Highly Recommended – Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education, March 18-21

I have attended Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) in the past as an attendee, as a volunteer, and I have encouraged my students to attend. It has been a rewarding experience in years past – highly recommended for anyone engaged in teaching and learning in virtual worlds. This conference attracts speakers from all over the world, all of whom are working in distance education and virtual communities. If you’ve never attended a conference in Second Life before this one is exceptional. If you’ve never attended a conference at all, this is a great introduction to the variety of talks you can experience at a professional conference. Many lectures and discussions are done in voice with additional text chat and visual presentations. No matter what the topic, I always learn something new or gain a perspective. I’ve also made friends and personal contacts here. Check out the VWBPE website at http://vwbpe.org/ for event details and calendar. A worthy writeup is here: https://avataric.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/vwbpe-conference-this-week/ The conference takes place Wednesday through Sunday with lectures, a machinima showcase and otherworldly experiences. Some of the events take place in second life, others elsewhere. Some of the events are streamed onto the web live and also archived for offline viewing. Tip: like a real conference, you cannot attend all the events since they occur simultaneously – do not attempt – pick a few things and check it out what you can.