museum of Innovation. The virtual Tech Museum houses three fun new games that teach awareness of renewable sun, wind, and water power.  And your host "Polly Positron" will ask weekly questions related to energy use and conservation.

If you are already logged into KidsCom.com, click on this link to teleport directly to the virtual Tech Museum. Or, log in and go to the SunPower Foundation Center of Learning and click on the purple star to do a solar powered transport to The Tech Museum.

Are Kids Abandoning Toys for Online Worlds a Good Thing?

The Philadelphia Enquirer has an interesting article today entitled "Girls abandon dolls for web-based toys." The story describes how increasingly youngsters are spending more of their play time online in toy-based virtual worlds such as Stardoll.com and Barbie's EverythingGirl.com, instead of, or alongside their more traditional doll play. 

Some youth development specialists wonder if this decrease in doll play for young girls is robbing them of important role-playing and imagination exercises that dolls provide.  Others see this as the general trend of children doing adult-type activities earlier and earlier.

As young people spend more and more of their play time on these corporate online worlds, I have to wonder if this a good thing, and what we as adults should doing about it.

Send Your Avatar's Name to Mars

From a tip in the SLED list, I headed into Second Life to catch Ms. Archivist Llelewyn, Director of Library and Archives at the NASA Colab Library.  Ms. Llelewyn was hanging out near a neat interactive display she had created that enables anyone to have their real life or virtual avatar's name inscribed on a microchip on the Mars rover headed there in 2011! 

Clicking the sign directs you to a website where you can put in your information and then receive a certificate that you can proudly display on your mantle, virtual or otherwise. Head to the NASA Colab space in Second Life to participate (click here to teleport).  I put in both my real name and my Second Life name, cause why not?

(NOTE: You can also do it from the web, but how much fun would that be?)

What We've Been Tweeting About

What we've recently been tweeting about today...

• 16:18 Quick Snapshot: the 1939 World's Fair on the Reaction Grid bit.ly/cdxRwF
• 17:09 Save the Date: April 12 Roundtable on Nonprofits & Virtual Worlds in Second Life bit.ly/bXmsf0
• 19:13 RT @learninginworld: The Second Life Education microsite is launched. Visit education.secondlife.com/.
• 20:08 European Space Agency: virtual reality MMOG tech for space education and outreach tinyurl.com/y8cw963
• 20:28 Heritage Key Hosts Virtual Fundraiser Concert by Kirsty Hawkshaw for Haiti bit.ly/cCUoBP
• 20:30 NASA launching MMOG in early 2010 ipp.gsfc.nasa.gov/mmo/
• 20:49 Welcome to H-Town, OpenSim used to create a virtual neighborhood of sustainable modern houses archvirtual.com/?p=2456

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Heritage Key Hosts Virtual Fundraiser Concert by Kirsty Hawkshaw for Haiti

We got news a bit late about a virtual concert by electronica artist Kirsty Hawkshaw to raise funds for Haitian relief on March 27. Heritage Key streamed the concert into their Stonehenge Virtual sim. Funds raised from the concert on Saturday night are to go towards the foundry/haiti fund which has been formed by The Foundry in London in partnership with Ghetto Biennale, an artisan community in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.

Did anyone attend the event and can report on how it went and how much money was raised?

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UPDATE 3/30/10: From the HK blog, it looks like 700 British pounds was raised (about US$1400)! Congrats to the organizers.

Save the Date: April 12 Roundtable on Nonprofits & Virtual Worlds in Second Life

Please mark in your calendars Monday, April 12, when Global Kids will be hosting the Winter 2010 Roundtable on Virtual Worlds and Nonprofits in Second Life. 

It will take place from 12-1pm PST on MacArthur Island.  Representatives of six leading nonprofit organizations will give brief presentations on their initial explorations of Second Life and other virtual worlds, and how they are thinking of integrating these virtual tools into their organizations' respective missions. Afterwards, there will be an open discussion about the applications of virtual worlds for various public good purposes. 

The event is open to the public, with a special welcome to nonprofits, activists, educators, and developers.

Quick Snapshot: the 1939 World's Fair on the Reaction Grid

Here's a quick shot of the 1939 World's Fair, as recreated in the Reaction Grid virtual environment.  See this blog post for more about this project.

Virtual Talk by the Lost Boys of Sudan in SmallWorlds this Friday 9am PST

On Friday, March 26 at 9am, you can watch a virtual simulcast of three of the Lost Boys of Sudan, telling their amazing story of survival and hope for the people of Sudan.  They will be speaking from the National Service Learning Conference in San Jose, California, addressing a group of young people and educators there.  Meanwhile, people of all ages can watch their talk from the virtual world of SmallWorlds and the "Salam Project" website.

After their presentation, we will facilitate a question and answer question with them, including questions submitted from SmallWorlds.

Click here for instructions on connecting to the event in SmallWorlds.

Where else but virtual worlds can you come together with people from all over the world to talk directly with remarkable youth leaders like these three young men?

Here's the full description of the session after the jump....

What We've Been Tweeting About

What we've recently been tweeting about today...

• 10:36 I'm speaking about Global Kids on Metanomics Talk Show this Wednesday! bit.ly/cowBgi
• 10:56 Via @PookyMedia: Colorado NBC News: "Holocaust survivor works to preserve history" in #SecondLife bit.ly/cvB886
• 15:07 excited to hear about what's going on in #ReactionGrid for nonprofits and others!

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