Body image study: last chance for participation
Back in January we promoted a study being undertaken by Doctorate student Jon-Paul Cacioli on body image in virtual worlds (the study participants need to be aged 18 or over and be male). Click here for the survey link The response over recent months has been good be Jon-Paul needs a few more people to [...]
An endless map
It’s safe to say that one of the most discussed areas of virtual environments is the link between the ‘real’ and the ‘virtual’. Like any philosophical debate, there’s a minefield of perspectives, preconceptions, research and outright conflict. So to attempt an objective discussion on ‘mapping’ the parallels between the two spheres is quite an undertaking, [...]
Educators and Second Life: local research
Between August 2009 and February this year, Holmesglen’s Kenneth Rankin (SL: Ken001 Silverfall) undertook some research in Second Life as part of his Master of Education studies at the University of Southern Queensland. It’s a fascinating snapshot on the state of play in regards to educators and Second Life, and includes some substantive recommendations for [...]
Education and Second Life: the fear factor
The prolific machinima man, Draxtor Depres, has produced a concise but effective piece on education in Second Life. Educators familiar with virtual environments will perhaps find this a useful advocacy tool when trying to get a point across in a short timeframe. Those totally new to the area may find it straightforward enough to be [...]
Problem-based learning in Second Life: new resource
Another cross-pollination from sister-site Metaverse Health A comprehensive new resource has been released by the UK’s University of Derby and Aston University, Titled Best Practices in Virtual Worlds Teaching: A guide to using problem-based learning in Second Life, this 40+ page publication covers a lot of ground in an easy to understand way. It’s available [...]
Body image and virtual worlds: call for study participants
Jon-Paul Cacioli is a Doctor of Clinical Psychology student at Deakin University, and he’s currently conducting a study on body image in virtual worlds. In his words: “I am looking for participants, male and 18+ to complete a survey regarding both their real world and virtual world body images and psychological states.” He needs 300 [...]
Interview – Denise Wood, University of South Australia
Denise Wood (SL: Denlee Wobbit) is Senior Lecturer in the Bachelor of Media Arts program at the University of South Australia and the Teaching and Portfolio Leader of the School of Communication, International Studies and Languages. As one of Australia’s many educators who are utilising virtual environments in their roles, I was aware of Denise’s [...]
