04.22.07
Posted in News, Resources at 8:41 pm by Paloma Cruz
I’m always interested in how companies and people use new technology to communicate and connect with customers (and each other).
Don’t know what Second Life is?
Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by a total of 3,031,536 people from around the globe.
- From the moment you enter the World you’ll discover a vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity. Once you’ve explored a bit, perhaps you’ll find a perfect parcel of land to build your house or business.
- You’ll also be surrounded by the Creations of your fellow residents. Because residents retain the rights to their digital creations, they can buy, sell and trade with other residents.
- The Marketplace currently supports millions of US dollars in monthly transactions. This commerce is handled with the in-world currency, the Linden dollar, which can be converted to US dollars at several thriving online currency exchanges.
Welcome to Second Life. We look forward to seeing you in-world.
So how are people using Second Life? Harvard Law School has begun the CyberOne: Law in the Court of Public Opinion, a Second Life course that’s unlike anything I’ve heard of:
Throughout the course we will be studying many different media technologies to understand how their inherent characteristics and modes of distribution affect the arguments that are made using them. Students will be immersed in this study through project-based assignments in which they will be using these technologies to make their own arguments. For a good introduction to the class, watch this video of a discussion with Charlie and Rebecca hosted by the Berkman Center.
Shel Holtz reports that Coca-Cola has entered Second Life, taking a different approach:
Coca-Cola has entered Second Life by taking an approach other than buying an island, building an edifice, and hoping residents will stop by for a visit. Working with crayon (yes, I’m part of the team, along with several other crayonistas led by C.C. Chapman), Coca-Cola opted to break into the 3D metaverse by getting out amongst the population.
The effort is a competition, labeled “Virtual Thirst.” The idea is for residents (and, in fact, anybody else) to design a Coca-Cola vending machine that dispenses an experience rather than a can or bottle of Coke.
Sprint Nextel is using Second Life to target the Hispanic community:
Sprint Nextel continues its innovative marketing efforts towards the Hispanic community by opening the virtual doors of the first-ever Sprint Center in the 3D, online digital world of Second Life. Exclusively for Latin music fans, the virtual Sprint Center will stream pre-recorded one-of-a-kind performances from the Sprint-sponsored reality TV series, Concierto Clandestino, broadcast on the Spanish-language programming network, Telemundo. The concert series will include performances from an internationally renowned line-up of Latin artists including Paulina Rubio, Obie Bermudez, Tego Calderon, Fonseca and Belinda.
Related posts:
Also in the discussion:
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Posted in News at 8:41 pm by Paloma Cruz
State lawmakers are reportedly “considering a plan to abolish the high-stakes TAKS exams in high school — but standardized tests are not going away.”
That can only be good news… to an extent. Under the proposed legislation, the tradeoff would be that students would actually have to take more tests than they do right now.
Hmmm… does that make sense? I’m not a teacher, but it doesn’t sound right to me.
Source:
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04.06.07
Posted in News at 6:49 am by Paloma Cruz
Charter school building on Houston success
– reported by the Houston Chronicle
The story of KIPP comes in a rush from Mike Feinberg, its edges worn smooth by years of retelling.There is the beginning: A pair of frustrated fifth-grade teachers devise a new, intensive teaching approach, pounding it all out one night in the fall of 1993 while U2 played endlessly in the background. They name it the Knowledge Is Power Program and convince the Houston Independent School District to let them try it for a year.
And there is the middle: Emboldened by the success on a small scale with 50 students in the same grade level, Feinberg and Dave Levin start two charter schools, one in Houston and one in New York, targeting poor minority kids. Their students end up outperforming their counterparts in traditional public schools.
And finally the end: The KIPP experiment, having proved itself, is repeated in cities around the country, 52 of them in 17 states by 2007. Most are successful. Eight out of 10 KIPP students who left high school in 2004 and 2005 end up in four-year colleges. KIPP becomes a hit with politicians and the media and even makes an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
[snip]
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04.05.07
Posted in News at 6:51 am by Paloma Cruz
University of Houston System to launch new Center for Industrial Partnerships
– reported by the Houston Business Journal
The University of Houston System is launching a new research and technology center with the aim of strengthening the university’s research ties with local businesses and industries.The Center for Industrial Partnerships will foster joint initiatives between companies and the university’s research and educational resources to help solve technological challenges involved in the commercialization process.
[snip]
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04.04.07
Posted in News at 6:07 am by Paloma Cruz
From Children at risk, as reported by the Houston Chronicle:
- High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Houston ISD)
- YES College Preparatory (State Charter)
- Cinco Ranch High School (Katy ISD)
- DeBakey High School for Health Professions (Houston ISD)
- Memorial High School (Spring Branch ISD)
- Clements High School (Fort Bend ISD)
- Taylor High School (Katy ISD)
- Friendswood High School (Friendswood ISD)
- Clear Lake High School (Clear Creek ISD)
- Stephen F Austin High School (Fort Bend ISD)
Resources:
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04.03.07
Posted in News at 10:02 pm by Paloma Cruz
‘Clipping Their Own Wings’ holds Latino Culture accountable for lackluster Educational Performance
– reported by HispanicAd.com
In his controversial new book, “Clipping Their Own Wings,” author Ernesto Caravantes tackles one of the nation’s most troubling trends and toughest social problems: Latino underachievement, and focuses the root of the problem squarely on the shoulders of the Latino culture itself. Hispanics are now, officially, the largest minority population with 35 million living in the U.S., exceeding African Americans in number. Despite the sizeable numbers, this minority group is doing poorly in education.[snip]
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04.01.07
Posted in General at 8:39 pm by Paloma Cruz
Kruse library will thrive with $5,000 grant
– reported by the Pasadena Citizen
“This grant will make sure more children have access to books and it also ensures more children enjoy the lifelong benefits of reading,” said Rosie Prusz, Kruse Elementary principal.The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries was founded in 2002 as a fund of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. Since its inception, the Laura Bush Foundation has awarded over $3 million to 634 schools in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
[snip]
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