Virtual Solutions for Real People

Have you been following the ongoing saga of The Singing Road of Lancaster, California?  Originally created as a promotion for Honda, a stretch of road was precisely grooved so that driving it caused Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” (The Lone Ranger theme) to vibrate around you (much like freeway grooves that alert you to driving on the shoulder).

An engaging experience? At least at first. Does it teach something? Well, perhaps not what might have been intended.

Did you catch what the driver learned? They were being reinforced to drive way above the speed limit! Although the experience was designed to be driven at 55mph, it was actually more enjoyable at higher speeds! After all, The Lone Ranger theme is a fast little ditty. In human performance terms, I think Honda earned a little “oopsie”.

The technology though, I find fascinating. If one thinks of safe driving reinforcement, or traffic calming, one usually thinks of “sticks” (speeding tickets) rather than “carrots” (rewards). Could there have been a way to actually offer a “carrot” and encourage a safe (and legal) rate of speed?

Japan seems to have done a bit better in this respect. The example below claims to sound best at a safe rate of speed. In addition, it seems to make sense from an aesthetic point of view — A nice song, beautiful scenery, a safe and isolated stretch of road without neighbors who quickly tire of hearing the same tune over … and over … and over…

What if this technology could be used both to promote safe driving practices and maybe teach a little something? Keep your speed down and stay alert listening to American classics while driving the vast American West? Immerse yourself in period music while touring historical sites? Good grief, you could add signs with lyrics if you wanted. And, I suppose you could opt out by changing lanes. What do you think?

{ Comments }

Ever wanted to use a super teaching resource you found on the web .. yet been afraid the copyright police might come a-knockin’ at your door?  Fear no more!  The Media Education Lab at Temple University has good news for you! Read on.

From the Media Education Lab:

Copyright and fair use issues are definitely things that concern teachers. Many factors have contributed to the culture of fear and uncertainty — but now there are resources available that enable educators to feel more confident in their use of copyrighted materials — including websites, images, movies, news media, advertising, online resources and popular culture — to build students’ critical thinking and communication skills.

Renee Hobbs, professor at Temple’s Media Education Lab, Peter Jaszi, a professor of Law at American University’s Washington College of Law who specializes in copyright law used a “best practices” model to help the educational community articulate how fair use applies to their work. The project was started by Professor Pat Aufderheide at the Center for Social Media at American University in Washington, D.C. who worked with documentary filmmakers to create the Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use.

With support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, they spent two years working with more than 200 educators from across the country to create a statement to assist media educators in making better use of their fair use rights under copyright law.

Want to know more? Their November 11, 2008 presentation at the National Constitution Center can now be viewed on the Archive page of the Copyright Confusion Wiki!  Also check out the accompanying Best Practices in Fair Use.  The entire wiki is just a super resource.

{ Comments }

This past June, I had the marvelous opportunity to facilitate a group of California K12 teachers as they began a journey of exploration into the world of 3D multiuser learning environments (MULEs). The course was part of a wonderful cohort distance Master of EDTEC program at San Diego State University. Interestingly, I had a mixture of enthusiastic and hesitant learners.  While some indicated some gaming experience, for many, this was completely new. Some revealed that they felt a little nervous or scared .. or at the very least, a bit uncomfortable.

So… we went to camp. A familiar fun, safe metaphor from which to explore. In this case, a familiar setting made sense as most students had never participated in avatar-based learning.  As you can see, by the end of the time, they requested a “camp photo”

Take away lessons for me - what worked and what didn’t:

1. Provide familiar “touchstone” experiences for learners new to a MUVE environment.
   Once learners are comfortable with the virtual environment and in relating through their avatar, THEN you can blow their minds with crazy experiences. Flying is wild enough (and frustrating enough) for some.
2. Let them be themselves first.
   Some of my teachers felt much more comfortable appearing professionally and requested appropriate clothing. They were able to learn with less distraction in “teacher clothes”.  Once they felt comfortable, THEN they made the jump to more inventive customization.
3. Promote interactivity.
   The “big 3″ of Second Life content creation consists of: building, texturing … and scripting (interactivity).  Providing interactive objects to play with .. not just pretty things to look at .. encouraged creative interactive thinking and activity.  In our case, the archery set seemed to result in a lot of giggling.
4. Synchronous time in Second Life means activity and projects.
   Students in this class were accustomed to Powerpoint and discussion using Adobe Connect. The ongoing chat backchannel was easier to monitor in Connect and the sessions could be fully recorded and archived for students who missed.
   Second Life time was justified when learners were doing avatar-based activities. Collaborative building, exploring and show-and-tell type activities played well.
5. Big groups are good. Little groups are better.
   Following the camp metaphor, learners were divided into “cabins” and formed groups for communication, collaboration and identity.  Some groups gelled, others did not. When it worked, it was magic.
6. Orienting 25 newbies is like herding cats.
   Get help. Call in your favors. Pay somebody (or two or three).  Even with pre-session videos and a Connect orientation session, there will be problems. Trust me.
   If you have a better method, please share. Please.
7. Backchannels are your friends.
   I kept an Adobe Connect room open during my Second Life sessions. Students that were having tech difficulties could “find” me there, or, worst case, listen to the audio of what was going on later and try to catch up.
8. Always have a plan B.
   It’s tech. Tech happens.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I hope to repeat it (and improve it) again. I’m pleased that the teachers now have a framework and basis from which to evaluate the many kid-centered virtual worlds that are being designed and marketed for the K12 market.

What about you? What’s worked? What hasn’t? I’d love to know!

{ Comments }