AWEDU Basics
The AWEDU 3-D browser 3-D viewing options Moving around in AWEDU Communicating w/ others Building in AWEDU

We are going to keep it simple here, if you want a more detailed look at what to do and how to do it in AWEDU you can explore the Active Worlds User's Guide in your spare time J.

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The AWEDU 3-D Browser: (back to index)

The AWEDU browser has some similarities to Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser.  It also has many differences.  The AWEDU browser has been uniquely developed to take users into an online environment that is vivid and highly interactive.  AWEDU is the 3-D web, where Internet Explorer is a browser for viewing 2-D websites.  In the AWEDU you can integrate the use of both 2-D and 3-D.  The environment you enter has been referred to as a MUVE or Multi-User Virtual Environment.  It has been constructed to allow people to engage and interact with objects and other people in the online environment.  Look at the screen capture to the left and you will see the snoopy avatar that represents me in this environment.

Browser Features:

1. At the top of the browser you will find several dropdown menus that provide a wide range of options for controlling and manipulating the browser environment (much like Internet Explorer). The tools in these menus are specifically tailored to enhance interactivity and customize the 3-D browser to your individual needs.

2. The center part of the browser is the 3-D Viewing Window.  This is where you see the unique worlds you enter and explore.  You will also be able to see other people in this window, represented as a wide variety of avatars (virtual characters).  The ability to build in the environment as well as intuitively interact with others makes this an engaging experience of users.

3. To the left of the 3-D window is the Tabs Window.  There are several tabs that control different features of the browser.  As a tourist the choices from the Tabs will be somewhat limited.  The one that will be important is the 'Worlds' tab.  It lists all the worlds in AWEDU (each a unique environment created for exciting educational initiatives).  Clicking on the small colored ball before each world's name will transport you to that world (a world with a grey ball before it indicates a world has been set to private mode, where only citizens/guests of that world can enter).

4. The first time you enter AWEDU the window to the right of the 3-D viewing window will be open and it should display a web page that has been set to display for the world you enter.  This is the Internet Browser Window.  In it you can view traditional web sites and other online digital resources.  You can click on objects in the 3-D viewing window that have been linked to web pages or digital files and they will open in the Internet Browser window.  The disadvantage is that it reduces the size of the 3-D viewing window.  You can close the Internet Browser window by pressing (F7) on your keyboard when not viewing web pages. Clicking on links in the 3-D window will open the Internet Browser to display linked content. (Below is screen capture with the Internet Window turned off.) 5. The area below the 3-D viewing window is Chat Window.  It works like many conventional chat applications, allowing you to communicate with others in AWEDU. The top portion of the Chat Window displays messages that have been entered by you and others in the general area that you are located (You can not chat with people who are beyond a certain distance from you and not with people in different worlds.)  The line in the middle of Chat Window is where you type your messages, pressing enter displays typed messages to others.  The bottom portion of the Chat Window is used to 'whisper' to other people.  Whispered messages can only be seen by the person you select to view the message.  You must select an individual in the box on the left to target your whispers.

3-D Viewing Options: (back to index)

6. Below the dropdown menus, near the top of the browser, you will see a button the says 'Advanced Mode' press it and confirm that you want to operate the browser in this mode (If you are following this tutorial you should have done this already).  After this you will see several buttons appear below the dropdown menus.  These buttons control various viewing and movement features of the browser (try them out).

Browser Control Buttons:


Moves you forward and back between worlds you have visited (like you would expect when doing the same with 2-D web pages.)

Allows you to look up/level/down in the 3-D environment.

Look in 1st person view or from 3rd person views.

Let you change from using the keyboard to navigate to using your mouse to control movement.

Click this to show others you are Away From Keyboard.

This button works the same as the F7 button on your keyboard...toggling on and off the Internet Viewing Window.

7. This is a view of the AWEDU browser with the Internet Viewing Window turned off.  Notice the increase in size of the 3-D viewing window. Toggle it on/off with the F7 key. 8. This is the Tabs Window.  Use it to move between different worlds in AWEDU.  It can also be toggled on and off by pressing F9 key on your keyboard.

Moving Around in AWEDU: (back to index)

The diagram to the right shows the basic keys on your keyboard that control movement in the AWEDU environment.

Be careful with the Shift key...holding down on the shift key will allow your avatar to move through  objects (including through the ground).  If you hold the shift key as you move, you may get stuck in the ground or fall through the ground.  This takes a little getting used to.  If you do get stuck or fall below ground level, simply re-enter the world using the World List in the Tabs Window.

Additionally the + and - keys on your numeric keypad will allow you to fly up and down in the environment.  If you are using a laptop computer, try holding down the Fnc. key and using the plus and minus keys that are to the left of the Enter key (not those at the end of the numerals line).

Remember the button at the top that lets you use the mouse to move around.  In time, most people find the keys are a better way to navigate. Try both to see which is best for you.

How To Move Around

Communicating with Others in AWEDU: (back to index)

Communicating with others in AWEDU is central to so many reasons for using this environment.  Currently, Active Worlds is integrating voice communications into the browser and soon you will be able to just talk with others.  For now chat is the primary means of sharing your thoughts and ideas with others.

1. Message Line: you type what you want to say here and press the Enter key to display the text in the Chat Window.
2. Chat Window: This displays messages entered by you and others in close proximity to you.
3. Whisper Line: Select a person you want to whisper to by clicking on their name in the left box...then type a private message to them in the box to the right (only the person you selected will be able to view the message).  Press enter to send the whisper.

Building in AWEDU: (back to index)

Everything you see in AWEDU has been built by its users.  Worlds start as flat empty plains of grass and grow with the imaginations of their tenants. Go exploring often when you are a 'newbie' to get a sense of all the wonderful things you can create [make sure to go see the world named Showcase.]  Building takes some time to learn, but it is one of the things that people find so rewarding about the AWEDU environment.  It makes for rich educational opportunities and can inspire meaningful collaborations between people. 

You don't have to spend long thinking to come up with many wonderful ways that this feature can be important to the learning process.  This is truly a feature that sets this environment apart from other online collaboration tools.

There are groups in AWEDU that can help you learn more about building or that can construct custom environments to suit your needs. 

Also, check out the world called Building.  Here you can experiment building even as a tourist.  Building world is also full of helpful tutorials that we have made to help get you underway.,,,strap on your virtual hard hat and go to it!