ISTE2018 Chapter 3--Monday!

Monday was a huge day for us. We started out by racing to the conference center, arriving at 7:00am. Our "Ready Player 101: Imagining, Creating, and Sharing Worlds in Digital Reality" Playground was scheduled to open at 8 and run to 11:30. I had scoped out the space on Saturday and I was thoroughly satisfied that we had planned this playground more thoroughly than any in the past. Well, at least since they had been re-allocated a half-day time slot. Back in the day we had full days, and before that, 3 day Playground!

I set to work establishing a working station at the presentation area, which included a 40" or so flat panel video monitor with a single PA speaker on a post stand, a tall single cocktail table, and 18 upholstered cubes for audience seating. I had scheduled connectivity testing with the three (of six) presenters who were doing so remotely. Those went well--Skype worked great for voice, Second Life was doing okay despite a low frame rate of delivery, Sinespace functioned fine over Skype desktop share, and we were good to go with sound and video by the time testing was complete.

Before the Playground

After the Playground

 Rather than blow-by-blow the event, I'll just give you a set of references that will lend understanding:
The schedule (of our side):

Many of the presenters shared their slides and/or other resources, and those can all be accessed our conference "Digital Tote" folder--see

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QCC9XAzKs6eiGXcaxu1dtkX05dGct0_h

Description: AR/VR Resources, Virtual Environment ideas, Merge Cube Lessons and MORE!!

If there is something you need that you don't see there, please comment here and we'll add it to the folder.

It was crazy before it started. Sort of off in the corner during setup I was spared the pre-scheduled swarm (which proved to be prophetic), but as soon as Mary and Andy started setting up our tables they were swamped by eager conference attendees filled with curiosity and an eagerness to learn. As a result, vibrant learning sessions were already in full swing there by the time my first scheduled presentation was scheduled to begin--and it was to feature Mary and Andy! Our first flexibility was to point folks to their tables to join in on their learning sessions that way (lesson 1 of many).

My second scheduled presentation station event was difficult to "audience" (not that I can recall that word being verbed). The Playground was packed, both our side and the far side (from me) staffed by the Games and Learning PLN. Table presenters were talking and demonstrating on laptops a mile a minute. The G&S Network's presentation station, opposite ours, was full of folks, due both to Kae Novak's audience enlistment mic work and to the placement of that presentation station. I went to work on the mic, sounding a little like a carnival barker, and in a few minutes we had a tidy audience of 6 or 7 to watch Brant Knudsen login to Skype and to Second Life to share the fantastic Pirate Battle Game he uses in his classes at The University of Hong Kong. Yes, we were sharing LIVE from HONG KONG!

That is one of the best affordances of virtual worlds: a sense of presence at a distance. It's perceived co-location despite geographic remove. Brant was actually "with" us at 9am US CDT Time although he was also in Hong Kong at  10pm his own time. Groovy.

Meanwhile, the tables were rocking, and since the presenter from Unity3D had not arrived (and never did--they were swamped in their own way on the Expo floor. That turned out to be okay since there was lots of unity going on over on the G&S side), Bob Vojtek took over the 3rd table while Rosie Vojtek peopled the long table sharing info about Virtual Education Journal. Bob had an admirable pile of 3D gear laid out, including haptic controllers and a 3D camera, and he was walking people through 3D everything, many for the very first time. Andy was sharing CoSpaces and OpenSimulator with eager learners, and Mary was rocking her table with a pile of Mergecubes and sharing lesson plans for using them in the classroom. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee! Click to play:


Toward the end of the Playground, during the part where our connections at the presentation station was more or less taken over with a Second Life feed and the sound in SL failed us so I was looping the movies they were sharing there on the screen, I did a few minutes Facebook Live Video that I think may give you even more of a sense of how that active morning went. Here it is:


By the end of the event we agreed that it had been the best Playground in a long long time. We packed up all our gear and signage and tried to leave the space as clean and ready to set up as we found it.

Monday? Just getting started! Andy and I decided to run up to get lunch and we headed up to the place I had stopped into for dinner Saturday, Weather Mark Tavern. We had the burger lunch special-- delicious--and then got back down to the conference center for some Poster session cruising and Mary's presentation.

Mary did a stellar job with her presentation, "Is 3D for Me?" The ppt for it is available in her digital tote, and it is most definitely worth however many clicks it will take for you to get to it. I took a few pics there, too, as Mary shared everything from basic definitions of 3D to lesson plans replete with templates. Follow Mary's blog "Using Your Smarticles" to reap regular rewards from that connection. She's absolutely amazing:

Andy and I headed back up to the hotel for a bit of a rest. Shortly after we got there, our friend Caitlin Krause, just in from Switzerland, texted Andy and wanted to get together. She was going to run down (literally, run) from her hotel farther north to ours. When she texted she was here, we met her downstairs and decided to go for coffee. It was WINDY, though hot, and it was so great to catch up with her and where she is in her mindfulness journey as we strolled up to Starbucks. You can learn a bit about Caitlin at MindWise, her website, but I feel like I know more after spending only an hour or two with her. All her work, she is more and more discovering, boils down to the importance of human connections. At one point she mentioned that when people want to plumb her expertise about things mindfulness, she increasingly

finds herself talking about connections. It's a rarefied path she is on, and I look forward to following her as she nurtures her spirit and her charm and her intuitive grasp of how things work to move her work forward. Mary joined us, and later Caitlin's pal Andy. We talked a bit deep, laughed a lot, and learned what one another was doing. I suggested we head over to Buckingham Fountain (see that previous post for more) to enjoy the early afternoon. We did.

Are we still on Monday? I told you it would be a big day. Caitlin and Andy #2 left for their place and the three musketeers of virtual reality strolled inland in search of a place we could have a beer or two or three. Our presenting work was done (excepting one small Tuesday morning task for me, which turned out to be quite fun for me). We ended up at Kitty O'Shea's Pub, close to the hotel, for dinner--delicious--then at Buddy Guy's Legends, which I describe in detail in that much-referenced previous post, then put in for a good night's sleep. Here, though, you must see this (thank you, Mary!):

and this:

and finally, and good night (watch for Take 4, the finale, soon!) this:

Quickjumps: Chapter 1, Chapter 2,  Chapter 4

ISTE2018 Chapter 1--Extra-Conference Fun

Starting this on the plane on the way home from what I am currently feeling is my best ISTE ever. Because of that, I believe I will just blog a sentence or two about my best experiences at this best event. So. The first installment will mainly focus on my take on the Windy City and things that I did on this trip outside the realm of ISTE, what I'm calling "Extra-Conference Fun." Don't get me wrong, there's lots to talk about from the conference. If I try to get it down in one post, it'd be book length, so I intend to split it up. Let’s get started.

Chicago

I had never really been to Chi-town, and wow, was I wowed. I booked our hotel room months prior using booking.com (“our” refers to the estimable Andy Wheelock, a brother-from-another-mother and my partner in VEN antics and accomplishments) and I had been intrigued by the historic nature of the Congress Plaza Hotel, and it all worked out extraordinarily well. With very few exceptions, everywhere in this vibrant city that I went I was cordially greeted and well-served. I begin by listing topics and will come back and fill in. Wish me luck.

Chicago 360 & TILT

A while back, my good friend Dr. Helen Crompton responded to my Facebook post about TILT with a challenge. I of course accepted, because who wouldn’t lean 45 degrees out of a 94th story window to spend an hour with Helen? Here’s a Chicago Tribune news story about the attraction and here are a few pics:

photo: Dr. Helen Crompton

photo: Dr. Helen Crompton

Congress Plaza Hotel

...is haunted. I didn't have any experiences my first two nights, but Sunday night, when Andy had arrived, we'd popped out to South Loop Pub for a sandwich and a beer (thanks, Mave, for the friendly service and for being our first of many Irish servers in Chicago) and retired. We slept soundly, but sometime during the night the toilet flushed. It wasn't Andy and it wasn't me, so our only logical conclusion is that the haunt had to go potty. Or maybe it was that gangster who was drowned in a different toilet in the hotel. Built in 1893, it's loaded with history and by gum, despite some cosmetic update needs, we enjoyed staying there. I booked 'way early through booking.com, and we enjoyed a rate that was around half of the standard one! I'm just making it up about the drowned gangster.

DIvvY

I discovered DIvvY (clever spelling with the two v's lower case emphasizing the DYI) after I had done several Lyfts and immediately after my first one in prime time--EXPENSIVE!) and it both saved my wallet and supported my efforts to lose weight. I had lost around 8 pounds with a new daily workout regimen prior to hitting Chicago and though I gained most of it back #eatingChicago it would have been much worse if I hadn't converted some of that fine food to leg muscle with DIvvY. Bike racks are all over the place and at $15 +tax one can hop on a 3 speed bike and just GO, with unlimited 3 hour rides. Convenience, ease of use, and fun=10 of 10. There was one glitchy day my last one when the nearest bike rack was full and the ensuing efforts to grab a bike frustrated my efforts to get to the conference center for my Volunteer shift (I never made it and was excused but I did get to keep the cool deep purple teeshirt). The app tells you where the racks are and how many bikes are there, but it doesn't update that number often enough and I passed up the nearest rack which was full but down/offline/locked to hit the next two which showed two and four bikes respectively but were empty when I got there. Fix that, DIvvy! 

Lyft

Lyft was my go-to "I'm running late and I need to get there as fast as I can" tool. The drivers were almost uniformly friendly and capable. And Andy and I were easily able to hit the "Share" button on the app so we kept our 50/50 deal alive and well easily.

Yolk

Best. Breakfast. Ever. Great service from Sophia, and we ordered identical breakfasts. Unless your dietary inclinations forbid, don’t pass up the following, scarfed from the breakfast menu online.

CORNED BEEF HASH & EGGS House made corned beef, seasoned potatoes, green pepper and onion. Two eggs any style. Toast, pancakes or english muffin.|14breakfast. 

Awesome! Go Yolk!

Buddy Guy's Legends
If I had to pick my favorite "non-curricular" event of the conference it may be a tie, but the tie would be broken by a signed first-day-of-release vinyl album and a picture with the man himself. Andy and Mary and I had just popped in for a beer at the bar and, being poor teachers, were inclined to balk at the ten dollar cover charge, though we paid up and found three of the only very few seats left in the house. Tables were full and we had the clear intuition that something was going on in the club: full tables on Monday night? It was announced that it was "Jam Night" and the band onstage commenced to hammering out some right fabulous blues. A bit later on it was announced that the 82 year-old Buddy was at the bar. We all turned and saw him, sitting quietly with a small entourage around him, dressed snazzily in a black shirt and white pants. The announcer also said that his new album "Buddy Guy: The Blues is Alive and Well," had dropped today and was available for purchase on vinyl and CD at the cashier stand. I stood up, walked over, and purchased the vinyl, a heavy gauge double record set with a simple design featuring full cover photographs of Buddy on each face. While I was paying the cashier, a man behind the counter ripped off the shrink wrap and grabbed a sharpy then walked over to the bar and Buddy signed it! I honestly think I bought the first copy sold at Buddy Guy Legends! A few minutes later Mary grabbed my hand and walked me over to approach Buddy Guy. "You have a big fan here, Mr. Guy, would you let me take your picture with him?" That happened. Thank you, Mary!!! Here's the proof:

Buckminster Fountain

My first day in Chicago, my first "wake up in Chicago" day, the weather was so gorgeous I decided to bike around South Loop, enjoying the lovely gardens, the paved bike trails, the wholly beautiful lakeshore, and Buckminster Fountain. Donated to the city and fired up in 1927, it is a memorial to Clarence F. Buckingham by his philanthropist sister, and it is recognized as one of the largest memorial fountains in the world. I took a 3D image on my iphone with the Occipital3D app and, despite some missing patches it turned out pretty well:

Visit https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10217579388335535&l=78217a847a for the 3D version

The Bean

I had heard about it, had made foiled plans to visit it with a colleague, and I had to see it up close. I biked over up the bike trail north then cut underneath a dark overpass to get to Cloud Park where the Bean resides. Once there, after a couple failed attempts, I had a decent Facebook Live 2 minute video. Watch ...

I think the Bean is a great place to leave off. Next episode I will focus on the fantastic conference itself.
G'day!

Quickjumps: Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4

Sharing a Start Page for Exploring Virtual Environments

I've been working on this work in progress for quite some time. In preparation for ISTE18 in Chicago, Illinois, here it is. Enjoy...

Early June Ramblings

A lot o' things. A lot o' things going on.

Hi, all, I just finished posting at my Falcons Tech blog and since I'm in the groove I wanted to update here. It'll likely be a bit of a chaotic post, since my life is sort of there at the moment.

Mostly, having put the school year behind me, I'm looking ahead to 2018-19 as we move into a portable during construction and then into a brand new computer lab. I'm working on ways to fund new equipment in the new lab. Stay tuned on that...

Looking immediately ahead, I'm knee-deep in the planning for ISTE2018 in Chicago. I'll be flying up the 22nd to get the lay of the land and attend pre-conference activities, particularly Hack Education 2018 on Saturday, an "unconference" that is always a deep learning dive.

On Monday morning, June 25, the Virtual Environments Network presents its 2018 Virtual Environments Playground. VEN was one of the first ever "Focus Groups" to present a day long, themed event, the "Second Life Lounge," in Atlanta at my first ISTE conference. Back then the conference was called NECC (the National Educator's Computing Conference), and that format morphed into the "Playground," as the "Second Life Playground," and then settled into the "Virtual Environments Playground" the third year of its existence. Learn about the beginnings of ISTE.

Anyway, that's my fun focus now. It's especially challenging as our focus at VEN has broadened to include, not just virtual worlds like Second Life and OpenSim, but all things virtual--mixed, augmented, and virtual realities. Along those lines we have some very special guests at the Playground this year. When schedules get finalized, which we anticipate being so on June 19, you'll be the first to know here.

I am also fishing every day I can this summer. I caught a nice catfish at Lake Marrowbone just Monday:

Finally (for now) I just had a birthday and my much-loved, loving wife bought me a new toy, the just-released Oculus Go. I'm very much enjoying noodling around in there and looking for educational potentials--my focus in all things new. Expect some blogging on that here. I am firing back up a dormant blog, "Nashville360VR" just for fun, so head on over there if you have some goggles, or even if you don't.

Over and out for today. #abetterbloggerinthesummer.

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Can we not salvage one important thing in this horrible excuse for an administration?

Copied and pasted. Thank you, my favorite organization in the whole educational world: This makes using your voice easy!

Urge your Senators to restore net neutrality protections

 

The Senate is poised to vote very soon on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) Resolution that would restore net neutrality protections  the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to eliminate earlier this year. Without net neutrality, telecommunications providers are free to establish fast lanes for particular online products, throttle delivery of others, and potentially raise prices and decrease services for students and educators nationwide. Right after the FCC voted to eliminate net neutrality, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced a CRA that would repeal the FCC’s order and reinstate net neutrality.

Reports indicate that we are only one vote away from the CRA Resolution receiving Senate approval. To date, all Senate democrats and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) have committed to voting for the CRA. It is important that all senators hear from you now about your support for this resolution. Additionally, there’s a group of four senators who may be particularly close to switching from a “no” to a “yes.” These four senators are: Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO). Advocates from those four states – Louisiana, Nevada, Alaska and Colorado – are especially encouraged to contact these members and urge them to vote “yes” on the CRA.

ACTIONS TO TAKE THIS WEEK:

     1. Tweet at your Senators.
 

STEP 1: Use our handy tool to easily tweet at your Senators, asking them to support the net neutrality CRA. The system will automatically tag your Senator.

STEP 2: Choose from one of the pre-written tweets or tweet both.

     2.  Call your Senator’s office and ask them to vote “YES” on Sen. Markey’s Congressional Review Act Resolution to restore net neutrality protections.

STEP 1: Click the "Call"  button and wait to be connected to the office. Phone script will appear for you to review before you confirm you want to place the call.

STEP 2: Ask to speak with the staffer handling net neutrality. If the staffer is unavailable, ask to leave a voicemail.

 

Thank you for your ongoing edtech advocacy support.Your voice matters!