Join us on April 9 for the start of the 4 day VWBPE conference and our amazing line-up of speakers, panels, workshops, sim demonstrations, poster presentations, and more. Our conference covers a wide range of subjects concerning virtual worlds and how we use these for education, virtual reality, smart games, arts and science, and the future of technology.

So opens the March 9th announcement for the seventh Virtual Worlds Best Practice in Education (VWBPE) conference, which will once again be taking place in both Second Life and OSgrid.

Run by educators for educators, and with an annual attendance of some 2,000 people from all around the world, this year’s conference will take place between Wednesday April 9th and Saturday April 12th, 2014 inclusive. The Event schedule is still being developed, but the conference will commence at 11:00 SLT on Wednesday April 9th, with an informal meet and greet between 12:00 and 13:00, and will close on Saturday April 12th with a special ceremony at 18:00 SLT, followed by a party at 19:00 SLT.

Between these times, there will be between 150 and 200 on-line events, including keynote speakers, presentations, panels, demonstrations, social events and networking opportunities – an appropriate activity, given this year’s theme of “Connections”.

Keynote Speakers

Wednesday April 9th

13:00 SLT – Opening Keynote: Philip Rosedale, CEO High Fidelity Closing the Gap: Virtual Reality & Education at the VWBPE Central Auditorium, Second Life.

Thursday April 10th

07:00 SLT – Justin Clark-Casey, President OpenSimulator umbrella Overte Foundation Connections in an Open Place at the VWBPE Main Auditorium, OSGrid

Justin Clark-Casey, President OpenSimulator umbrella Overte Foundation at the VWBPE Main Auditorium, OSGrid 10:05 SLT – Maria Korolov, Editor in Chief, Hypergrid Business The Coming 3D Future Shock at the VWBPE Main Auditorium, OSGrid.

Friday April 11th

07:00 SLT – Andrew Hughes, CEO Designing Using Virtual Worlds and Gamification to Enhance Learning at the VWBPE Central Auditorium, Second Life

at the VWBPE Central Auditorium, Second Life 13:00 SLT – Ebbe Altberg, CEO Linden Lab Reconnecting with the Education Market at the VWBPE Central Auditorium, Second Life

Saturday April 12th

07:00 SLT – David Gibson, Associate Professor at Curtin University in Perth, Australia Design Implications of Game-Based Analyses at the VWBPE Central Auditorium, Second Life

at the VWBPE Central Auditorium, Second Life 13:00 SLT – Dr. Larysa Nadolny, Assistant Professor, Iowa State University “There’s always room for a virtual zipline”, and other lessons from SciEthics Interactive at the VWBPE Central Auditorium, Second Life

As well as the keynote presentations, the conference will feature over 70 peer-reviewed papers.

Notes on Attending

The VWBPE conference is free to attend, and those wishing to do so should register via the conference registration page on Eventbrite. Attendees will also need accounts for both Second Life and OSgrid in order to attend all events on both grids.

Sponsorship and Donations

Organisations and individuals wishing to sponsor VWBPE 2014 can do so via the conference’s Indiegogo page. This lists a number of sponsorship options, ranging from $25.00 USD through to $1,500 USD, each level with its own benefits.

Those who prefer to donate to the conference can do so via the conference registration web page.

Follow-up Course

The main conference will be followed by a 3-week Massively Open Online Course (MOOC). This is intended to highlight examples of educational design from many immersive environments. In the past, presentations have included environments such as Club Penguin, Eve Online, World of Warcraft, Spot on 3D, inWorldz, Sococo, and a host of other virtual platforms. Details on the MOOC are generally posted to the VWBPE MOOC website, although information on the activities for 2014 have yet to be posted – check the main VWBPE website for updates.

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