Melissa V. Melancon's Page

Welcome to RezEd.org! I'm Barry Joseph, director of the Online Leadership Program at Global Kids, the nonprofit organization which developed and manages RezEd. We are happy to have you on-board and joining the network for virtual educators! Take a minute to look around the website and if you have any questions, feel free to email either myself or amira@globalkids.org.

The following is an orientation list to welcome new members and suggest various ways you can deepen your involvement:

* Listen to Bi-weekly Podcasts - Every two weeks, a new short 5-10 minute interview with different people who work within digital technology and learning aspects, as well as a brief update of pertinent news for the RezEd community podcast is uploaded on RezEd.org. If you have ideas of people, projects, news or events we should cover, please let us know at rezedinfo@globalkids.org.
* Join A Group - There are over three dozen groups that are currently active on RezEd.org that members are free to join. Each group has a different theme and gives a space for educators to engage in discussions concerning various topics dealing with learning and virtual worlds. Find one of interest to you or create your own - we can help you promote it.
* Learn about using Virtual Worlds within the Classroom - RezEd.org offers a Virtual Worlds 101 guide and a Second Life toolbox for those members who are new to using virtual worlds within their curriculum.
* Share with other Educators "Aha!" Moments - Educators are encouraged to contribute to the Aha! Moments section, which highlights members experience dealing with skill development, educational opportunities, etc when dealing with virtual worlds in the classroom. If you would like to contribute one, please send to rezedinfo@globalkids.org or visit the online form.
* Read Current Updates - Each week, RezEd.org is updated with current news reports, articles and other key studies that reflect information on virtual worlds and learning. All of this can be found throughout the website - ie the current news articles can be found via the RSS feed on the left-hand side of the webpage.
* Keep Up-to-Date - RezEd.org has an events calendar where you can see what is happening in the virtual world education sphere. You can also contribute to the RezEd.org calendar, keeping other educators and yourself up-to-date with events that are taking place. Let us know if there are things we should add at rezedinfo@globalkids.org, or contribute your own directly to the site.
* Connect with Peers! - In the bottom left-hand corner of the webpage, there is a live chat function that can be used to meet and begin discussions with fellow educators to share ideas, discuss current issues about virtual worlds or just to get to know one another.
* Discussions - Join in a discussion with your fellow educators on various topics or start your own.
* Blogs - Read your colleagues blog posts to see what people are saying or share your own by starting a new blog post.
* Read the RezEd Report - The first RezEd seasonal report was published in October 2008. It is a guide for educators in the RezEd community, which summarizes cutting edge activities and discussions.