Wednesday 22 September 2010, 10am – 3pm Sydney Time / Tuesday 21 September 2010, 5pm – 10pm SL Time (PST)

I’m very pleased to be supporting Dean Groom and his team from the Learning and Teaching Centre at the Macquarie University for the Ignite NSW 2010 event which is happening TOMORROW, both in the metaverse at the Islands of jokaydia in Second Life and in real life at the Macquarie Uni campus!

We have a fantastic array of speakers – check out the details below, or visit the IGNITE NSW 2010 Event Website and particularly the Virtual Worlds Event Schedule.

Join us to learn more about a range of fabulous educational projects and strategies being used in virtual worlds and gain insights from some of Australia’s leading virtual worlds educators.

Learning and Teaching Week – “Ignite NSW” – Virtual Worlds and the Quest for Integrated Learning

• Teaching in a Virtual World: A Snapshot and Evaluation of Different Institutions – Sue Gregory, School of Education, University of New England presents a snapshot of how virtual worlds are being used in Australian Education.
• Beyond Second Life - Kyle Gomboy, CEO of Reaction Grid demonstrates and discusses the use of virtual worlds, beyond Second Life such as Unity 3D and Open Simulator, describing the potential and support available to enducators.
• Rules for Engagement in Virtual Spaces - Steve Collis, Director of Innovation at Northern Beaches Christian School promotes the use of the new online spaces at his school. Steve explains some of the issues and projects he has created to engage students in virtual worlds.
• “Who’s leading our students into 21st century learning” - Dr Bronwyn Stuckey, consultant educational technologist and researcher will explore the findings of research into the identity of teachers adopting virtual worlds and games (Quest Atlantis, Second Life, WOW, Reaction Grid) in their teaching and showcase some of their stories. The session will dispel many of the myths that surround the “digital immigrants and digital natives” debate and show that it is teachers confident in their practice and effective pedagogies who are the real change agents in educational environments and that technological skill, age or stage of career development are neither an excuse or barrier.
• The ‘Technospirit’ Sim - Lucy Barrow, Ballarat Grammer School will share an overview of The “TechnoSpirit Sim” which was created by the Ballarat Grammar’s Virtual Worlds Project Team, made up of students and staff. She will explore how the Project Team created different areas of interest including a gallery, meditation garden, presentation area, avatar store, building plots and chapel. We will look at how the TechnoSpirit Sim was used as a Year 8 Elective offering students the opportunity to explore the themes of “Signs and Symbols” and “Places of Worship” in an engaging and challenging environment.

How to Participate

To participate in the event, simply choose one of the options below:

• Join us at the Islands of jokaydia in Second Life! (SLurl)
• Watch us live on the web via the Onlinevents.co.uk website
• Join us in real life at Macquarie University

If you are new to virtual worlds, check out this handy guide to joining Second Life and visiting the Macquarie University Campus inworld.  Please note that we will be using Second Life voice tools throughout the event, so its a good idea to make sure you’ve tested this prior to big day!

Event Times

Our inworld sessions will commence on Wednesday 22 September 2010 at 10am Sydney time / Tuesday 21 September 2010 at 5pm SLT. Check your local time here.

The School of Creative Arts and Humanities at Charles Darwin University who are based on the Islands of jokaydia in Second Life invite everyone to come and visit their first virtual worlds exhibition! Check out the press release below for more details!

Virtual Impressions: a Second Life gallery experience, in partnership with Darwin Festival

Showing at jokaydia Waters, Islands of jokaydia in Second Life and and at Brown’s Mart Theatre, Darwin CBD

• Showing: Monday 16 August, 5-8pm (Aus Central Standard Time, Check your local time here!)
• Showing: Tuesday 17 August, 10-7pm (Aus Central Standard Time, Check your local time here!)
• Opening Event: 5pm Monday 16 August 2010 (Aus Central Standard Time, Check your local time here!)
• Curator’s Second Life Gallery Tour: 5.30pm Tuesday 17 August 2010 (Aus Central Standard Time, Check your local time here!)
• Location: jokaydia Waters, Islands of jokaydia in Second Life (SLurl)

Become your own Avatar and navigate through the fascinating virtual gallery Virtual Impressions in Second Life.

Created in partnership with Charles Darwin University’s Northern Editions and the School of Creative Arts and Humanities for the Darwin Festival, this unique on-line platform enables visitors to view the centuries-old art form of printmaking with the new virtual environment.

This interactive gallery experience is linked to a CDU research project in new media technologies, ‘Virtual Galleries’, and provides alternative ways to view, consider and discuss fine art. It showcases the best of the freshly released limited edition prints that have been produced at Northern Editions and replicates on-line the two physical exhibitions at Charles Darwin University’s Casuarina Campus, Tiwi Shima and Nexus.

Darwin Festival goers and arts lovers from around the globe are invited to explore all three Northern Editions’ exhibitions, both physically and virtually, interact on-line with the curator and chat with other virtual visitors.

The opening event will also include a ‘live stream’ of our physical art gallery with a user-controlled Internet camera so that the users can take control of the camera and pan, tilt and zoom to the artworks that they are interested in.

Compare the physical artwork with the virtual experience and let us know your “Impressions”.

The jokaydia May Unconference 2010 is coming together and we’ve only 2 more sleeps till the fun starts!!! Check out the jokaydia Unconference Wiki for full details on all the sessions! There’s some really interesting discussions planned, and I must say a HUUUGE thanks to all the facilitators who’ve volunteered to participate! Yay everyone!!!

Events include discussions, tours, workshops and presentations across Second Life, Reaction Grid, jokaydiaGRID and World of Warcraft and I’m sure it will be lots of fun!

How to Participate!

The Draft Schedule on the wiki includes links and information to the various venues and how to get there, the time for each session in Sydney, Second Life and GMT Times and any information on additional communication tools. Please note that for some sessions we will be using Skype Bridge and Ventrillo and instructions will be provided on the wiki.

For newbies – check out the following guides for signing up and getting started at our various venues:

• Getting Started in Second Life (jokaydia Virtual Worlds Wiki)
• jokaydia at ReactionGRID – Instructions on setting up, logging in and finding the jokaydia Sim
• jokaydiaGRID Support Site – All the info you need to signup and login to the jokaydiaGRID
• World of Warcraft Session Instructions – All the info you need to signup for the World of Warcraft 10 Day trial and join in the fun!

For Volunteers and Facilitators!

Most of you will have heard from me via email or IM now, and we’re going through the process of confirming and doing final prep for your sessions. If you have any concerns, please email me!

I’ll be hanging out in Second Life on Wednesday evening from 8-10pm (26 May, Sydney Time) and  Thursday evening 8-10pm (27 May, Sydney Time) to meetup with anyone who needs help, wants to check details or would like prepare for their sessions. Feel free to drop in for a chat and we’ll solve any issues.  You can meet me at the jokaydia Landing Point (SLurl).

Tagging the Event!

Please help us tag and record the jokaydia Unconference online! We’d love to see your tweets, images, blog posts etc! We’ll be using the tag #jokaydiaUnconf .

Seeya at the Unconference!

As part of the jokaydia Unconference coming up at the end of the month, the lovely Pandora Kurrajong (aka Kerryj) will be coordinating a Biggest Morning Tea Fundraising Effort for the South Australia Cancer Council. It’s part of a wider national event to raise funds to support cancer research, prevention, education and support services. According to their website, last year Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea raised $10.6 million! (woah baby!) You can find out more about the event and where the raised funds are spent on their website.

During the Unconference you’ll be able to join in on some fun activities (including a virtual cup of tea)… but dont let that stop you from getting your donation in early!  Check out the donations page here!, or drop into Second Life and make donation inworld (SLurl). And stay tuned for more details on the Australia’s Biggest Virtual Morning Tea at the jokaydia Unconference!

(Images by Kerryj)

After a few weeks of development and reconstruction, I thought it might be time to do some celebrating and socialising in jokaydia’s little corner of the Metaverse, and so we’ll be holding a number of events in the coming weeks! Check out the details below, and feel free to join us.. all welcome!

Sunday@ the Islands of jokaydia this week! – Monthly Social Events Starting Up Again!

Join us on Sunday at the Islands of jokaydia in Second Life for our regular monthly social event! This month we’ll be touring the new resources on the Islands and talking about upcoming events! We’ll also be doing a little partying in the newly designed jokaydia Beach! All welcome… bring your togs and floaties! ;)

• Event: Islands of jokaydia Social Event
• Location: Meet at the jokaydia Landing Point (SLurl)
• Date: Sunday 18 April 2010
• Time: 9pm – 10:30pm Sydney Time / 4am Second Life Time
• Check your local time here!

TwitterLits Bookclub Meet and Greet

“A Virtual book club for tweeps from the edublogosphere – reading those big ideas books that you’ve been meaning to get to…!”

Pandora Kurrajong aka Kerryj will be hosting a meetup and social gathering over at her lovely space on jokaydia II. Those interested in participating in the Twittlits Bookclub are welcome to attend! Check out the Twitterlits Community Ning for more information on the group!

• Event:TwitterLits Bookclub Meet and Greet
• Location: Kerry’s Place on Jokaydia, in Second Life (SLurl)
• Date: Monday 19th April 2010
• Time: 8:30pm – 9:30pm Sydney Time / 3:30am Second Life Time
• Check your local time here!

Builder’s Workshop – The Sandpit, jokaydia@ReactionGRID

Join us in the Sandbox on the jokaydia Sim at Reaction Grid for some building fun! This is an open session for all levels. Not a formal training session, rather a chance for jokaydians and friends to come together and share their building skillz!  For information on how to signup and join us at jokaydia@ReactionGrid click here.

• Event: Builder’s Workshop @ Reaction Grid
• Location: The Sandpit, jokaydia Sim @ Reaction Grid
• Date: Friday 23 April 2010
• Time: 9pm – 10pm Sydney Time / 4am Second Life Time
• Check your local time here.
• Tip: To find us at jokaydia, simply search the main map, or IM jokay Wollongong inworld for a lift!

Pioneers Open Day @ jokaydiaGRID!

Are you a current resident on the Islands of jokaydia? Have you moved into your FREE Pioneer’s space on the jokaydiaGRID yet?!! Come along and stake your claim and join us in building our new virtual world! All jokaydia in Second Life residents who rent 1024m or higher are entitled to a free parcel! Contact jokay Wollongong for more details, and signup for jokaydiaGRID here!

Keeping up to date with the jokaydia Events Calendar

You’ll find information about these events on our freshly updated Google Calendar which charts upcoming events over the next few months. Check it out below or view it on the Events page!

The calendar has been setup so that events are also displayed at the jokaydia Landing Point (SLurl) and both the jokaydia.com and jokaydiaGRID.com sites.

I’ll also promote all events via Twitter @jokay and @jokaydiaGrid, our inworld jokaydia News and Info Group channel and our jokaydia Facebook Group.

How to Support jokaydia Events!

The jokaydia community hosts free educational and social events for educators and artist who are exploring virtual worlds. There are lots of ways you can support us to continue to provide open and collaborative events for all, including:

• Come along and join in the fun!
• Volunteer to host an event or share your work at one of our regular events – we love collaborative learning! For further info contact jokay Wollongong.
• Share our links and retweet event announcements – help us get the word out!
• Join the Community –  as a rentals tenant, as a member of our jokaydia News and Info Group inworld, as a photo contributor in the jokaydia Flickr Group or as a member of our jokaydia Facebook group.
• Make a donation to jokaydia! Funds raised help to pay for our virtual presence, tools and resources at the Islands of jokaydia in Second Life, jokaydia@ReactionGrid and the jokaydiaGRID.

A big thanks to all who continue to help us to explore virtual worlds and games for education, arts and social change!

Seeya in the metaverse soon!

Congratulations to Jenaia and the team for creating a truly magical series of events to celebrate World Aids Day in Second Life this year!

There are activities happening throughout the day, and you can learn more via this blog post on the SL website. I urge you to visit the amazing Story Tree and add your own Illumineria at Karuna Island.

There are also events happening all day:

• The Uncle D Story Quest: all day at all locations. A new section will be opening in New York, so folks should be sure to check that out.
• Live Storytelling: at New York from Noon to 2:00pm PST
• Live Music: at New York from Noon to 7:00pm PST
• Live Music: at Remember Our Friends from Noon to 7:00pm PST
• Live Streaming: all day from Research Triangle International in North Carolina:
• Live Presentations: all day by AIDS.gov and World Community Grid on Karuna Island

Check out the complete schedule of events for more information!

At jokaydia, we are lucky enuff to be hosting a beautiful sculpture called ‘I am here’ by Sledge Roffo, and we’ll be releasing some wiki content later in the week to mark this year’s events.

We also invite you to grab a tshirt from the World Aids Day display and take a picture of yourself to mark the occasion! An action shot of you interacting with the sculpture, or a group of friends gathered together would be fantastic.

To share your images, add them to the jokaydia Group pool on flickr and tag with #WADKaruna so we can aggregate the collection

To visit and make a donation to support Aids education in Second Life click here (SLurl).

Learning at the Speed of Mobile

Presented by education organisations and associated industry representatives, the focus of this years event are on showing examples where mobile related learning concepts interface with popular learning design.

The team from MobilizeThis 09 will be visiting us on the Islands of jokaydia in Second Life to convene a panel session as part of their event, which is happening all over the web and live in Darwin!

Panel session members include: Simon Brown – SkillsTech Australia, Leigh Blackall – Australia National University, John Eyles – Telecom NZ, Nathan Kerr – Howick College NZ, Bill Wade, Fred Richardson, David Lamb and Elizabeth Povinelli.

For further information about the event visit the MobilizeThis 09 Wiki or join us for the event.

Event Details:

• Venue: Meeting Hall on the Islands of jokaydia (SLurl)
• Darwin Time: 1:30pm
• Sydney Time: 3pm
• SL time: 9pm, Thurs 29th Oct 09
• Check your local time here!

Help us promote the jokaydia Unconference 09 by sharing it with your network!

Below are 4 images/logos which you are welcome to add to your own website or blog, SL location or social networking site. Dont forget to include a link back to the jokaydia Unconference  Wiki page so that others can particpate in the event! (eg. http://jokaydia.wikispaces.com/unconference09)

For those with virtual spaces in Second Life, you might like to drop in to the jokaydia Unconference Headquarters, where you can grab a sign and landmark giver to place on your land.

To grab a copy simply click on the box I’ve setup inside the Unconference Headquarters! (SLurl)

And dont forget!….. our second unconference planning session is on tonight! Seeya there!

Thanks very much to the small group of jokaydians who joined us for the first of our Unconference Planning session yesterday! We came up with some great ideas for keynote speakers, newbie sessions and speaker support and plans are afoot! A special ‘woot’ for those who’ve already volunteered to facilitate a session at the unconference… its great to already see the program of events starting to take shape! ;)

For further details visit the jokaydia Unconference Wiki pages – which includes a draft schedule where you can propose a session and a volunteers page for those who’d like to support the event. You can also say hello to the new Island kitteh! ;)

To ensure that everyone has a chance to contribute their ideas and feedback, we’ll be holding a second information and planning session this Wednesday evening at the Unconference 2009 Headquarters (SLurl). Come along and share your thoughts and comments or find out more about how you can contribute to the big event!

Unconference Information Session – Wednesday 5 August 2009

• Time: 8pm AEST / 3am SLT
• Check your local time here!
• Location: jokaydia Unconference Headquarters! (SLurl)

Yes – its nearly that time! September is nearly here (!), its time to start planning our annual jokaydia Unconference – a weekend of fun, learning and sharing which will be happening from Friday 25th September – Sunday 27th September 2009 on the Islands of jokaydia in Second Life. Add the dates to your diary now!

The aim of our annual Unconference is to celebrate the year’s discoveries and achievements and to welcome SL residents both old and new to share their work. Last year’s event was fantastic  and brought together some amazing educators and community members… and I’m sure the 2009 event will be no different!

So what will happen at the Unconference?

That’s entirely up to the participants! I’ve created a framework for the event on the jokaydia Wikispace – you can access it here. There is a space for volunteers to add their contact details, a draft conference schedule where you can propose a session and a suggestion page where you can add notes or suggestions for the event.

Of course the topics for discussion and the focus of the event will be guided by the participants and could take many forms.  My hope is that it will combine a good mixture of formal sessions, open discussions, workshops and classes and opportunities for networking and socialising. We would also like to broaden the focus of the event to include education from k-corporate, arts and public education in virtual worlds… so the scope for sessions is varied and interesting!

Ideas for sessions could include:

• Give a presentation on a recent virtual worlds project or initiative
• Run a workshop which demonstrates a tool or strategy you’re using
• Lead a discussion on a hot topic or convene a panel session
• Introduce a 3D or Web 2.0 tool that you’re using
• Demonstrate a tool, script or environment you’ve created in Second Life
• Teach a building or scripting class and share your virtual worlds skills
• Create a roleplay or immersive activity for participants to visit during the unconference
• Run a newbie event for new residents
• Create an exhibit or display to share at the unconference
• Lead a tour of an outstanding project or location in Second Life
• Lead a tour of an outstanding project or location in Twinity, There, Active Worlds, Open Sim etc etc etc!

How to Get Involved! – Add Your Session or Suggestions to the Unconference Wiki pages

The jokaydia Unconference Wikispace Pages are designed to support collaboration and planning for the event and are open for all to edit. Please contribute your ideas and help us plan a better event!

Please also feel free to IM jokay Wollongong inworld, tweet @jokay or email jokay for further information.

Unconference 09 Headquarters!

The Unconference Headquarters has already been established and is located near the beach on jokaydia II! It will develop throughout the planning period and the unconference event and currently houses updates and information about the event, a suggestion box and draft schedule and various other resources. This space can also be used by teams and groups who are planning for the event as a meeting space; and will be used as the main coordination point during the event.

You can visit the jokaydia Unconference 09 Headquarters inworld on the Islands of jokaydia! (SLurl)

jokaydia Planning Sessions!

We’ll be holding a number of planning and information sessions over the few weeks, and I invite jokaydia community members to come along and  contribute to the planning and management of the upcoming Unconference and other events.

The first information/planning session will be held on Sunday 2nd August at our new cliff-side beach, where I have setup Unconference headquarters! Event details below.

jokaydia Unconference Planning Session 1

• Sydney Time: 3pm, 2nd August, 2009
• Second Life Time: 10pm, 1 August, 2009
• Location: jokaydia Beach (SLurl)
• Check your local time and date here!

These sessions will provide an opportunity for those who’d like to help to come along and volunteer, ask questions and propose ideas for the event.