EduGeek Journal

I’m not sure why I am so interested in augmented reality.  I guess it seems more practical and immanent that virtual reality.  Maybe I was really, really scared by The Matrix and I don’t want to be enslaved by the machines.  Maybe it has been a slow week in EdTech news.  After all – is [...]

To me, the news of Google pulling the plug on Lively came way too soon.  Sure, Lively didn’t set the virtual world on fire, but there were some great ideas in there.  It seems like it was also starting to catch on with Educators.  And now they are pulling the plug?  How many other dead [...]

Not only does Google own the future, they are starting to take over the past, too. But when it is this cool – who’s going to complain? Now you can visit a virtual re-creation of ancient Rome inside of Google Earth. Here are links to the official Google page and a BBC article about this [...]

The 3-D Web has been kicking around the web world for several years. Some companies have even tried to start some kind of 3-D Web environment, mostly with unsuccessful results (like the 3B web browser). Most of these efforts have been to create a 3-D browser that just connects 2-D websites along virtual streets. Pretty [...]

Like the other Edugeek members, I recently joined the Classroom 2.0 social networking site. I’ve only been a member for about a week, and I’ve already connected with others interested in classroom 2.0 technology and applications. I’m learning very cool things from other members and their projects. One of those projects is called Edusim, an [...]

Found an interesting tidbit of info in the Campus Technology magazine that came today in the mail — “Blackboard to Give Away $25,000 Greenhouse Grant for Virtual Worlds”. This program will award the prize for successful integration of online virtual communities (i.e. There.com or Second Life) into the teaching and learning experience. Guidelines have been [...]

Got an interesting letter from the Lindens this morning. Hmm… is this the first step in a move toward a unified Teen+Adult Grid? Let’s hope so. Hello, [My Account Name]. As you may have heard, we’re implementing the first stage of an Identity Verification system beginning with age. Our ultimate goal is to give Second [...]

(Many thanks to Erin, our newest EduGeek, for sending this to me!) MIT’s Technology Review posted this week a really interesting article discussing the inevitable merge of social virtual worlds (i.e. Second Life, There) with mirror worlds (i.e. Google Earth, Microsoft’s Virtual Earth). Great detail is given on what’s currently being done in these two [...]

3pointD.com recently got a sneak preview of Princeton University’s island in SL, which is currently closed to visitors. The blog includes extensive information on buildings and architecture featured on the island. Princeton obviously dedicated plenty of resources to create an impressive virtual presence. The sim will open to the public for the next academic school [...]

UTD’s Emerging Media & Communication (EMAC) blog posted this graphic recently. It’s attributed to the NY Times; however, I’m having a hard time tracking down the complete article. It’s pretty amazing seeing just how quickly these virtual worlds (or “virtual playgrounds”, as they’re listed in the graphic) are becoming widely used. We have the Gen-Xers. [...]