Dialogue about virtual worlds is extended through discussions with noteworthy and influential groups whose members are well versed in this context. For the third year, VWBPE extends the new tradition of inviting groups to participate in moderated featured panel discussions. While we can’t showcase all groups, we want to spotlight different ones each year.
The first of this year’s four featured panels will bring together individuals from the business, communities of practice, and educator fields to share some insights into OpenSimulator communities. Be sure to catch this at 2:00 p.m. PST on Thursday, March 10, 2016 in AvaCon Grid.
Our second featured panel is comprised of representatives from Caledon Oxbridge University, a well-established group in Second Life that has built a reputation out of educating new avatars, all within a whimsical steampunk environment. Meet them on Friday, March 11, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. PST in Second Life.
On Saturday the 12th of March, we have our third and fourth featured panels, both in Second Life. Opening our academic program at 8:00 a.m. PST, Virtual Pioneers are educators with a special affinity for history, exploring how it can be recreated in immersive virtual environments; they will share their own special brand of immersion.
Finally, we convene at 3:00 p.m. PST with the Virginia Society for Technology in Education, a state branch of the noteworthy International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). As leaders in educational technology, they are some of the most adventurous educators that virtual worlds have ever seen.
All of these panels will bring their active members to explain how they have taken us toward a new horizon in immersive experiences. Forming a vital lifeline of communication and networking, our virtual groups bring opportunities to find other like-minded people with whom to engage in conversation and collaboration. They are the exemplars of VWBPE’s core goals to connect virtual world communities through innovation and best practices.