The 2015 Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) conference will take place in Second Life and OpenSim between Wednesday, March 18th and Saturday, March 21st inclusive.

VWBPE is a global grass-roots community event focusing on education in immersive virtual environments which attracts 2200-3500 educational professionals from around the world each year.

The theme for this, the 8th VWBPE conference is Crossroads, and the organisers have released an update to remind people that the first set of crossroads regarding their involvement is approaching, with deadlines drawing near.

Important Dates

VWBPE Exhibition submissions extended – but must close on Friday, February 27th

Exhibition space is available at the main VWBPE venue in Second Life, providing the opportunity for exhibitors to display and promote their products and / or services in 3D. Spaces within the exhibition area are limited, and will be provided on a first come, first serve basis, with priority being given to educators, community organizations, and non-profits.

Please visit the conference Exhibits page for further information.

2015 Thinkerer Award nominations set to close on Sunday, March 1st

Named after its first recipient in 2014, Thinkerer Melville (Selby Evans in the physical world), the Thinkerer Award is presented to an individual whose deeds and actions have shown consistent selfless service towards the promotion of learning, community, and educational practices, and who exemplifies the spirit of cooperative development within immersive environments.

Nominations are currently open for potential recipients of the 2015 award, and those interested in nominating someone are directed to the Thinkerer Award nominations guidelines for further information.

Post-Conference Tours – submissions close on Friday, February 27th

Explorations – the VWBPE post-conference virtual tours – provide an opportunity for educational leaders to share their visions of education beyond the traditional classroom setting, by offering tours of their virtual environments to their VWBPE peers. These tours have historically generated the greatest excitement in the spirit of inspiration and sharing, and and promise to do so again, both through them and through the use of social media tools.

Those wishing to present a tour of their virtual environment can find the guidelines and submission requirements for doing so on the VWBPE Explorations page.

The Programme and Calendar

The conference calendar is now available, and can be seen on-line (use the Go To options to advance to March and the conference, if necessary).

Conference events will commence at 13:00 SLT on Wednesday, March 18th, with the opening keynote address by Ebbe Altberg, entitled Education in Second Life and in the Future. This will see Ebbe share his thoughts on the value Linden Lab places on the education market, some of the compelling educational uses cases he’s seen during his tenure as CEO, and his perspective on how virtual experiences and education will be important to one another in the future.

Following the opening keynote, and throughout the four days of the event, the conference will present a mix of keynote addresses, presentations, talks, discussions and more, covering a broad canvas of education and virtual mediums.

Attendance

Attendance at the conference is free, and the attendee registration page is open. For those who which to support the costs involved in staging VWBPE events in both Second Life and OpenSim, can also opt to register using one of the Crowdfunder options available via the registration page.

Sponsorship

Best Practices in Education are at the forefront of a technically revolution that is creating inspiring innovation in the classroom; a revolution which is adding momentum to the intersection where academic learning meets a student’s willingness to engage in simulations which build moral character, leadership ability, and critical thinking.

Be a part of these exciting trends by helping support a conference for educators who use leading edge tools and techniques in the classroom. The VWBPE conference reaches over 3000 educators from around the world who are advancing these educational techniques.

Donations are used to help create open-sourced, peer-reviewed archives which extend well beyond the 3-4 days of the VWBPE conference, as well as permit teachers and educators to learn how to work with changing technologies in the classroom.

In addition, your brand recognition will expand well beyond a simple 4 day conference given that it will be part of the public record and accessible through the US Library and Archives. You can view past conference proceedings at the Journal of Virtual Studies.

There is no better investment than in educating the future leaders in advanced education, so learn today how to become a sponsor for the 8th Annual Best Practices in Education Conference.

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