VWBP!

I have to admit, I got the times messed up for the events I really wanted to go to. But to say the least, I still learned a lot more than I thought I did. After I missed the EVE Online Tour,  decided to choose a different event. I went to the poster exhibit area, and found that I was particularly interested in what I saw. I know that in class, we learn that you can use virtual worlds as a medium for teaching. But hell, did they really get into it.  I had never been more thoroughly intrigued with the depth they took to show how connectivity benefits learning. One of the first poster areas I went to talked about Universities on the Hypergrid. The University of Cincinnati had bought land in Secondlife, where they built a complete replica of the UofC campus. The Center for Simulations & Virtual Environments Research (UCSIM, a group of students and professors from Cincinnati) provides support for the application of virtual environments.They use it to enhance teaching and learning, and to model complex processes and situations through the use of computer generated and enhanced environments. It creates educational and practical applications of virtual worlds, such as first responders to incidents such as policemen and firefighters. At first I never really thought about what exactly entails 'practical' uses for a 3D augmented world- but the more I thought about it, it also applies to training for astronauts and pilots alike. It's intriguing to see how 3D worlds, not just Secondlife, can have a more substantial effects on learning on students other majors, rather than ones just learning to make video games and 3D worlds.