Virtual Communication

Insieme ma soli di Sherry Turkle, un libro chiave sul meccanismo dell’auto inganno.

by Pietro Piro

Recensione critica a S. Turkle, Insieme ma soli. Perché ci aspettiamo sempre più dalla tecnologia e sempre meno dagli altri, Codice Edizioni, Torino 2012.

Il libro della psicologa del MIT di Boston Sherry Turkle, Insieme ma soli. Perché ci aspettiamo sempre più dalla... more Il libro della psicologa del MIT di Boston Sherry Turkle, Insieme ma soli. Perché ci aspettiamo sempre più dalla tecnologia e sempre meno dagli altri, ha il merito di riuscire a far luce sull’intimità del rapporto uomo-robot. Tuttavia, ci troviamo di fronte ad un libro drammatico. In cosa consiste questo dramma? L’uomo che vive nelle società del cosiddetto benessere avanzato si trova di fronte ad un bivio: o cambiare la propria realtà oppure, costruirsene un’artificiale dove vivere assecondando i propri desideri, perlopiù inconsci. L’autrice ci dimostra, senza troppi moralismi, che proprio dove l’organizzazione del lavoro assorbe maggiori energie, le persone sono spinte potentemente verso un mondo virtuale dove realizzare i propri bisogni più intimi. Analizzando questo libro nella sua portata più ampia, mi pare che faccia da calco al reale e non da carta, e che non sia stato scritto per indicarci la via d’uscita per una realtà (che appare, per chi ha ancora occhi collegati a un cuore umano, di una tristezza disarmante) quanto piuttosto, per avvertirci dell’eventualità di una futura espropriazione da parte della logica dei robot e preparare il terreno per nuove e imprevedibili relazioni di dominio.

DETERMINING THE ROLE OF GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR STIGMERGIC COORDINATION IN SITUATION MANAGEMENT: IMPLICATIONS OF THE WIRELESS GRID

by Janet Marsden

Geospatial technologies in conjunction with wireless
grids will offer a context for locating and coordinating... more Geospatial technologies in conjunction with wireless
grids will offer a context for locating and coordinating team
activities in such a way that the nature of each team member's
effort may be known and understood by other members. This
constructed group knowledge enables teams to respond to
unforeseen and emergent contingencies and act in concert
through the active interpretation of shared artifacts alone
without prior planning and coordination. Stigmergic or
sematectonic coordination refers to how an individual behaves as
part of a collaborative team engaged in a complex task, such as
emergency response (i.e. where the task is of such complexity that
a coordinated team effort is required to accomplish it). Human
stigmergic coordination emerges on the basis of how tasks and
goals are structured and understood between the members of the
team. Geographically coded information, generated and shared
dynamically, gives teams maps of each others’ activities, plus
remotely sensed data. The major function of the geospatial
technology repository and interface is to provide dynamic
knowledge of group activities in real time. Environmental
changes reveal new dependencies for adaptive collaboration as
conditions on the ground evolve, enabling participants to track
the evolution of each other’s work and mutually adjust to it in a
timely manner.

Online Museum Discussion Forums; What do we have? What do we need?

by Jonathan Bowen

Jonathan P. Bowen, Michael Houghton and Roxane Bernier (Université de Montréal). In David Bearman and Jennifer Trant (eds.), Proc. MW2003: Museums and the Web 2003, Charlotte, USA, 19-22 March 2003.

Read more: Museums and the Web 2003: Papers: Bowen, Houghton and Bernier http://www.archimuse.com/mw2003/papers/bowen/bowen.html
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

Virtual communities have become increasingly popular for the general public, using electronic mailing lists,... more Virtual communities have become increasingly popular for the general public, using electronic mailing lists, newsgroups, WWeb-based forums, chat rooms, etc. However, it appears that online forums are not well integrated into the sphere of museums. Curators have therefore not capitalized on widening their mandate and engaging visitors as well as museum professionals themselves in effective online interaction.

This paper presents a survey of existing museum-related forums available for discussion by museum professionals and the general public with an interest in museums. Some of the software and facilities available to museums for the establishment and maintenance of mailing lists, WWeb-based discussion forums and more innovative service like WWeb logs, often freely available, are also explored. A museum discussion forum facility has been implemented experimentally (see under http://forums.museophile.net) using open source software. As well as local forums, this integrates topical information of interest to museum personnel from a wide range of online sources. Finally, some thoughts for the future are discussed.

Keywords: discussion forums, mailing lists, museums, newsgroups, online communities, WWeb logs, World Wide Web

L’uso degli strumenti di comunicazione telematica fra gli adolescenti

by Marco Lazzari

Alessandra De Fiori, Marcella Jacono Quarantino e Marco Lazzari, "L’uso degli strumenti di comunicazione telematica fra gli adolescenti", in Marco Lazzari e Marcella Jacono Quarantino (a cura di), Adolescenti tra piazze reali e piazze virtuali, Bergamo University Press, 2010, pp. 171-203:

Nell‟ambito della ricerca sulle piazze reali e virtuali, si è ostituito
un gruppo di lavoro principalmente... more Nell‟ambito della ricerca sulle piazze reali e virtuali, si è ostituito
un gruppo di lavoro principalmente orientato a mettere a fuoco l‟aspetto virtuale della comunicazione fra gli adolescenti attraverso un‟attività di indagine basata sulla somministrazione di un questionario a un ampio campione di studenti delle scuole bergamasche. [...]

Experiments in mobile spatial audio-conferencing: key-based and gesture-based interaction

by Christina Dicke

Globalising Software Development in the Local Classroom

by Valentine (Val) Casey

Richardson, Ita, Sarah Moore, Daniel, Paulish, Valentine Casey and Dolores Zage, IEEE Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training, CSEET 2007, July 3rd-5th, 2007, Dublin, Ireland

Given the requirement for software engineering graduates to operate in Global Software Development (GSD) environments,... more Given the requirement for software engineering graduates to operate in Global Software Development (GSD) environments, educators need to develop teaching methods to enhance and instill GSD knowledge in their students. In this paper, we discuss two projects that provided students with a first-hand learning experience of working within GSD teams. One project was with Siemens Corporate Research, whose focus was to shadow the development of a real-life GSD project. The second project, whose focus was virtual team software testing, was carried out in collaboration with Ball State University. In parallel with these projects we undertook qualitative research during which we analyzed students’ own written reflections and face-to-face interviews that focused on their learning experiences in these contexts. We identified three specific forms of learning which had taken place: pedagogical, pragmatic and the acquisition of specific globally distributed knowledge. Our findings confirm that mimicking real work settings has educational benefits for problem-based learning environments.

Virtual Teams

by Valentine (Val) Casey

Valentine Casey, Ita Richardson, Book chapter Software Engineering Encyclopaedia Publishers CRC Press Francis Taylor Group, New York, Edited by Laplante, Phillp, A., November 2010

When implementing software development in a global environment, a popular strategy is the establishment and operation... more When implementing software development in a global environment, a popular strategy is the establishment and operation of virtual teams. Software development, while being a technical activity, has key interactive and social dimensions. In the virtual team environment problems arise due to the collaborative nature of software development and the impact introduced by temporal, geographical and cultural distance. In this chapter we present and discuss the key management issues and critical success factors which need to be considered and addressed to facilitate successful virtual team management.

Learning and Teaching in Second Life: educator and student perspective

by Sue Gregory

Gregory, S., Willems, J., Wood, D., Hay, L., Ellis, A., & Jacka, L. (in press). Learning and Teaching in Second Life: educator and student perspectives. In Education 2011 to 2021 - Global challenges and perspectives of blended and distance learning. (accepted forthcoming)

Formal off-campus flexible learning has been a feature of higher education since the 19th century. The introduction of... more Formal off-campus flexible learning has been a feature of higher education since the 19th century. The introduction of various educational technologies over the years have provided additional opportunities for learners to undertake courses offered anytime and in any location, providing greater flexibility for the development of cost-effective learner-centred curricula. With the emergence of 3D virtual worlds such as Second Life in 2003, educators were quick to realise the potential of such immersive environments to extend the flexible learner-centred approaches that had been a feature of off-campus learning over the decades. However, the benefits of technology-enhanced learning can be contradictory and incompatible and can both widen and reduce access to education. Despite the proliferation of articles attesting to the benefits of teaching in virtual worlds such as Second Life, until relatively recently, there has been a lack of empirical evidence reporting on the learning outcomes for students participating in these virtual learning sessions. Good pedagogical practices must be taken into consideration when educating in a virtual world. The case studies presented in this paper aim to go some way in addressing this perceived gap in the literature. In this paper, six educators from five Australian Universities provide their accounts of teaching in a virtual world and report on the learning outcomes as well as their students’ perceptions of their learning experiences.

How are Australian and New Zealand higher educators using 3D immersive virtual worlds in their teaching?

by Sue Gregory

Lee, M. J. W., Dalgarno, B., Gregory, S., Carlson, L., & Tynan, B. (in press). How are Australian and New Zealand higher educators using 3D immersive virtual worlds in their teaching? In Education 2011 to 2021 - Global challenges and perspectives of blended and distance learning. (Best Paper Award) (accepted forthcoming)

Numerous papers have been published reporting on specific applications of 3D immersive virtual worlds in higher... more Numerous papers have been published reporting on specific applications of 3D immersive virtual worlds in higher education, but there have been few attempts to systematically analyse and document views, experiences and applications across the sector. Presented in this paper are selected results and findings from a questionnaire (n = 117), which was administered as part of a DEHub-funded scoping study of the use of 3D immersive virtual worlds in Australia and New Zealand for learning and teaching in distance/online, face-to-face and blended settings. The overall research design of the scoping study is discussed, followed by selected information from the questionnaire responses about the 100 subjects in which the technology was reported to have been used. This includes statistics on the subject levels, discipline areas, delivery modes, virtual world platforms used and whether the virtual world based tasks were compulsory and/or assessable. Finally, the paper reports on data collected from a subset of the respondents who provided more detailed information about their subjects in a number of areas, namely the nature of the in-world activities undertaken by students, the funding and support obtained for the initiative, whether dedicated development was carried out, views on the most successful aspects and the problems encountered.

Second Life: A novice/expert teaching and learning tale

by Sue Gregory

Masters, Y., & Gregory, S. (in press) Second Life: A novice/expert teaching and learning tale. In Education 2011 to 2021 - Global challenges and perspectives of blended and distance learning. (accepted forthcoming

An increasing number of educational institutions are trialling the use of virtual worlds as teaching and learning... more An increasing number of educational institutions are trialling the use of virtual worlds as teaching and learning environments, particularly for distance education students.  In 2009 the authors began a research project to explore the efficacy of one such virtual world, Second Life, as a viable adjunct to other online learning experiences.  However, it was recognised that recognised that most academics had no experience of teaching in a virtual world. An integral aspect of our research was to examine whether a novice user of Second Life could quickly learn to teach effectively with this tool. The teaching experience is outlined from two points of view: the novice and the expert.  The emergent themes are discussed and conclusions are made regarding the efficacy of Second Life as a teaching and learning environment for distance education students and the level of support that might be needed to assist other novices to teach in-world.

Taking the distance out of learning for students through a virtual world

by Sue Gregory

Gregory, S. (2011). Taking the distance out of learning for students through a virtual world. In Hebbel-Seeger, Andreas, T. Reiners, & D. Schaffer (Eds.), 3D Virtual Environments for Education and Business: Advantages and Prospects. (accepted forthcoming)

With everyone’s busy schedules, more and more people are opting to study via dis-tance education as off-campus... more With everyone’s busy schedules, more and more people are opting to study via dis-tance education as off-campus students. This enables them to continue working and keep involved in their community and family activities without relocating. What does distance education mean to students? Traditionally it was receiving materials via the post, completing assignments, posting them back for marking and then doing an exam at the end of the semester. Nowadays, distance learning encompasses a variety of online tools received via a Learning Management System that houses them. Students now participate in discussion boards, chat rooms, blogs and group work in wikis. They listen to podcasts and view videos or presentations of the course materials. However, students are still feeling the isolation of studying by themselves. Students do not want to have to participate in residential schools but they do want to get to know fellow students and their educator. Students who have opted to undertake their studies using the virtual world of Second Life have found many of their concerns dis-appear. They are able to participate from any location world wide, from their own home, but, at the same time, get a sense of “being there”. Students feel it is like face-to-face lectures and have become good friends with their peers. Off-campus students now have the opportunity to undertake their studies “virtually on campus” without physically attending. Second Life enables distance students to study synchronously or asynchronously whilst gaining the benefits that on-campus students experience with-out changing their lifestyles to do so. Studying through a virtual world takes the dis-tance out of their learning.

Teaching higher education students with diverse learning outcomes in the virtual world of Second Life.

by Sue Gregory

Gregory, S. (2011). Teaching higher education students with diverse learning outcomes in the virtual world of Second Life. In R. Hinrichs & C. Wankel (Eds.), Transforming Virtual World Learning, Cutting-edge Technologies in Higher Education (Vol. 4, pp. 333–362). Teynampet India: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

This chapter explores how Jass Easterman (the author’s avatar name) teaches education students concurrently, both... more This chapter explores how Jass Easterman (the author’s avatar name) teaches education students concurrently, both pre-service teachers and postgraduate, in Second Life. It discusses how a virtual world can be a valuable teaching and learning tool for the whole group even though they have a variety of overall goals and learning outcomes. Jass brings distant university students located around the world studying at the one institution together to liaise with each other in Second Life. She has created an innovative tutorial model where students go on virtual tours, visit other educational institutions, attend guest lectures, undertake role play activities, go on Web quests and learn basic building and scripting skills, all from their own homes. Adult learning theories and communities of practice, in a virtual world, underpin all activities. Why Second Life was chosen for these students and what the students say about this type of learning will be discussed. The value of this tutorial model will be explored and reflected upon and conclusions made of its efficacy.

Learning in a virtual world: Student Perceptions and Outcomes

by Sue Gregory

Gregory, S. (2012). Learning in a virtual world: Student Perceptions and Outcomes. In K. Moyle & G. Winjnaards (Eds.), Student Reactions to Learning with Technologies: Perceptions and Outcomes (Vol. 1, pp. 91-116). Hershey Pennsylvania: IGI Global.

During the past three years over 300 university students have explored the educational potential and value of learning... more During the past three years over 300 university students have explored the educational potential and value of learning in the virtual world of Second Life™. This research examined from the perspectives of on and off-campus students, their experiences of learning in this virtual world, through activities underpinned by adult learning theories. A collection of student reactions to their learning in Second Life™ was collected through three pilot studies, and this chapter examines in particular, the students’ perceptions of engagement, immersion, communication, interaction, collaboration and distractions, of learning virtually. The positives and negatives of learning in Second Life™ from the points of view of the students, are discussed. Students who participated in this study were drawn from a variety of groups who were studying different subjects: on-campus students were required to participate in the virtual world educational activities; and the off-campus students, took part voluntarily. This research demonstrates that the students were highly engaged in their virtual learning, as voiced through their perceptions and reactions.

An Australian and New Zealand scoping study on the use of 3D immersive virtual worlds in higher education

by Sue Gregory

Dalgarno, B., Lee, M. J.W., Carlson, L., Gregory, S., & Tynan, B. (2011). An Australian and New Zealand scoping study on the use of 3D immersive virtual worlds in higher education. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 27(1), 1-15.

This article describes the research design of, and reports selected findings from, a
scoping study aimed at... more This article describes the research design of, and reports selected findings from, a
scoping study aimed at examining current and planned applications of 3D immersive
virtual worlds at higher education institutions across Australia and New Zealand. The
scoping study is the first of its kind in the region, intended to parallel and complement
a number of studies conducted in other parts of the world. Results from a sector-wide
questionnaire administered as part of the scoping study, portions of which are
presented in this article, appear consistent with international trends, especially in
terms of the platforms chosen and the dramatic increase in usage seen in recent years.
Higher education teaching staff in Australia and New Zealand are using 3D
immersive virtual worlds with their students in a variety of ways, for both assessable
and non-assessable tasks and in face to face, fully online/distance as well as blendedmode
subjects, although use in face to face and blended contexts appears to be most
common. The results also provide some insight into the demographics (e.g. age) of
staff who have adopted 3D immersive virtual worlds in their teaching, as well as into
the academic disciplines in which the technology is being employed.

Second Life and Higher Education: New Opportunities for Teaching and Learning

by Sue Gregory

Masters, Y., & Gregory, S. (in press). Second Life and Higher Education: New Opportunities for Teaching and Learning. In 1st Global Conference Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds (pp. 1-10). Presented at Inter-Disciplinary.Net - A Global Network for Dynamic Research and Publishing, 1st Global Conference Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds, Prague, Czech Replublic.

Over time, higher education has been repositioned in terms of the delivery of courses. While traditional face-to-face... more Over time, higher education has been repositioned in terms of the delivery of courses. While traditional face-to-face teaching still occurs, there has been a major shift to encompass not only some online teaching and learning approaches for on-campus (internal) students, but also the delivery of courses wholly online to off-campus (distance education/external) students. This has necessitated adjustments in the way higher education institutions use technology for teaching and learning. At the University of New England (Australia) the authors have been researching the efficacy of one virtual world, Second Life, for teaching and learning. Two research pilots have provided data to demonstrate that students were engaged in their learning and appreciative of this innovative approach to teaching and learning online. In 2010, the authors commenced a new research project to ascertain whether students learning via this virtual world environment performed better in their assessment tasks than those students who used a traditional learning management system. Data indicate that this is the case. In this paper, the current research project is firstly situated within the range of research conducted by the authors in Second Life. Its aims are then outlined, the research methods described and one aspect of the data presented and analysed. Indications for future research are then explored.

Australian higher education institutions transforming the future of teaching and learning through virtual worlds

by Sue Gregory

Gregory. S., Lee, M.J.W., Ellis, A., Gregory, B., Wood, D., Hillier, M., Campbell, M., Grenfell, J., Pace, S., Farley, H., Thomas, A., Cram, A., Sinnappan, S., Smith, K., Hay, L., Kennedy-Clark, S., Warren, I., Grant, S., Craven, D., Dreher, H., Matthews, C., Murdoch, D., McKeown, L. (2010). Australian higher education institutions transforming the future of teaching and learning through virtual worlds. In C. Steel, M.J. Keppell & P. Gerbic (Eds), Curriculum, technology & transformation for an unknown future. Proceedings ascilite Sydney 2010 (pp. 399-415)

What are educators‟ motivations for using virtual worlds with their students? Are they using them to support the... more What are educators‟ motivations for using virtual worlds with their students? Are they using them to support the teaching of professions and if this is the case, do they introduce virtual worlds into the curriculum to develop and/or expand students' professional learning networks? Are they using virtual worlds to transform their teaching and learning? In recognition of the exciting opportunities that virtual worlds present for higher education, the DEHub Virtual Worlds Working Group was formed. It is made up of Australian university academics who are investigating the role that virtual worlds will play in the future of education and actively implementing the technology within their own teaching practice and curricula. This paper presents a typology for teaching and learning in 3D virtual worlds and applies the typology to a series of case studies based on the ways in which academics and their institutions are exploiting the power of virtual worlds for diverse purposes ranging from business scenarios and virtual excursions to role-play, experimentation and language development. The case studies offer insight into the ways in which institutions are transforming their teaching for an unknown future through innovative teaching and learning in virtual worlds. The paper demonstrates how virtual worlds enable low cost alternatives to existing pedagogies as well as creating opportunities for rich, immersive and authentic activities that would otherwise not be feasible or maybe not even be possible. Through the use of virtual worlds, teaching and learning can be transformed to cater for an unknown future.

3D immersive virtual worlds in higher education: An Australian and New Zealand scoping study

by Sue Gregory

Dalgarno, B., Lee, M.J.W., Carlson, L., Gregory, S. & Tynan, B. (2010). 3D immersive virtual worlds in higher education: An Australian and New Zealand scoping study. In C. Steel, M.J. Keppell & P. Gerbic (Eds), Curriculum, technology & transformation for an unknown future. Proceedings ascilite Sydney 2010 (pp. 269-280). (Outstanding Paper Award)

This paper reports initial findings of a major scoping study that is being undertaken to examine current and planned... more This paper reports initial findings of a major scoping study that is being undertaken to examine current and planned applications of 3D immersive virtual worlds at higher education institutions across Australia and New Zealand. This scoping study is the first of its kind in the region. It is parallel and complementary to several studies conducted in other countries, and results obtained thus far appear consistent with international trends. The overall research design of the scoping study is discussed, along with preliminary results from the Australian/New Zealand sector-wide questionnaire. There seem to be preferred platforms being used in the Australian and New Zealand context, and usage has increased dramatically in recent years. Academics are using 3D immersive virtual worlds with their students in a variety of ways, for both assessable and non-assessable tasks. The project is supported by the Distance Education Hub research consortium, with team members from Charles Sturt University and the University of New England.

Virtual Environments as Situated Techno-Social Performances: Virtual West Cambridge Case-Study

by Stanislav Roudavski

Roudavski, Stanislav (2010). 'Virtual Environments as Techno-Social Performances: Virtual West Cambridge Case-Study', in CAADRIA2010: New Frontiers, the 15th International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, ed. by Bharat Dave, Andrew I-kang Li, Ning Gu and Hyoung-June Park, pp. 477-486

This paper focuses on Virtual West Cambridge – an interactive multimedia environment constructed to support design and... more This paper focuses on Virtual West Cambridge – an interactive multimedia environment constructed to support design and development of a large-scale, long-term urban project. In architecture, such persistent, continuously-growing virtual environments are unusual. Consequently, they pose unique challenges in procurement, development, maintenance and utilization. This paper re-conceptualizes virtual environments as situated techno-social performances rather than software programs or multimedia representations and discusses how this re-conceptualisation can inform their understanding, design and utilisation.

Guidi, G. Frischer, B., De Simone, M., Spinetti, A., Carosso, L., Micoli, L. L., Russo, M., 2005. 3D acquisition and modeling of a large plaster of ancient Rome

by Michele Russo

Proceedings of Multimedia.Information@DEsign for Cultural Heritage (MIDECH ’05), Maurizio Rossi and Paolo Salonia (editors), Milan, 5 Aprile, pp. 52-64. ISBN 88-548-0029-5

This paper describes 3D acquisition and modeling of the “Plastico di Roma antica”, a large plaster-of-Paris model of... more This paper describes 3D acquisition and modeling of the “Plastico di Roma antica”, a large plaster-of-Paris model of imperial Rome (16x17 meters) created in the last century. Its overall size demands an acquisition approach typical of large structures, but it also is characterized by extremely tiny details typical of small objects: houses are a few centimeters high; their doors, windows, etc. are smaller than 1 centimeter. The approach followed for solving this “contradiction”, generating a huge but precise 3D model by using a special metrology Laser Radar, is described. The procedures for reorienting the huge point clouds obtained after each acquisition step (50-60 millions of points each) in a single reference system thanks to the measurement of fixed redundant references, are reported. A proper splitting of the data set in 2x2 meters sub-areas for allowing data merge and mesh editing is finally shown.

Guidi, G., Micoli, L., Russo, M., Frischer, B., De Simone, M., Spinetti, A., Carosso, L., 2005. 3D Digitization of a Large Model of Imperial Rome

by Michele Russo

Proceedings of 5a International Conference on 3-D Digital Imaging and Modeling, Ottawa (Ontario, Canada), 13-16 Giugno, pp. 565-572. ISBN: 0-7695-2327-7, ISSN: 1550-6185.

This paper describes 3D acquisition and modeling of the “Plastico di Roma antica”, a large plaster-of-Paris model of... more This paper describes 3D acquisition and modeling of the “Plastico di Roma antica”, a large plaster-of-Paris model of imperial Rome (16x17 meters) created in the last century. Its overall size demands an acquisition approach typical of large structures, but it is also characterized by extremely tiny details, typical of small objects: houses are a few centimeters high; their doors, windows, etc. are smaller than 1 cm. The approach followed to resolve this “contradiction” is described. The result is a huge but precise 3D model created by using a special metrology Laser Radar. We give an account of the procedures of reorienting the large point clouds obtained after each acquisition step (50-60 million points) into a single reference system by means of measuring fixed redundant reference points. Finally we show how the data set can be properly divided into 2x2 meters sub-areas for allowing data merging and mesh editing.