Posted by We are in the exciting rush of preparation for next month’s UniVirtual Experience, a ground-breaking experience, festival, and conference all in VR, once again breaking all the rules in education and conferences. Get ready for the scheduling coming soon, and if you want to get more involved, join our team of volunteers helping to support this free 30-day celebration of education in and with immersive technology.
There are many ways to keep up with the events and activities with Educators in VR beyond this site. Subscribe to our Educators in VR AltspaceVR channel to be automatically updated by email when a new event is added there. Join our active Educators in VR Discord. Add our Educators in VR Google Calendar to yours. And join as a member of Educators in VR.
Here is a summary of upcoming events, along with some highlights from related organizations, from Educators in VR worth considering adding to your scheduled.
Special Events
Every Educators in VR event is special, but we have some very special events this month and next.
April Earth Day Discussions and World Tours: Educators in VR is joining the AltspaceVR community to celebrate Earth Day with world tours, open discussions, and special events based on this year’s “Restore Our Earth” theme. We’re also inviting our members to build virtual worlds in honor of that theme and share links to those worlds so they might be included in the festivities.
- April 13 – Earth Day Discussion: Water
- April 20 – Educational World Tour: Climate Change
- April 22 – Virtual world Society Earth Day World Tour
- April 27 – Earth Day Discussion: Restoration
May – UniVirtual Experience: The UniVirtual Experience May 1-30 is free and open-to-the-public, a month long celebration of education in XR is a joint venture with the Virtual World Society. It will feature industry leaders, educators, and friends sharing their insights and expertise into the past, present, and future of XR education. We have over 150 events planned throughout the month across multiple platforms. Get ready. If you would like to help out this free conference, please join our Volunteer Team and check out the training sessions below.
Virtual World Society Fireside Chat: Thursday, Brittan Heller will join Tom Furness in AltspaceVR for an amazing discussion on cyberbullying, cyberharrassment, and online extremism and hate. She is a lawyer and pioneer changing laws & perspectives globally. For more information, check out our article on the special event.
Membership Events: We recently soft-launched our Educators in VR Membership program and we have many new discounts and benefits we’ll be announcing shortly, so please take time to join and help us support our ongoing mission to integrate and expand the potential for XR in education globally. We host over 600 free and paid events, conferences, workshops, and classes in VR annually, and your support goes a long way in keeping so many of those events free.
This Week with Educators in VR
April 6: Our Tuesday monthly social is combined this week with the XR @ Michigan 2021 Summit Social at the same time as our social meetup. This social is part of the Extended Reality (XR) at Michigan 2021 Summit on the University of Michigan Campus, a part of the Extended Reality (XR) Initiative from the Center for Academic Innovation. For more information, and links to attend the full free Summit yourself online, check out our article.
April 7: The vCoaching & Personal Development workshop this week in AltspaceVR with special guest Jim Intriglia, educator, mentor, and advisor, helping entrepreneurs and professionals create development programs that will enable them to thrive and grow in their chosen career paths. He is also the Team Project leader for the Educators in VR XR Medical and Healthcare and XR Business Team Projects. The event is hosted by vCoaching Team Project Leader Dana-Maria Fanaker of CaptainVR.
April 8: The first EDVR SINNERS Meetup invites intellectual and thought-leaders together to discuss the future of education in XR technology and consider the future of Educators in VR and our role. This is not a typical Team Project but an think-tank style discussion. If you are passionate about XR in education, please join us in AltspaceVR.
April 9: The next Social networking event with the XR Medical Healthcare Team Project in AltspaceVR is a great opportunity to connect with others in the medicine and health industry to discuss XR technology in education, training, and other support services.
April 17: Join the vLanguage Team Project leaders and Dr. Angelina Dayton of Students in VR as speakers at the New York TESOL TeLL SIG 2021 Language Learning conference. They will share their expertise online on using immersive technologies in language learning.
English Intro Workshops: Micheal McDonald of Gold Lotus language consultancy continues to partner with Educators in VR for a series of workshops and classes in English language throughout the entire month.
If you are new to VR events, we’ve a How to Attend Events in VR Guide for you to help you through the process. You may access these events with a VR headset or in 2D with a laptop or desktop computer with headphones.
Also, don’t forget to subscribe and check out our Educators in VR YouTube Channel where we showcase many of our past events, and sometimes stream our live events. We have over 200 videos from our various events that will keep you fascinated for days.
Member and Volunteer Events
Video Filming Event Support Training in AltspaceVR: Wednesday, our Video Filming Event Support Training is an introduction to filming techniques for events in VR. Educators in VR hosts and produces hundreds of events in VR annually and we’re expanding our video volunteers and production team. If you are interested in joining our crew, sigh up with our Volunteer Team.
Moderation 101 Training: Moderation is one of the best ways to give back to Educators in VR and other VR events you support through the gift of your attention, patience, and crowd-control skills. No special skills are required other than patience and the gift of your attention and time. Our next Moderation 101 Training is Friday, April 9, in AltspaceVR. You may moderate in 2D or VR headset, though it is often easier to do so in 2D.
2D Training in AltspaceVR: 2D access through Windows 10 or Mac is an easy way to explore AltspaceVR and attend our events. We are back offering regular training sessions in AltspaceVR to introduce you to navigation, interaction, and other fun tips and techniques for making your way in VR on your computer. Ensure you have a good quality (USB is best) gaming headset with over-the-ear headphones and mic or screw-in-earbuds (Bluetooth, optional), and join us Friday, April 9, in AltspaceVR for our 2D Training.
Other Educational Events and Activities in VR
Educators in VR supports a wide range of XR educational events and activities. Here are a few to consider adding to your schedule.
April 7 – Women in XR and Allies: The Women in XR and Allies group is among some of the longest running events in AltspaceVR and brings together leaders in the industry to meet and discuss diversity in XR technology and leadership. Join them Wednesday in AltspaceVR.
April 8 – Overcoming Algorithm Aversion: Overcoming algorithm aversion: a workshop on human centered AI designZoom event with Jessica Outlaw and Professor Berkeley Dietvorst on how to develop more human-center algorithms that people will actually use. This will be a fascinating free interactive workshop.
April 8 – Theatre and Storytelling in VR: Hosted by vm-people, the X-TALK – Theatre and Storytelling in VR in AltspaceVR feeatures Christina M. Schollerer, co-host of the StoryFusion MeetUp in Berlin and founder of the Berlin StoryDesign.Studio, and Dr. Michael Straeubig, systems theorist, dramaturge, game designer, creative coder, and Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Plymouth.
May 17-June 10 – iLRN International Conference: iLRN2021, the 7th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network, is scheduled for May 17 – June 10 this year. Calls for papers and presentations are open and deadlines approaching quickly.
As usual, keep up with us here and in our Educators in VR Discord group, Facebook, Twitter, and Educators in VR AltspaceVR channel for more information and updates on the events in Educators in VR.