Eco feet…

Each journey starts with a single step

Each journey starts with a single step

So, when visualizing a learning opportunity, I like to see it as a series of “stations” or activities, a journey if you like through the course material that hopefully provides a structured and developmental approach to the unfamiliar, one step at a time.

trail of breadcrumbs

trail of breadcrumbs

So, we are getting students to investigate their ecological impact on the planet. To do this, they explore an “ecological footprint” – so it seems natural they walk along a previously established path of green footprints.

I like the visual metaphor of the trail of breadcrumbs – it is a universal “follow me” beacon. Students proceed from the rally point to investigate, down a labyrinthal corridor to room 2.3.

I have set up a room for this activity, and had to decide how to lead students in a linear way through a developmental sequence without tying them down so strictly they cannot investigate in an order that also suits their own style. Fortunately I had a lesson plan (thanks Deb) and so sort of used that as the skeleton for the area.

3introSo, just inside the door of the room, we take students through what amounts to a rationale of what we are going to do and why that is a valid thing to do. I want to believe that students will read this but hope that their teachers have also done some of the ground work prior to the in-world experience; seeing this cold would be hard work for younger punters I suspect.

I used a “power point” metaphor here, but presented each slide on a separate screen – an information walk of types – the red foot trail emphasizing the start here and walk to here – I think it is clear.

some formal reference material

some formal reference material

We then dive out to some robust reference material – each of these screens spawns a webpage in the in-world browser – one is a reference site on ecological impact that contains a fair bit of reading and some snarly vocab – the other is our glossary from our Wiki (a work in progress) which I think will help de-goddldeygook the references. The aim here is to allow them to become informed about issues and measures – with real classroom intervention this has the potential be a rich experience.

now for some personal calculation

now for some personal calculation

Punters now calculate their personal eco foot print – the site linked here is a neato flash learning object that delivers, via a series of point and click survey questions, the number of hectares their personal ecological footprint measures. They need this information, and it is nice and accessible, the language and visuals guide you in well thought out stages.

go green, care and share

go green, care and share

On their journey, they have formed opinions and got ideas on what are ecologically sustainable practices, good green things to do … so we ask them to post a “top tip” to a database-managed collection and then explore other contributions.

Next we ask them to use a little value judgement, and place their own personal eco footprint somewhere on a coloured continua (low impact .. high impact) – this necessitates a world-skill, that of making positioning and describing a new object.

how to recipe

how to recipe

Rather than just presume punters would know how, I thought making the process explicit was a good idea – we have seen some random, clumsy and inexpert spawning of response objects so far, so a little world-skill building is a good idea.

rainbow graph

rainbow graph

The visual metaphor of “cold” to “hot” I thought would resonate, and asking them to place it in a non-quantitative way should also get them thinking in comparative ways, at least that is the aim.

We have cybernauts in here next week, guess the proof of the design will be in the successful completion, and abundance quality discussion, idea sharing and (dare I hope) learning.

What do you think?

Walk a mile in my …

One of the activities we will be getting punters into is the calculation of “Eco Footprints”. Problem #1 – where to house this activity; Problem #2 – how would they find it when ready to do it.

It got me thinking what an “eco footprint” might look like … to me I see green barefoot prints… yeah, I know, my analyst is worried also.

…so, I fired up Wings3d and pretty soon realised I had no idea what a foot print looked like, so got my foot wet, stomped on the concrete outside, then sort of modelled the outline of that foot.

Sculpted feet

Sculpted feet

When I got one right, I duplicated, flipped and then set about smoothing the top edge so they would be bumpy but sexily so, coloured them green, exported the pair of feet as one object, then each separate foot as it’s own object so i could use them together or apart. I experimented with the cartoon model, only including 4 toes but it just did not look right, so messed around with the toe placement until I had something that would strike fear into the heart of a shoe fitter (Athletes foot, let me see you fit that!)

I must admit to giggling with glee when I first brought them in-world – they are perfect (well, I think they are).

Follow what trail?

Follow what trail?

You start and follow the trail, down the corridor into classroom 2.3 – nice visual metaphor and I am happy with the result – am sure I can use these footies elsewhere also, nature trails, critical paths and the like.

It is nice when an idea so completely matches the end result, particularly when you have to construct all the elements of the solution, then have it make sense to little people.

Just thought I would share. Say “Hi” to your Mum for me.

Got Class…

So I have been chipping away at a large building that will house a bunch of stuff on sustainability, eco footprints and other environmental issues and found myself building this old-style education building. It is growing on me, like the mould is growing on the rising damp, or the moss is growing on the poorly drained pavers in the playground.

Anyways, it is a large space, so needs division – in this building there is a W-E corridor that bisects the building, doors lead off to theaters, break out areas, classrooms and the like…

A dank corridor

A dank corridor

…and it is beginning to develop some interesting characteristics. I am quite happy with the styling, it reminds me of somewhere I have actually been, but for the life of me I cannot put my finger on where.  Never mind, i am sure it will come to me.

The theater needs some breakout spaces, discussion pits and places to learn stuff so i have begin kitting out rooms for various purposes.

Conversation Zones

Conversation Zones

To take a large area and subdivide it for people to have conversations is easy – to stop the chat leaking in between groups – no so easy. I have used zones here to block world chat, so they can sit in small groups and discuss stuff without having to hear other groups in the room – little “cones of silence” which I think will work ok. We shall see this week when we have punters in and chatting.

A conventional classroom

A conventional classroom

I also made a more conventional space, a classrooms – you know, the old school model of kids in rows – I figure some things should be inflicted virtually as well as physically 😛 I would gather this space would be useful for gathering the troops, explaining something – we shall see.

theater Mezannine

Theater Mezannine

I also, at least temporarily, kitted out the theater mezzanine with a big table, some chairs, display surfaces and a podcast piano – I figure it would be useful to be able to stream podcasts – would like to stream real live feeds but I guess that is something I still hope Activeworlds can do. Funnily, I also made a naughty chair, over in the corner – I can imagine a virtual teacher suggesting a virtually naughty kid sitting in it.

Oddly, and you can see the visual remnants of this in the faint but discernible rectangular prism lines through the far wall, when you set a zone to be visible, its outline shows through most everything for miles around … this is odd and I am not sure if I like it much at all.

Once I had the floor plan for upstairs sorted, walls fitting seamlessly, cornices and doorways in place, signage, lighting and aircon ducts etc, I cloned, lowered and voila the bottom floor is not complete also. Much to my chagrin however, I discovered that my side doors did not align with the central corridor on the ground floor, but a little superficial wall massage and it looks like it was always as it now is.

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