Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Summary:

The central idea is to have a virtual classroom rezzer that will generate a structure with platforms, consistent with the teachers curricullum outline. Students come inworld asychronously and walk the platforms viewing/hearing the data, or as a group for classes and teacher adds chairs/lectern in front of a platform and conducts classes

Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Frederic Emam-Zade 1225378927|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

The central idea is to have a virtual classroom rezzer that will generate a structure consistent with the teachers curricullum outline.

STEPS:

1- The teacher prepares a note with an outline including: SUBJECT, Headings, Subheadings, etc.

2- Teacher inserts that information into a widget, that will rezz a 3 or 4 level organizatonal structure (like an org chart but 3D) with scripts embedded in it

3- Once the structure is rezzed the teacher splits the land below it in 4X8 miniparcels and places/adjusts the structure above them so as to be able to play different media in each platform

4- Teacher inserts the media URL in each parcel and places a media player in each platform, as well as other objects, such as URL, e-books, notes, and anything else she/he wants the students to see and learn

5- Students come inworld asychronously and walk the platforms viewing/hearing the data, or as a group for classes and teacher adds chairs/lectern in front of a platform and conducts classes

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

azwaldo 1225412330|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Suggestion: Keep the sub-parcels in place, permanently. To sub-divide land, users would not only need an understanding of land controls (many users never use land contols), they would also have to belong to the group with the deed to the land. An area of the UofA region could be dedicated to this design.

Then, the platforms could also remain in place. Each platform could be modified (i.e., by color) to indicate if media content has been assigned; if a platform does not have content, then that platform could be non-colored or transparent to indicate a "blank" state.

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Frederic Emam-Zade 1225705282|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I like your suggestions, lets do it!.

You are right. it all depends on having different parcels owned by different avatars; so this requires educating the students on land controls and media texture applying and playing.

Well, I experimented with youtube and .mov files and the concept works well with different avatars being able to watch different media in different miniparcels, even though they are only inches apart, but so far it only works well with .mov videos; not with youtube. Also, a problem came up: each Avatar will see all the screens showing its selected media, even though each will see a different video, but on all screens; so in this new version (BLUE & WHITE) a horizontal dark blue box has been added to (1) block each avatars view of other screens and have it focus on the one he is standing on, and (2) improve the perception of the screen with dark blue surroundings (they could also be black when being used).

Last edited on 1225705484|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover By Frederic Emam-Zade + Show more

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Bjorn Collins 1225792903|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

It is however possible to have user based parcels, lets say 4x8meters or even smaller as posted above, for single studies - eventually by watching a movie. (specific landcontrols are not needed, its always possible to script your way through that).

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

azwaldo 1226090798|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

"…different parcels owned by different avatars; so this requires educating the students on land controls and media texture applying and playing."

Students would not have to assign media, a single input by the teacher could assign a sequence of URLs to all platforms. This, too, could be done by dragging a prepared notecard to an object…

"…possible to have user based parcels, lets say 4x8meters or even smaller as posted above, for single studies"

Good thinking…if I am finished with viewing one media file I can just navigate to the next one that was assigned by the instructor, without even changing platforms. On touch of platform, user is presented with dialog menu to select media item.

A grouping of these user-based parcels could even service any number of courses. Each teacher submits their own media list, and when a student touches platform, the script could determine the user's class (as belonging to class, found in list) and offer as a menu only the URLs that are specific to that class.

*** Edit ***@

(New page): Interactive Classroom

Last edited on 1226331968|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover By azwaldo + Show more

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Frederic Emam-Zade 1226345055|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Azwaldo: Your line of thought takes this idea much further and is fantastic ! But my major challenge is the scripting of what you suggest, since i dont know how to script and therefore need collaboration tu put your ideas to work. Do you know how to script? can you collaborate? if not, do you know a scripter that could do this?

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Frederic Emam-Zade 1226344527|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Thanks Bjorn, I tried your idea on my land and I discovered you don´t need each student to control land. The teacher can subdivide the land in the small 4X8 or better 4X12 parcels and program each one with a different movie (and of course place the relevant objects there); my major challenge is the scripting of some other aspects (i dont script well at all and need collaboration there).

Last edited on 1226344679|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover By Frederic Emam-Zade + Show more

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Far Link 1226692648|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I love the idea of the platforms and the functionality being discussed here, though Frederic makes a great point about a serious need for scripting. Options for this might include..

1- Utilizing our own scripting talent within the group (I personally have very little)
2- Hire scriptors ($)
3- Encourage scriptors to participate to boost their individual or company's exposure to the public (portfolio booster)
4- Only utilize very basic scripts within the project and describe additional functionalities though associated visual aides or text.
5- Utilize no scripts and describe all functionalities through associated visual aides or text.

I guess this partly depends on what level of finished product we are presenting (fully functional prototype or just a proposal to be implemented at a future time)..

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

azwaldo 1226797041|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

At the very least, the interactivity of these designs can be explored here, in this forum. Providing the University with a features list would allow development to proceed without missing a beat. Toward this end, a new page has been created to describe the design of the platforms (or pods). (Link)

Last edited on 1226797100|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover By azwaldo + Show more

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Omei Turnbull 1226863656|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I heartily agree that maximizing the SL's parcel media functionality is a critical aspect of this project. But it is a misconception that having different users simultaneously viewing different content requires them to be in different parcels. The QuickTime steam that is being played does not pass through the LL servers, and can be different for every user on the parcel. LSL, SL's scripting language, supports this with the PARCEL_MEDIA_COMMAND_AGENT parameter to llParcelMediaCommandList. It is only the client GUI that is restricted to setting one default media URL for every user.

The choice between a grid of many display parcels, or a more traditional arrangement of one screen being viewed by multiple users (with each user potentially seeing something different on the screen) should be based on architectural considerations, not technical constraints. Personally, I would favor a few small "individual study" rooms with one screen and a handful of seats. Rather than being restricted to playing things the professor put into the display unit, the user's could bring their own content objects to the room, (typically, provided by the instructor for whatever course they are taking) and play them there. Of course, an instructor might well put a "course content dispenser" near the display, so that students could pick up the content conveniently, but other instructors might prefer some other mechanism for distributing content items to students.

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Frederic Emam-Zade 1226909275|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I find Azwaldo´s pods a simpler and more efficient structure than mine, and thus worth considering it very seriously. It is more efficient in the sense that it gets more students in less space and optimizes the maximum possible density. Some might think this is irrelevant because of the limited number or avatars and prims that can fit into a sim, but those limits are bound to expand with time and we can envision even whole parcels with these pods for use as "study halls", and/or with classrooms by areas, for example, and clasrooms also grouped in virtual schools. In one 65,536 sq meter sim you can fit 4,096 of these 1-prim pods and still have 10,904 prims to build some walls to separate some of these groups of pods into Classrooms (having the pod double as a seat for a student) and some of these classrooms into buildindgs and still have an enormous amounts of prims left to add 2-3 objects to the pods. Brilliant !

Last edited on 1226909400|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover By Frederic Emam-Zade + Show more

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Frederic Emam-Zade 1226909889|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Regarding OMEI TURNBULL´s comments: Yes, we can make a virtual classroom more script intensive or more build (prim intensive). I would then ask: which is easier to learn to use for a teacher? which is easier to learn to use for a student? which would give you the most results for the least use of resources? I like OMEI´s idea of the individual studies, which is why I designed my prototype that way and why i like Azwaldo´s pod system.

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Frederic Emam-Zade 1226910771|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Expanding on Azwaldo´s pod system, if we assume that a class contains 36 subjects, for example, then the 4,096 pods in a sim could be grouped in (4,096/36)=113 classrooms in one sim, a very large "school", which is an exageration right now. Anothr approach would be to divided the sim in 12 grades, which would permit the to have (4,096/12)=341 pods per grade to assign to an equal number of classrooms and subjects in that grade; so if that grade has 6 classrooms(assignatures) to it then you can fit (341/6)=56 subjects to each.

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

azwaldo 1226953272|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

"The QuickTime steam … can be different for every user on the parcel"

This is good news. Individual study pods can have one seat, two, or thirty-two; and, there may be a reason to provide these in combination (though I have not thought of it, yet). Next stop: the pod page

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Bjorn Collins 1227085737|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

a quick code input here, I have made myself a youtube converter on my own webserver - now im aware that alot of people already has it, but I just want to make my own, and mine is capable of using any stream server needed, even windows media stream servers. it just have to be configured.

It works with you clicking the object that controls the feed, then you enter the url needed, and it converts it to a usable string for the parcel media settings.

I am in the work to make a socalled "phptube" that means, you can run your very own youtube on a webserver, taken you have the massive space needed *grin*

I will post the php code aswell as the lsl code in the script forum.

Edit: Added link.

Last edited on 1227085979|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover By Bjorn Collins + Show more

Re: Curricullum based Virtual Classroom with multimedia friendly 4X8 platforms

Far Link 1227125246|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

This is in response to the discussion in this thread as well as Frederic's last post under 'Considering the Physical' regarding a form of social networking built into the interface.

It sounds like the discussion is moving toward a more individual experience of the media pod (or at least what is streamed through the media display). An avatar approaches a pod, begins the media presentation or stream in whatever manner is decided upon, and proceeds to watch that stream independently of other avatars. This method is ideal for the asynchronous use of the virtual classroom as anyone can access it at different times to learn the same information.

I am wondering about a more collaborative exchange which could take advantage of some of the social qualities SL has to offer. For example; once a particular lesson or media stream begins, it might be nice to have an easy way to find out which avatars are viewing that same information. The individual could then open an IM channel to that person to discuss what is being shown if they have any questions or comments on the material. This might allow for spontaneous study groups to form between avatars viewing similar material within a parcel.

Another possibility is to automatically generate a dedicated IM channel (or sub-group) tied to the media being displayed which would allow you to communicate directly with other members watching that particular media.

"You have just opened the media package titled 'Intoductory Calculus.' Currently 3 other members are watching this media. Would you like to join the chat group 'Introductory Calculus' to share questions or ideas with the group?"

This would help to differentiate the virtual classroom experience from students simply accessing the given URL outside of Second Life. This is, of course, negated if we design each pod as dedicated to a particular media stream where anyone occupying that pod would obviously be watching the same material.