Atlanta puts OpenSim in every classroom

By:
On:
Tagged:
With: 27 Comments

Press release: Forsyth County Schools has selected Dreamland Metaverse

ATLANTA, GA – Forsyth County Schools announced today that it has selected Dreamland Metaverse to host the NOBLE Virtual World on the OpenSim platform. The metro Atlanta district, with 35 schools and 38,000 students, is the first major school system in the nation to offer a 3-D virtual world environment to every classroom teacher.

The selection of Dreamland Metaverse was based upon its ability to provide hosted OpenSim virtual world services with extended functionality such as the enterprise-level management of accounts with various levels of user rights, the creation of school groups, and other tools and procedures that ensure a safe and secure online experience for students.

A virtual world is a digital place where people using characters called avatars meet and interact with each other—a chat-room with graphics. Unlike a digital game, a virtual world is not pre-scripted. Because users may create anything they can imagine, a virtual world is an excellence tool for creativity, construction, role playing, experimentation and learning to work with others.

Jill Hobson

“NOBLE stands for New Opportunities for Better Learning Experiences. With NOBLE we can deliver immersive learning adventures that engage students in more authentic and engaging ways,” said Jill Hobson, Director of Instructional Technology at Forsyth County Schools.

“For example,” added Steve Mashburn, the grid-master for NOBLE, “we built a scale model of a section of the Berlin Wall. After visiting the 3-D model, with its guard towers, dog runs, booby-traps and barricades, the students internalized the Soviet repression of East Germany in a real and meaningful way. They developed higher-order thinking skills such as creativity, data analysis and problem-solving by working in teams to devise an escape plan over the wall. They then placed their own graffiti art to the west side of the wall to express their understanding of the Cold War. NOBLE is both a time-machine and an Aladdin’s Lamp.”

Simulation of Berlin Wall built in OpenSim. (Image courtesy Forsyth County Schools.)
Bailey Mitchell

“For the first time, we are no longer constrained by the limitations of time, space and physical resources,” said Bailey Mitchell, Chief Technology and Information Officer for Forsyth County Schools. “Students can build any world they can imagine — from a space station to a medieval castle. They can reenact the moon landing or the signing of the Magna Carta within the NOBLE World. Anything is possible!”

“This program is educational on so many different levels,” added fifth grade teacher Tracey Abercrombie, an early adopter. “I’m excited to bring in the economic lessons of supply and demand as well as profit-loss when they begin buying and selling in their virtual stores. The sense of community that is building through this experience is awesome and I can see talents in my students that I wouldn’t normally get to see. This is the most fun I’ve had in my career!”

Virtual world engages fifth grade students. (Image courtesy Forsyth County Schools.)

Although Forsyth County Schools had attempted to use virtual world technology in the past, concerns about student safety and a lack of management tools prevented the district from fully implementing a virtual world. However, the partnership with Dreamland Metaverse now gives the district a 3-D virtual space that meets their high instructional standards and addresses their concerns for student safety.

About Forsyth County Schools

Forsyth County Schools, the ninth largest school system in Georgia, is recognized throughout the nation as a lighthouse district for utilizing technology to improve student achievement. Through strong collaboration between academics and technology, Forsyth County Schools continues to seek innovative ways to improve the teaching and learning experience while maintaining high expectations for performance. Recent initiatives include a “Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT)” program, the systemic use of a Learning Management System in face-to-face classrooms, and a strategic transition to digital content. Learn more about Forsyth County Schools at http:/www.forsyth.k12.ga.us.

About Dreamland Metaverse

Privately owned and operated by one of the core developers of the OpenSim virtual world technology, Dreamland Metaverse is a Swiss-based company that focuses on high-quality OpenSim hosting for the international market. As the world’s oldest and most experienced OpenSim host, Dreamland Metaverse provides solid reliability and a strong commitment to customer service. Dreamland Metaverse features easy management through a web-based control panel and offers IP voice, a group management system, exchangeable or non-exchangeable money systems and hypergrid options. Dreamland Metaverse deploys the latest stable version of the OpenSim software and top performance is ensured by using dedicated servers only. Under a philosophy of “software-as-a-service,” Dreamland Metaverse performs all management and monitoring so that their educational and corporate clients can concentrate on using their virtual world to accomplished their goals. For more information, please visit http://www.dreamlandmetaverse.com.

Latest posts by Press Release (see all)