artclectic in Second Life--Please drop in!

Hey, all,

Been knee-deep, virtually and really, living and learning with artclectic this past week. I've also lost my cell phone, but I have to admit it's been kinda quiet and nice without it. Am I reverting? Likely not, just pausing.

I created a little machinima this week to share what I've been building in Second Life with folks who may not be able to come into the virtual environment to experience it first hand. If you can come inworld, the SLurl is http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Port/146/94/501 . If you can't, for whatever reason, maybe this will suffice:


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More later, and lots of it!

"SLARTCLECTIC" You've Got to See It to Believe It!

Hey all,

I've been busy this past two weeks with artclectic, the fabulous annual fundraiser at my school, which happens to be masterminded and made to happen under the capable direction of my lovely wife, Lee Ann Merrick.

Aside from all its own fabulosity, I've been granted permission and prims from Angrybeth Shortbread, art/science genious of great renown in Second Life, to experiment building the show inworld. Please feel free to visit, though I'm only almost finished. I'll make a big announcement to the Second Life education and arts communities when it's ready for visit, and it's currently scheduled to come down November 1!

Visit in Second Life at http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Port/146/94/501 !!!

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Gearing up for artclectic 2009!

I should mention that I’m knee-deep in artclectic work as the season barrels down upon us ineluctably. From helping to maintain the artclectic website to working on emma.com mailings to snapping pictures and working the twitter and facebook feeds I’m there, sports fans.

If you’re in Nashville, or anywhere within driving distance, or anywhere within flying distance, I’m tellin’ ya, get here for the show. The USN Sperling Gymnasium becomes something in no way resembling a school gym, there are family events running virtually the entire time, and the art this year promises to be more varied and more exciting than ever before in the 13 years this unique event has taken place.

Last night, my son Colin and his friend and classmate Hope joined USN drum teacher extraordinaire Ed Haggard at Whole Foods in Green Hills to provide fun (and skilled) percussion to underscore the first public sneak peek at a few of the pieces that will be available for viewing and/or purchase from October 22-25. The show opens to the public on the 23rd after a private Patrons Party the evening of the 22nd and runs all weekend long. I’ll leave you with a link to the website where the schedule of events can be found, along with much more information, and with a little video from last night. Please check out the large comprehensive video on the website homepage as well, just put up by our media helper, Courtney Drake. It contains music by the USN HS Jazz band!

I also want to put in a word of praise for my lovely and talented wife, Lee Ann, Arts Coordinator at USN. Throughout the event and the days leading up to it, there are repeated times for all the volunteers who support the event to get praise and credit. Because she is so selfless and so proud of her people, Lee Ann rarely gets any of it, though one might easlily argue that she deserves it all. Don't think that this event would ever have grown into the one Nashville Parent Magazine calls "The Art Event of the Year" without Lee Ann Merrick's professional and careful nurturing and, most importantly, her wizardly people skills. Don't think it for a minute.

Here's the video!

Draxtor Despres Shares a Beautiful Mashup

This is a really moving mashup of Virtual Environments (the platform for the interview), social media, and real life filmmaking. Don't miss its 5:41 minutes of brilliance. Heck, watch it here, but then go over to the original site to comment. You'll want to favorite his work, "conversations about Art, Technology, and Social Justice."

I love the tagline on his profile: "Unless otherwise obvious, all music written and performed by Bernhard Drax (thanks Uncle Bernie)."

Belated Announcement re a Huge Opportunity for USN

I recently received a query from the Director of Products and Services Development at the National Association of Independent Schools, Susan Booth, for information on innovative projects at my school, University School of Nashville. It was accompanied by flattering encouragement from our school's Diversity Director (yes, we have one, do you?) Caroline Blackwell, a dear friend and colleague, so I responded to that query in the following manner:

Tandberg International Education Market Manager Jan Zanetis has awarded a $14,000 Tandberg Edge95 System loaner unit to University School of Nashville Lower School Technology Coordinator Scott Merrick in exchange for Professional Development program offerings to Tandberg education market customers over the coming academic school year. Details of the programs are being fleshed out over the month of October. When ready, Interactive Videoconferencing sessions-on-request will likely center around the use of Virtual Environments, including Second Life and Open Sim, for building professional learning networks; Web 2.0 tools for the same purpose; and K12 computer programming instruction with Scratch and Alice. Look for these sessions to be offered and promoted soon through the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration.

Network Administrator David MacLean and I are working hard on making sure we have clear and reliable throughput with the unit and I'm in touch with several longstanding collaborators to ensure that my content offerings meet existing needs for teachers and also provide programs that will be attractive and respectful of the investment of everyone's time and interest. Stay tuned! And thanks to Ms. Zanetis for her confidence in my work. (pic courtesy of ivci.com and tandberg)

University of Texas System Poised to Enter 15 Campuses into Second Life--Where is YOUR School?

UT System campuses join virtual world

University of Texas System sets $250,000 aside for Second Life project.

By Ralph K.M. Haurwitz
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, September 28, 2009

Leslie Jarmon, a faculty development specialist at the University of Texas, sensed that David Prior would bring a certain skepticism to her ambitious proposal to create a series of virtual campuses in cyberspace.

Prior, the UT System's executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, was trained as a geologist. And geologists are all about rocks, oil and other stuff that actually exists.

But he was soon quite taken with Jarmon's pitch to bring the system's nine academic and six health campuses into a three-dimensional, online world of learning, research and collaboration called Second Life. The system agreed to put $250,000 into the project from an account it established to underwrite innovative education initiatives.

"I think we'll want to watch this one carefully," Prior told the system's Board of Regents in August. "I think it's going to be rather interesting." ...Read the entire article at statesman.com

The Little Tramp

Posted here for friends and family of Seamus who are not on http://seamusupdates.ning.com, it is


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How I (Seamus) Spent My Summer Vacation

My dear godson Seamus Morrison, son of my brother-from-another-mother James, spent his summer in a very unique way. I'm pleased to share that he's taken up his piano lessons again, that he attends his wonderful independent school half-day or more as he's taking up the rest of his therapy, and that he is a hero of mine. We can all learn from the powerpoint he created to share...

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Videoconferencing To Bring the World to Students

T.H.E. Journal today published a tasty little article on old friend and colleague Janine Lim's pioneering and persevering work to promote and facilitate the adoption of Interactive Videoconferencing in education. I'm so proud of her I must share here.

My own school has recently been granted the loan of a marvelous Tandberg Edge95 codec by Tandberg Education Market Director (and another dear friend) Jan Zanetis. We are currently working on configuring it to get through our newly revamped firewall (an issue mentioned by Janine in her interview); and with any luck, we'll be embarking on some more distance learning adventures of our own. You might stay tuned for that, but in the meanwhile do treat yourself to that article!

Videoconferencing To Bring the World to Students, by Denise Harrison.

Good Ink!

A little ink at Learning and Leading with Technology, ISTE's print and online magazine: I responded a while back to an email from L&L calling for responses to the prompt, "Should You 'Friend' Your Students on Social Networking Sites? I came in on the majority side, as you'll see if you click to read the page I've screengrabbed below, but with a caveat: When former students are adults, as in college age or older, and if they still have an interest in their old elementary teacher and what crazy cutting edge technology he's into these days, I happily do "friend" them.

I do not do so with my own elementary students (I teach K-4 computer) nor with my son's Middle School friends or High School kids. Once they're grown, more or less (and I've lived long enough to know the best of my friends are still growing up) they're on, in my book.

See http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20090910/ and find the Reader's Respond page to see my anecdote. I'm thrilled and pleased that they accepted it for publication. More than anything, I'm glad to have new way to keep up longstanding meaningful relationships.

Kathy Shrock's Guide for Educators

I've been doing some snooping around for resources lately, and I revisited tonight a link at the Discovery Education site to friend Kathy Schrock's resource page. If you knew about it or think you did and haven't visited it for a while, or if you don't know about it, visit now. Her Upcoming Presentations page indicates her current focus is in the area of "Information Overload," something all of us could stand to pay attention to. Her Slide Shows for Teaching page contains dozens of her presentations for your own review and inspiration.

Kathy is truly a maven in her field, having led many of us into it to begin with. Enjoy what she has to share and enjoy it often.

On to the second full week of school!