Workshop: Build Your Better Self in VR

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Build Your Better Self Workshop with Caitlyn Krause Dana Maria May 2020 ASVR Event Tile

In this fast-paced, ever-shifting “new normal” we find ourselves in, it is more important that ever that we get our heads “in the right space,” and what better space to challenge ourselves than in the virtual reality space where we can immerse ourselves and recreate who we are in VR.

Educators in VR is excited to announce a special event May 28, 2020, 10AM PDT, with Caitlin Krause, founder of MindWise, author, educator, and innovator in XR collaboration, mindfulness and presence, and Dana-Maria Faneker, founder of the CaptainVR startup and leader of the Educators in VR vCoaching and Personal Development Team. They are teaming up for a unique and engaging workshop on mindsets, well-being, and transformation for personal and professional development called “Build Your Better Self: We Create Who We Are in VR!

The 2-hour workshop in AltspaceVR is designed to help you transform your life and work in a meaningful way. With their innovative expertise in virtual reality teaching and training, Caitlin Krause and Danna-Maria Faneker will help you learn techniques to empower you to build your best version of yourself using coaching and personal development techniques such as Ki-training, PSYCH-K, mindfulness, and meditation. For business professionals, academics, and trainers, this is a life-changing experience to help you focus and refocus and build your better self.

Caitlin Krause photoCaitlin Krause specializes in UX design, story, and well-being in XR. She works as a story designer in digital therapeutics with a focus on interactive XR, using mindfulness, guided imagery, HCD, biofeedback, BA, and CBT.

Founder of the consultancy MindWise, Caitlin launched her book Mindful by Design (Corwin Press, 2019) at the World Economic Forum and spoke about the Future of Education, Sci-Fi and Immersive Technology. She has been a teacher and curriculum designer for over two decades. Through her leadership and organizational consulting, she helps individuals and teams create connection in the midst of complexity and change. She recently created a mindfulness and SEL series in social VR, fusing presence, storytelling, curiosity, and emotional intelligence. Her mission is to empower humanity through connection.

Dana-Maria FanekerDana-Maria Faneker has been sailing on big traditional Sailing Vessels first as a crew member and later as a Captain and now she is a professional coach/trainer already for 10 years and she started working with VR coaching in 2015.

Dana-Maria’s mission is to is help people to become the Captain of their Lives and Virtual Reality is the most powerful tool to help her with her mission. That’s why she founded a tech-startup called CaptainVR! CaptainVR is developing digital health tools to empower people, so they can practice, learn, and develop in a safe environment. They measure the effectiveness of the tools with Biofeedback and work together with psychologists & researchers to build proven cases. Their main focus is on personal development, stress reduction and immune boosting. CaptainVR also provides education, coaching, and training on how to work with new technology in an effective way. As leader of the vCoaching and Personal Development Team, she hosts weekly workshops in AltspaceVR

Caitlin and Dana-Maria recently hosted a special event in AltspaceVR as part of the Educators in VR vCoaching Team workshops, focusing on helping people find techniques and tools for self-improvement and stress release in this time of crises, finding a new energy and increased focus.

vCoaching - Caitlin Krause and Dana-Maria workshop May 2020 vCoaching - Caitlin Krause and Dana-Maria workshop May 2020

Tickets for Build Your Better Self: We Create Who We Are in VR! are just USD $35 and include all ticket fees. Events like these typically fill fast. Seating is limited to ensure a personal experience, so hurry to ensure your spot at this special event.

Specific instructions on how to attend this innovative event will be in the receipt. Please remember, this is a self-improvement session not therapy.

SiliconHagen Meetups: Denmark Education and Technology

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SiliconHagen

Educators in VR is proud to help launch SiliconHagen and their regular meetups in AltspaceVR, and introduce you to a leading change agent in the transformation of public and private sector service education, training, user interaction, and production management. The special launch event is the SiliconHagen Denmark Education Team Introduction set for Monday, April 27, and is open to all. The event will be in English and Danish.

We are eager to introduce you to the great work that SiliconHagen is doing in Denmark to provide support, conversations, and access to new technologies in education for students, educators, employees, and companies as schools adapt and expand to embrace spatial technologies. Denmark was one of the first nations to lockdown and struggle with the challenge of teaching virtually, and one of the first to emerge successfully, offering even more unique challenges as students return to school and continue to maintain social distancing. They have many lessons to teach us.

SiliconHagen offers innovative solutions and applications of virtual and augmented reality technologies as a leader in Denmark. They are exploring experimental technologies associated with data driven artificial intelligence and IoT in education, health, building and property management, smart cities, and even energy management, all relevant to the education, training, and industry development needed to meet the needs of the country in the future and maintain its position in the world’s economies.

This is the first in a series of regular meetups for SiliconHagen to meet in AltspaceVR and bring together the Denmark educational community to work together toward the future, embracing emerging technology and providing open discussions on education and technology now and into the future.

You may learn more about what they are doing on their SiliconHagen website, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Educators in VR is dedicated to providing educational events, trainings, and workshops for educators and learners to prepare them for the future of spatial technologies in education. We offer weekly workshops in AltspaceVR and other platforms featuring key educators, trainers, and developers in VR, AR, XR, and MR technology and education.

Join our Educators in VR Discord group, Facebook, and follow us on Twitter for information on workshops and how to become more involved. Consider subscribing to our Educators in VR event subscription channel to receive regular reminders of upcoming events there. We publish member brags and news you can use about virtual reality in education across the entire spectrum of usage from childhood education to health and science to corporate.

To Attend Educators in VR Events in AltspaceVR

We meet in AltspaceVR, a free virtual reality social app and community. You may RSVP on the event from our channel and AltspaceVR will send you a reminder an hour before the event. AltspaceVR, like other virtual platforms, require an account for access.

You may attend using the free AltspaceVR mobile app or 2D version. AltspaceVR is available for Samsung Gear, Steam Store for HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, and the Oculus Store for Rift, Go and Quest users. If you do not have a VR device, you may also install the 2D version for use on your Windows desktop computer. A headset and microphone (quality earbuds acceptable) is required to participate. Otherwise please stay muted during the event as the background noise and echoes may be disruptive. For more information on accessing and installing AltspaceVR, check out their download web page.

If you would like to present at one of our weekly workshops, please submit your speaker’s proposal to us. Consider joining one of our many team projects. If you have questions or need more information, please contact us or connect with one of our many social media channels.

Educators in VR er stolte af at hjælpe med opstarten af SiliconHagens nye gratis tiltag Virtuelle Undervisere og deres regelmæssige møder i AltspaceVR. Tiltaget vil introducere interessenter for de førende tiltag, forandringer og den nyeste udvikling indenfor VR i den offentlige og private sektor – Herunder uddannelse, træning, brugerinteraktion og produktionsstyring. Den specielle lanceringsbegivenhed Introduktion til SiliconHagen Denmark Education vil blive sat i vandet mandag den 27. april 2020 kl. 16.00, og er åben for alle interessenter. Arrangementet vil være på engelsk og dansk.

Vi er ivrige efter at introducere jer til det store arbejde, SiliconHagen udfører i Danmark, for at yde støtte, sparring og adgang til nye teknologier indenfor VR-brugen i uddannelse for både studerende, undervisere, ansatte og virksomheder, når skoler tilpasser sig og udbygges til at omfatte rumlige teknologier. Danmark var en af de første nationer, der igangsatte lockdown og kæmpede imod udfordringen ved at undervise virtuelt. Danmark står dog stadig med lockdown af store dele af undervisningssektoren, og de står endnu med unikke udfordringer, når eleverne vender tilbage til skolen og fortsætter med at opretholde social afstand. De har mange lektioner de kan lære os.

Som en af de førende i Danmark, tilbyder SiliconHagen innovative løsninger og applikationer af Virtual- og Augmented Reality-teknologier. De undersøger eksperimentelle teknologier, der er forbundet med datadrevet kunstig intelligens og IoT indenfor uddannelse, sundhed, bygning- og ejendomsadministration, byer og endda energistyring. Alt sammen relevant for den uddannelse, erhvervsuddannelse og industriudvikling, der er nødvendig for at imødekomme landets behov i fremtiden og opretholdelsen af landets position i verdensøkonomien.

Dette første event er det første i en række regelmæssige møder arrangeret af SiliconHagen, som mødes i AltspaceVR og samler det danske uddannelsessamfund med det formål at arbejde sammen med blikket rettet mod fremtiden. De omfavner ny teknologi og tilbyder dermed åbne diskussioner om uddannelse og teknologi nu og i fremtiden.

I kan læse mere om, hvad de laver på deres webside SiliconHagen, LinkedIn, og Twitter.

Educators In VR er dedikeret til at tilbyde kommende uddannelsesarrangementer, træning og workshops for undervisere og studerende med det til sigte at forberede dem på en fremtid med rumlige teknologier inden for uddannelse. Vi tilbyder ugentlige workshops i AltspaceVR og andre platforme med nøglepædagoger, undervisere og udviklere inden for VR, AR, XR og MR-teknologi samt uddannelse.

Deltag i vores Educators In VR Discord-gruppe, Facebook, og følg os på Twitter for mere information om workshops og hvordan du bliver mere involveret. Overvej at abonnere på vores Educators In VR ”begivenheds-abonnementskanal” for at modtage regelmæssige påmindelser om kommende begivenheder. Vi udgiver medlemsmagasiner og nyheder, hvor I kan læse om Virtual Reality indenfor uddannelse og her på tværs af hele spektret lige fra undervisning af børn, unge og voksne, sundhed, naturvidenskab og meget mere.

Deltag i Educators In VRs begivenheder på AltspaceVR

Vi mødes i AltspaceVR, en gratis virtual reality social app og community. RSVP begivenheden på vores kanal, og så vil AltspaceVR sende dig en påmindelse omkring begivenheder en time før begivenhedens start. AltspaceVR kræver, ligesom andre virtuelle platforme, en konto for adgang.

Du kan downloade den gratis AltspaceVR-mobilapp eller 2D-version. AltspaceVR 3D versionen er tilgængelig for brugere af Samsung Gear, Steam Store til HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality og Oculus Store til Rift, GoGo og Quest. Hvis du ikke har en VR-enhed, kan du også installere en 2D-version til brug på din Windows-stationære computer. Deltagelse kræver et headset og en mikrofon (In-ear hovedtelefoner kan også afbenyttes). Ellers beder vi dig forblive muted under begivenhederne og oplæg, da baggrundsstøj og ekko kan være forstyrrende for oplægsholdere.

For mere information, kontakt os venligst eller opret forbindelse til os via en af vores mange kanaler på de sociale medier.

VR Research Help Wanted Campaign

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Help VR Researchers campaign image..

The Educators in VR VR Research Project Team meets every other week in AltspaceVR to discuss tips, techniques, and the challenges of researching in and with VR, and features guest speakers reporting on their ground-breaking research projects. All researchers are welcome to join and learn about the innovations being done in spatial technology research. Today’s VR Researchers Meetup features some exciting news.

Introducing the VR Research Help Wanted Campaign

Educators in VR represents researchers around the globe challenging and testing the concepts and efficacy of VR, AR, and XR in education, training, the workplace, science, and life in general. We support researchers exploring the uses and impact of VR in therapy and socialization, integration of AR into commerce and manufacturing, development of VR for workplace training, benefits for senior and elder care and memory stimulation, and exploring the benefits of social VR for collaboration – the list is long and we want to support our researchers, especially now.

Researchers don’t have access to their labs, subjects, or even their computers. Many have their research projects, even their graduations, postponed as the world continues to deal with the current and future challenges of the pandemic of COVID-19/coronavirus. For the few given permission to continue their research, they are often challenged by the inability to collect enough information.

Educators in VR is stepping up to help.

We’ve created a new channel in our Discord called Research Help Wanted in the Research category. If you are doing research in VR, AR, XR, and related topics and industries, and you wish to spread the word and allow us to help you spread that word – or survey – post there and our team will do our best to help.

Or consider using it to find interview subjects, or whatever help you need.

We have an amazing VR Research team lead by Evelien Ydo ready to answer your questions at their regular events and meetups or on the VR Research Discussion channel.

To help you get started, here are some of the research studies and projects you may help with right now.

This is just a few of the studies desperate for your assistance to support their research and move forward in their academic studies and careers. Help a VR researcher today!

Thanks to Keith Kenyon and Evelien Ydo for inspiring this campaign. We look forward to sharing the news of your research and our members and the public participating in your research projects!

Tom Furness and the Virtual World Society in AltspaceVR

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Tom Furness Keynote the window - Educators in VR International Conference

Tom Furness is coming back to AltspaceVR on Tuesday, April 21, 2020, and this time, he is bringing part of his Virtual World Society team to share what they are doing to turn the education industry upside down with virtual reality.

We’ve shared our love and passion for Tom Furness and the Virtual World Society here on our site and through our social media channels, and if you missed his presentation at the 2020 Educators in VR International Summit, watch it now on our Educators in VR YouTube channel.

Professor Furness will be discussing the work of the Virtual World Society, and announcing some very exciting news that will impact all of us.

He also brings us some homework and requests our support for some very worthy causes the Virtual World Society is supporting.

First, homework. Before the event, please complete this short 2 minute survey that asks you how you are doing with COVID-19 isolation and how you can help the Virtual World Society and how they can help you. The results will be announced at the event.

Next, you will learn about the generous work the Virtual World Society is doing for the Make a Wish program and other community events and activities. Please support these worthy causes by donating and spreading the word as it takes a community.

Consider joining the Virtual World Society and be among the growing membership determined to democratize and disrupt VR in education.

Tom Furness, Virtual World Society founder.Dr. Tom Furness is a virtual reality pioneer and inventor who has earned the title “Grandfather of Virtual Reality.” He is Professor in the University of Washington Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, and the founder of the Human Interface Technology Lab at the University of Washington and its sister labs at the University of Canterbury and University of Tasmania. He is known for his contributions developing virtual interface technology and its applications in education, training, medicine, design and entertainment. He and his students and colleagues have spun off 27 companies in the immersive computing space. He is also the general manager and owner of the RATLab (Rocking and Thinking Laboratory) and Founder of the Virtual World Society.

Expect to see Professor Furness and his Virtual World Society team members in and around AltspaceVR and the metaverse more often, but we won’t share any more details. You’ll just have to show up tomorrow and see what all the fuss and excitement is about!

PS: This week is his 77th birthday. To celebrate and honor his life-long work and passion, join the Virtual World Society and let’s make his dreams come true.

VR/AR High School Virtual Hackathon

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VRoKC VRX Extended Challenge 2020 logoEducators in VR is proud to support the VXR Extended Challenge 2020 by VRoKCs (VR Rocks), the non-profit, software development mentoring program for high school students out of Kansas City. While usually a real-life challenge and event working with student teams and teachers, this year it’s gone totally virtual with students working from home.

To help you learn more about this virtual hack-a-thon style collaborative event, Rohit Chaube of VRoKCs will present an overview and discussion of the VXR Extended Challenge 2020 in AltspaceVR Tuesday, April 14.

The VXR Extended Challenge 2020 is a pressure-test in utilizing design thinking and collaboration with virtual teams to build a functioning VR/AR prototype that addresses a specific problem. After the challenge, teams may receive help to build their prototype into a minimal viable product (MVP), working toward making it a commercially viable product.

The challenge will be issued April 17 at 12PM GMT, igniting the spirit of collaboration and teamwork in VR and AR development.

The final project and pitch video is due online by May 3 at noon GMT, then submitted to a panel of VR/AR and industry partners for judging. Winners and prizes will be announced at the upcoming Students in VR conference, May 7-8, 2020, in AltspaceVR and ENGAGE.

Throughout the challenge, there will be workshops and Q&A sessions hosted online for the student participants to help them learn from industry expertse the latest VR/AR tools, techniques, and problem-solving. Technical mentors and subject matter experts will also be available to help the student teams.

This is a powerful educational and self-directed learning challenge and experiment for the students every year, but this year is even more challenging. The challenge is also now open to any high school student (9th-12th grade). Students must provide their own devices, and any VR/AR device is acceptable including the use of smart phones, Google Cardboard, and Oculus, VIVE, and other VR devices. Don’t have one, they recommend the students be creative and borrow one or sue web browser based VR tools like A-Frame, or build your own. That’s part of the challenge.

If you are a high school student, or a teacher of high school students, and wish to be involved, attend our special event Tuesday in AltspaceVR for an overview, and visit VXR Extended Challenge 2020.

April 2020 Events and Workshops

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Educators in VR is busier than ever as the world stays self-isolated, working from home, reaching out to virtual reality and Educators in VR to help provide resources, consulting, and training on producing and hosting virtual events in VR.

This past month found us busier than ever as we moved from the success of the 2020 Educators in VR International Summit into consulting, training, and production support for schools, governments, businesses, and conferences changing from real-world to virtual.

Michael McDonald of Gold Lotus and the Educators in VR 24 Hr English Lesson in VR.We also had a very successful first-ever 24 Hour English Lesson and fundraiser with Michael McDonald of Gold Lotus, an Educators in VR sponored and produced event that raised over 2,000 Euro for Red Cross Italy Lecce and had hundreds of attendees across 3 virtual platforms in those 24 hours. Well done, Michael!

In addition to our regularly weekly Educators in VR workshops on Tuesdays in AltspaceVR, we have special events, open discussions, and great news for you. We’ve also updating our Educators in VR events calendar on Google to help you find all our events across multiple platforms, including our Educators in VR AltspaceVR channel. For a look at all the events across the VR metaverse, check out the VR Events by VRevents.io.

Educators in VR Workshops and Trainings

Educators in VR Workshop with Sonya Haskins, esports and VR games expert.Tuesday Weekly Workshops: We meet in AltspaceVR and the workshops are free and open to the public.

Educators in VR International Summit - Workshop.Training Workshops: Educators in VR is dedicated to providing training programs and workshops for educators, learners, researchers, and anyone interested in creating educational events in VR. The workshops are a combination of free introductory programs and paid workshops.

Continue reading →

Coronavirus Fundraiser: 24 Hour VR English Lesson

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GoFundMe Campaign for the Educators in VR International SummitEducators in VR is proud to sponsor the first ever 24 Hour English Lesson in VR. Beginning Friday 27th March at 10 AM Rome (Italy) time / 2 AM PST / 6 PM Tokyo, Michael McDonald of Gold Lotus will run a 24 hour virtual reality English lesson to raise funds and awareness for the work of the Italian Red Cross of Lecce, southern Italy.

Volunteers from the Italian Red Cross of Lecce preparing to collect a Coronavirus patient

Italian Red Cross of Lecce Volunteers collect a Coronavirus patient.

The Coronavirus or COVID-19 is a growing concern and it is imperative that doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and volunteers are supported so they can do their jobs effectively and safely, to ensure that we can minimise the spread. Italy is one of the countries hit hardest by the virus and the death toll keeps rising daily. The south of Italy is drastically under prepared for the growing number of cases being seen, as confirmed by Professor Caruso, President of the Italian Society of Virology.

Delivery of medical supplies to a vulnerable member of the community unable to leave home

Delivery of medical supplies to a vulnerable housebound member of the community.

As a long time language instructor living in Lecce, Michael McDonald feels a sense of responsibility to contribute to the needs of the community in this difficult moment. Many funds already exist to support the global and national fight against Coronavirus, however this sponsored VR event has two specific rationale: to provide a fast and direct relief to the already stretched emergency services of a small region which normally finds it difficult to attract the funding compared to larger cities or regions, and the belief that if everyone contributed to the fight in their own community with energy then the knock-on effect across the nation and world will be enough momentum to propel us to safety.

 

News from Italy

 

In the past few hours, CNN reports that the Italian Civil Protection Agency says the number of coronavirus cases in Italy has reached 47,021, with 627 coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 4,032 people in Italy. Resources, already stretched due to economic conditions, are nearing the breaking point. Funds raised before and during this first-ever 24-hr English Lesson event will help so many with so little.

Using his skills and talents as an instructor equally at home in the real world as well as virtual reality, McDonald will run a 24 hour English lesson completely in virtual reality where people can join and learn this language in exciting and engaging ways. To help him, the Educators in VR community and public are asked to support this cause by attending and participating in the events as well as donating to the GoFundMe campaign to help this community. Please consider donating even just a small amount to ensure that the entirely self-funded Red Cross of Lecce can cover costs of gas for ambulances, protective equipment for healthcare workers and patients.

Michael McDonald teaches language classes in AltspaceVR.

After a combined 20 years of studying and teaching foreign languages, Michael McDonald set up the Gold Lotus consultancy in Lecce, Italy, to support students accelerate their language-learning potential and cultural awareness by using virtual reality. Michael is working on a number of projects relating to English-language learning in VR, and collaborates with universities across Europe to research how immersive tasks can support the language learner or teacher. Spring 2020 also sees the start of two publicly-funded projects in Italian schools offering a program to students and teachers to build their English skills in VR and connect them, in real-time collaborative environments, to other schools globally in a virtual cultural exchange program. You may follow his progress on Twitter at @GoldLotusCo.

Continue reading →

Green Conference: Reducing Carbon Emissions with a Virtual Conference

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A virtual conference is a green decision. Instead of traveling, staying in hotels, and using a convention center, Educators in VR prevented more than 7.5 million kg of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere.

Article and analysis by Don Balanzat

Educators in VR International Summit logo.Educators in VR made history a couple of weeks ago by holding the largest immersive virtual conference, the 2020 Educators in VR International Summit. It featured 170 speakers in over 150 events on 5 different virtual platforms over 6 days, and an estimated 6,000 people attended. A volunteer team of 75 people made this possible, as explained in a recent Behind the Scenes of the International Summit workshop.

In addition to being the first time a VR virtual conference of this size ever took place, the conference’s impact on anthropogenic climate change was exciting. With the rising concern over the amount of academic and professional travel that takes place to produce such conferences, mixed with the unfortunate timing of the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak, the team asked me to explore the environmental impact of the conference. Travel and energy utilities are generally the highest percentages of any given individual’s carbon footprint.

Virtual conferences can be an incredibly impactful way in which we can individually and societally reduce our carbon output, and slow the human impact on the climate change process.

Considerations and Calculations

Discussing this with the Educators in VR team, we had to consider the comparison of the virtual conference with a real world conference, and make some considerations and assumptions for our calculations. To ensure we are all on the same page, let me explain.

ASVR - Stargate Command with Relle and Mark

Until transportation improves, travel through Stargate Command is limited to virtual reality.

Because of the international nature of attendees in Educators in VR, we had to consider a broad range of travel options – cars, rail, planes – and different distances. Virtually, people stayed wherever they were, attending from homes, offices, schools, even parks, rarely traveling out of reach of a stable WIFI connection. If this was a real-world conference, travel would be the largest impact on the environment. Continue reading →

Lessons Learned from Hosting a VR Conference

/ Lorelle VanFossen / 5 Comments

Behind the Scenes - 2020 Educators in VR International Conference virtual conference - collage

We are still gathering feedback and data about our incredibly successful 2020 Educators in VR International Summit, February 17-22, 2020. We just held a Behind the Scenes of the International Summit workshop in AltspaceVR, and wanted to present some of our information and lessons learned.

A Little History

Educators in VR begin in November 2018 with the idea of bringing together educators and learners from within the VR community to share and discuss integrating VR into education. What was expected to be a meetup of 20-30 people became a 180 participants event. We began with monthly meetups, but the demand and interest was stunning, so we upped it to once a week workshops that continue to fill over a year later.

The topics and guest speakers have been incredible, covering a wide variety of industries and specialties from language learning to integrating AR into book publishing.

Behind the Scenes - History of Educators in VR virtual events

Within a short time, passionate educators, learners, and researchers asked it they could start their own groups under the Educators in VR umbrella, focusing on their specialty. Currently, we have eight such team projects, with more on the way. These team projects host events with speakers and topics, and are building communities in and of themselves, connecting like minds across borders. Most of the action happens on our Educators in VR Discord group, though some are also connecting on our Facebook group. You may check out the events in AltspaceVR on our Educators in VR AltspaceVR channel and subscribe to be notified of upcoming events.

At the beginning of 2019, co-founders Daniel Dyboski-Bryant, and myself, Lorelle VanFossen, discussed ideas for where we wanted to go in the future, and top of the list was a virtual conference. I wanted a 3-4 days conference, and Daniel laughed and said, “Why don’t we make it a week-long conference?” We compromised on 6 days, and the idea was born for the Educators in VR International Summit.

The idea of the International Summit was to be a proof-of-concept. Could we do it? Could we really create an all virtual, 24-hour, 6 day global conference and:

  • Would speakers want to present about VR in VR?
  • Who would show up for a conference in VR about VR?

Both solid questions, and of course, we quickly expanded VR to all the XR technologies. The excitement and interest of AWE 2019 was our first inclination that this was not just possible but feasible as we presented virtual workshops to people around the world from “within” the AWE side conferences. We kept experimenting at other conferences, adding a virtual component to in-person conferences, and eventually decided that February 2020 would be the date for taking the concept out of the idea box and proving we could actually do this. Continue reading →

UPDATE: Rocking Out the Summit in AltspaceVR & Somnium Space

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UPDATE: To ensure the best experience for our users, we will be hosting the main event for the closing ceremonies in both worlds simultaneously: Somnium Space and AltspaceVR.

Access to Somnium Space is available only to PC/VR users, not desktop/2D or mobile users. If you have access, join the party there. We will have a live stream from the event there into AltspaceVR for the first part of our Rock Out the Summit event.

Join us on both of these innovative platforms to celebrate this record-breaking International Summit.

Somnium Space - Educators in VR 2

SIX DAYS! We can’t believe it. We have completed five and we are on our way to six. We have an amazing closing ceremony called the “Rock Out the Summit” at noon PST Saturday, February 22, in Somnium Space. Come join us in celebrating this record-breaking 2020 Educators in VR International Summit!

Somnium Space people from website.We are so thrilled to be a part of the grand opening of Somnium Space, and we’ve accepted the challenge to fill it with another record-breaking event: the largest group of people in a single virtual space.

The current record was by High Fidelity and stands at 462 people in the same virtual space. That is our goal, and with the help of Somnium Space, and you, we can break that.

Somnium Space - Educators in VR 1Somnium Space is an open, social, and persistent virtual reality world. You may buy land or import objects and instantly monetize and shape your own universe and experience.

VRScout described Somnium Space:

Somnium 2.0 has been designed to host all the players in a single interface, unlike other multiplayer VR gamers where players are categorized into sub servers and mirrored instanced rooms. The solution will be studded with new lucrative features such as persistent server architect and native NFT integration. These unique features help the creators to design and deploy the creations on the land owned by them. Somnium 2.0 will uplift the experience with features like enhanced graphics, full-body Avatars, along with support for Builder and Unity SDKs for creation and avatar importing.

We are thrilled to celebrate the opening of this innovative virtual space. It is currently only accessible by PC 2D Desktop and PC VR devices, not mobile like Oculus Go and Quest. They are working on that, but right now opening up to Educators in VR members and community and everyone to not just celebrate their grand opening but our own record-breaking conference.

To join, you may join on the web or download their client from Somnium Space. Register and when you arrive, you should see signs and information for our Educators in VR celebration. They’ve set up a special pavilion for us.

Accept the challenge and join us for the closing ceremonies and help us rock out the Summit tomorrow, noon, in Somnium Space.

We will also have an after party social in AltspaceVR, which we will be announcing in the next couple hours!