Hello everyone, my name is Brant. I’m a blended learning consultant, currently doing professional development of teaching staff at the Institute of Education in Hong Kong. I’m also working on my doctorate in education at the University of Hong Kong, and my thesis explores the roles that virtual identity and the social construction of knowledge play in an immersive virtual environment such as Second Life. I’ve created the Quest, a 10-clue series of challenges designed to train students in the basic UI skills required for SL, and have recently completed (with a team of contributors) Get Scrooged — an immersive experience designed to supplement instruction about Dicken’s classic tale: A Christmas Carol. I’ve enjoyed reading Dr. Conole’s publications, and I look forward to interacting with other students as we explore the topics presented by this MOOC. I think the biggest challenge to the MOOC experience is creating viable conversational exchanges with other students: it’s like walking through a crowd at a symposium — what is the mechanism for forming and maintaining small groups? Lots of opportunities for quick asides, but how can focused transactional exchanges develop without the formation of consistent small group membership?

The Quest: http://secondlife.com/destination/the-quest

Get Scrooged: http://vwbpe.org/event/get-scrooged-a-virtual-christmas-carol