Tuesday 8 July 2008

50 ideas for phase 2

Time to start the brain up again. Phase two starts tomorrow.

1. Explore/test SL/OpenSim hybrid via Open Grid Public Beta
2. Make OpenSim standalone package (Mac)
3. Make VMware standalone package (PC & *nix)
4. Run sessions on Graphics course from October to February (5 month run)
5. Just do OpenSim standalone induction and name game, then set free in SL.
6. Make them collaborate.
7. Redefine collaboration,
8. Ditch SL/OpenSim and use Wonderland instead.
9. Use Wonderland for Philosophy/project meeting (Mac issue - project buys us Bootcamp/Windows)
10. Run cross institution competiton.
11. Run cross discipline/Leeds Met based competition.
12. Explore immersionist angle - no RL bits - no blended bits (Apart from seperate OpenSim induction.)
13. Only use experienced avatars.
14. Open up beyond institutions.
15. Run a grid wide competition.
16. Set up an OpenSim grid with free entry and see what happens.
17. Create fertile ground for rhizomatic collaboration.
18. Make a tool that glues avatars together into collaborative thing.
19. Engineer collaborations through human management.
20. Think global.
21. Be a magnet for diverse talent.
22. Apply all we know about learning in our art & design world to global virtual collaboration.
23. Create a standardised, free, assessable 15 credit point, 150 learning hours elective module that anyone in LeedsMet/UK/the world can study.
24. Harness and validate informal learning.
25. Create a structure for assessing informal learning through regular formative feedback and dialogue.
26. Do everything in-world. No web 2.0 crutches.
27. Structure learning through broad learning outcomes.
28. Motivate not through prize money, but through assessment, marks and credit points.
29. Develop a model for sub-letting learning.
30. Link SL with a course length programme of personal development.
31. Link SL with coaching. Leeds Met has just become a center for coaching excellence. There is massive potential to obtain resources and support for a coaching focussed approach.
32. Create a structure for placing coaching at the center of learning, using SL and web 2.0 tools to support a mentoring approach.
33. SL is not a game, but could the underlying principals of sport be used to provide scaffolding for learning activities?
34. Look at the sports team (i.e. a football team) as a model for collaboration.
35. The tutor as coach - he/she picks the team, based on strengths identified in training, decides on the game strategy, but the players play the game.
36. Explore competitive games. Team playing against team following set rules.
37. Organise cross institutional tournaments. E.G. LeedsMet, coached by Kisa Naumova, take on Leeds College of Art, coached by AngryBeth Shortbread in a game of art. Half a sim each. May the best team win.
38. Explore the role of branding in team building - i.e. the brand of Manchester United, the pride of the player working for the club. The loyalty of the fans.
39. Evaluators are pundits. Steven W is Alan Hansen. Margarita is Alan Shearer.
40. Organise weekly training sessions at the training ground. Structured activities to develop the skills.
41. Devise individual fitness programmes fro each student. They have to but in the effort though.
42. Make sure the training ground and pitch are suitable and well maintained. makes sure relevant equipment is available.
43. The project manager is the Chairman of the board.
44. Look at the theories of life coaching. (stripping away the voices of others to reveal your personal values etc.)
45. Invent design sport.
46. Design sport could be a way of structuring collaborative learning with a focus on problem solving? Link with Maggi's PBL work.
47. The job of the coach-educator is to make up new games, explain the rules, and train the player-students. The job of the player-student is to understand and play by the rules, exercise and compete in the games.
48. Invent some design team games.
49. Test out the games with experienced avatars.
50. Publicise the games and rules amongst art educators worldwide, and coordinate a tournament.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

1. Run the first phase of the pilot on OpenSim giving the students enough time to get familiar with building : reproducing objects designed in 2D, destroy existing 3D objects and rebuild them again, create a new object from their own...
2. Rethink what is collaboration and define different layers of collaboration
3. Discuss collaboration and clarify : what sort of collaboration have ? at what level ? In what kind of tasks they see collaboration suitable ? With whom they want to collaborate ? And overall, why collaboration is needed ?
4. Assign them tasks step by step where they have the opportunity to better understand the affordances of virtual environments. For examples informal learning opportunities by going to places where people build and they can receive help.
5. Another idea, that I already shared with you, is to focus directly on collaborative design by opening the course to experienced avatars. Then all the problems related to newbiness will hopefully disappear or be less present.

There are some ideas with which I don't agree : “Do everything in-world. No web 2.0. In my opinion using 2D environments to support learning in-world is a good idea. They can be used as tools for stabilising in-world experiences for reflecting on them afterwards. A tools for creating distance and self reflection on the learning experience.

Finally, I like very much your ideas about individualisation of learning and seeking inspiration in sport games and collaboration. I agree, gaming in-world can help them to engage within the environment until they finally 'get the point' !

Steven Warburton said...

I think these are excellent - some are progressive and it would be interesting to map some of these using a concept mapping tool? In no particular order of preference:

2. Is it feasible and can we move assets from a standalone to a grid? Like the idea of a personal workspace and then publishing to a community one.

7. Collaboration (the meaning of) should be negotiated with participants and be optional. Maybe we should test theories of collaboration and team roles more actively e.g. http://www.belbin.com/

12. I like ... raises a few ethical and assessment issues

44. I have been interested in using life-coaching approaches in a similar way ... to articulate personal values and goals and to use as a social linking tool

48. 49. to 50.
This reminds me of one of the patterns ... competition breeds collaboration

And I would add testing and refining the role of a mentor ... this has similarities to the coaching approach.