26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning
For more resources: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference
Integration of Virtual Environment, Web 2.0, and Cloud Computing Technologies
Irena Bojanova
University of Maryland University College
Les Pang
University of Maryland University College
Virtual environment, Web 2.0, and cloud computing technologies offer significant benefits towards
enhancing online courses. Their utility was demonstrated via an immersive learning tour conducted
for Information Technology (IT) graduate students at University of Maryland University College.
Virtual environments were illustrated through Second Life, Web 2.0 via Twitter and Twibes, and
cloud computing through Google Docs. As avatars, the students visited four virtual educational sites:
IBM, Cisco, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Siemens. Twitter and
Twibes were the platforms used to capture student experiences in real time. Google Docs was utilized
to compile students’ reflections within a collaborative online environment.
The objectives of this paper are:
 To present ways to combine cutting edge technologies for more effective engagement,
motivation, and performance outcomes.
 To recommend teaching strategies toward conducting successful virtual learning activities.
 To generate further ideas on integrating cutting edge technologies for immersive learning.
Utilized Technologies
Virtual environments are key tools for social networking, entertainment, collaboration, and business
opportunities. Second Life is a very popular web-based virtual environment and an optimal virtual
platform for supporting collaborative online learning. As avatars, students can explore educational
sites, participate in interactive demonstrations and simulations, and attend informative virtual
meetings and conferences.
Web 2.0 is characterized by user communities and a wide range of services (such as social networks,
blogs, and wikis) that encourage collaboration and efficient exchange of information. Twitter is a
social media service for transmitting and receiving short messages called tweets. Twibes is a tool that
allows posting tweets in one common thread called twibe.
Cloud computing changes the way IT resources are utilized and consumed by moving part or the
entire technical infrastructure (e.g. resources, software, and information) to the Internet. Google Docs
is an online cloud-based office suite that enables users to create, collaboratively review and edit, and
store documents and presentations completely online.
Virtual Educational Tour
The conducted immersive educational tour was tailored to provide a novel perspective on how data
and information can be delivered, demonstrate how emerging technologies can support learning, and
engage in interactive virtual demonstrations and simulations on emerging information technologies.
The tour comprised four locations in Second Life: IBM Systems Technology Island, Cisco Live
Conference, NOAA Island, and Siemens Innovation Center.
The students met at the fountain plaza of the IBM Systems Technology Island (Figure 1). At the IBM
Server Tower, they were able to watch educational sessions about the System Z10 mainframe, the
Power 595 processor, and the IBM blade server center. The interactive environment allowed them to
Copyright 2010 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
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26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning
For more resources: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference
open the doors of a mainframe computer and to explore its parts. The group had also complimentary
espressos and lattes, and used the comfortable chairs and sofas to relax.
Figure 1. The IBM Systems Technology Island.
The next tour location was the Cisco Live Conference (Figure 2), an education and training event for
IT, networking, and communications professionals, which in 2009 was held both in real life in San
Francisco, and in Second Life. During the visit, the students watched the conference keynotes and
highlights, the panel discussions on sensor networks and on education in virtual worlds, and experts’
technical chats on wide area network services, products for the remote workforce, and secure unified
communications. On the way back the group visited the gift center for wizard hats and boxed gifts.
Figure 2. The Cisco Live Conference.
Then, the students teleported to the NOAA Island (Figure 3), which features simulations and activities
related to the agency’s roles and responsibilities. The students flew above a real-time weather map,
hung on to an ascending weather balloon, observed the life cycle of a glacier in a time-lapse
simulation, and experienced the devastating power of a tsunami as it hit a beach.
The final stop of the tour was at the Siemens Innovation Center. Siemens is Europe's largest
engineering conglomerate which focuses on manufacturing, energy, and healthcare, and its Second
Life center features innovations in each of these areas. The students experienced designing and
creating rocket-propelled scooters that their avatars were able to fly in the air.
Copyright 2010 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
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26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning
For more resources: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference
Figure 3. The NOAA Island.
Before the tour, an ITEC twibe was created and students were invited to join it (Figure 4). Throughout
the tour the students were required to tweet to the ITEC twibe about their experiences in real time and
report problems that they encountered. The tour facilitators utilized the twibe to identify students
with technical issues or who were lost between teleports and at visited locations.
Figure 4. The ITEC Twibe.
A PowerPoint-like presentation document was created in Google Docs and, after the tour, students
were invited to collaborate on providing the presentation with content (Figure 5). Each student was
able to contribute pictures taken from the Second Life visits, as well as notes and conclusions,
contributions being posted in chronological order following those of other tour-mates.
Copyright 2010 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
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26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning
For more resources: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference
Figure 5. The Google Docs Presentation.
Links to the tour guidelines, ITEC twibe, presentation, and demo recordings are provided in
references (Bojanova & Pang).
Findings
Valuable experiences have been gained from this innovative activity and the lessons learned translate
directly to recommended teaching strategies for the three tour phases.



Preparation: Select Second Life sites based on educational value and interactive activities.
Check hardware requirements—Second Life requires use of a recently manufactured and
relatively powerful graphics card. Provide a global perspective—students can interact with
avatars from other countries and visit sites owned by foreign entities.
Activity: Assign multiple facilitators. Use proper tools for communication—audio
communication using microphones was found to be much more efficient than keyboarding.
Post-Activity: Provide a reflective assignment. Integrate the experience with the rest of the
course activities.
Conclusions
The integration of virtual environment, Web 2.0, and cloud computing technologies, provided a new,
rich, and effective extension to the current educational platform. A definite improvement in students’
satisfaction was achieved representing a significant improvement over the use of traditional learning
management systems, 2D video clips, and presentation slides. All tour activities supported the
pedagogical objectives of being engaging, interactive, and reflective. The students enjoyed their
experiences and wanted to return and discover more engaging sites. Both students and faculty find
the activities highly valuable, thus supporting continued use.
Authors’ future plans include utilizing the UMUC Second Life Island as a launching pad for tours,
exploring new and exciting virtual sites that are relevant to today’s dynamic world, searching for
promising new applications and technologies, identifying innovative approaches to support virtual
group activities, addressing technical and human pitfalls, identifying efficient tools for recording
virtual tours, and further developing the demonstrated ideas on combining emerging technologies for
enhancing teaching and learning.
Copyright 2010 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
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26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning
For more resources: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference
References
Bojanova, I., & Pang, L. Virtual tour guidelines, twibe, presentations, and demo recordings:
polaris.umuc.edu/~ibojanov/Demos/Virtual Tours
Google Docs: docs.google.com
Second Life: secondlife.com
Second Life System Requirements: secondlife.com/support/system-requirements
Twibes: http://www.twibes.com
Twitter: twitter.com
UMUC Second Life Island: http://polaris.umuc.edu/de/csi/sl/pilot2010
About the Presenters
Dr. Irena Bojanova is a Program Director at the University of Maryland University College. She has
managed academic programs at UMUC, Johns Hopkins University, and PIsoft Ltd.. She also costarted an IT company funded by a venture capitalist, currently employing hundreds of developers,
and co-founded a successful educational company in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her current research interests
are in educational innovations, virtual environments, cloud computing, and student learning
assessment. Dr. Bojanova has received awards for excellence in teaching, research, and program
management. She received a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science / Mathematics from the Bulgarian
Academy of Sciences.
Address: University of Maryland University College
Graduate School of Management and Technology
3501 University Blvd. East
Adelphi, MD 20783-8030
E-mail: ibojanova@umuc.edu
URL:
http://www.umuc.edu
Phone: 240-684-2428
Dr. Les Pang is a Program Director at the University of Maryland University College and teaches
courses on information technology and homeland security. He is a former professor at the National
Defense University in Washington, D.C. He taught military and civilian leaders data management,
enterprise applications, multimedia, simulation, the Internet, and software technologies. He received a
PhD in engineering from the University of Utah and a Masters in Business Administration from the
University of Maryland College Park. He is the 2004 recipient of the Stanley J. Drazek Teaching
Excellence Award at the University of Maryland University College.
Address: University of Maryland University College
Graduate School of Management and Technology
3501 University Blvd. East
Adelphi, MD 20783-8030
E-mail:
lpang@umuc.edu
URL:
http://www.umuc.edu
Phone:
240-684-2426
Copyright 2010 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
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