Coming up this weekend is the huge and amazing Virtual Worlds – Best Practice in Education Conference – happening in Second Life from the 27 – 29 March 2009.
If you havent been to a big event in SL before, you really should check this out, as all the innovative educators and their projects will b e displayed at poster sessions, shared at presentations, discussed at panel sessions or demoed at workshops.
From the conference website:
The VWBPE Conference provides opportunities for virtual world communities to showcase projects, courses, events and research that lead to best practices in education. The end result of collaborating, sharing, and co-construction of knowledge during the conference is the creation of innovative and immersive environments in which virtual world residents can learn, work, and play.
In past years the event has been an absolute blast, so I urge you to check out the conference program and attend some of the sessions! Dont forget you can figure out your local times using the fixed world clock on Timeanddate.com.
And finally, I’m happy to announce that there will be a jokaydian Panel session at the event:
Creating Communities of Practice in Second Life: A Panel Session with residents from the Islands of jokaydia
Description: The Islands of jokaydia opened in Second Life in September 2007 and provides a range of services and opportunities to educators who are exploring the use of virtual worlds in education. We are a self-funded community of practice which spans a broad spectrum of the education sector including k-12 education, tertiary education, professional development, vocational education and workplace based training. Our community is international, drawing members from Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, France and Columbia and we host both individual educators and organizations on our Islands. This panel session will provide a case study of the journey from empty sim to a maturing community of practice and will include panel members and presenters from the jokaydia community to share their experiences and inspirations.
Featuring: Jo Kay (RL) Jokay Wollongong (SL), Konrad Glogowski (RL) Konrad March (SL), Bronwyn Stuckey (RL) Bron Bloxome (SL), Dean Groom (RL) slammed Aabye (SL), Liz Dorland (RL) Chimera Cosmos (SL), Robyn Heyden (RL) Spiral Theas (SL), Second Life and Jeff Agamenoni (RL) Henny Zimer (SL).
- Event Date and Time: 7am AEST, Saturday 28 March/ 1pm SLT, Friday 27 March (Check your local time here.)
- Location: ISTE (SLurl)
I hope you can join us!
Jo Kay aka jokay Wollongong is a freelance digital designer and facilitator working in virtual worlds and educational technology. She helps educators and organisations to use new and innovative technologies for learning. Jo is the owner and facilitator of the Islands of jokaydia Project – a space for a vibrant community of educators to explore the use of virtual worlds in education. 
