Utilizing Virtual Worlds in Education

8/4/2019 Utilizing Virtual Worlds in Education

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Utilizing Virtual Worlds in Education: The

Implications for Practice Abstract — Multi User Virtual Worlds are becoming a valuable educational tool. Learning experiences within these worlds focus

on discovery and active experiences that both engage students and motivate them to explore new concepts. As educators, we need

to explore these environments to determine how they can most effectively be used in our instructional practices. This paper

explores the current application of virtual worlds to identify meaningful educational strategies that are being used to engage

students and enhance teaching and learning. Keywords — Virtual Environments, MUVEs, Constructivist, Distance Learning,Learner Centered

Why virtual Worlds Can Matter Virtual worlds are persistent, avatar-based social spacesthat provide players or participants with the abilitytoengage in long-term, coordinated conjoined action.In these spaces, cultures and meanings emerge from a complex set of interactions among the participants,rather than as part of a predefined story or narrative arc. At least in part, it is the players themselves whoshapeand to a large extent create the world they inhabit.While many virtual worlds provide the opportunity for that kind of world to emerge, game-basedenvironmentssuch as World of Warcraft or Eve Online illustrate it best because of the intense degree of coordinated actionand

co-presence among players.1 This sense of “being with others” and being ableto share space, see physical representations of each other, and communicat e and act in that shared spaceprovides a very specific set of affordances for players. This article is an effort to trace out and understandthose affordances. Or, put differently, it is an effort to understand why virtual worlds, and the avatars thatexist inside them, can matter.In that sense, virtual worlds are very similar to other distributed systems, where the whole ends up beinggreater than the sum of its parts. The World Wide Web, for example, is more than a collection of websites. Itisalso what emerges out of the collection of and interco nections among the sites that constitute it, producingsoftware or websites that re-imagine what is possible technologically as well as socially. Sites such asMySpace or YouTube are more than just collections of pages or vid eos, they are communities of interest andin some cases are networks of practice. Shared interests provide a reason for people to come together, whilenetworks of practice provide the technological means to share and create practices.

Technology for Everyone . . .*

What Second Life Taught Me About Learning**

Diane Murley***

Ms. Murley discusses her several attempts to learn to use Second Life and how joiningaworkshop that was compatible with her learning style finally made it possible for her tosucceed. As a result of the experience, she learned to be more aware of her ownlearning preferences and those of others. She recommends evaluating your learning style and

using a study strategy appropriate to that style to learn something you have previously found to be difficult.

The pragmatics of virtual worlds for K-12 educators:investigating the affordances and constraints of ActiveWorlds and Second Life with K-12 in-service teachersMichele D. DickeyPublished online: 31 July 2010

_ Association for Educational Communications and Technology 2010Abstract The purpose of this study is to address the pragmatics of integrating virtual



worlds for teaching and learning for K-12 education. Specifically this qualitative investigationfocuses on a reflective dialogue gathered from a group of K-12 (primary andsecondary school) educators about their experiences using both Active Worlds EducationalUniverse and Second Life. Reflections consist of both their experiences as (a) a learnerwithin both applications, (b) developing instructional content in both applications, and (c)perceptions of value of each application for teaching and learning. The goal of this researchis to investigate how K-12 teachers’ perceptions of virtual worlds may impact the integrationof new tools for teaching and learning.Keywords Virtual worlds _ Active Worlds _ Second Life _ K-12

Teaching in Virtual Worlds:Opportunities and ChallengesHow, where, when, and what we teach has been significantly influenced by technological innovation.

Radio, television, and computers have all altered how information is presented and how students

interact with that information. This paper describes how virtual worlds provide a mechanismto incorporate constructivist, experiential, and student-centered learning practices into the

classroom. The authors also discuss the challenges and the benefits of using virtual worlds in

education as well as some implications for the future of education.

Keywords: virtual worlds, Second life, constructivist learning, authentic learning, metaverse,

Sloodle

WOULD YOU ADOPT SECOND LIFE AS ATRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT TOOL?A survey of perceptions of Second Life as a training and development tool indicates that its useis still in the early stages of the adoption curve. Moreover, professionals who are familiar with itdo not typically express the same enthusiasm for it as media reports seem to indicate.DUE TO ADVANCES IN computer and network technology, virtual reality (VR) is no longer just anarea of scientificresearch. It has also become a popular consumer product, as demonstrated by the proliferation of massivemultiplayer online role-playing games. Second Life (SL), in particular, has gained popularityamong casual userssince it became available to the public in 2003 (www. secondlife.com).

Literacy in virtual worldsIntroducing new digital literacies into classroom settings is an important andchallenging task, and one that is encouraged by both policy-makers and educators.

This paper draws on a case study of a 3D virtual world which aimed to engage andmotivate primary school children in an immersive and literacy-rich on-lineexperience. Planning decisions, early experimentation and the experience of avatarinteraction are explored. Using field notes, in-world interviews and observationsI analyse pupil and teacher perspectives on the use of digital literacy and itsrelationship to conventional classroom literacy routines, and use these to trace thepotential and inherently disruptive nature of such work. The paper makes the case fora wider recognition of the role of technology in literacy and suggests that teachersneed time for experimentation and professional development if they are to respond

appropriately to new digital literacies in the classroom.

Avatar-based innovation:Usingvirtualworldsfor real-worldinnovation

The purposeofthisarticleistoexploretheopportunitiesvirtualworldsofferforreal-worldinnovations.Byintegratingusersofvirtual worldsintoaninteractivenewproductdevelopmentprocess,companiescantapcustomers’innovativepotentialusingthelatest technology.Connectingtheemergingtechnologyofvirtualworldswithacustomer-entricperspectiveofopeninnovationallowsunique andnventiveopportunitiestocapitalizeonusers’innovativepotentialandknowledge.Theconceptofavat



ar-basedinnovationservesas apointoforigintorevealthesepossibilitiesandrepresentsthefirstattempttosystematicallytakeadvantageofvirtualworldsfor innovationanagement.Indoingso,thispaperarguesthatlatestadvancesofinformationandcommunicationtechnologiesenrichthe interactionprocessandcanimprovenewproductdevelopmentprocess.Further,characteristicsarepresentedthatsuggestthatthedigital environmentisespeciallyconducivetoinnovationandcreativetasks.Basedontheoreticalinsights,theanalysisofeightcases (Coca-Cola, Steelcase,Osram,Alcatel-

Lucent,ToyotaScion,Endemol,Aloft,andMazda),participantobservationdirectlywithinthe virtualworldand23interviewswithbothmanagersandcustomers,thispaperdemonstrateshowvirtualworldsallowproducersand consumers toswarmtogetherwithlike-mindedindividualstocreatenewproductsandpermitscompaniestofindanaudiencetotest,use, andprovidefeedbackonthecontentandproductstheycreate.Wehighlighttheactiverolesavatarscanplaythroughoutthewhole innovationprocess,anddemonstratetheopportunitiesofhowmanufacturersandcustomerscouldcollaboratetoinnovatefromideato launch.Afewpathfindingcompaniesexperimentwithavatarsasasourceofinnovation.Specifically,theinitiativesofOsram,Steelcase, Mazda,andToyotatrulylinktheconceptsofopeninnovationandvirtualworldstoemploytheinteractivetechnologyfornewproduct development.

Theseeffortsarecriticallyanalyzedtoexaminethehypothesizedpotentialofavatar-basedinnovation.Thecasespinpoint practicalimplicationsandrevealbothpreconditionsandchallengesofthisnewapproachtointeractivenewproductdevelopment.The results suggestthatinordertofullyrealizethepotentialofavatar-basedinnovation,companiesneedtocreateacompellingopen innovationexperienceandconsiderthepeculiaritiesofvirtualworlds. r 2008 ElsevierLtd.Allrightsreserved.

Alternative Worlds as Teaching and LearningEnvironmentsAbstract. The educational community has traditionally been among the first toevaluate and adopt interactive innovations in information technology. These innovationsoften provide test beds for educational theorists to explore new methodologiesfor computer-based instruction. “Alternative worlds” is an exciting

new research area for computer scientists specializing in human-computer interaction,social networking, and virtual reality. This paper speculates about howalternative world technologies might affect the future of online instruction..

Virtual world teaching, experiential learning, and assessment:An interdisciplinary communication course in Second LifeWhile many reports espouse the potential impact that 3-D virtual worlds are expected to have onteaching and learning in higher education in a few years, there are few empirical studies thatinform instructional design and learning assessment in virtual worlds. This study explores the natureand process of learning in Second Life in a graduate interdisciplinary communication course infall 2007. Literature suggests that 3-D virtual worlds can be well suited for experiential learningenvironments. In this study, the actual instructional effectiveness of Second Life as an experiential

learning environment for interdisciplinary communication is empirically examined using mixedresearch methods of journal content analysis, surveys, focus group, and virtual world snapshotsand video.

Teaching Role-Playing Instruction in Second Life:An Exploratory StudyVasilis N. Vasileiou and Fotini Paraskeva

Web-based and Internet technologies are constantly being developed, evolving new ways of working, teaching, and learning for a broader range of professional and social groups. In alandscape



of technology innovations, teacher professional development should try to capitalize onmodern internet-based tools and services, better known as Web 2.0 and virtual worlds, in aneffortto meet the increasing lifelong learning needs of pre- and in-service teachers. In this paperwesuggest using the Second Life MUVE for teaching role-playing instruction to practitioners.Afterdesigning and implementing a 3D virtual learning environment in Second Life according tocognitive

apprenticeship methods, we taught role-playing instruction to fifteen primary and secondaryschool teacher educators, using as a case scenario a rhapsody from Homer’s Odyssey. Weapplied qualitative research methods to investigate the effect of role-playing on affective,behavioraland cognitive engagement of our participants. Our exploratory study indicated that learningrole-playing instruction in a virtual learning environment has positive impact on learningengagement.Keywords: Teacher development, design science, cognitive apprenticeship, role-playing,virtualclassroom, virtual learning environment, virtual world, Second Life

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Utilizing Virtual Worlds in Education