One of the amazing things about virtual environments is how easy it is to travel to interesting locations. Who else wishes they could teleport in the physical world? It is so easy to take a tour and play anywhere in virtual environments…

The 2020 VWBPE Immersive Experiences showcase unique and interesting work being conducted across the metaverse. We invite you to join us as we explore SIXTEEN interactive and engaging locations across THREE virtual environments. This year we will start with a great OER (Open Educational Resources) lesson in selfies at the Community Virtual Library in Kitely and end with an challenging visit to World of Warcraft Classic.

Come play a game, solve a problem, and engage in hands-on learning with virtual world education leaders. No need to sign up, simply come and learn!

The Immersive Experiences are scheduled from March 15 to April 06 (exclusive of the conference dates). Attend some or all, as you are able. Many will be open for exploration after the presentation date. A list of the pre-conference and post-conference experiences is below. Details and access instructions for the experiences will be found in the VWBPE conference calendar – available by the end of February.

Below are the pre- and post-conference Immersive Experiences. And don’t forget to attend the conference itself – opening on the 26th of March!

Pre-conference Immersive Experiences

Friends of the Library Selfie Portraits (Kitely)

March 15 @ 1:00 PM SLT (PT)

60 minutes

Join the Community Virtual Library team to create a selfie for our Friends of the Library wall at our location in Kitely! This activity was designed as an OER that allows a new event organizer to provide visitors with an easy building project for a more engaging event. Having content with pre-built instructions and resources to give to your own participants makes it easy for you to replicate this activity. This is especially useful for busy educators who are newer to hosting virtual world events.

The Science Circle: Open Education Worldwide (Second Life)

March 20 @ 6:00 AM SLT (PT) AND 10:00 AM SLT (PT)

2 sessions, each 90 Minutes

The Science Circle (SC) provides immersive experiences focused on science (astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology), math, art, and current events (example: wildfires). Areas on and above the island are accessible via a teleport system and multi-lingual, explanatory signage. Past Science Circle presentations are available via mini-theaters and links to https://sciencecircle.org.

Full Immersion Swing Era Dance Class (Second Life)

March 19 @ 1:00 PM SLT (PT) AND 6:00 PM SLT (PT)

2 sessions, each 60 minutes

SavoyBallroom.org and 2Ldance.org have produced a full-immersion dance class experience in Second Life® which teaches the dances, music, bands, dance halls, and history of the Swing Era. Volunteer partners are usually available to enjoy the class with, or bring your own.

The Art of War: Military Art and Photography History (Second Life)

March 21 @ 10:00 AM SLT (PT)

90 minutes

This immersive experience will highlight military art and photography from the following eras: 3000 BC Egyptian, English Medieval, American Revolution, WW1, WW2 and The War on Terror. Participants will learn how art and photography have been used throughout history to tell war stories.

Post-conference Immersive Experiences

Campbell Hero Walk (Second Life)

TBA

60 minutes

The Hero Walk is a circle of twelve colours and pictures. Each picture talks in text when touched, describing that step of Campbell’s hero journey and asking the viewer a question.

MindScape (Second Life)

March 31 @ 2:00 PM SLT (PT)

90 Minutes

“MindScape” is related to brain research and to all that may refer to the human mind: how to develop, inspire, and care for or manipulate it. Come explore the work of 16 artists presenting around this theme in a 3D moon landscape.

Embrace the Suck: Classic World of Warcraft

April 06 @ 5:00 PM SLT (PT)

90 minutes

The retro release of World of Warcraft (WoW) last year resulted in the largest quarterly increase of subscriptions ever for the game. By all accounts, WoW classic is hard, time consuming and labor intensive. So why is it so popular? We’ll do a tour starting at the entry area and playing for an hour showing the hard fun and difficulties that is part of WoW classic. We’ll discuss the design and mechanics during this immersive experience that you can use in creating your own educational experiences.

Interactive Walkthrough Ritual Experience (Second Life)

March 30 @ 5:00 PM SLT (PT)

90 minutes

Sacred Cauldron houses the virtual campus for Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary. WSTS is an environmentally conscious institution that works to reduce our carbon footprint by drastically reducing the amount of travel necessary to attend and teach at our seminary. Our immersive experience will include a walk-through interactive ritual which is season-based. The experience has been designed and constructed by our Junior class as part of their studies.

Physics Experimentation via Mechanical Systems in Virtual Platforms (Second Life)

April 05 @ 9:00 AM SLT (PT)

2 hours

Scientific experimentation with prim physics offers rewarding results as play, for rigorous control process, for sole and collaborative problem solving and learning, and for application in functional mechanical systems. The Havok Physics Engine provides a consistent set of functions, constants and parameters, for conducting verifiable scientific research. Teaching the fundamental principles and basic techniques is inspiring and fun for both instructors and students.

VWBPE: Stellar

March 26-28, 2020

* Play * Explore * Engage * Immerse * Learn *