Coffee with a Geek Interview with Jennifer Vandiver

Listen to the podcast on your favorite Podcast Player:  HERE

As many of you know, I've been fascinated with the potential of Virtual Worlds for educational purposes.  Once a proud member of ISTE's Virtual Environments Network PLN (PLN no longer exists!) I have been an advocate for virtual environment possibilities.  As of yet, there has been limited progress towards moving forward on a large scale.  Yet, recently there has been renewed interest in virtual world education specifically in Second Life with the Virtual Worlds Education Consortium.  (VWEC) This group has been creating an Education Hub in this virtual world.

I thought it would be a great time to chat with Jennifer Vandiver who is doing research on virtual world education for her Doctoral Dissertation.  Here is our interview conducted in Second Life.  

A little bit about Jennifer in her own words.  "I currently live in Indiana and work as an adjunct psychology professor for Ivy Tech Community College where I teach mostly introduction to psychology courses. My degree background includes psychology, sociology, and philosophy. I am currently working on my doctorate in educational psychology. I have been a resident in Second Life for nearly 9 years and have been fascinated by all aspects of the virtual world. My dissertation is interested in the experiences of educators who teach in Second Life at the post-secondary level."