EDSD 453 at MSU visits Second Life

A methods of teaching art class at Montana State University got a short trip into Second Life to explore the possibilities of art instruction in a 3D virtual learning environment. Students were sent to jacksonpollock.org and instructed to spend one minute creating a work that was uniquely their own using that tool which imitates another artist's technique. They cropped with Jing and uploaded into Second Life, where a group evaulation was held in text chat before we all took a tour of some of that virtual world's many art galleries. The gallery they created can be seen in a Flickr photoset.

I have been virtually blogged

Pluton Karas, a self-described sub-atomic particle, has included a photo of my Second Life avatar, Bill Friis, in his blog account of StormEye, a new work of art hanging 500 meters above the NMC Aho museum. If you have access to this virtual world, it is a site worth seeing which Pluton will tell you more about.

ILEP fellows will be blogging

At this very moment I am showing the ILEP fellows how to make a blog post. We will make a page in our Google Group which connects to everyones blog.


They are a good looking group, yes?

International Leadership in Education Program

Sixteen International Leadership in Education Program (ILEP) fellows will be joining us here in the Department of Education at MSU this semester. ILEP brings outstanding secondary teachers from around the world to the United States to further develop expertise in their subject areas, enhance their teaching skills, and increase their knowledge about the United States. ILEP is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State and is run through the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX).

AECT 2008 in Blog Order

Below, one man's view of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology convention at Lake Buena Vista, Florida, November 2008. In typical blog fashion, order is reverse chronological. Dates are a bit off because the hotel charged for in room Internet, and I was not going to shell out $55 for five days during which I would only be on line for moments. I scrounged wireless when I could, and posted the last few items the first day back at work. Next year's convention will be at the Galt House in Louisville where they promise us in room Internet at no extra charge. Really, these days, that is more important than comfortable beds.

AECT 2008 - Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, for Tomorrow We Go Home

Joint University Reception (great place to pick up ball point pens) then University of Central Florida Reception (with Tom Atkinson on the horns again) then much conversation and sipping time in the president's suite, then the hotel lobby bar, then the Kook sports bar where some of us tested learning theory while playing Guitar Hero. You can really feel those mirror neurons at work. Now, must sleep.

AECT 2008 - Allison Rossett Keynote

You are either doing distance education or retiring, so if you plan to stay you might as well get ready to do it right. Allison was surprised to see that so many of us had postponed the last night partying to attend her keynote. We were glad we did. Her lively and humorous presentation put us in the mood to party.