SLENZ Update, No 146, October 27, 2009

Australasia’s first “complete” virtual school
South Island  schools  to take  trade
training to  the world – virtually
A New Zealand Virtual School classroom developed by SmallWorlds.
A group of  South Island, New Zealand, secondary schools, with training partnerships and associations nationally,  is to establish Australasia’s first  virtual,  online school,  New Zealand Virtual School.
To open in 2011 it will  cater [...]

SLENZ Update, No 141, October 6, 2009

THE SLENZ PROJECT
SLENZ teams finds new ‘acceptance,
enthusiasm’  at    education  gabfest
… Need seen to retain team skills, post-SLENZ Project
Almost full house … Aaron Griffiths details a Developer’s work.
as the SLENZ Lead Developer/builder.
Growing “acceptance” of Second Life as an education medium  and a new  “enthusiasm” for  virtual world education  was demonstrated in Palmerston North, New Zealand, [...]

SLENZ Update, No 139, September 24, 2009

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
SLENZ members  on  international

virtual world conference  circuit
1. Cochrane at SLaction 2009

The Valverde conceptual design … as envisioned in Second Life.

There are two Second Life conferences over  the next few days which will feature  the work of members of the SLENZ Project team, underlining just   what can be achieved both by individuals and team [...]

SLENZ Update, No 137, September 19, 2009

LIFE IN A NEW ZEALAND VIRTUAL WORLD
ONGENS  gets its first ‘Kiwi Tavern’
as  virtual ‘Aotearoa’  grows …
Sign of the ONGENS times … The Kiwi Tavern  at Port Cook.
Even though the New Zealand National Virtual World Grid appears to be going through a difficult and, at times, fragile gestation, there is a small band of enthusiasts who [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 97, June 9, 2009

‘Exciting’ Kiwi development
Major New Zealand universities seek  funding
to establish  national virtual world grid

Proposal pdf here
Three major New Zealand universities are planning to establish an open-access, open-source New Zealand National Virtual World grid based on the ONGENS OpenSim grid which is currently under development.
The universities are Otago University, the University of Canterbury, and the University of [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 81, May 12, 2009

MIDWIFERY TUTORS ‘ENTHUSIASTIC’
Exciting introduction to SL with bonding  and play

Trainers, Dr Clare Atkins and Todd Cochrane with Kate Spencely, Dr Deborah Davis
and Sarah Stuart. (Pictures from Sarah  Stewart)
The importance of a time for “play” when people are initiated into Second Life was reinforced for  the SLENZ Project’s joint leader, Dr Clare Atkins (SL: Arwenna Stardust), when  [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 78 , May 7, 2009

STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Patience, persistence needed,
but  its ‘not boring’

Rittirong Damrongkitkanwong is aey Viper in Second Life.
The international nature  of virtual worlds  and of New Zealand education in general  is typified by Weltec student Rittirong Damrongkitkanwong, from Phuket Thailand (SL: aey Viper)  who is in his  third year of  a Bachelor in Information Technology  programme.
As a class project  [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 29, November 28, 2008

REGISTER NOW FOR SLENZ
OPEN WORKSHOP
December 15, from 9am to 5pm (New Zealand Time): New Zealand’s leading virtual world learning research group, Second Life Education New Zealand (SLENZ), has invited interested educators to attend a free, one-day workshop in real life on Wellington Institute of Technology’s Wellington campus and in Second Life on the Nelson-Marlborough Institute [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 28, November 24, 2008

YOU ARE INVITED
‘Open’ SLENZ workshop

New Zealand’s leading virtual world learning research group, Second Life Education New Zealand (SLENZ), has invited interested educators in both Second Life and “real life” to attend a one-day workshop in Wellington, New Zealand.
The open workshop will be held on Wellington Institute of Technology’s Wellington campus and in Second Life from [...]