Student+Congress

Quest Atlantis teachers are invited to join a team of teachers and students who will be working to design a Student Congress in a disused World of Quest Atlantis. This world can be located through a teleport link in Teacherville behind the grass huts that in the background when you are facing Brianna. Click and the sign will teleport you to the Student Congress. If you are unable to join us in meetings you are invited to join the wiki and contribute your ideas.
 * **Issues being considered right now:**
 * @Student Survey for Congress design
 * Student Survey Blog
 * @Things to keep in the existing world
 * Basic Version 5.0 Building Help
 * Advanced Version 5.0 Building Help
 * General vs Middle school Visibility Blog> > || * Monk's Space
 * Enkar's Email for uploads || **Next team meeting**

To be announced

See time for your part of the world ||
 * **Social Commitment Design Teams**
 * @Environmental awareness
 * @Social responsibility
 * @Diversity
 * @Personal agency
 * @Healthy communities
 * @Creative expression
 * @Compassionate wisdom || [[image:Theatre.png width="243" height="199" align="center"]] || **Student Congress Projects**
 * @Earth Day Treasure Hunt
 * @Student Congress Insignia Design
 * Launch Day - LEAP DAY FEB 29th Feb ||

=**DESIGN PROPOSAL FOR STUDENT CONGRESS**= The current proposal is that we would have a team of teachers and students to begin meeting in January to decide on design aspects of the space. We hope to have a design proposal completed to share with the larger QA community by mid-February so that development can begin by March 2010 at the latest.


 * Rationale**

It was discussed in the November Teacher Connection that this world should be:
 * as a reward where entry would be at a certain level of luminations.
 * a place students can feel is their own
 * a place for students to knowledge share (embodiment of the social commitments).
 * able to offer opportunities not afforded in other parts of QA (maybe voice on some occasions etc)
 * a place where students can privately meet and discuss strictly student council issues (student suggestion)

To provide a space for students to showcase the work they have completed while learning in the virtual world. For students to develop and conduct QA meetings and conferences for students and teachers. Collaboration and Group/Team activities are a part of the vision Students take the reigns; be the teachers, designers and owners of the space.


 * Options for Entry requirements**
 * Teacher recommendation.
 * number of luminations
 * nominations by peers to join the Congress once you have lumimated a number of time.
 * Students nominated put forward what they could offer in being a member of the Congress
 * high number of lumins and have some building skills (student suggestion)
 * Students who actively support and encourage the I-Burst rules.
 * Students who display an outstanding attitude in world, and a willingness to get involved in quests, missions etc.

Learning about and presenting/showcasing Digital Storytelling about how the Social Commitments impact on their non-virtual lives. Student council would determine the value to work that will be shared with others. Students help with design decisions about the space to be used. Students will take on various leadership roles as they develop and run meetings and conferences. Students teaching other students like a machinima school Students designing some quests and missions of their own for every quester. Students could have specific jobs/roles. Students design and render objects to be placed in the junkyard. Questers sharing ppts and projects related to social commitments. Students could go further in collaborating/co-questing in the space. Students mentoring each other. existing Congress members mentoring newbies. Forming Teams based on common interests - ie artists, musicians, sports players, or groups based around Learning, Playing and Helping. Be in charge of disseminating information to people at his/her local site. (student suggestion) Set up a QA World Records- Hall of fame sort of billboard - criteria to be developed as we go. Hold student forums on issues, like "the age to get a drivers license," or any other issue that is important to them where you could have an open discussion - topical groups around certain issues. Design QA webquests or scavenger hunts using existing world and co-ordinates. Students man a help desk, where if they are the experts. Guide other students through missions, quests and building depending on their area of expertise. Students develop fun activities for other students to particpate in. Develop some forum, way for celebrating successes in QA. Building lots that could be owned/rented by more than one person for a period of time for specific projects 'Founders' create the spaces for other questers initially but then review/reassess who has access to edit later. Create something like Google Earth so we can look at other planets/worlds. Create/design extreme environments for classes to explore and examine how to survive in them. Have extra teleports in the world to allow people to teleport to different places Having a space in Teach world where the Congress members have a resource to help other questers - a library of good reference sources, solutions to problems/quests etc. Create a list of Congress members and add them to the teleport lists so that they have access to other worlds in order to help others. In the new world there could be separate lands for each social commitment e.g.. environmental awareness= forest or green land. The middle could be the place where you enter (land).
 * Possible activities and leadership opportunities**

To have this space as an area for students-members to collaboratively create concepts for new worlds and questing themes according to their interests and prior knowledge, or what they would like to learn about.

Consider filmmaking in Quest Atlantis. Ask Knowclue :-) media type="youtube" key="NPI_pWOvJ9c" height="385" width="480"
 * Machinima:**


 * Motivation for students to engage**

To learn a 'pallette' of stuff not available elsewhere in QA An incentive for high achievers, gifted and independent learners (such as home-schooled kids) It provides a place for students to do what they want to do rather than have it decided for them by teachers. We need lots of student input here. Teachers and Students who are involved in the Congress development could organise a survey or questionnaire to feedback at the next meeting. What do students want and how would they like to make use of the space. Something is added to the Congress members avatar to show they were part of the Congress - elders in QA. ie badges, shirts, 'Ask Me' badges sharing Social Networking content.

Showcasing of work - areas throughout the space that allow for small groups of participants to view work. Large and small meeting areas. However these areas should not in the form of an auditorium, more student friendly spaces should be developed (not representative of a classroom) Would it be open for a limited period of time to expose students to the possibilities offered by the space? Students complete a mission for, say two weeks, to gain entry to the space. Possibility of using voice under teacher supervision.
 * Design and space requirements**


 * Timeline for development**

Each interested teacher should nominate a student or two (number to be decided) to join the design team. Names to be decided by end of Feb. ||
 * Share design proposal with the larger QA community by mid-February so that development can begin by March 2010 at the latest.


 * Team members**

Teachers please add your name here if you would like to be in this design team: Substitute for Janine McGrath - Jennifer Rothman (Skype: jennifer_rothman1 QA: jrothman, Florida, USA)
 * Bron Stuckey, QA Researcher/Facilitator (Skype: Bronst, QA: Bron)
 * Gord Holden (Skype: gord.holden, QA: gholden, BC Canada)
 * Lynley Spanhake (Skype: kiwilynz, QA: Lynley07, Auckland N.Z.)
 * Linda Pilkington (Skype: linda-pilkington QA: LPilko)
 * Janine McGrath (Skype:janine.mcgrath QA: McGrath4th, Florida, USA)
 * Steven Caldwell (Skype: abhayadaka, MLC Sydney, QA: milarepa, Sydney Aus)
 * Mary-Ellen (Mel) Davis (Skype: Mel ~ Soulstar, QA: Soulstar, Virginia Beach USA)
 * Angela Cooke ( QA AngelaC, Tasmania, Australia)
 * Scott Merrick (Skype: scottmerrick, QA MisterMerrick, Nashville, TN)
 * Marianne Malmstrom -aka- Knowclue (Skype: KnowclueKidd, Englewood, NJ USA)
 * Ma Hongliang (Skype: Micheal_ma, QA: Michael1975, Xi'an China)
 * Babette and Lilith Smith (Skype: chaingangfamily, QA: kitri97eop and DonQ98eop, Montreal, QC, Canada)

Please look at, and contribute to, the discussion for this page (tab above) where ideas are beginning to get tossed about for the design and infrastructure for the space.**