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Lessons

Hubs

Likely due to the broad nature of this descriptor, I've generally found resources in this area through the Sharing page's Hubs section.

Past Journeys

Language Learning Exchanges and Cultural Communities

My initial personal goal here actually isn't in pursuit of fluency -- because like I think many do I've fallen in and out of learning languages enough to appreciate the effort that takes. Instead, I see it more as knowing enough to get by, or what I've seen dubbed "travel fluent" (e.g. here, with the current open problem being to decide what "enough to get by" looks like in VRChat to focus my personal study).

  • Sign Language: having run into its discussions and users before I'd even joined VRChat, most people I've grown to respect pointed me towards fingerspelling. After I got a rough couple passes down in Bob64's "Experimental Sign Language World" I've been able to practice drills through the alphabet pretty much at any time in or out of VR that I happen to remember to work on it! I feel the need to highlight that from what I can tell this isn't really the bulk of learning sign language. In fact, there's likely a pitfall of fingerspelling becoming a crutch when you haven't built up a vocabulary of signs. (Similar to the pitfall of conflating sign language and English grammar.) Just worth bearing in mind relative to my circumstances and goals: I want to own my limits with self-awareness and respect to those who take the time to correct me. In a sense, that in itself is how you gain a chance to learn!

 

Science Learning Exchanges

  • StemVR – STEM oriented events, see linked blog post for full anecdotes


 

Physically Challenging Activities

  • Weekly, 100% informal "squat night" initiative started simply by a friend sending out invites


  • Community workouts rotating e.g. Just Dance, Zumba Sulu, Fitness Marshall, Richard Simmons, song choreo


  • Dedicated workout community groups that tend to offer workouts for a variety of times and timezones, e.g.

  • Workouts within broader community groups, e.g. VRDancing's workout meetups among their other classes

  • VRDanceAcademy -- just the intro to ballroom dances so far!


Future Journeys

Language Learning Exchanges and Cultural Communities

  • Helping Hands

    • Events and Classes -- find the nerve to actually attend some (or shadow a friend who goes?)

    • Bob64's "Experimental Sign Language World" -- beyond fingerspelling toward my travel-fluent goal

  • "toki pona" (world, videos by gregdan3, videos by fuopy! preview of classroom WIP here!)

  • I've seen passing mention of KR-EN and CN-EN exchanges... but no Discords observed yet!

  • VRC EN-JP Language Exchange (creator's Twitter here, has link to the Discord, world here) -- notable for the self-assigned badge system they use to help group newcomers and expert-level speakers before giving them a loose topic to discuss or whatever the conversation naturally swings toward.


An important clarification/disclaimer: while advances afforded by the tech (e.g. motion capture playback in full 3D for sign language) are incredible for learning, self-study can't teach you everything.

  • Realizing Helping Hands also hold classes sharing more about Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing culture was probably one of the most eye-opening experiences I've had that helped motivate me to try and pull this "lessons" side of VRChat into its own section on Knomad here! 👍

  • Ultimately I see it as a combination of respect for the group/material you're interacting with + clear goals on your side in doing so, whatever they may be. I've seen people who like the circle of friends that can result, others who seek to use what they've learned outside VRChat in practical ways, and sometimes for nerds like me it's just a general love of learning.

 

Science Learning Exchanges

  • VRC Science Assembly: had my first surprise encounter through their SummerVket2022 exhibit, where a quiz on how to construct different magic circle shapes introduced concepts in geometry. 🤯 Only to then have more coincidental run-ins with one of their English-speaking staff in both a StemVR community and an Ancients of VRC and almost knomad-y context -- it's a small world, sometimes!


 

Physically Challenging Activities

  • more of VRDanceAcademy

  • more of VRDancing

  • Flight world group events: somewhat related due to their physical limits of motion sickness,

Section Credits

So, yes, in a nutshell I'm attempting to have this page collect a side of VRChat that's complicated to qualify. I feel like world/avatar creation warrants its own page -- though I think the world "Etiquette... " by Juice linked on that page really excels at this page's focus, but calling that out down here's probably enough. 🙃 Similarly, I don't think sticking the groups on this page under the more general page for groups and communities does justice to the unique capacity VRChat affords for learning.


… and "VRC-Unique Interactive Lessons" didn't quite fit on the homepage's button layout all that nicely. 💦

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