Wagner and Rachael (2009) report on a pilot study testing the usefulness of Second life as an Active learning environment. These authors say it appears to be particularly amenable to Active learning, where learners are not simply observing, but plan, implement, observe and draw conclusions from their actions. Within the 3D environments, learners can complete real-world tasks where failure costs little but success can be rewarding. In this example the students were avid users of social software but few had ventured into SL for social interaction. So the authors warn that is takes considerable effort to develop meaningful structures and activities in a virtual world and there are factors that limit the experience, such as student frustration with platform stability. However, overall, the authors conclude that virtual worlds like SL provide rich environment for learning and exploration that engages students' imagination and draws their interest and leads to positive learning experiences.
http://www.informaworld.com/
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/postgrade/ryan
http://pedagogyofthecompressed.blogspot.com
Second life is flexible, very adaptable, and reasonably easy to use.
ReplyDeleteOne of the major advantages that educators values most is the social networking capability. The visul context of the virtual world generated a sense of presence and shared space which make students feel that they have experienced the benefits of a real class.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree with the post. SL really forces the student to be active because using SL isn't as easy as reading an article or watching a video or (sleeping) through a lecture. It is a problem that many students find it difficult but then doing difficult things should be part of being at University.
ReplyDelete