Teaching & learning health care practice
in Second Life
Sarah Stewart (Petal Stransky)Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin
Creative Commons BY
Petal Stransky
Sarah Stewart
What does Second Life offer health care professionals
& educators?
Authentic & immersive learning experiences
Safe place to explore clinical scenarios
Imaginative mode of presenting content & information
Access to international community of medical &
health educators & researchers
Access to communities of health care consumers
Cape Able Island, haven for deaf, hard of hearing & people with disabilities: http://virtualability.org/our_projects.aspx
Questions to ask?
Think about what you want to achieve – can it be better achieved another way?
What resources are already available in Second Life that you can use to reduce costs?
Who can you collaborate with to reduce costs?
How can you share what you develop in order to support other educators?
What about students who do not have access to Internet & computers?
Educational principles to follow
Don’t be ‘seduced’ by technology – keep pedagogy in mind all the time
Don’t lose sight of learning outcomes
Embed Second Life into curriculum
Design comprehensive orientation program
Allow students & staff time to ‘play’ to build confidence &
competence
What technology do you need?
• Decent Internet access• Quality computers• Headsets & microphones • Knowledgeable IT support• Supportive IT policies
Who do you need in your team?• Second Life developer/builder• Some one with experience of Second Life, how it
works & what can be achieved• Educational designer• Faculty champion/s
Second Life Education New ZealandVirtual Birthing Unit & Normal Birth Scenario
• http://slenz.wordpress.com• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw-KL-
lCesE• http://wikieducator.org/The_virtual_birthing
_unit_project
Sarah Stewart
[email protected]://sarah-stewart.blogspot.comTwitter: SarahStewartSkype: sarah.m.stewart
