Betterverse: Nonprofits in the Virtual World

A World in Every Classroom: Noble VW to Provide Immersive Learning for 38,000 Students in Metro-Atlanta

What if every student and teacher in a district had access to a unified virtual space filled with engaging educational experiences, designed just for them?  This is not science fiction, this is being built in the Metro-Atlanta area today.

On April 13, the Nonprofit Commons hosted Steve Mashburn and Snoopy Pfeffer to talk about the Noble virtual world being created for metro-Atlanta schools.  Steve Mashburn is the coordinator of online education for Forsyth County Schools in Georgia, and Snoopy Pfeffer is the founder and CEO of Dreamland Metaverse, an OpenSim hosting provider.

I was inspired by how articulately Mashburn connected the Noble Virtual World initiative with their larger vision of 21st century citizenry, a “blended learning” approach, and re-defining what “school time” means.  And rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, they seem to understand that different students , different teachers, and different classrooms have different needs and interests.

Read to find out more about this very interesting educational virtual world project....

Learn about Archeology Island on ScienceSim at this Friday's NPC Meeting

Ms. Marion Smeltzer of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania will be at this Friday's Nonprofit Commons to talk about the sim she built called Archeology Island on the ScienceSim (opensim) virtual platform. Previously housed on the Second Life platform, Archeology Island was moved after Linden Lab recinded the education / nonprofit rate for land rentals.

Archaeology Island consists of virtualizations of archaeological sites investigated by faculty members in the IUP , including a Monongahela Village, a Roman site in Cyprus, an underwater shipwreck, a Maya site in Belize , and the Laurel Hill /Brown farm, was the site of an antebellum community of former slaves. Come find out how these recreations are being used to further research and education at IUP.

Learn all about it this Friday, April 6, starting at 8:30am PT at the Plush Nonprofit Commons amphitheater. 

Fearless Nation PTSD Support Group Moves to Spoton3D World

Last year, we wrote about the post-traumatic stress disorder recovery group "Fearless Nation" and the possibility that they would have to leave Second Life because of the increase in the land fees.  It appears that they have indeed moved much of their operations to the virtual world Spoton3D, with new support groups and meetings scheduled there for the new year.

They still have an island in Second Life called "Fearless Nation SL" so presumably they have not totally abandoned SL.  But it looks like they are exploring this newer platform, which is accessible both using a downloadable client and via a web plug-in that will run from within your browser.  Check out their full schedule of activities here and head to this page for more information on how to join.  

You can still visit their Second Life island called "Fearless Nation SL" by clicking this teleport link.  It's not stated what services or programs they will continue to run in Second Life, now that they are migrating to Spoton3D.

Anyway, it's great to see that they are still in operation, on whatever platform they decide to land on.

NOTE: I was actually unable to log-in after my first attempt because it said that I needed an account with "mature" access, which seems to require upgrading to a paid Premium account. I've emailed them for clarification if a Premium account is required for their Spoton3D services.

 

Fashion Institute Awards Virtual Land to Nine Science Groups.... wait, what?

The Abyss ocean science museum in Second Life

The Fashion Research Institute announced on November 1 that they have awarded "regions" of virtual land in the virtual world to nine nonprofit, research and educational institutions.  The land will be hosted on the Science Sim virtual world, built on the OpenSimulator platform, an open-source version of Second Life.

The nine awardees are:

• The Abyss Observatory
• The Cyprus University of Technology
• The EdLab Group Foundation
• The Honor Engine
• The Oregon L5 Society
• Meta-Institute for Computational Astrophysics
• Preferred Family Healthcare
• Science Circle
• BIO-SE project (Biological Interactive Objects for Science Education)

Looks like quite a variety of science-focused institutions represented, including scientist networks, health care services, and a virtual ocean science museum.  

The "virtual land grant" is comprised of four regions, which can support 100,000 primitive units, a substantial amount of space for these groups to prototype new projects, hold meetings, and allow their staff and members to build.  The grant will last for nine months from September 2011 to June 2012.

Sounds like a great opportunity for the institutions receiving the "land grants."

But it's unclear why the Fashion Research Institute is involved, since their aim from their website is to develop "innovative design & merchandising solutions for the apparel industry."  Perhaps they are taking a very wide-reaching approach to their research on the applications of virtual worlds for different sectors?  Or perhaps there is some other science and technology connection that is not so apparent?  We'll approach them for comment later.

See the full announcement and more info about each of these organizations on the official release.

Doug Maxwell of US Army on Military Applications of Virtual Worlds

On September 23, at the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life, Douglas Maxwell of the U.S. Army Simulation & Training Technology Center spoke about the "MOSES" virtual world being used by the US Army for prototyping and training purposes.  Read about how the US Army is using virtual worlds to train soldiers in how to handle difficult cross-cultural negotiations in real time, among other applications.

Doug's edited remarks appear after the jump...

Learn about the US Army's "MOSES" Virtual World This Friday at the NPC

So what is the United States Army doing in the virtual world? Find out tomorrow, September 23.

This Friday, September 23, the Nonprofit Commons welcomes Mr. Douglas Maxwell, of the U.S. Army Simulation & Training Technology Center. He will talk about MOSES , an opensim virtual world being used by the Army, also being made available to outside groups for research and prototyping.

You can read more about MOSES on Sitearm's blog or check out their official website.

That's this Friday, September 23, starting at 8:30am PDT at the Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater (teleport link).  See you there!

Virtual Memorial to 9/11 Attacks Planned in OpenSim Virtual World [UPDATED 9/7/11]

Hope McAlpine sends us word about a virtual 9/11 commemoration being planned around the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011. I personally feel strange that I can not be in New York for any of the commemorative activities in person, since I was living in downtown Manhattan when the attacks occurred. But I imagine it will be a media zoo as well.  So I welcome having a virtual space I can retire to from my home with others wanting to remember the victims and seek some comfort.

What is interesting is that the virtual commemoration is being built in Virtual Worlds Grid, on the OpenSim platform. The advantages Hope cites for using this OpenSim world are it has "countless sims," with "no limitations on how many avatars", "more room for creative ideas," and an "unlimited" prim count. That's a bit of hyperbole, but certainly more cost-effective than doing a similar project in Second Life.

Hope is looking for volunteers who want to help, including scripters, builders, artists and more. Some IM her avatar in Second Life if you are interested.

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UPDATE 9/7/11: It appears the main memorial activities are now taking place in Second Life rather than Virtual Worlds Grid.  See here for more information.

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Read on for the full note from Hope after the jump...

[Related Links: other 9/11 virtual memorials in Second Life]

Visit the 1939 New York World's Fair in ReactionGrid April 30-May 7

This year is the 72nd anniversary of the 1939 New York World's Fair, which can be seen as a virtual world of sorts, a glimpse into an imagined future that was full of promise and wonders.  To commemorate this historic event, ReactionGrid has created a simulation of the Fair and is sponsoring a week of activities and talks about the Fair and its impact on society.

I really liked the Trylon & Perisphere, which featured such modernities as escalators , a model city of tomorrow, and modern lighting fixtures.  You can see how immense the exhibit is by comparing the tiny dot on the Perisphere, which is my avatar.

Head to the official site for updated information on the commemorative activities, and how you can take part.

The Kitely "Virtual World-on-Demand" Service: A Quick, Cheap Virtual Event Space

I spent a few minutes today checking out the new "Kitely" virtual world on-demand service that recently launched in public beta.  For nonprofits and educators, Kitely presents a new option for holding virtual events for up to 100 avatars at a fraction of the cost it would take rent similar space in Second Life.

Here are some of the principal features:

• Inexpensive: Kitely charges based on a very reasonable $0.20 per user per hour. So a 100 person event that lasted an hour would cost just $20.  A similar event in Second Life might easily cost you hundreds of dollars to rent.  There is no setup fee, and a very modest storage fee.
• Web to World: You can provide a URL to your world, that will allow most users to access it within a few minutes.
• Rapid Sim Creation: Developers can import entire sims with all of their assets using the OAR archive function, which is widely used in OpenSim worlds already.  Free and inexpensive OAR files are also available on the web for a non-expert user to import for example an entire Mayan village or a science lab.  There is also a pre-made conference facility or you can start with a blank slate.
• FaceBook Identity Verification: Avatars are linked to actual Facebook accounts, which makes account creation just a matter of allowing the Kitely website to access your Facebook credentials.  Your users can access your world using their existing Facebook account, rather than go through a new account creation process. (NOTE: there is currently an issue with Mac users where their username and password are not being passed correctly to the SL viewer.)
• Cloud-based Service:  Kitely makes use of Amazon's cloud-computing server facilities, meaning that your world should load very fast, and then get archived when it is not in use.

Betterverse Updates for March 29: $1M for Language Learning, Facebook to OpenSim, Builtbuy.me Web Viewer

I have been traveling for a few days and haven't had time to report on the various exciting developments around the metaverse. Among the notable news items:

• Online UK school Language Lab receives $1 Million in funding to continue to develop their "English City" virtual language classes in Second Life.
• The nine finalists have been announced for the Federal Virtual World Challenge.
• Tipodean has launched the public beta of their web viewer for Second Life and OpenSim virtual worlds called, oddly, Builtbuy.me. 
• Kitely, a new cloud-based virtual world platform, opens in public beta.  Users can log-in using Facebook Connect!
• SmallWorlds releases a virtual "tancho cape" as a fundraiser for Japan earthquake victims

Whew! Did I miss anything?