Author Archives: mandy

New Report: Immersive Internet Australia: Education

Posted on December 7, 2010 by mandy

I’ve posted my report, (the full PDF version is located under the Immersive Internet Australia tab, profile on education), profiling Australian educators’ use of virtual worlds and other immersive technologies. Hopefully, it is something of a roadmap for those contemplating such … Continue reading →

Share
Posted in Education, Immersive Internet Australia | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Are virtual worlds off the boil ?

Posted on October 28, 2010 by mandy

The August release of Gartner’s 2010 hype cycle for emerging technologies, which sees Virtual Worlds lodged in the pit of the disillusionment trough, has generated some interesting discussion in the blogosphere. VW’ds marketing consultant Mary Ellen Gordon asks why this … Continue reading →

Share
Posted in avatars, collaboration, enterprise, provocations, socialmedia, Virtual Goods | 20 Comments

Immersive Learning: on or off the boil?

Posted on October 9, 2010 by mandy

Immersive Learning was very much on the agenda in Australia in 2008, as this video made by Educationau enthusiastically demonstrates. A group from Gippsland TAFE, in Victoria, drafted a set of protocols for immersive learning here but, like Educationau, the … Continue reading →

Share
Posted in collaboration, Education | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Collaborative modes of learning for the future

Posted on September 30, 2010 by mandy

MMOs and virtual environments continue to fire innovative thinking in the education setting, indeed the Games-4-Learning concept is the obvious path to follow, given the way we know young people achieve set tasks through shared quests, especially when these tasks … Continue reading →

Share
Posted in collaboration | Leave a comment

Why virtual goods are not ‘make believe’

Posted on September 8, 2010 by mandy

Today’s News.com report on the rise of virtual goods, demonstrates widely held misconceptions, if its social media expert Jules Cole’s response is anything to go by. Commenting on the strength of the global trend, and the success of  Californian company Virtual Greats, … Continue reading →

Share
Posted in provocations, Virtual Goods | Tagged | 8 Comments

Virtual Parliament House

Posted on August 25, 2010 by mandy

The industry white paper, Immersive Internet Australia, is currently embargoed, as Smart Services CRC  industry partners get the first look.  It will shortly  to be released (see the tab on the home page which links to it).  In the  concluding chapter, … Continue reading →

Share
Posted in Immersive Internet Australia, vGovernment | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Avatars: Personas ? or Skins?

Posted on August 18, 2010 by mandy

I’ve been following a discussion thread about avatars, where the distinction between ‘personas or skins’ demonstrates the discomfort people in enterprise situations might feel about the corporate use of avatars. Firstly , a reminder as to why the corporate use … Continue reading →

Share
Posted in avatars, enterprise | Leave a comment

Ode, in the social media mode

Posted on August 3, 2010 by mandy

We have many lives. In a previous one, I performed comedy at a much missed venue in inner Sydney, named The Gap,which was located on the 3rd floor of the notorious Sydney Trade Union Club in Foveau Street,  Surry Hills. … Continue reading →

Share
Posted in provocations, Second life, socialmedia | Tagged | 1 Comment

Swinburne University’s Koala Island

Posted on June 30, 2010 by mandy

Thrilled to be using Swinburne University’s ‘Koala Island‘ in Second Life for an event with VicRoads. We’ll be  introducing them to virtual environments. Roads, urban planning, their own distributed work force… it  makes sense to start exploring a swag of … Continue reading →

Share
Posted in Education, enterprise, Second life | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Troughs and crests

Posted on June 16, 2010 by mandy

Thinkbalm, the immersive Internet business analysts released this statement today: ‘We believe that mainstream adoption of immersive technologies in the workplace—virtual worlds, immersive learning environments, and virtual event platforms—is a matter of when, not if. But these technologies are still … Continue reading →

Share
Posted in Second life | Tagged , , | 4 Comments