For The Love Of Learning!!

What an amazing night in Second Life. The evening started at the birthing center on Kowhai Island. This is an island built by the New Zealand virtual world education group. This group, called the Second Life Education New Zealand (SLENZ), has set up a research project in the on-line virtual world of Second Life. Their aim is for New Zealand educators to pilot at least two projects into determining how multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) might benefit New Zealand education and how this can best be done.On the island, Zelda met up with Petal Stransky (@SarahStewart), a New Zealand mid-wife, educator. We were also met by Ginseng LeFevre, (@allonsdanser), a librarian from Alabama. The three of us toured around the island and then headed over to Nightingale Isle. The cool thing is that we are all passionate about pursuing innovative strategies to spark learning in students, as well as those in our respective practice disciplines. As Ginseng said in her recent blog entry:
              "This is what I love about online Social Media: it fosters passion. Tonite as I was finishing up some school work I saw a tweet in my TweetDeck stream from a midwife in New Zealand who was about to give a tour of her midwife birthing unit in Second Life. It was an open invitation so I immediately teleported there. I met two very smart and passionate nurses who are invested in using SL for teaching nurses and midwives! The tour of the facilities was great, but what I really came away with from that time in SL was a sharing of education passion. Both women were passionate about trying to engage students in the learning process and saw SL as a vehicle for getting there."  

I couldn't agree more.............and am so excited about hanging out with Petal and Ginseng, and many other people in Second Life with a passion for education!! You can catch the rest of Ginseng's blog at:  http://www.mymindgap.com/    Petal also has a very cool blog. You can follow her at http://sarah-stewart.blogspot.com/

 

 Above is a picture of the Operating Room on Nightingale Isle. Once it is finished, the equipment will be fully functioning, and simulations can be performed by students and/or multidisciplinary medical professional teams.

Above, is a picture of Petal and Ginseng performing CPR on Zelda. Thankfully, their BLS certification was up to date, and Zelda pulled through. Great Job!!! 

Above is a picture of the new simulation debriefing room equipped with a video screen, so videos of simulations can be played back for evaluation purposes. Below, Zelda is sitting at one of the computers in the recovery room.

Above is the education center equipped with one powerpoint, and two video screens. By fall, I hope to have a weekly visiting scholar program. This lecture series will include presentations by professionals from medicine, nursing, risk, legal, and other disciplines associated with the delivery of healthcare.
Below: Zelda is delivering Ginseng's baby with the help of Fidelius, the island builder.

The last three pictures show the skybox relaxation area. I hope to hold post clinical conferences here, or have it be an area where students and practicing professionals can hang out and chat after a long day of work. It is a very relaxing place to sit.