VCARA Blog
VCARA Blog
This is an archive of older VCARA posts. The current website and blog location is https://ischoolblogs.sjsu.edu/vcara/, but the best way to connect is by joining the SJSU iSchool VCARA Discord channel.
The iSchool has hosted educational and social virtual world events as part of our Virtual Center for Archives and Records Administration (VCARA) since 2009. VCARA began in our MARA Program, but is open to any interested iSchool students, faculty, or staff. Managed by Bethany Winslow (Director of Online Learning) with participation by current students, alumni, and other virtual world colleagues, the VCARA website, blog, and Discord channel highlights the activities on our region in Second Life and other locations. We also collaborate with other educators and information professionals in-world, and we explore different social virtual reality platforms with our VR Exploders Club monthly outings. Join us!
VR vs VW in Education Smackdown
A Recap of the October 15th Main Event
Published: October 16, 2019 by Dr. Pat Franks
If you missed the VR / VW Smackdown, you missed not only an informative session—but quite an entertaining one. The two sparring partners—Alyse Dunavant-Jones enthusiastic about the current efforts in and possibilities for Virtual Reality in education and Bethany Winslow defending the track-record and value of experience in Virtual Worlds—did justice to their positions. By all account, the bout ended in a draw!
Virtual Reality vs Virtual Worlds “Smackdown”
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. SLT (Pacific)
Published: October 14, 2019 by Dr. Pat Franks
Join us for a lively debate on the merits of virtual worlds and virtual reality! Our first presenter, Alyse Dunavant-Jones, argues that “VR is the future, and the future is now!” Our second presenter, Bethany Winslow, cautions that “Regardless of what VR platforms are used in the future, designers of effective immersive learning with VR must know the history of virtual worlds in education as well as have some hands-on experience in using them.” The sparing partners will be moderated by Dr. Valerie Hill, the director of the Community Virtual Library in Second Life, Avacon, and Kitely.
2019-2020 is the Year of Virtual Reality Exploration in VCARA
Published: October 7, 2019 by Dr. Pat Franks
The Virtual Center for Archives and Records Administration on SJSU’s iSchool Island has been hub of activity over the past 10 years. Just some of the events and activities being delivered with text and voice chat were: guest speakers, field trips, banned books exhibits, Halloween parties, Holiday balls, jousting events in Tudor Times, meet-ups at the Pub (or coffee bar for tea-totalers), conferences, and much more. Courses have been taught in this immersive environment, with many opportunities for educators to experiment with the tools that were available at the start and the many that became available over the years—including camera functions, media on a prim, and ability to customize avatars, build on the spot, transfer objects to other players.
The Best of Archiving’19: Lisbon Recap
Presented by Dr. Marie Vans
Published: September 10, 2019 by Dr. Pat Franks
Marie Vans, a senior research scientist with Hewlett-Packard Labs in Fort Collins, Colorado, and an iSchool alumna presented an informative and entertaining presentation recapping some of the events of the Archiving ’19 Conference held by The Society for Imaging Science & Technology at the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo in Lisbon, Portugal.
10th Annual VCARA Conference Recap
April 20, 2019, VCARA on iSchool Island in SL
Published: August 19, 2019 by Dr. Pat Franks
The 10th annual VCARA conference held April 20, 2019, was a resounding success! Keynote presenters and those who shared mini-presentations reinforced our theme, “Sands of Time: Looking Back to Move Forward.”
10th Annual VCARA Conference Schedule – 4/23/19
Published: April 20, 2019 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Join VCARA for our 10th Annual VCARA Conference at 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. SLT (Pacific) Tuesday, April 23, 2019! This year’s theme is inspired by Ancient Egypt: “Sands of Time: Looking Back to Move Forward.” Come dressed as yourself or in your favorite Ancient Egyptian attire.
VCARA Participates: VWBPE Exhibit & Immersive Experience
Published: March 18, 2019 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Join VCARA for a unique immersive experience on iSchool Island (SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SJSU%20SLIS/47/83/33) in Second Life at 6 p.m. SLT (Pacific) on Monday, March 25, 2019. This event is part of the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education 2019 conference.
10th Annual VCARA Conference: April 23, 2019
Published: March 7, 2019 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Join VCARA for our 10th Annual VCARA Conference from 6pm-8:30pm SLT (Pacific) on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. This year’s theme is “Sands of Time: Looking Back to Move Forward” and will emphasize heroes and activities from VCARA’s past as well as prospects for future virtual world best practices and endeavors in both 3D and VR environments.
10th Annual VCARA Conference: Call For Presentations
Published: January 15, 2019 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Mark your calendars for the 10th Annual VCARA Conference from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. SLT (Pacific) Tuesday, April 23, 2019. This year’s theme is “Sands of Time: Looking Back to Move Forward” and will emphasize heroes and activities from VCARA’s past as well as prospects for future virtual world best practices and endeavors. Submit your proposal for a 10-minute mini presentation by Monday, April 8 for one of the 10 slots available.
Dickens Project: VCARA Reads “The Christmas Tree”
Published: November 17, 2018 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Join VCARA on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 at 6pm SLT
(Pacific) with a festive live voice reading of “The
Christmas Tree”, a short story by Charles Dickens.
The reading will take place at the Community Virtual
Library’s Dickens Resource Center (SL URL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA7/236/61/21)
as part of Seanchai Library’s
Dickens Project in Second Life.
VCARA Participates: Rockliffe University Consortium Conference 2018
Published: November 13, 2018 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Rockliffe University Consortium (RUC) held their second annual conference (RUCC18) at the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture in San Francisco, California on November 9-10, 2018.
VCARA Lecture 11/13/18: Cybersecurity, Second Life & Real Life
Published: November 2, 2018 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Join VCARA on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 6 pm SLT (Pacific) for a lecture by cybersecurity specialist Erik Moore (medi Martian in Second Life).
This event will take place at the VCARA Amphitheatre on the
iSchool Island in Second Life (SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SJSU%20SLIS/47/83/33).
We will also simulcast the event in Zoom for those who cannot
join us in Second Life: https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/926315807
Community Virtual Library: Call for Dickens Project Research
Published: October 23, 2018 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
The Community Virtual Library (CVL) is now accepting proposals for its Dickens Project Resource Center in Second Life.
This annual exhibit highlights aspects of Charles Dickens and the Victorian Era. Presentation formats can vary (slideshow, poster, image, video) and can include audio and text. Additional formats (e.g. sculpture) may be welcome but must receive approval from CVL. CVL recommends that researchers keep presentations brief (5-10 slides/minutes).
Spotlight: Banned Books Exhibit
Published: September 24, 2018 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Celebrate Banned Books Week (9/23/18 – 9/29/18) and visit VCARA’s Banned Books Exhibit in the U-See-Em Building on iSchool Island in Second Life!
VCARA Lecture 10/30/18: AI Bot “Professor/Librarian” Combats Fake News
Published: September 19, 2018 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Join VCARA and archivist Shannon Bohle (Archivist Llewellyn in Second Life) for a unique Artificial Intelligence (AI) bot lecture on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 @ 6pm SLT (Pacific).
Live Theater & Storytelling in Second Life – 9/18/18
Published: September 12, 2018 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Join VCARA in Second Life on Thursday, September 18, 2018 at 6 PM
SLT (Pacific) for a live theater and storytelling workshop hosted
by Corwyn Allen.
Corwyn will:
VCARA Orientations — Fall 2018
Published: July 19, 2018 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
Join iSchool alumna and VCARA member Alyse Dunavant-Jones (Second Life avatar: alysedunavantjones) to learn Second Life basics and explore VCARA’s offerings:
9th Annual VCARA Conference: Recap
Published: June 18, 2018 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones
On April 18, 2018, VCARA held its 9th Annual VCARA Conference on iSchool Island in Second Life. This year’s theme was Passion for Truth: Trusting Information in the Fake News Era. Attendees posted to social media during the conference using #VCARA.
Metaverse Libraries Tour – CybaLOUNGE: A Web-Based Virtual World
Published: September 13, 2017
On Sunday, September 17, 2017 at 12pm SLT (Pacific), the Community Virtual Library will host a Metaverse Libraries tour of the upcoming web-based virtual world (web-world) CybaLOUNGE. This will be the first official tour hosted in the world after several major updates in 2017!
Community Virtual Library: Digital Citizenship Exhibit
Published: August 16, 2017
The Community Virtual Library (CVL) in Second Life launched its Digital Citizenship Exhibit in February 2017. To date, it hosts 28 presentations focusing on a broad range of digital citizenship aspects such as accessibility, information literacy, online courses, gamification, netiquette, avatar creation, and digital art.