Summer Learnin’
Filed Under (Education, Second Life, Web2.0) by Patti Ruffing on 26-08-2009
“Summer learnin’, had me a blast.
Summer learnin’, happened so fast.”
Isn’t that how the song goes? Well, I hate to say it but for me, summer is officially over, having attended our opening teacher meeting today. It has been a great couple of weeks with Discovery though, and as reluctant as I am to let go of summer, 
I am excited to put into practice the new strategies I have acquired through the DEN summer school webinars. I was able to attend the Voice Thread and DE this week with Jen Dorman as well as the Glogster and DE with Traci Blazosky. Last week I squeezed in a session on Discovery Science with Brad Fountain. I was sorry to miss the session on Google Earth and DE today for Virtual Field trips, but tomorrow sounds cool with Learning Through the Funnies to find out how to use DE and comic tools. Earlier in the month I attended Thinking Outside the Slide and Digital Storytelling Made Easy: DE Content with Animoto and PhotoStory as well as a great discussion on Policies, Safety, and Social Networking led by Steve Dembo. In my tech presentation to our teachers I hinted at all the great things I would be sharing with them in the coming weeks, especially the wonderful new face of the DE website. You can still benefit from the webinars by visiting the summer school page where the sessions are gradually being posted.
But is that all? OH NO! Because not only were there great opportunities in webinars but a step from the real world into the virtual world of Second Life and the learning continued. From Matt Monjan’s overview of the DE website in the 2DP auditorium, to Blended Virtual Ecosystems, to a first-hand account of a Discovery Student Adventure, the DEN in SL was a happening place. Especially the Sharks After Dark adventure to coincide with Discovery’s Shark Week.
Lest you think you missed all the fun, you can catch Pack Your Curiosity and Go-Part 2 tonight at the DEN in SL at 8p.m Eastern (which is 5 p.m. SLT) where Steve Dembo will share the experience of the student adventure in South Africa. See you in-world!