So, when I find installations such as Maslow's Hierarchy, a build described in The Educator's Second Life, I am very glad to see creations that go beyond mere content distribution and move into creation of an experience for the visitor.

This installation is a walk through of the levels of Maslow's classic model ... literally. The learner starts at a basic ground level point (meeting physical needs) and literally walks an obstacle course to get to the self-actualization level in the sky. The course is not difficult, although I did find myself confused at one point since the path is not always clear, and the middle levels seem to blend into one another. Still, the idea of rising in virtual space as one ascends the pyramid hammers home the concept.

Fortunately, this installation goes beyond what many such educational builds do. Instead of just handing out note cards, the build does encourage some interactive participation ... such as building a shelter out of Lego-like blocks and beating a drum with others in a Native American circle. By the time the participant reaches the top of the course, he or she is exposed to numerous tools used by educators to aid students in self understanding and reflection.

It is worth visiting this place, to begin to understand that the classroom can be stretched and expanded ... an that the online course can contain experiences like this, which are not exact duplicates of what one might do in a physical classroom, but that can be used to increase understanding and retention beyond what can be achieved with mere words.

An online professional development program for K-12 teachers is receiving kudos from ISTE (http://www.cblohm.com/news/pbstl/PBSTL_090630/). What does this mean for the education of pre-service teachers? How old - or how experienced - do you need to be to be capable of learning how to teach online?

Back when Bruce Reeves and I did our Masters of Education thesis together, we found study after study showed that there was no significant difference in the performance of students who were studying a class at a distance and those who were studying on campus.

This website (and the corresponding book) pulls together hundreds of studies comparing online versus on-campus student performance ... which point generally to either no significant difference between them ... or that online students actually outperform their campus-based counterparts. And this result is during the infancy of online teaching, in which we are still trying to teach the old way using new tools, "blind to the possibilities of doing new and different things" (McDonald, J. (2002). Is "as good as face-to-face" as good as it gets?).

As a group, physicians almost define the need for accurate, up-to-date information at your fingertips combined with an understanding of multiple, complex systems.

But if they are moving away from the old school model of "memorize everything you'll need for the future while in school", what does that tell us about our current, banking model of school?

I think it is helpful for many faculty -- and students too -- to practice these new tools in low-stakes environments.

The latest offering in my email box is Curriki, developed and maintained by a nonprofit organization (Curriki.org) which includes staff to maintain and evaluate shared materials.

Read all about it at the MMISchools website.

We think computer and what comes to mind? The standard desktop or laptop computer. General purpose and versatile for the average adult, but it admittedly does not stand up will to the pounding of your average child (trust me on this .... I know from experience!). Nor is it particularly easy for the very young (or the very old) to get information OUT of (my reading glasses become increasingly necessary when looking at a laptop screen).

But the view of the mainstream user is necessarily very limited. For those of us who have backgrounds in computer science and engineering, the range of types of computers far, far larger. We see computers everywhere, from your car to specialized robots used on the international space station. While some people may gripe that "computers are everywhere", it is becoming rapidly true in most parts of the industrialized world.

Input and output devices (i.e. what you use to interact with a computer or computerized device) already have a wide range include cute little dolls like this one used with autistic children: http://www.cio.com/article/492934/Coolest_Robots_of_?page=13#slideshow.

Who knows what we will be able to produce in 5 or 10 years that will allow teachers to work at a distance with special needs children?? We may be able to spread expertise and a capacity to mentor pre-service teachers into areas where it simply is not feasible to physically send a person. But to embrace this possibility, we may have to ask faculty to rethink the definition of "computer" to include the capabilities of both experimental and playful devices -- which will become mainstream almost before we know it.

Meanwhile, here is a chance to experience for yourself the advantages of distance/online learning: the reading group, which is entirely virtual. So distance can't be your excuse not to attend! The first book they are reading is even available for free online. And it is a good one - The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning, edited by Katie Salen, game designer and educator (high school level). Not only is the book excellent (I've read some chapters already), but each chapter stands on its own, so you can jump into the discussion group as your weekly schedule allows.

This was our team's report on the Tech Savvy Girls project's first year in Teen Second Life. The full paper should be published (eventually) in the conference proceedings. Meanwhile, interested parties can read it here or check out the slide show at Slideshare.

The year was not without its challenges, but we made the most of those as learning opportunities. Two of the most successful girls had some of the greatest struggles with the technology itself. But they learned about bandwidth, RAM, FPS, etc. through those challenges and eventually became tech support for families and friends. No matter what they will eventually do in life, they know they can master technology in their lives.

Finally, while it may not be obvious in the paper, I have to point out that the people involved in this project were not physically co-located. The girls and one mentor were together much of the time, but not exclusively, while the other two mentors physically existed in different states. Outside of club meeting times (only two hours per week), all other work time was done virtually, at a distance, in Second Life.

The way it tracks your calorie intake each day is particularly friendly, and a great improvement on most fitness programs I have tried for handheld devices. Tossing aside detailed lists of foods that make recording intake a time-consuming chore, you select foods from categories based on average number of calories for average-sized servings. Nearly any food can be accounted for, even when eating out.

The program is educational in a friendly way and provides customized feedback and suggestions based on your preferences and the results of mini-assessments. You have daily objectives and challenges to meet - some are playful and funny. But every objective met is rewarded in terms of miles traveled to interesting sights.

There are some downsides and places where the game can be improved. The provided pedometer is a little bulky. After I dropped mine for the last time, I picked up a $5 replacement that works just fine; you just enter the numbers by hand. The food lists also do not give you feedback on nutritional value of choices. The program itself reminds you to eat a diverse diet, but you could live on junk food with this game and still make your objectives. Finally, there is no way to correct mistakes, and I frequently have to fudge (no pun intended) what I eat in order to log something close to equivalent in calories.

For the classroom, this sort of game has a major disadvantage: only one user can use any particular cartridge and save data. There is no multi-user capacity with this game, unlike some other education titles (think BrainAge). That's particularly sad since there are mini-quizzes included in the game to test your knowledge about nutrition. It would be fun to compete with other players to improve scores and advance the furthest around the world!

Dr. Brinkman teaches undergraduate Computer Science courses. One course he teaches is about the societal impact of technology in which he challenges computer science and engineering students to think critically about technology solutions. A challenge to reaching this objective is that his students grew up with technology and so have trouble reflecting upon the disruption (positive and negative) caused my introduction of new technology.

To help students take a more critical stance, he uses Second Life as a technological phenomenon that is not fully mature. It is a program or platform that is at the initial development end of the adoption spectrum. As such, it is something that is not proven to be valued and necessary - not a household appliance or entrenched communication medium. And it is causing some disruption at various levels in peoples lives and society.

Second Life, in fact, is creating cognitive dissonance throughout industrialized society. It is challenging ideas of what is property, the contexts in which earning money is legitimate, what is communication, what is real, etc. In Second Life, we have fewer traditional ways of enforcing acceptable behavior - in fact, we often find that "acceptable behavior" is a contested concept.

As such, Second Life was very successful in creating cognitive dissonance with his class (better than with videogames). It helped students challenge folk wisdom (which he calls "myth") and understandings. Since most students don't have emotional ties to it, they can look at it more critically than they would at something they trust such as Facebook. Once they HAVE developed a critical stance, it can be turned also to things that they trust such as Facebook, MySpace, etc.

His method:
- post a common myth or misconception or point of controversy and have them discuss
- check to see if it is really true
- critical writing: pick a point of controversy and have them analyse a point of view on it
- take a point discussed regarding SL and extrapolate to similar first life situations

Critical thinking is one of those difficult points that we often desire to instill in students of all ages, but I hear it frequently mentioned at the university level. Think of what reflective, critical learning can be done in the area of business, ethics, epistemology, law, etc. in a world in which the "residents" are from many cultures throughout the world. It is a fertile ground for questioning one's point of view - and that of society.

I picked up the new iPod Touch on Sunday and am exploring it's potential as personal assistant, education tool, and portable entertainment. That's quite a lot to ask from a device that is smaller than a deck of cards, but I think Apple's latest product in the incredible shrinking computer contest is up to the challenge.

For my initial results, read on ....

I did not get an iPhone because I decided to split the functionality of a telephone from the rest of the tricks this little baby can perform. I intend to run and play with this device - and I don't want to take phone calls while doing so. 1) That means that I do carry two devices when I am reachable by cell phone and 2) I have to be in Wi-Fi range to connect to the computing cloud and get updates. Those are two things I can live with, but be aware that you may want to think about the new iPhone if the trade offs don't work for you.

Second, the good points

And most of my initial response to this device is good.

1) Good screen resolution - even with aging eyes, I can read web pages (in landscape mode). The video quality when watching movies is excellent, and most of the apps I have downloaded so far are very readable in a variety of locations - even outdoors.

2) Easy to use - if you are familiar with a Mac and iTunes, getting this set up and running is a breeze. Even installing new applications is easy. Got to love Apple's iTunes store.

3) Wide range of applications - between iTunes and apple.com, I see too, too many temptations, including educational ones, that will keep me blogging for months on this topic alone. So far, I've succumbed to yet another way to organize my time (OmniFocus trial), Nike + running application, and a meditation timer.

4) Content - between iTunes, YouTube, and the web itself, I have more information at my fingertips (provided I'm on a network, of course) than I could possibly search in a lifetime. Check out iTunes U - which is downloadable and portable for hours spent studying on a plane or a bus. This means I can spare my aching back (and the weight limits of airlines), ditch the textbooks (in some cases), and learn nearly anywhere in multiple modalities. I hope distance educators are paying attention - the content pipeline is widening rapidly!

5) Beautiful - sleek and small. It fits nicely in the hand with rounded, solid comfort. Who says technology can't be pleasing?

Third, the not so good points

Or rather --- point --- singular.

I am having a bit of trouble figuring out how to sync the PowerBook, Mobile Me, and the iTouch. Any time you have three pieces that need to communicate with one another, you have the potential for challenges. This one should work out - after all, they are designed to work together. It just is not intuitive (there is that magic word!) to me. So be forewarned if you decide to go this route as well.

Today's lesson is about time management and how to procrastinate while looking like you're doing something productive. What's better than sitting down with your syllabi, planning out when things are due, and watching your favorite TV show? Very effective multitasking, which puts you well on your way to surviving in the modern world.

Unless you already have your paper planner (I'm assured they still exist) or use Google Calendar, check out this online software: StudyRails. Seriously. Many first year students get into trouble because they haven't had to work very hard before college and suddenly have what looks like an even lighter load than senior slide ... until they get hit with mid-terms.

So, plan ahead, block out time now for studying and playing both. You'll thank me around Halloween when you can still go out with friends, play your favorite videogame, and tell your parents that you're getting a "B" with a straight face.

The most exciting thing about SLedCC (the Second Life Education Community Conference) was the fact that we made up half of the encompassing SLCC conference this year. Half of the presentations, at least. I'm not sure how many attendees self-identify as educators, but we rather prominently filled the conference with ways in which we are using Second Life as a serious tool. I met quite a few educators and researchers who are doing very exciting things with this virtual environment, and I can't wait to share some of them with you.