BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Anthony Crider began working in high-energy astrophysics a decade ago at Los Alamos National Laboratory. After completing his Ph.D. thesis at Rice University in 1999, he continued his work at the Naval Research Laboratory. His research interests include gamma-ray bursts, magnetars, and astronomy pedagogy. After serving as Director of the Studio Learning Program at American University, Dr. Crider began teaching in the Department of Physics at Elon University. Currently, as one of four Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning Scholars at Elon, he is developing a new approach for introductory astronomy classes modeled on massively-multiplayer online role-playing games.

ABSTRACT

“Living and Learning in Second Life,” a Firsthand Exploration and Tour of a User-Created Virtual World.

The focus of this Chat 'n' Frag will be on exploring Second Life firsthand. Conference attendees will be given a chance to log into Second Life and explore unique learning environments created by educators, as well as interact with students and educators across the world using Second Life live during the session.

Anthony Crider will discuss his work with his astronomy class in Second Life and give attendees a tour of his Second Life Planetarium. He will also describe future plans to create an “astronomy role-playing/quest” game within Second Life.