The UN Foundation just sent me this interesting notice about a contest they are running with MTV called “Your Turn to Get Exiled.” Apparently this is associated with some MTV reality show called "Exiled." All that matters is that if you win you get to go on a "net observation trip" to somewhere in Africa…
New report describes how youth hang out, mess around and “geek out” in digital spaces
I've started reading the white paper "Living and Learning with New Media," a summary of the immense, three-year, multi-study investigation of how American youth are using digital media for learning. Funded by the Digital Media & Learning initiative of the MacArthur Foundation, it incorporates the work of 23 researchers under the overall guidance of Mimi…
Alas, poor Lively, we hardly knew ye
Despite not being in the best of moods myself, I will try and be as generous as I can about yesterday''s announcement that Google Lively is dead. They posted on their blog today that their first experiment in creating a virtual world will close its doors on December 31, 2008. There been lots of bitching…
Final stretch before PMT breaking performance this weekend!
So my little group of b-boys and b-girls are getting into the final preparations before another breaking performance at PMT Studios this Friday and Sunday. As usual we are doing everything in the last second, having barely worked out the choreography and blocking and the music still not finished mixing. At the very least I…
Global Kids seeking Second Life space for teen-created serious game
My colleague Rafi tells me that we are looking for a free plot of land so that we can bring over to the main grid of Second Life a social issue game called "Consent" that Global Kids' teens created last year: Last year, teens in Global Kids' "Playing 4 Keeps" afterschool program developed a Second…
HIV/AIDS education island opens in Second Life on World AIDS Day (December 1)
I got word from Ricken Flow about Karuna, a new space in Second Life focused on HIV/AIDS education. Karuna is holding a day of opening festivities on December 1st – World AIDS Day. The program includes keynote speakers Pathfinder Linden and Michelle Samplin-Salgado of AIDS.gov, a story writing workshop with Jenaia Morane, and musical performances…
RezEd’s first virtual world education conference a success!
I helped organize what I think was a very successful Second Life conference on education in virtual worlds yesterday. This was the first virtual conference sponsored by RezEd.org, the social network for virtual world educators. The RezEd conference featured a panel discussion with educators working in Second Life, Google Lively and Dizzywood; a "birds of…
Akiva bonds with my dragon avatar! (video)
Here’s some super cute video of my boss Barry’s kid Akiva identifying with my dragon furry avatar in Second Life. That kid has good taste!
Swing that PhD Thesis! (video)
Some crazy outfit called Gonzo Labs is challenging PhD candidates around the country to post dance videos of themselves demonstrating what their thesis is about. I don’t even understand most of what these theses are about. But I love that some folks are doing bad ass lindy hop to demonstrate the principles these science doctoral…
Booking Information
I love public speaking. Among the topics I’m particularly qualified to speak on: STEM Learning Digital Learning Virtual Education I have addressed a range of audiences and events, from keynoting the Second Life Community Convention, to speaking to 250 non-governmental organizations in the UN General Assembly, and addressing tech companies and non-profits at Cisco Systems headquarters. I’m…