Call for Articles – Encyclopedia of Virtual Worlds and Environments

I want to take this opportunity here to invite you to consider contributing your expertise to a forthcoming encyclopedia edited by me and Prof. Harrison Yang of the State University of New York at Oswego, entitled Encyclopedia of Virtual Worlds and Environments.

There is no doubt that information and communication technology (ICT) keeps bringing new excitement into learning and communication. Multimedia on the Internet, telecommunications, wireless applications, mobile devices, social network software, Web 2.0, and so forth are all radically redefining the way people obtain information and the way to learn and communicate. Consequently, virtual worlds and environments have become one of the most exciting, dynamic, and yet challenging fields that we have been facing. What is the history of virtual worlds and environments? Where are we now? What will the future bring? What are the key elements of virtual worlds and environments we need to focus on? Where has progress been made? How will we face and rise to new opportunities and challenges? How do we analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate virtual worlds and environments? In order to shed light on these questions, the Encyclopedia of Virtual Worlds and Environments intends to provide a comprehensive view and look at virtual worlds and environments from historical, conceptual, technical, practical, and vocational perspectives.

Objectives of the Book

This encyclopedia will include a variety of contexts and cover anthropological, psychological, pedagogical, sociological, and so forth approaches from both empirical and theoretical works on virtual worlds and environments. It will serve as a research reference, a pedagogical/informational guide, and a primary source in the area of virtual environments.

Target Audience

The target audience includes educators, e-business managers, trainers, administrators, and researchers working in the area of e-learning or distance learning in various disciplines, for example education, corporate training, instructional technology, computer science, library information science, information technology, workforce development, and undergraduate/graduate students in various e-commerce, e-learning, and other related programs.

Coverage Topics

The coverage topics include, but are NOT limited to, the following:

• Conceptual and Theoretical Perspective (issues and trends of virtual environment theories; chronicle reviews; modeling, design and strategies; etc.).
• Types of Virtual Worlds and Environments (Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) and/or Multiuser Virtual Environments (MUVEs); Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs); Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MORPGs); Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) and/or Massively Multiplayer Online [Games] (MMOs); Multiuser Domains (MUDs); and MUD Object Oriented (MOOs); etc.).
• Platforms/Sites/Products of Virtual Worlds and Environments (Active Worlds; Barbie Girls; Club Penguin; Forterra Systems; Gaia Online; Habbo Hotel, Kaneva; Neopets; Second Life; The Sims Online; Teen Second Life; There; Whyville Zwinktopia; etc.).
• Interface and Hardware Aspect (visual; tracking; auditory; primary use input (such as glove, body suit, exoskeleton, track ball, and 3-D mouse inputs, etc.); tactile; kinesthetic; full-body motion; and olfactory interface technologies; etc.).
• Virtual Communities (behavioral, psychological, and cognitive issues of online users; community of practice; personal relationships; social interaction and exchange; legal and ethical considerations; etc.).
• Virtual Learning Environments and Worlds (asynchronous and synchronous activities; e-learning, m-learning and e-commerce programs; fully online and blended approaches; research and practices on ANGEL Learning, Apex Learning, ATutor, Blackboard/WebCT, Claroline, CyberExtension, Desire21Learn, Dokeos, eCollege, eFront, FirstClass, Frog, Fronter, Glow Learn, ILIAS, iWebfolio, LAMS – the Learning Activity Management System, Moodle, Pass-port, Sakai, SharePointLMS, TK20, WebEx, and new features in virtual learning environments including wikis, blogs, games, RSS, 3-D virtual learning spaces, etc.).
• Best Practices and Case Studies (evaluation and implementation in multidisciplinary; applications and training; personal experiences; creativity and innovation of projects; anthropological, psychological, pedagogical, sociological works on virtual worlds and environments; etc.)
• Global Virtual Worlds and Environments Development and Management (model, technologies, programs, issues).
• Trends of Virtual Worlds and Environments.
• All Other Related Issues in Virtual Worlds and Environments.

In addition, the Possible List of Topics/Categories for the Encyclopedia of Virtual Worlds and Environments is provided for consideration.

Submission Procedure

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before November 30, 2009, a 2-3 page article proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed article. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by December 31, 2009 about the status of their proposals and sent article guidelines. Full articles of 1,500-3,500 words are expected to be submitted by February 28, 2010. Authors are required to follow the Full Article Submission Instructions when preparing their full articles. All submitted articles will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this encyclopedia

Publisher

This encyclopedia is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference” and “IGI Publishing” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com.

Important Dates for Contributors

• Deadline for proposal submission: November 30, 2009
• Proposal decision due to authors: December 31, 2009
• Full articles due: February 28, 2010
• Review results to authors: April 30, 2010
• Revised articles due from authors: May 30, 2010
• Notification of final acceptance/rejection: June 30, 2010
• Final accepted articles and materials due from authors: July 15, 2010
• All articles to IGI for publication: September 30, 2010

Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) to:

Dr. Harrison Hao Yang
State University of New York at Oswego
E-mail: hyang2@oswego.edu

Dr. Steve C. Yuen
The University of Southern Mississippi
E-mail: steve.yuen@usm.edu

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Online Web-Design Tools for the Beginner – CNET News

I read an excellent article, “Online Web-Design Tools for the Beginner,” by Don Reisinger on CNET news today.  If you’re a beginner in Web design, the following Web tools recommended in this article can be helpful to you for designing and developing your Web sites:

• Color Wizard
• CSS Typeset
• Dotemplate
• Favicon Generator Tool
• Flickrslidr
• Roxer
• Web 2.0 Button Generator
• WordPress Theme Generator

I find all of these tools are simple to use and they should be useful  for teachers and students who design their Web sites.  The best of all, all of the above tools are free.  For details about these tools, please read the Full Story on CNET News.

Top 10 Social Networking Sites in the US and UK

Social networking sites are on the rise globally and allow users to communicate and share information.  Social networking sites are being used regularly by millions of people; and they keep people connected through a fast, free, simple, and an accessible way.

Interesting information from Marketingcharts.com in August 2009 shows that Facebook is the most popular social networking site in the US with 39.53% of market share of visit, followed by MySpace (23.65%), and YouTube (13.16%) at the third place.

According to a study released by comScore in July 2009 on UK social networking site usage by age of visitor, they found that 29.4 million people accessed at least one social networking site in the UK during the month of May in 2009. The average time spent per visitor was 4.6 hours, trailing only instant messaging at 8.6 hours.  Also, Facebook.com ranked as the most popular social networking site with 23.9 million visitors in May 2009, followed by Bebo.com (8.5 million visitors), Windows Live Profile (6.9 million visitors) and MySpace Sites (6.5 million visitors).  Facebook grew 57% over the previous twelve months.  However, the big winner in the social networking site has been Twitter which grew more than 3,000% in 12 months to about 2.7 million visitors in May 2009.

About 80% of the total UK online population visited a site in the category in May 2009. Penetration was highest amongst 25-34 year old users, with 89 percent visiting a site in the category during the month, followed by 86 percent of 15-24 year olds. Category penetration was somewhat lower among the older age groups, but remained relatively high, reaching two thirds of the total online population age 55 and older.  Furthermore, younger users were also more engaged than their older users, with 15-24 and 25-34 year olds averaging 5.4 hours per user per month compared with 3.7 hours per month among users age 55 and older.

According to the Nielsen report, Facebook is now the most visited social networking site in the world, visiting monthly by 3 in every 10 people online across the nine markets in which Nielsen tracks social networking use.  The popularity of Facebook also helps move up its ranking of worldwide unique visitors.  According to comScore in June 2009, Facebook is now the fourth largest site in the world, trailing only Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo sites.  The ranking of worldwide unique visitors as of June 2009 is as follow:

1. Google Sites: 844 million
2. Microsoft Sites: 691 million
3. Yahoo! Sites: 581 million
4. Facebook: 340 million
5. Wikimedia Foundation sites: 303 million
6. AOL: 280 million
7. eBay: 233 million
8. CBS Interactive: 186 million
9. Amazon: 183 million
10. Ask Network: 174 million

It is interesting that Facebook itself only officially acknowledges 300 million active registered users.  Perhaps, the difference is due to the fact that users do not have to be a registered user to visit some Facebook pages.  Furthermore, there are some interesting statistics provided by Facebook:

• More than 300 million active users
• 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
• The fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older
• Average user has 130 friends on the site
• More than 6 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide)
• More than 40 million status updates each day
• More than 2 billion photos uploaded to the site each month
• More than 14 million videos uploaded each month
• More than 70 translations available on the site
• About 70% of Facebook users are outside the United States
• Every month, more than 70% of Facebook users engage with Platform applications
• More than 350,000 active applications currently on Facebook Platform
• There are more than 65 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.

Collective Intelligence and E-Learning 2.0: Implications of Web-Based Communities and Networking

I am pleased to announce the book, “Collective Intelligence and E-learning 2.0:  Implications of Web-Based Communities and Networking,” that I co-edited with Professor Harrsion Hao Yang at the State University of New York at Oswego is published by IGI Global couple weeks ago.  The book is now available online at IGI Global,  Amazon.com, Target.com, and many online bookstores.

With the advent of Web 2.0, e-learning has the potential to become far more personal, social, and flexible. Collective Intelligence and E-Learning 2.0: Implications of Web-Based Communities and Networking provides a valuable reference to the latest advancements in the area of educational technology and e-learning. This innovative collection includes a selection of world-class chapters addressing current research, case studies, best practices, pedagogical approaches, and strategies related to e-learning resources and projects.

Preface

The Web is shifting from being a medium, in which information is transmitted and consumed, into being a platform, in which content is created, shared, remixed, repurposed, and exchanged. Learners become part of a global human network in which they can harness the collective intelligence of people in the world that could have never been possible previously. With the advent of Web 2.0, e-learning has the potential to become far more personal, social, and flexible. Consequently, e-learning 2.0 can capitalize on many sources of content aggregated together into learning experiences and utilize various tools including online references, courseware, knowledge management, collaboration, and search. Collective Intelligence and E-Learning 2.0: Implications of Web-Based Communities and Networking introduces theoretical aspect of e-learning 2.0 as well as disseminates cutting-edge research and first-hand practices regarding Game-Based Simulation, Podcasting, Second Life, Social Bookmarking, Social Networking, YouTube, Wiki, etc. on e-learning. In addition, instructional design models, strategies, and furture trends of e-learning are covered this book.

The book is written for broader audiences including educators, trainers, administrators, and researchers working in the area of e-learning or distance learning in various disciplines, e.g. educational fields, corporate training, instructional technology, computer science, library information science, information technology, and workforce development. The book can be used as a research reference, pedagogical guide, or educational resource in the area of Web 2.0 technologies and related applications applied to e-learning.

Organization of the Book

Collective Intelligence and E-Learning 2.0: Implications of Web-Based Communities and Networking is designed to be used in a flexible manner, and it can adapt easily to suit a variety of educational technology related courses and needs by students, instructors, and administrators. The book includes a selection of chapters addressing current research, case studies, best practices, pedagogical approaches and strategies, related resources and projects related to e-learning 2.0. The book is organized into two parts, From Web 2.0 to E-Learning 2.0 and Beyond (Chapters 1-6) and Web 2.0 Technologies in E-Learning (Chapters 7-16). The book covers beyond theoretical insights of Web 2.0 and e-learning 2.0. It shares practical aspects of e-learning 2.0 and provides readers with a balance of research, theory, and applications on both innovative Web 2.0 technologies and future e-learning.

Chapter 1: Learning Networks and Connective Knowledge. This chapter introduces theoretical views on factors impacting the future of e-learning. It discusses connectivisim theory, networked learning, connective knowledge, and network semantics that form a new e-learning approach (e-learning 2.0).

Chapter 2: Conceptualizing Codes of Conduct in Social Networking Communities. This chapter reviews the capabilities of social networking tools and links those capabilities to recent legal and ethical controversies involving use of social networking tools such as Facebook and MySpace.

Chapter 3: Fulfilling the Promise: Addressing Institutional Factors that Impede the Implementation of E-Learning 2.0. As online learning continues to expand and evolve, new challenges emerge regarding the implementation of Web 2.0 tools and technologies in online pedagogy. This chapter examines institutional factors that impede implementation of e-learning 2.0. The business model approach to online learning being embraced by many institutions may actually work against faculty who want to utilize Web 2.0 technologies to create E-Learning 2.0 experiences for their students.

Chapter 4: Designing Dynamic Learning Environment for Web 2.0 Application. This chapter presents a new instructional design model that specifically addresses the cognitive demands involved in Web 2.0 learning, promotes learning that focuses on metacognitive thinking and self-regulation, facilitates knowledge integration and construction of schemas-of-the-moment for ill-structured learning, and delivers a dynamic learning environment in Web 2.0 application.

Chapter 5: Instructional Strategies for Teaching in Synchronous Online Learning Environments (SOLE). This chapter discusses synchronous online learning environments (SOLEs) and their affordances for teaching and learning.

Chapter 6: University 2.0: Human, Social, and Societal Issues. Higher education is changing in important and profound ways. University 2.0 offers amazing potential to fundamentally change the way higher education functions in the future. This chapter describes many of the potential problems that will accompany University 2.0 and provides a series of recommended actions that university administrators can take to respond to the problems.

Chapter 7: Use of Wikis to Support Collaboration among Online Students. This chapter discusses the merits and challenges of using a wiki to support the activities of students during group projects.

Chapter 8: Wikibook Transformations and Disruptions: Looking Back Twenty Years to Today. A wikibook is a transformative and disruptive technology that is finding increasing use in schools and higher education institutions. This chapter describes the adoption of three wikibooks in cross-institutional higher education settings and discusses collaboration issues, technology issues, knowledge construction and sense of community issues related to the wikibook technology and the wikibook design process.

Chapter 9: Web-Based Video for e-Learning: Tapping into the YouTube Phenomenon. The recent explosive growth of Web-based video has expanded the repository of free content that can be tapped into for e-learning. This chapter introduces Web-based video as a new form of educational motion picture, delves into technical aspects of Web 2.0 video tools, describes instructional strategies that integrate Web-based video clips in e-learning, and examines barriers that could potentially inhibit its use.

Chapter 10: From Information Literacy to Scholarly Identity: Effective Pedagogical Strategies for Social Bookmarking. This chapter provides best examples for effective pedagogical applications of social bookmarking and offers insights into how these activities change the way students think and learn.

Chapter 11: VISOLE: A Constructivist Pedagogical Approach to Game-based Learning. VISOLE (Virtual Interactive Student-Oriented Learning Environment) is a constructivist pedagogical approach to empower computer game-based learning. This approach encompasses the creation of a near real-life online interactive world modeled upon a set of multi-disciplinary domains, in which each student plays a role in this “virtual world” and shapes its development. With sophisticated multi-player simulation contexts and teacher facilitation (scaffolding and debriefing), VISOLE provides opportunities for students to acquire both subject-specific knowledge and problem-solving skills through their near real-life gaming experience.

Chapter 12: Second Language E-Learning and Professional Training with Second Life® .This chapter addresses the application of e-learning in university degree programs based on exploiting the practical, intensive, and holistic aspects of Second Life®.

Chapter 13: Empirical evidence and practical cases for using virtual worlds in educational contexts. This chapter introduces three cases for educational uses of the Second Life® virtual world and provides empirical evidence for effective usage within the educational contexts.

Chapter 14: A Pedagogical Odyssey in Three-dimensional Virtual Worlds: The Second Life Model. This chapter discusses the theoretical perspectives, educational possibilities, as well as challenges of using virtual worlds in teaching and learning. In addition, it offers a pedagogical framework to support teaching and learning in virtual worlds – the Second Life® model.

Chapter 15: Podcasting – a flexible E-Learning Tool. This chapter discusses the uniqueness of podcasting technology in promoting e-learning, examines educational efficacy of podcasting in e-learning, and provides podcasting best practice in e-learning design and delivery.

Chapter 16: Using Social Networking to Enhance Sense of Community in E-Learning Courses. This chapter provides an overview and development of sense of community and social networking, discusses the potential uses of social networking in education, and presents a case study that integrates social networking into e-learning courses for the purpose of building a sense of community, improving communications and interactions, and promoting student-centered collaboration.

Chapter Authors and Table of Content

Table of Contents:

Foreword

George Siemens, University of Manitoba, Canada

Section I: From Web 2.0 to E-Learning 2.0 and Beyond

Chapter I: Learning Networks and Connective Knowledge

Stephen Downes, National Research Council, Canada

Chapter II: Conceptualizing Codes of Conduct in Social Networking Communities

Ann Dutton Ewbank, Arizona State University, USA
Adam G. Kay, Dartmouth College, USA
Teresa S. Foulger, Arizona State University, USA
Heather L. Carter, Arizona State University, USA

Chapter III: Fulfilling the Promise: Addressing Institutional Factors that Impede the Implementation of E-Learning 2.0

Judi Repman, Georgia Southern University, USA
Cordelia Zinskie, Georgia Southern University, USA
Elizabeth Downs, Georgia Southern University, USA

Chapter IV: Designing Dynamic Learning Environment for Web 2.0 Application

Robert Z. Zheng, University of Utah, USA

Chapter V: Instructional Strategies for Teaching in Synchronous Online Learning Environments (SOLE)

Marshall G. Jones, Winthrop University, USA
Stephen W. Harmon, Georgia State University, USA

Chapter VI: University 2.0: Human, Social, and Societal Issues

Daniel W. Surry, University of South Alabama, USA
David C. Ensminger, Loyola University Chicago, USA

Section II: Web 2.0 Technologies in E-Learning

Chapter VII: Use of Wikis to Support Collaboration among Online Students

Jay Alden, National Defense University, USA

Chapter VIII: Wikibook Transformations and Disruptions: Looking Back Twenty Years to Today

Curtis J. Bonk, Indiana University, USA
Mimi Miyoung Lee, University of Houston, USA
Nari Kim, The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, USA
Meng-Fen Grace Lin, University of Hawaii, USA

Chapter IX: Web-Based Video for e-Learning: Tapping into the YouTubeTM Phenomenon

Chareen Snelson, Boise State University, USA

Chapter X: From Information Literacy to Scholarly Identity: Effective Pedagogical Strategies for Social Bookmarking

Deborah Everhart, Georgetown University, USA
Kaye Shelton, Dallas Baptist University, USA

Chapter XI: VISOLE: A Constructivist Pedagogical Approach to Game-Based Learning

Morris S. Y. Jong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Junjie Shang, Peking University, China
Fong-Lok Lee, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Jimmy H. M. Lee, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Chapter XII: Second Language E-Learning and Professional Training with Second Life®

Patricia Edwards, University of Extremadura, Spain
Mercedes Rico, University of Extremadura, Spain
Eva Dominguez, University of Extremadura, Spain
J. Enrique Agudo, University of Extremadura, Spain

Chapter XIII: Empirical Evidence and Practical Cases for Using Virtual Worlds in Educational Contexts

Hyung Sung Park, Korea National University of Education, South Korea
Young Kyun Baek, Korea National University of Education, South Korea

Chapter XIV: A Pedagogical Odyssey in Three-Dimensional Virtual Worlds: The SECOND LIFE® Model

Sharon Stoerger, Indiana University, USA

Chapter XV: Podcasting: A Flexible E-Learning Tool

Youmei Liu, University of Houston, USA
Shawn McCombs, University of Houston, USA

Chapter XVI: Using Social Networking to Enhance Sense of Community in E-Learning Courses

Steve Chi-Yin Yuen, The University of Southern Mississippi, USA
Harrison Hao Yang, State University of New York at Oswego, USA

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Great Web 2.0 Applications for Business Education Teachers

The Web has entered a new era of sophistication.  There are great numbers of free, powerful Web 2.0 applications that help teachers teach, collaborate, share, connect, and participate in an online learning community.  To help Mississippi Business Education Teachers and Educators learn about some of the powerful Web 2.0 applications that have tremendous potential in business education classrooms, I was invited to give a presentation entitled, “Great Web 2.0 Applications for Business Education Teachers,” at the Mississippi Business Education Association 2009 Fall Conference in Hattiesburg last week.  The presentation went well.  I thought this presentation might be helpful for other teachers as well.  Here is my presentation delivered at the 2009 MBEA Conference on September 18, 2009.