MoonWorld Is Subject of Virtual Presentation
Fri Apr 23 2010
Dr. Debbie Denise Reese, senior educational researcher at the Center for Educational Technology, presented the best practices of the NASA-funded MoonWorld development in the guise of her Second Life virtual world avatar, Frecka Salsman.
The presentation was delivered March 12 via virtual technology for the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VW-BPE) conference, in which participants of virtual worlds shared current teaching, learning, and research practices in 3D virtual environments.
Reese worked with the SciLands group in making the presentation. SciLands is a mini-continent and user community in Second Life devoted exclusively to science and technology. More than 20 science and technology organizations have presences in SciLands, including government agencies, universities and museums. SciLands members have regular meetings in Second Life where they share ideas, help each other, and plan future projects. Members also share resources like meeting spaces on their islands. Reese and Dr. Chuck Wood, director of the Center for Educational Technologies, are members of the SciLands community.
SciLands selected individuals from its members to represent SciLands on a VWBPE panel. Reese was selected to present on MoonWorld, a virtual lunar landscape that is designed by the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future at the Center for Educational Technologies to explore learning opportunities in virtual worlds such as Second Life.
In MoonWorld your avatar explores the lunar surface, closely observing the terrain, collecting samples, and making measurements to piece together the history of one part of the Moon–the Timocharis region. Your team returns to the lunar base to synthesize your data and to make sure the life support system is still pumping out air, water, and food.
