In K-8 education I can see virtual worlds being very attractive and educational if properly created and used. I really don't know if such a thing exists in a flitered environment. On Elyssa's tour I could see young people creating building with those prims and practicing all kinds of math and critical thinking skills. It's another way of looking at material. A 6th grader at my school did a presentation about his perfect house last year using a program that made it look like the virtual world. Everyone was fascinated and this by a kid who has difficulty with regular assignments. I am sorry I was unable to meet everyone out there - love the photo. I could see a meeting like this as yet another way for kids to learn navigation and collaborate. This has definitely started me thinking. Mary
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Hi Mary,
I think you brought up an excellent point about alternative learning styles and virtual worlds. I can see how kids who are comfortable playing video games might really love second life, and might find the fact that the learning content is embedded in this kind of game-like atmosphere (something that's a big turn off for me) really appealing and engaging. Previously, I didn't really think of kids using second life, but I can see how it would be so much fun for a kid who is so inclined to go into second life and create and build things. It's experiential learning in a virtual environment.
Building a virtual model of one's dream house is a perfect type of SL activity. The types of activities in SL that I take issue with are things like class meetings or work meetings that could just as easily take place via a web conferencing tool if distance is an issue. I guess I'm not a fan of using SL just for the sake of using SL, but if the SL platform adds something to the experience (like the ability to build a model of one's dream house) I'm all for it.
You made a really good point about the boy who did such a fine job on his assignment. I think it's important for educators to understand the different ways people have of learning, and it's nice that this boy had a chance to show off his capacities in a new way.