We’re off to share the TAFE NSW Western Institute Virtual Tourism project today… at the NSW Flexible Learning Framework’s eLearning2010 event. Slides are available below.

Christmas is fast approaching and we’ll be announcing some celebratory events inworld very soon!  However, I’m very excited to announce today our first Annual Christmas Rental Offer and Fundraising Appeal at jokaydiaGRID!

In honour of the festive season we are offering a 50% discount on setup fees for all new sims on jokaydiaGRID until the 5 January 2011. That means – you can have your very own sim for only $25.00au one time setup fee + $25au per month rental fee!

Sim rentals at jokaydia include: Full region connected to the jokaydiaGRID, Light scripting – limited timed/physics scripts, Up to 25 Avatars concurrently depending on build/activity, Full terraforming rights, Parcel media movie & MP3 streaming. Estate Managers. Parcel divisions allowed, Access to jokaydia Community resources including events spaces, SLoodle tools and other goodies!

For more information and to signup for your new sim click here.

But wait… there’s more!

As well as offering this Christmas discount to new residents, jokaydiaGRID will also be supporting Plan Australia’s Because I am a Girl’ Campaign, by donating $10.00au for each new sim rental created between Wednesday 8 December 2010 – 5 January 2011 to their ‘GIRLFUND’.

Help us help to help Plan’s global campaign to fight gender inequality, promote girls’ rights and lift millions of girls out of poverty and join the fabulous jokaydiaGRID Community at the same time! (Records of the doners and the final donation will be published @ jokaydia.com.)

Who Gets the Cash?

This year we’ve chosen Plan’s ‘GIRLFUND’ as the organisation we will donate to. TheBecause I am a Girl’ Campaign is a global initiative designed to fight gender inequality, promote girls’ rights and lift millions of girls out of poverty. From their website:

“The campaign is based on a series of reports titled Because I am a Girl: The State Of The World’s Girls. To be published between 2007–2015 from Plan International, these reports examine the rights and needs of girls throughout their childhood, adolescence and as young women – and how they are uniquely placed to break the cycles of intergenerational poverty gripping many people in developing countries.”

To find out more, check out the Because I am a Girl’ Campaign or watch the video below.

Plan is one of the largest children’s development organisations in the world. They work with communities in 49 developing countries and raise funds to support their work in 21 countriesaround the world. They aim to actively involve children, and work at a grassroots level with no religious or political agenda, with the goal of transforming the world for children. Find out more by visiting their website.

But I am already a resident or I just like to visit… how can I help?

If you’re already a resident, but you’d like to support our annual fundraising efforts, you are more than welcome to make a donation to the cause. Simply click on the button below to donate via Paypal. We’ll make sure your funds are added to our donation which will sent to Plan International on 6 January 2011. (Records of the doners and the final donation will be published @ jokaydia.com.)

Why Are We Doing It?

One of the things the jokaydia Project has always strived to do is support initiatives and activities that support positive change – whether that’s in how we work and collaborate together inworld, how we deliver learning and teaching in virtual environments or by promoting social issues of importance. This has included fabulous projects like the Virtual Classroom Project, Blue Day, our fundraising activities for the Cancer Council in South Australia and most recently our involvement in the 3D AIDS Quilt.

Our Christmas Rental Offer and Fundraising Effort continues that philosophy and will become an annual event which gives us the opportunity to help to support those who live in poverty around the world. This year we have selected GIRLFUND, as we believe that the inspiring work that PLAN are doing has real world impacts for women and girls around the world.

Dates and Deadlines

This offer is open from 9am Wednesday 8 December 2010 AEDT until 9pm Wedneday 5th January 2011 AEDT.  Your sim order must be received within this period to be eligible.

For more information and to signup for your new sim click here.

The fabulous Centre4Edupunx team made an AWESOME suggestion! Let’s have an WoW event!

Soooo, to celebrate the launch of Cataclysm (the new expansion of World of Warcraft), we’re inviting all Edupunks, jokaydians, gamers, kids, educators and pixel-powered peeps to join us for a Global Goblin Gathering!

We’ll be meeting on the Sisters of Elune Server at the Goblin’s starting point (which is pictured below) at 2pm on Saturday 11 December PST / 9am on Sunday 12 December AEDT. Check your local time here!

The aim of the event is to get together and have some fun, but we also encourage all participants to document the event by sharing your images and short video clips in the jokaydia Fotopool on Flickr.

AND… as we’ll all be starting from scratch with new characters/toons, it’s also a great opportunity for those who’ve been intrigued by Warcraft and mmorpgs in education to come and join in on some exploring and simple levelling. All skill levels are most definitely welcome!

So How Can You Get Involved?

If you’re an experienced WoW Player this is an easy one. Simply roll a new Goblin on the Sisters of Elune Server and meet us at KTC Headquarters – the starting point for new Goblins. We’ll be kicking off at 2pm SL time (PST) which is 9am on Sunday morning Sydney time.

If you are a new player – you’ll have to start getting organised now as you have some downloading to do! Visit the Blizzard website for info on how to get the software setup and get started.  Once you’ve created an account and installed your software you’ll need to create a new Goblin Character on the Sisters of Elune Server.

Ventrillo for Voice!

During the event we’ll be using the jokaydia Ventrillo server to allow us to connect via voice. This will help to keep people together and is always fun.  You can download the Ventrillo client here. Our server details are:

• Name: jokaydia.guildvent.net
• Host or IP: vent116.light-speed.com
• Port: 4273
• Password: Not required

If you are new to using Ventrillo, check out our instructions on the jokaydia Wiki @ http://jokaydia.wikispaces.com/jokaydiaventrillo. You will need to download the software and configure it prior to the event!

Let us Know Your Coming!

So we can find everyone on the day, please add your new Goblin’s name in the comments below. This will help us make sure we find everyone before we leave KTC Headquarters and start the adventure!

Alternatively, add Helluvalu (aka jokay) as a friend in game so we can get in touch!

Need Help!?

My newly rolled Goblin is named Helluvalu (aren’t i cute!.. teehe), feel free to message me ingame for help during the event.

Alternatively you can contact me via Skype @ joannamkay.

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.

Coming up tonight the Onlinevents.co.uk team are presenting a fantastic interview on Teaching Counseling Theories in Second Life with Edina Renfo-Michel.

Starting live inworld from 12am SLT / 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (GMT+0100) / 5am AEST, you can check out the live video stream of the session below! You can even join us in our IRC Chatbridge to participate live from the jokaydia Blog via our Mibbit Chat Bridge Tool which is also included below.

Alternatively join us inworld at the Onlinevents.co.uk Headquarters on the Islands of jokaydia in Second Life (SLurl).

Following the interview Edina will take us on a tour of the project so that we can see for ourselves the power of using virtual worlds in Counsellor Education.

This event is part of a series of live interviews planned to whet your appetite for the CESL 2010 conference that will be held entirely in Second Life, this is a great way to open up learning to a worldwide community of practitioners and students without the cost of travel and acoomodation.

CESL 2010 is sponsored by the Online Therapy Institute who will be offering Continuing Education Credits for U.S. psychologists, social workers, counselors, addiction specialists, marriage and family therapists, nurses and educators.

To find out more about Online.co.uk events check out their website which includes video recordings and information about their previous interviews and training sessions.

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”.

John from Onlinevents.co.uk has posted all the videos he recorded at our Unconference and you can view them on his site @ http://onlinevents.co.uk/jokaydiaunconfmay2010.

I’ve included a few highlights below!

A huge thanks to all the presenters, facilitators, helpers and participants who made the Unconference so much fun! Seeya in September for our next unconferencey events!

Image included above by Steph Ridgway on Flickr

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)

Today I had the pleasure of giving an online presentation in Elluminate for students from the New Learning and New Literacies Online Masters program at the University of Illinois. It was a jam-packed, super speedy session to give them a taste of some of the fabulous things happening in virtual worlds and games, and I hope they enjoyed it. I’ve published the slides from the session above.

To follow-up we’ll be meeting with the group in Second Life this Saturday morning (aus time). Check out the session description below for details, and feel free to join us!

New Learning and New Literacies Session 2: Second Life Field Trip

• Friday 14 May 7pm (US) & Saturday 15 May 10am (Aus). (Check your local time here.)
• Venue: The Islands of jokaydia in Second Life
• Meet at the Islands of jokaydia Landing Point to attend (SLurl)

Join us for a hands on workshop in Second Life with Jo Kay aka jokay Wollongong, an Australian designer and facilitator working across a range of virtual worlds to support education, arts and social change! The main elements of this session will be:

• Second Life Basics: Moving, communicating, searching and teleporting
• Dressing Up Your Avatar: Using the avatar tools to create your virtual you
• Exploring the Islands of jokaydia – the home of the jokaydia Community of Practice
• Virtual Touring – including visits to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Headquarters, Foul Whisperings, Strange Matters: Shakespeare’s Macbeth in Second Life, ISTE’s Headquarters and StoryBook Island.

During the session you will develop skills in using Second Life, meet some educators who are currently working in virtual worlds, and develop a better understanding of how educators and institutions around the world are currently using Second Life and other virtual worlds for teaching and learning.

How to Attend the Second Life Workshop

1. Click on the SLurl link above to open a map of Second Life and a teleport Link.
2. Follow instructions on the page to login to the right location for our workshop – the jokaydia Landing Point. If you get lost you can IM jokay Wollongong inworld for a lift to the venue!

Additional Virtual Worlds Events and Opportunities

There are also a range of other sessions that we can attend. Go to the events calendar.