Greg Withnail - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Greg Withnail

Research paper thumbnail of Communication Technologies Through A Virtual World.’ Exploring Information And Communication Technologies Through A Virtual World

This mini project facilitated the development of resources within the virtual world Second Life ®... more This mini project facilitated the development of resources within the virtual world Second Life ® (SL) to support students learning on a 30 credit level one course in information and communication technologies with The Open University (OU). The Second Life stream for the course was optional, and students were provided with induction tutorials for the environment, time-limited access to models supporting their learning within each of 3 course blocks, and a supported discussion session to conclude each of these periods. The programme ended with a two-day course fair in Second Life, culminating in a party with the wider OU in SL community. Aims • To support student engagement by ‘bringing material to life ’ in ways that may be difficult, dangerous or impossible in the real world • To aid student retention • To produce resources that can be re-used/re-versioned in other contexts • To provide a model for future course use • To advance our understanding of how virtual worlds can be used t...

Research paper thumbnail of Developing a mashup for virtual world and VLE content: SLOODLE at The Open University

One area that has received little attention in the focus on virtual worlds in education since 200... more One area that has received little attention in the focus on virtual worlds in education since 2006 is the effective use of virtual worlds with existing web-based e-learning systems, and the potential pedagogical and other benefits of blending use of these technologies. A second emerging issue is the need to be able to share and reuse virtual world eLearning materials and content. Sharing and reuse of virtual-world content that is linked to web-based materials presents a challenge that has not been explicitly addressed to date. SLOODLE is an open source software application that explicitly aims to blend eLearning across 3D and web-based platforms. It provides a range of tools for integrating the open source Moodle VLE and Second Life and OpenSim virtual worlds making it possible, for example, to build immersive settings around existing VLE content, and to use the VLE to provide greater accessibility to immersive content. This paper will report on the early stages of a JISC-funded col...

Research paper thumbnail of Here's one I made earlier

Here's one I made earlier..., 2017

"This paper aims to investigate the ways in which the makers of home craft negotiate the mea... more "This paper aims to investigate the ways in which the makers of home craft negotiate the meanings of ‘design’, ‘craft’ and ‘art’. Developing from studies in sociology, anthropology, design history and material culture, this paper questions the production and consumption of home-crafted objects within the domestic environment and aims to question the meaning of making in contemporary Britain. A discourse is constructed around oral history testimonies in which home craft makers are also its consumers, which situates the home as a site of production and consumption. Rather than interpreting person/object relations as an extension of ‘taste’, a more dynamic interplay of social and cultural relations is established by investigating the choice of kits, patterns and subjects made by respondents. This is discussed in relation to their display and juxtaposed with popular concepts of art, artistry, aesthetics and decoration. This article therefore confronts the ordinary and its consequent transformation into the extraordinary. "

Research paper thumbnail of It's Behind You (Oh No It Isn't!): Learning About Digital Authenticity From Pantomimes in Second Life

inter-disciplinary.net

This paper reflects on two Christmas pantomimes performed by The Open University informal learnin... more This paper reflects on two Christmas pantomimes performed by The Open University informal learning community in Second Life. We explore the skills needed to participate in the production and how learning from the first event informed changes to the second, ...

Research paper thumbnail of Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds

Research paper thumbnail of Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds

Research paper thumbnail of A Sociocultural Perspective on Negotiating Digital Identities in a Community of Learners

Research paper thumbnail of Experimentation not simulation: learning about physics in the virtual world

Research paper thumbnail of This is Not a Game – Social Virtual Worlds, Fun, and Learning

Human-Computer Interaction Series, 2010

This chapter asks a simple question: what is required to make learning fun in social virtual worl... more This chapter asks a simple question: what is required to make learning fun in social virtual worlds? Several scholars have connected fun with learning but most of these have centered on the function of games in learning. Studies of learning in massive multiplayer online role playing games connect the game mechanics to how learning occurs. However, few have asked whether learning in a virtual world can be fun if there is no game. In a social virtual world, like Second Life (SL) there are no game mechanics (unlike game worlds like World ...

Research paper thumbnail of This is Not a Game – Social Virtual Worlds, Fun, and Learning

Human-Computer Interaction Series, 2010

This chapter asks a simple question: what is required to make learning fun in social virtual worl... more This chapter asks a simple question: what is required to make learning fun in social virtual worlds? Several scholars have connected fun with learning but most of these have centered on the function of games in learning. Studies of learning in massive multiplayer online role playing games connect the game mechanics to how learning occurs. However, few have asked whether learning in a virtual world can be fun if there is no game. In a social virtual world, like Second Life (SL) there are no game mechanics (unlike game worlds like World ...

Research paper thumbnail of Communication Technologies Through A Virtual World.’ Exploring Information And Communication Technologies Through A Virtual World

This mini project facilitated the development of resources within the virtual world Second Life ®... more This mini project facilitated the development of resources within the virtual world Second Life ® (SL) to support students learning on a 30 credit level one course in information and communication technologies with The Open University (OU). The Second Life stream for the course was optional, and students were provided with induction tutorials for the environment, time-limited access to models supporting their learning within each of 3 course blocks, and a supported discussion session to conclude each of these periods. The programme ended with a two-day course fair in Second Life, culminating in a party with the wider OU in SL community. Aims • To support student engagement by ‘bringing material to life ’ in ways that may be difficult, dangerous or impossible in the real world • To aid student retention • To produce resources that can be re-used/re-versioned in other contexts • To provide a model for future course use • To advance our understanding of how virtual worlds can be used t...

Research paper thumbnail of Developing a mashup for virtual world and VLE content: SLOODLE at The Open University

One area that has received little attention in the focus on virtual worlds in education since 200... more One area that has received little attention in the focus on virtual worlds in education since 2006 is the effective use of virtual worlds with existing web-based e-learning systems, and the potential pedagogical and other benefits of blending use of these technologies. A second emerging issue is the need to be able to share and reuse virtual world eLearning materials and content. Sharing and reuse of virtual-world content that is linked to web-based materials presents a challenge that has not been explicitly addressed to date. SLOODLE is an open source software application that explicitly aims to blend eLearning across 3D and web-based platforms. It provides a range of tools for integrating the open source Moodle VLE and Second Life and OpenSim virtual worlds making it possible, for example, to build immersive settings around existing VLE content, and to use the VLE to provide greater accessibility to immersive content. This paper will report on the early stages of a JISC-funded col...

Research paper thumbnail of Here's one I made earlier

Here's one I made earlier..., 2017

"This paper aims to investigate the ways in which the makers of home craft negotiate the mea... more "This paper aims to investigate the ways in which the makers of home craft negotiate the meanings of ‘design’, ‘craft’ and ‘art’. Developing from studies in sociology, anthropology, design history and material culture, this paper questions the production and consumption of home-crafted objects within the domestic environment and aims to question the meaning of making in contemporary Britain. A discourse is constructed around oral history testimonies in which home craft makers are also its consumers, which situates the home as a site of production and consumption. Rather than interpreting person/object relations as an extension of ‘taste’, a more dynamic interplay of social and cultural relations is established by investigating the choice of kits, patterns and subjects made by respondents. This is discussed in relation to their display and juxtaposed with popular concepts of art, artistry, aesthetics and decoration. This article therefore confronts the ordinary and its consequent transformation into the extraordinary. "

Research paper thumbnail of It's Behind You (Oh No It Isn't!): Learning About Digital Authenticity From Pantomimes in Second Life

inter-disciplinary.net

This paper reflects on two Christmas pantomimes performed by The Open University informal learnin... more This paper reflects on two Christmas pantomimes performed by The Open University informal learning community in Second Life. We explore the skills needed to participate in the production and how learning from the first event informed changes to the second, ...

Research paper thumbnail of Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds

Research paper thumbnail of Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds

Research paper thumbnail of A Sociocultural Perspective on Negotiating Digital Identities in a Community of Learners

Research paper thumbnail of Experimentation not simulation: learning about physics in the virtual world

Research paper thumbnail of This is Not a Game – Social Virtual Worlds, Fun, and Learning

Human-Computer Interaction Series, 2010

This chapter asks a simple question: what is required to make learning fun in social virtual worl... more This chapter asks a simple question: what is required to make learning fun in social virtual worlds? Several scholars have connected fun with learning but most of these have centered on the function of games in learning. Studies of learning in massive multiplayer online role playing games connect the game mechanics to how learning occurs. However, few have asked whether learning in a virtual world can be fun if there is no game. In a social virtual world, like Second Life (SL) there are no game mechanics (unlike game worlds like World ...

Research paper thumbnail of This is Not a Game – Social Virtual Worlds, Fun, and Learning

Human-Computer Interaction Series, 2010

This chapter asks a simple question: what is required to make learning fun in social virtual worl... more This chapter asks a simple question: what is required to make learning fun in social virtual worlds? Several scholars have connected fun with learning but most of these have centered on the function of games in learning. Studies of learning in massive multiplayer online role playing games connect the game mechanics to how learning occurs. However, few have asked whether learning in a virtual world can be fun if there is no game. In a social virtual world, like Second Life (SL) there are no game mechanics (unlike game worlds like World ...