Sharon Burns of the MacArthur Foundation has released a neat video that gives a brief overview of several virtual worlds, with an emphasis on their educational applications. In this eight-minute video she looks at HiPiHi, Club Penguin, Whyville, Webkins, Mokitown, There, Entropia Universe, and Gaia Online. Several of these I had almost no background on,…
Video preview of “ICED” immigration computer game
I just threw together a quick video preview of the first level of the computer game "ICED," which I just posted about on this blog. "ICED" — which stands for "I Can End Deportation" — allows the player to step into the shoes of five immigrant teens and find out what it takes to avoid…
“ICED” computer game teaches about US immigration laws
Heidi Boisvert, the lead designer of the "ICED" computer game, sends us news that "ICED" has been officially released for download, after more than two years of work. "ICED" — which stands for "I Can End Deportation" — allows the player to step into the shoes of five immigrant teens and find out what it…
Why I love Virgin America
[This post is not a paid endorsement] I just flew from Los Angeles to New York on Virgin America, and I have to say it was one of the highlights of my trip. Here’s some of the stuff I liked: Seats: Leather, comfy, good legroom in coach class. Decor: Lounge-y and muted, with ensconced magenta…
Congrats to Eff and Sara Chu for typing the knot!
My best buddy Neal "Effervescent" Blangiardo just got hitched with his fiancé Sarah Chu in a super-secret ceremony that occurred this Saturday in Massachusetts. Somehow they scored an really awesome write-up of their wedding in the Sunday New York Times! I’m ecstatic for the two and wish them every happiness and a long life together.
“Planet B-Boy” premiering in New York March 21!
I am ridiculously excited about the theatrical release of the breakdance documentary "Planet B-Boy." This is one of the best dance movies I have ever seen, rivalling "Rize" and "Wild Style." The premiere will be on March 21 at the Landmark Sunshine Theater in New York! Then it goes on limited release in eleven other…
Hello Kitty Online Beta-launching Soon: The cuteness overload may destroy the metaverse!
I have to admit, I am super-excited about the upcoming beta launch of the newest virtual world "Hello Kitty Online." The press release (which you can read after the jump) notes that the persistent 3d virtual environment will be able to accommodate thousands of players and NPCs from the popular kiddie franchise, including Badtz-Maru, My…
Global Kids on ABC News!
I finally got a chance to see the ABC news story from last week about Global Kids. The story focused on our new program teaching science in a real life classroom in Brooklyn using Second Life. Nice coverage of our work, which my colleagues Barry Joseph and Joyce Bettencourt are leading up. Good stuff, guys!
Learning for Failure: The MacArthur Digital Media & Learning Grantee Meeting
I had the honor of being among a small of incredibly smart, dedicated researchers and practitioners who are all supported by the Digital Media and Learning Initiative of the MacArthur Foundation. About 70 of us gathered from Thursday to Friday at USC to talk about issues of common concern, share progress on our respective projects,…
Cool trends: Second Life corporate builds donated to charitable causes
In July of 2007, Starwood Hotels announced that their first experiment with virtual worlds, the Virtual Aloft Hotel, had come to completion. Normally when such things happen, the corporation just has the island and the build derez into the ether and everyone congratulates themselves on a job well done. Starwood decided to do something different…