Digital Selves: Lessons from Second Life (original) (raw)
Related papers
British Journal of Educational Technology, 2009
is an e-learning manager at King's College London and a fellow of the Centre for Distance Education at the University of London, where he chairs the research strategy group. He moved from his initial research background in the area of neuroscience to one that now encompasses a range of research projects in technology-enhanced learning. His fields of expertise include: the impact of digital identities on lifelong learning; the use of social software in distance education; pattern languages for Web2.0; design for learning with multi-user virtual environments; feedback loops in formative e-assessment; and support for communities of practice in user innovation and emerging technologies. His interests are varied but focus largely on the meaning of identity in online learning, the potential impact of virtual worlds on education, social presence and social networks, and the changing nature of change.
Mediating the Tensions of Online Learning with" Second Life".
Innovate: Journal of Online …, 2008
Technological advances in computing have made online learning accessible and manageable for both institutions and students, providing tools for efficient and instantaneous communication. However, when such forms of communication limit the personal element in education, both students and instructors can become frustrated. While attempting to determine meaning that has gotten lost or that has been misconstrued, students and educators can experience acutely what Macdonald has termed a "tension of humanness and technology" (1995, 4). As a result, educators must give careful consideration to the appropriate integration of technology into what is an essentially human environment. Such tensions are not necessarily insurmountable, however, since they often inspire creative solutions and practices to minimize them.
A slice of Second Life: Academics, support staff and students
Second Life is an on-line three dimensional virtual world which offers a dynamic educational technology landscape. The relationship between participants (real and virtual selves), and objects (both in terms of destinations and notions of capital/inventory) within this landscape, highlight the complex world(s) of an academy that, like the avatars that populate the virtual world, may continually transform to open up new possibilities. The communities, contexts and roles inherent to the experience are similarly integral to the professional development of academics and support staff. Staff and students at the Queensland University of Technology are now utilising the Second Life virtual environment in a variety of contexts. Although these endeavours are in their early stages, a number of themes are emerging which are instructive for future usage of virtual worlds in educational contexts. This paper examines some of the educational models that three dimensional multi-user virtual environments offer, the contexts that they operate in, and the communities they generate in order to respond to the purposes and issues that arise. It also considers the return on investment of having a place in this landscape for individuals, innovators and institutions.
Teaching in virtual worlds: educational experiences in Second Life
2009
The paper describes the results of a survey carried out to identify the Italian universities which are part of Second Life and to analyse the academic services they are able to offer in this virtual environment. The objective of the research is to study the ways of enjoying this environment and to understand how these universities exploit the "immersive" qualities and typical potentialities of virtual reality (Jacobson, 1994). Here is the list of Italian universities so far examined:
Learning and Teaching in the Virtual World of Second Life
International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, 2010
Educational applications of virtual worlds are growing in popularity and used in pursuit of a wider diversity of learning outcomes as platforms proliferate and experimentation continues. According to this book, "the primary factor (lending to Second Life's growing acceptance by educators) is that it represents an innovative way for both learners and educators to participate in the world in general, and to control the learning activities in particular" (p. 188). While there is definitely a considerable amount of activity and effort being invested in the use of virtual worlds to achieve real world learning outcomes, the development of documentation on "what works" and "why" in the emerging field of Virtual Learning Environments is less prevalent and its usefulness often quite dubious. This book represents the experiences of participants in a state-funded Scandinavian project to create virtual education for adult learners on "Kamimo Education Island" and other experienced educators in Second Life. Offered as a "roadmap on issues of: instructional design, learner modeling, building simulations, exploring alternatives to design and integrating tools in education with other learning systems" (p. 7), the book is generally-though not completely-comprised of narratives generated by expert-situated case perspectives using descriptive methods. While a quick perusal reveals some noticeable flaws, a close reading of the book nevertheless reveals a wealth of insights and recommendations germane to developing and engaging learning experiences within the Second Life virtual environment. Learning and Teaching in the Virtual World of Second Life comprises two parts; Chapters 1-4 is a section devoted to the pedagogic design and management of learning experiences in Second Life and, the second section, Chapters 5-12, describes examples of Second Life projects and the pedagogic wisdom revealed through these contexts. By easing the reader into the idea of teaching and learning in a virtual environment and offering a provocative list of possible educational uses of Second Life, co-editor Judith Molka-Danielsen provides an introduction and lens through which the reader is invited
Strategies and Challenges to Facilitate Situated Learning in Virtual Worlds Post-Second Life
Computers in Entertainment, 2017
Virtual worlds can establish a stimulating environment to support a situated learning approach in which students simulate a task within a safe environment. While in previous years Second Life played a major role in providing such a virtual environment, there are now more and more alternative—often OpenSim-based—solutions deployed within the educational community. By drawing parallels to social networks, we discuss two aspects: how to link individually hosted virtual worlds together in order to implement context for immersion and how to identify and avoid “fake” avatars so people behind these avatars can be held accountable for their actions.
Digital Selves: Preparing Graduates for the Virtual Workplace
2008
The next 10 years will see an increase in the adoption of 2D and 3D virtual environments as spaces for work-related interaction, collaboration and socialising. As the realities of the workplace become less time-and space-bound, it is important that graduates possess not only the skills to enable them to flourish in these environments, but also a deeper understanding of the implications of virtual realities for the questions of identity and selfhood. This paper will present a Monash University teaching initiative, the undergraduate subject BHS3000 Digital Selves. The subject's content will be both theoretical and applied addressing questions such as: Who am I? Who am I interacting with? Where does the real life me end the virtual me begin? The initiative will be presented with a view to receiving feedback on the theoretical and practical aspects of the initiative and encouraging participation by staff and students from other internationally-focused higher education institutions.
Second Life: Harnessing virtual world technology to enhance student engagement and learning
Technology is often used in higher education to deliver a range of online materials to students. Most commonly this online delivery occurs through learning management systems such as Blackboard, Moodle and Sakai. However, with the emergence of virtual worlds there is an opportunity to harness this technology to enhance student engagement and learning in new and innovative ways. Outlined in this paper is an examination of how Second Life has been used in three pilot studies at the University of New England and argues that there are effective gains to be made in the future by using this medium for learning and teaching, particularly for off-campus students.
Utilizing the Platform of Second Life to Teach Future Educators
sicet.org
Instructors and students were required to redefine the role they take in the classroom, essentially being asked to manage a paradigm shift. The task required the abandonment of established ways of practice and the development of new constructivist strategies of learning. Based on our instructional experiences in a virtual world i.e. Second Life, we address the following questions: (1) What are the required pedagogical outcomes underpinning the curriculum? (2) How does the curriculum design redefine the habits and modes of experience that have previously been taken for granted as instructional best practice? (3) What are the results in terms of the distribution of authority and whose knowledge counts? Specifically, the intent of this paper is to identify how learning through a virtual world (Second Life) impacted opportunities for learning from the perspective of the instructors, the students, and the technologists providing expertise, support, and guidance.
Second Life and Higher Education: New Opportunities for Teaching and Learning
Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds: Opening an Undiscovered Country, 2011
Masters, Y., & Gregory, S. (2011). Second Life and Higher Education: New Opportunities for Teaching and Learning. In P. Jerry & L. Lindsey (Eds.), Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds: Opening an Undiscovered Country (1st ed., pp. 137–146). Oxford, United Kingdom: Inter-Disciplinary Press. https://www.interdisciplinarypress.net/online-store/ebooks/digital-humanities/experiential-learning-in-virtual-worlds Over time, higher education has been repositioned in terms of the delivery of courses. While traditional face-to-face teaching still occurs, there has been a major shift to encompass not only some online teaching and learning approaches for on-campus (internal) students, but also the delivery of courses wholly online to off-campus (distance education/external) students. This has necessitated adjustments in the way higher education institutions use technology for teaching and learning. At the University of New England (Australia) the authors have been researching the efficacy of one virtual world, Second Life, for teaching and learning. Two research pilots have provided data to demonstrate that students were engaged in their learning and appreciative of this innovative approach to teaching and learning online. In 2010, the authors commenced a new research project to ascertain whether students learning via this virtual world environment performed better in their assessment tasks than those students who used a traditional learning management system. Data indicate that this is the case. In this paper, the current research project is firstly situated within the range of research conducted by the authors in Second Life. Its aims are then outlined, the research methods described and one aspect of the data presented and analysed. Indications for future research are then explored.