Board Member
Second Life alias: Chade Villota
Nathan Lowell comes to education after over 20 years in information systems. His interest in virtual worlds began over 15 years ago with examinations of the social structures in text-based multiplayer platforms which serve as the foundation for many of today's 3D virtual worlds. He has worked extensively in text based environments as well as VRML based platforms. He was a beta tester for There.com in the late 90s and came to SL in 2007 to find out how colleges and universities were using the grid for teaching and learning. Along the way he discovered that accessibility issues prevent many people from even logging in.
He created tools to help annotate the 3d world for people who may not be able to see it and has developed tools to help educators teach concepts of real science in the virtual world.
Dr Lowell holds a BS in Business Administration from SUNY/Buffalo, an MA in Educational Technology from the University of Northern Colorado, and a PhD in Educational Technology with specialization in Distance Education and Instructional Design, also from the University of Northern Colorado.
He currently serves as Technologies Coordinator for the National Center on Severe and Sensory Disabilities at the University of Northern Colorado and is an adjunct instructor of distance education at Morehead State University in Kentucky.