virtual (gaming) environments - cultural issues and opportunities

Sebastian Kelle – Open University of The Netherlands

Tanja Kohn – University of Innsbruck

virtual worlds and how they can be used for learning

How the whole thing is being enhanced by the „gaming“ factor?

cultural dimensions, key problems

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Definition:virtualized representation of the user to other

userscollaborative or competitive (or both)enabling social interactionreal-time: linear or dynamic

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used for describing game elementscan be used for adding „game“ characteristics

to a learning scenarioexamples:

roleplayingsocial interactionshared resources

pattern link:http://www.texec.com/patterns/collection/index.htmlogin: winterschoolerpasswort: winterschool

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key topic for foundation of „larger“ range of content access

many Web pages and tools are in English but 43% of Web users do not speak English(Worldlingo, World language statistical facts, URL: www.worldlingo.com/en/resources/language_statistics.html, viewed 2009-01-30)

making use of virtual elements (streaming media, location independence, collaboration spaces)

or reuse of learning resources: adaptation (presentation, navigation)(Brusilovski 2001)

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language learning in virtual environmentsdifferent styles of learning, and different

languagesshort demonstration …www.talkademy.org

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for example: Think about the (virtual) language learning role-play scenario: „Job interview“.

You are applicant at the “Monster Winterschool” – formerly known as TENCompetence Winterschool - for a job as a researcher.

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initiatives like OLPC, Classmate PC, etc. are on the rise

technologies enter new markets, new local contexts, new social contexts

technologies need:adequate infrastructures to be maintained to be used to be integrated into curricula

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technological dimension infrastructure technology and Internet accessmaintenance

cultural dimension language local and social context interactionreligiondidactic

previous knowledge dimensioncomputer literacycompetence

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Miguel showing the hardware of the Laptop XO

11Neighbourhood - sharing

Home

Group - inviting

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Shancayan/Ancash88 laptops; 6 classes, 5 teachers, 1 director, 1 caretaker

Laborpampa/Ancash14 laptops; 4 classes, 1 teacher

Carhuac/Ancash30 laptops4 classes, 2 teachers

Arahuay/Lima120 laptopsold version (1st and 2nd grade)new version (3rd-6th grade)6 classes, 3 teachers, 1 director

learners

teachers

directors

III educational institution

I initiating initiative

II government

UGEL

DRE

Ministry of Education

OLPC

Participating units and tasks of ICT4D, example of OLPC Peru (Laptop XO)

- learning- creating- constructing

- teaching- learning (building new capacities)- aumenting quality

- administrating and coordinating- funding for additional needs

- organization of training- distributing

- distributing

- order- distributing- strategy formulation

- inventing- manufacturing- distributing

little/average knowledge transfer

no/little knowledge transfer


How is the learning environment like?Who uses the technology?Who teaches with the technology and what

background do teachers have?????

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for example: Think about the virtual language learning role-play scenario: „Job interview“.

You are applicant at the “Monster Winterschool” for a job as a researcher.

The “Monster Winterschool” is located on an iceberg near the north pole. You work on-site, so you have poor infrastructure. Most of your colleagues work from home or in a warm and nice cruise ship.

Come up with game patterns that would enhance the job interview scenario so it helps learning. Mind the Infrastructural conditions.


form groupsgroup participants roles:

users (What do I think? What do I want?)developers (How can I realize the wishes of the users?

patterns on cards)poster: What do we want? finding

solutions/problemsdiscussion of solutions between groups regarding

users and developerspattern link:

http://www.texec.com/patterns/collection/index.htm login: winterschooler, passwort: winterschool
