unAcademy, a school sim in Craft World
The headquarters of unAcademy consists of a village for reception and two workshop areas, one (the four-leaf clover designed by Fabio Fornasari and built by Tonino Lane 500 meters above the village) is used for workshops with schools, the second consists of the Auditorium overlooking the sea for conferences and seminars. Cube A is for elementary school, Cube B for junior high, Cube C for senior high, and Cube D for universities. Unforgotten founder of UnAcademy Italia – Unconventional Academy of Digital Culture, and owner of UnAcademy in Craft World OpenSim is Giuseppe Granieri. Luciana Mattei and Lorenza Colicigno have taken up his legacy in Craft World, continuing with cultural activities, particularly those with an educational character, privileging the identity of unAcademy as a sim school.
The educational projects in unAcademy.
The protagonists
Gianni Rodari’s Rhymes, Luciana Mattei tells us about it.
The educational project linked to the Workshop on Gianni Rodari’s Nursery Rhymes carried out in unAcademy
by Luciana Mattei with Lorenza Colicigno and Tonino Lane
“It was supposed to be the “Christmas craft,” the handmade book made with salvaged materials that collects the experience of the Workshop on Gianni Rodari’s Nursery Rhymes done in anAcademy with Lorenza Colicigno and Tonino Lane. Instead, in the last days of class in December, those usually dedicated to making something beautiful and unique, works that make themselves a little festive, that even in this complicated period manage to nurture joy and a sense of community, we spent in trustee quarantine, with one group doing lessons through platforms and the other in school. A somewhat melancholy closing of the year.
Alcune immagini del laboratorio dedicato a Gianni Rodari
On the first day of attendance after the vacations, we announced that we would make up for what we had lost and set to work: extended suspension from curricular disciplines and off to imagination, to cut, color, glue so that each book would become a precious “unique piece” to be jealously guarded over time.
At the count of the sheets with the activities done, there was always something missing from the roll call “Teacher, I don’t have the cow one, I was absent!” “I miss the Planet of Christmas Trees, I had made a beautiful drawing, I can’t find it anymore!” “I can no longer find the Short and Dumb Nursery Rhyme, the most beautiful of all! Will you remake it for me?” In short, we were not done yet: the nursery rhymes came to life again, not in the intangible worlds but again on paper, keeping colors and wonder unchanged just as Lorenza and Tonino had presented them to us.
“The pictures, let’s put the pictures!” and into the books came the pictures taken by the viewer, in which there were already their faces framed in the cubes or under the magic snow or even at the purple or red exit. An endless mirror game between the “inside” and the “outside,” seamless.
“Do you live in unAcademy, Teacher?” they asked me as we were choosing wallpapers from an old upholsterer’s book to make the covers, in one of those wonderful moments of confidence where no one has any filters, you say what’s on your mind without thinking too much about it, ‘do you live there?’ as if for a moment it really was possible to dwell in an immaterial world as a first option, as if there was no clear division, once again, between the ‘inside’ and the ”outside.”
Finally, on the blank pages of the back cover, we said they were free to draw, paste a few pictures, do a little bit of what they wanted, their own space, and many chose to put the deep part of their hearts into it, telling about how good it had been to be there.”
The boys and girls also experienced the excitement of taking part in a real poetry marathon: they were given the honor of opening the event in 𝐍𝐨𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐛, 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. They prepared for the event by producing poems and reflections that spoke of spring, peace and equal opportunity, shared their writings and reflections with Lorenza and left their mark here as well, with their poems and drawings displayed in the land.
Having reached the fifth grade, Luciana Mattei felt that the classes were ready to enter what for them was the imaginary world of unAcademy, toward which they continued to show curiosity, and, respecting the rules in force for minors, together with two other teachers, she took them along with their avatars, also making use of the contribution of Lorenza Colicigno, Tonino Lane e Fiona Saiman, allowing them to live an extraordinary experience, through which they experienced how the inside/outside between concrete reality and virtual or immaterial reality – according to Giuseppe Granieri’s definition, was a unitary piece of their identity as people Fundamental to the creation of the class avatars is the skill of Fiona Saiman
From the real school in Latina to the virtual school in Craft World … But identical or almost identical!
Of their training and personal growth experience, a sign of great significance remains in Craft World: the exhibition of photographs they took during their stay as avatars in anAcademy, accompanied by their emotions, curiosities and thoughts about the world, as digital citizens, no longer just passive users, but active “creators” of signs of their presence. It is evident from their short but incisive texts how consciously they perceived the enrichment of their identity through this educational journey. Of course, the work of the school in harmonization and disciplinary consolidation should not be forgotten, verified in the return of the experience in teaching activities in itinere and after the immersive path.
The team: Luciana Mattei, Lorenza Colicigno, Tonino Lane, Fiona Saiman, la maestra Valentina
This year a new project in Craft World involves the I.C. “Carlo Goldoni” elementary school “Giuliano” in Latina with two Luciana Mattei second classes. The occasion is the centenary of Italo Calvino, whose novel “The Rampant Baron” is being read and reworked in class. UnAcademy’s approach to the intangible world will follow meetings through an online platform, as in the previous project. In the meantime, Lorenza Colicigno and Tonino Lane, in an ongoing discussion with Luciana Mattei and the other teachers involved, are preparing the appropriate environment for the classes, a forest from which, together with Cosimo, they will be able to turn their curious gaze on the world, whether real or immaterial.
Little Cosimo waits in unAcademy for his friends from Latina 
Meanwhile, Tonino Lane has prepared his tree house for him where he will decide to live forever
Luciana Mattei will report on the path of unAcademy and its educational projects in the upcoming Hypergrid International Expo, which starts on April 4.
