Owner: Shimmer-Island URL:http://shimmer-island.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sat, 03 Mar 2007 08:05:25 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: A personalized virtual learning environment based in the semi-immersed 3D virtual world of Second Life, brings you an aesthetically pleasing teaching and learning platform. Site statistics:Click here
Welcome from Skipper Abel 2007-03-03 11:24:00 Hi everyone, I shall be using this blog to post news and developments from Shimmer-Island. Here the whole concept is for a virtual world, where both learning and persona can be realized to such a degree that students move around in the comfort of a physically familiar and aesthetically pleasing environment, selecting materials and experiences that suite their own immediate needs and or those of collaborative learning activities. Bye for now Skipper
Abel Read more:Welcome
Interactive JavaScript 2007-03-09 00:13:00 I have just installed the first volume of my JaavScript course on the first floor of the beach house. Students can read through the tutorial and then by clicking on the Try it Live panel run the scripts in real time, modify them and run them again. If you have tried this facility, then please feel free to comment on this post and let know what you thought of it as a learning experience. Bye for now Skipper Abel Read more:JavaScript
CSS text styling tutorial 2007-03-10 21:22:00 Have installed the first in a series of CSS tutorials on the first floor of the beach house. The facility includes an on-line interpreter, so you can design and run your all at the same time without the need to leave Shimmer Island. if you would like to take a look at the CSS interpreter click here.
AI Chatbot Zaphod 2007-03-18 16:24:00 I have just built and installed Zaphod. He is linked to an AI (Artificial Intelligence) engine at pandorabot. To have a conversation with Zaphod just Touch him on the head and from the drop down menu select Activate , Hush puts him back to sleep, and talk using Chat. I am currently training him in the art of Shimmer speak. Having tried some of the conversational engines in the past, I do feel there is some potential here, so do please let me know how you get on.
New C programming volume added 2007-03-17 20:49:00 Just added the latest volume of notes to the interactive C Programming rack. Come along and try out our C tutorial with online compiler, and do let us know your thoughts on the materials please.
Learn HTML at Shimmer Island 2007-03-22 20:02:00 If you look on the first floor of the beach house, you will see that I have installed Starting HTML. This is the first in a series of short tutorials, that like our other programming self paced learning includes an on-line interpreter, so you will be able to run all your HTML withhout the need to leave ShimmerIsland
. You can take a look and tryout the HTML interpreter by Clicking here. Read more:Shimmer Island
PHP Live 2007-03-29 21:23:00 I have just completed the upload of my first book in the PHP series, Introducing PHP. The tutorial includes a live interpreter, PHP-Interactive, so you just copy and paste the code out into the editor window to see it run, no need for ftp or access to a cgi enabled web server. Please feel free to come over and give it try and let us know what you think.
Second Life water is almost wet 2007-03-31 12:45:00 I must say thet when faced with latest regular download of the Second
Life client from Linden Labs the other day, which has now grown to around 32Mb, I did so with my now sense of resignation, but I must say the effect this latest release seems to have had on the visual quality of the sea surrounding my island is profound, well done LL for that, now I find myself starting to look forward to the next version. Read more:Second Life
, water
Java AWT tutorial installed 2007-04-01 18:00:00 Just upload the latest installment of the Java Tutorials. If you have yet to use the Java AWT (Abstract Windowing Toolkit) it provides the programmer with an integrated set of classes from the java.awt package for the construction and management of a graphical UI (User Interface) that include, windows, buttons, dialog boxes, lists, menus, radio buttons, checkboxes. And of course you can download a zip with containing all the examples and run them live at Shimmer Island using the Jxxx online compiler. Please be sure to let us know how you get on
XML content uploaded 2007-04-08 16:37:00 I have created a new rack for xml and uploaded 6 books of content. Given the nature of xml in that unlike my other resources it is not a programming language, I have decided to use the Try It Live board as an in world access to an online xml validator, it checks to see if the xml is well formed. Please feel free to take a look at the materials and let me know your thoughts, bye for now Skipper Abel Read more:XML
Populating the CLS 2007-06-16 02:43:00 If you have not tried it out yet, then why not Teleport over to our Collaborative Learning Space here on the first floor at Shimmer Island. Interactive resources include C, CSS, HTML, Java, JavaScript, PHP, SQL, WAP and XML. And remeber you can comment to this blog in-world from the ground floor poster.
The emergence of a metaverse 2007-06-20 05:33:00 There is little doubt regarding the ever increasing popularity of Second Life, but what about the near future? I found this highly engaging and thought provoking article that explores the intriguing possibilities that will become possible through the mashup of SL and Google Earth, well worth a read and please feel free to post comments, just follow the link. Read more:emergence
Virtual Museum 2007-06-23 04:44:00 I recently decided to expand the features at the beach house by including the opportunity for collaboration. But with space running out on the island I decided to use a skybox, that you can teleport back and forth from. The content of the skybox take form of a museum of computing. At the moment you will find the top floor has some fully populated click and go examples, whereas the lower floor is waiting for some student activity, which given the time of year may not commence now until September 07, however anyone wishing to make a contribution will be welcome, just drop me an IM. Read more:Museum
Student idea's on Second Life 2007-06-24 13:10:00 I was impressed to find this blog the other day by Joe Sanchez (University of Texas at Austin) . He has been getting students to make use of blogs and other social networking tools including SL. And his studnts blog ' Social issues in a networked Society ' makes some very interesting reading . In fact all very refreshing from the often anecdotal views all too often banded around these days, well worth a look. Read more:Second
, Second Life
, Student
SI on YouTube 2007-07-06 13:41:00 I have been able to present my work in Second Life on two occasions this last week. Firstly at a CAMEL (Collaborative Approaches to the Management of E-learning), event held here at Bromley College and then at the Greenwich University 'Designing for Learning' Conference. It was at the conference that the use of pre-recorded videos really came into their own, when just before my slot, Linden Labs took SL down for a scheduled update. The day was saved though, because I had screen videod my material just in case the night before. I have now started to upload these with voice over to YouTube
and you can find the first in the series at this link
Mags and videos 2007-07-17 03:14:00 While I have been busy publishing some more Shimmer Island videos
and posting them on to YouTube this week, I have also come across an excellent online newspaper, the Metaverse Messenger, its a pdf with back issues, very well produced and packed full of articles, well worth a read.
The Mag Rack 2007-07-19 06:32:00 While browsing around SL recently, I noticed that a number of free or very cheap in-world magazines are being published, so I decided to create a new rack in my virtual library. Prim Perfect is a genearl type SL mag while Voodoo Extreme specialises in gaming. Hope you enjoy the facility and please be sure to let me know what you think.
Voice in SL 2007-07-22 10:22:00 I have just downloaded the and installed the Second Life FirstLook client that support 3D voice and it seems to be working fine on the main grid. Once you have the client running and logged into the grid there are a few new parameter that need to be set from the SL Edit/preferences option, but if you follow this link it will take you to a Flash movie tutorial for those specific settings. My first impression is that even using a pair of headphones for the £1 store, the results are fine, delays are minimal. From my perspective in using SL principally as a personalised learning and collaborative social networking tool for students, the arrival of real time in-world speech provides an even more immersive and engaging experience, though I know there are calls from those who see this feature signifying a loss of anonymity particularly for accent and gender. But take take heart on that one, voice distortion is I am sure is just around the corner for those out there for who this is a genuine Read more:Voice
PBL event at Coventry 2007-07-25 10:13:00 I went along to a conference in-world hosted by Coventry University for a discussion on using Problem Based Learning in SL on Tuesday. We gathered in an arena of standing stones, nice touch, and it soon became clear to me how International the gathering was with candidates from the US, Germany and Hong Kong. In fact while so many people in RL are wondering about the advantages that virtual worlds can possibly offer, this surely this must be one. Forget carbon footprints and think about the joys of industrial action, cancelled flight, terrorist alert and DVT free long haul travel. Anyway, coming from a computing background, it was refreshing to see such a range of interests that included Language and Design, Science, Architecture, Marketing Economics and Games Technology, and I must a have missed a few others, plus some very notable SL freelance developers. All in all this made for a good mix and I am sure promoted the lively discussion that followed. Of course before you can get stude Read more:event
The Spacedome 2007-08-02 04:29:00 I went along to the Galaxy Dome in the sim Spaceport Bravo on Tuesday athttp://slurl.com/secondlife/Spaceport%20Bravo/120/65/278Dr. Knop (Prospero Frobozz) was the guest speaker.The venue for the event was really impressive skybox holodeck with a rotating image of deep space scenes. Today we apparently call that Dark Energy. From the fact that the Universe's expansion is accelerating, we know that Dark Energy makes up 2/3 to 3/4 of the total energy density of the Universe. The only disappointment for more was an interuption in RL that cuased my login to time out, after which I had some diffuclty getting back in.Around the auditoria you can see that large slide images were put into place that change texture when they were touch by Prospero Frobozz as he presented findings and speculations from his work on Einstein's General Relativity *does* allow for a very exotic material which will have (effectively) a negative gravitational effect.This was a nice venue in itself and well worth a
Low prim count low space 2007-08-09 17:31:00 If this the way things are are getting for you then tryout the ‘Sky rock sculpted’ from Harmpie Rhode. As you can see it’s really a skybox, though I did have some difficulty getting it to altitude, just under 500m. But I ended up rezzing a copy of my sky workshop platform, then rezzing the Sky rock onto it and deleting the platform. Anyway for your money L$100, you get a scripted sculptured prim 40mx40m that only actually takes up 2 prims! As you can see I have relocated my breakout huts, planted a few trees and grass. The next stage will be to set the destination on my long-range teleport, but first I need to make a few home improvements. Read more:count
EL4A 2007-08-18 07:26:00 Had a meeting with some of the team from EL4A (E-learning For Africa) recently, where we discussed working in partnership with team on their project. An opportunity we look forward to as a team here at Bromley.Currently EL4A are developing a African centre that will host all African educational, health and development institutions. If all goes according to plan, then this will lead hopefully to a complete Africa Island in Second Life, sounds impressive. The principle focus at the moment is on the development of e learning using Second Life in bridging the African digital divide.The EL4A project currently has a presence at EduNation (224, 48, 22), which you can see here, where each country will soon contribute by placing content on their regional map. So why not teleport over when you get the chance and see what’s happening?
Recommend Site To A Friend
