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Tag Archives: New Synthetic Theatre

2013 Open Learning

The planning and development of a free online resource – ‘A Trifling History of the Moving Image’.

Published by:

Presenter: Alan Hudson
Location: Wells, Somerset, UK
alanhudson.org

Presentation Title: The planning and development of a free online resource – “˜A Trifling History of the Moving Image’

Presentation Description: Virtual worlds can be used as exciting environments for learning and can be automated to enable students to learn when they want, alone or with their classmates. Virtual world environments can give students a more immersive and engaging experience than other online resources. New Synthetic Theatre has been running for over a year with its first two shows, “˜Ninety Nine Percent’ and “˜Jabba Jabba Jabba’, and the third show “˜The Flood’ the story of the deluge in Gilgamesh, is currently being developed.

The next show to be created “˜A Trifling History of the Moving Image’, a free show funded by Kick-starter, will be a 3D animated lecture in which the students’ avatars help tell the history of story telling and how changing technologies have changed the way we tell stories. Beginning with bards around the campfire and ending in 3D movies and New Synthetic Theatre. The sound track will be made collaboratively using voices of contributors from around the world, emailed and then edited together.

The K12 video will explain the techniques and principles behind New Synthetic Theatre and how these will be applied in “˜A Trifling History of the Moving Image’. Kickstarter funding will eliminate the need for paid tickets, making the system more inclusive and allow teachers and students from anywhere in the world to learn together and use the resource anytime they like needing only a computer and an internet connection.

This could be the first of many open-licensed, shareable online resources within New Synthetic Theatre.

Link to presentation’s supporting documents:
http://mralanhudson.wordpress.com/k12-2013-supporting-docs/

Additional Information:
Alan Hudson began in IT as a programmer and then later worked as a lecturer at various UK Universities, mostly at London Metropolitan University teaching IT multimedia and E-Learning, He also makes stained glass windows and lamps and is a freelance developer working mostly in Second Life. He has worked on a number of large Second Life projects including “˜The 3D Warehouse’ and New Synthetic Theatre.

See alanhudson.org

2012 Visioning New Curriculum

Virtual Worlds for Immersive, Media Rich Educational Shared Environments

Published by:

Presenter: Alan Hudson
Location: Somerset and London, United Kingdom
Twitter: @AlanNHudson

Presentation Description: Online virtual worlds enable the creation of immersive environments not possible in other media or in conventional classrooms. Real life reproductions of environments such as a court room for teaching law students, or burning buildings for training fire fighters are prohibitively expensive, and must consider the student’s health and safety. With videos we can create stimulating action packed images, but these are not interactive. Video creates experiences where the audience are distanced from the action. Virtual worlds create a more immersive and engaging experience for students, allow interaction and can be used by individual students or a whole class at a time. Four keys features we can exploit are:

  1. Little or no need to consider the health and safety of the students so we can expose the students to dangers we wouldn’t be allowed to in real life.
  2. The student can view the environment from many points of view.
  3. Buildings and oceans can move, appear, disappear unrestricted by the laws of physics (and its cheap). We can instantly travel from the 2012 Olympics to ancient Greece.
  4. The students’ avatars can be programmed and animated to be part of the presentation. Thus the student can become the performer with no need for rehearsal.

Many of these features have been exploited in recent Second Life builds. This presentation will use video to show a 3D Warehouse built for Health and Safety training, and New Synthetic Theatre productions “Ninety Nine Percent” and “Jabba Jabba Jabba”.

Link to presentation’s supporting documents:
http://mralanhudson.wordpress.com/k12-2012-references/