16 ways: sledcc presentation
TRANSCRIPT
16 Ways to Use Second Life in Your Classroom:
Pedagogical Approaches & Virtual Assignments
Michele Ryan © September 2008 SLEDcc Sparks [email protected]
1. Adding a Visual Element(Data Visualization)
Explain abstract concepts or show live data visually.
2. Interactive Library (Data Repository)
Host yours or link to others.
3. Connection Device
As an alternative meeting place; live gatherings or recorded conferences.
4. Role-Playing
With predetermined roles, tasks, or scenarios.
5. Simulations
Practicing complex processes.
6. Creating & Playing Learning Games
Developing content or skill based learning games, puzzles, scavenger hunts, and other
competition based activities.
7. Solely for Skill Development(Soft Skills)
Assigned task is not the focal point of the learning exercise.
8. Research(Inworld & About-world)
Study an inworld behavior (i.e.: economic or social) or use SL as a backdrop for your subject.
9. For Virtual Tourism (Field Trips)
Bring students to a place they could not otherwise visit.
10. Social Device
Social activities as icebreakers, to build team cohesion and to practice communication skills.
11. To Create Anonymity
Real time interviewing, part of asessment, or a place to collect feedback.
12. Machinima
Use the creation of a Machinima as a primary task
13. Recruitment
Create an inworld presence to showcase student work or promote your school.
14. Awareness or Event Promotion
Create items of information or build awareness of a social issue.
15. ‘Building’ (for the sake of learning how to ‘build’)
Building, sculpting, working with prims, scripts, textures, animations, 3D rendering, 3rd party
programs or platform management.
16. Virtual Action Learning(Open, Participative Learning)
As an open, non-structured, student-centered learning community
Teaches inworld w/ students
Sends students inworld w/o teacher
Educator’s Engagement
To ensure sustainability, establish your initial comfort zone. Stay inside it at first, but be willing to step away when you are ready.
Content Sources
Learning Objectives
Teacher creates or locates material
Content Specific
Students create of locate material
Skill Development
Regardless of how you use the virtual world…• Do an Induction with your students. Set up avatars as a group or use pre-made accounts.
•Test the technology in advance.
• The first day of class is always a mess, so be prepared.
• Be transparent in how you expect them to learn.
• Too much structure kills. Not enough structure kills. Find the balance.
•The role of teacher changes! Go with the flow.
•Encourage your students to explore and collaborate with the rest of the VW.
• Encourage use of support technologies such as wikis, forums, etc.
• Consider your assessment model carefully. Try to design it such that unexpected types of learning which may occur, can be recognized.
• Requiring them to document their experience is useful. Either in a diary or in an essay or in a visual form such as an inworld portfolio. It also helps them to reflect on what they’ve learned.
• Think outside the box and have fun!
Thank you!Michele Ryan © September 2008
My email:[email protected]
Link to docs:http://www.lancs.ac.uk/postgrad/ryanm2/