INTRODUCTION

At Middlesbrough CLC we have been working in and with online virtual environments for a number of years, exploring their potential in an educational context to provide innovative opportunities tomaximise the potential we feel these environments offer.

For the last 18 months our environment of choice has been Second Life as we feel that this environment currently offers the most creative and versatile platform. See http://secondlifegrid.net/ for more

information on Second Life. 

PROJECT GOALS:

Our proposal would be:

1. To build from plan an accurate virtual model of the school on the schools own private island in Second Life. 

2. To replicate that accurate virtual school on the schools own private island in Teen Second Life.

3. To provide access to the building 18 months to two years before the school exists in its physical space.

4. To build appropriate functionality into the virtual school and the environment itself by agreement between the two parties.
   

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

1.      Effective visualisation of and engagement with the new school prior to its build

completion for;

a.      School

            i.      BSF Team

           ii.      Departments

           iii.      Teachers

           iv.      Pupils

           v.      Governors

           vi.      Parents

b.      Building firm

            i.      BSF Team

            ii.      Architects

            iii.      Prospective BSF Schools

            iv.      Clients

c.      Local Authority

              i.      BSF Team

d.      Others

             i.      DCSF

            ii.      BECTA

            iii.      Educationalists

            iv.      Residents/Local Community

             v.      SLED

2.      Provide through the various means in world the opportunity for;

     a.      Vision Casting

             i.      Stakeholders sharing their vision

                 1.      eg Video screens and

                              appropriate media

     b.      Shared Ownership

                 i.      Engagement of all parties in the process

                      1.      eg Programmed environmental feedback

     c.      Creative engagement

                   i.      Design/input to elements of environment

                      1.      eg Sculptures in open spaces

     d.      Publicity

                   i.      For project and stakeholders

                      1.      eg  TV and in local and national press

 3.      Implement effective applications of the environment to aid and enhance learning by;

     a.      Providing a stimulating virtual online space to engage learners and maximise learning theory

                i.      eg provision of relevant 3D Immersive environments

 4.      Establishing linkages between this and existing technologies/software;

     a.      Mash-ups of Web 3D technology to maximise effectiveness

              i.      Google Earth 3D and Google Earth API

 BSF.