Dear Colleagues,

As part of professional development programming for our members, ISTE SIGML, SIGVE and VSTE in Second Life will be helping to host the Minecraft and More UnSymposium on December 6 and 7, 2013.

The Minecraft and More UnSymposium is an online synchronous tour and discussion of learning using this hugely popular video game. Minecraft that has sold over 12 million downloads worldwide and in the last 24 hours over 7,000 people have bought the game. Minecraft looks very similar to Legos and allows players to build and play with cubes in a 3D digital sandbox. It can be played on a PC, Mac, tablet or Xbox. This sandbox game has two basic modes, creative and survival.

The educational use of Minecraft has received recent coverage in the popular press, articles on Minecraft and education have included:

Disruptions: Minecraft, an Obsession and an Education Tool
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/minecraft-an-obsession-and-an-educational-tool/?_r=0

Now Teachers Encourage Computer Games in Class
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324665604579081030943142894

Caltech uses popular computer game Minecraft as education tool
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/technology/20131201/caltech-uses-popular-computer-game-minecraft-as-educational-tool

Using Minecraft for Food System Education
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-freyer/food-systems-education-th_b_4340731.html

If you are intrigued or if you would like to learn more about this game and how it may fit into online and blended education, then please join us. The Minecraft and More UnSymposium is a two day free online event on Friday, Dec. 6^th from 6 pm – 10 pm ET and on Saturday, Dec. 7^th from 2 – 9 pm ET. It will include tours in Minecraft and an ongoing discussion of how it can be used in online and hybrid education. These online sessions will run the gamut from demonstration of game play to curriculum discussions. All sessions will be livestreamed over Google Hangout on Air on the Games MOOC channel. http://www.youtube.com/gamesmooc

Our closing social is being hosted by VSTE (Virginia Society for Technology in Education) in the virtual world, Second Life for a Minecraft inspired online event. This is at 8 pm ET in Second Life at VSTE Island http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VSTE%20Island/59/110/24

If you have a paid Minecraft account you will be able to login for the Minecraft tours. For schedule and more information please to http://gamesmooc.shivtr.com/pages/minecraftandmoremission

To register and receive updates please go to http://bit.ly/minecraftandmore

If you have any questions or need specific information, please contact me.

Thank you,

Kae Novak
ISTE SIGVE Chair

kae.novak@frontrange.edu

Laura Briggs

ISTE SIGML Professional Development Chairperson

LauraBTRT@gmail.com

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