exploring education in second life
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Second Life Education:Exploring the potential for real learning in a virtual world
Clare AtkinsSunset in Bombyx
Challenges of IT Education in the 21st century:
skills of critical appraisal and creative problem solving
making the system fit the students not the reverse
Challenges of talking about Second Life:being taken seriouslyavoiding the clicheshow much do you know already
Challenges of this presentation:where to start, where to stop, too much!what to focus onwhere’s the research
who is doing the presenting here
Clare Atkins OR……
Welcome
to my world
Arwenna Stardust
and we mustn’t forget
NZ Education in a Virtual World
eFest presentation 2007
NZ Education in a Virtual World
eFest presentation 2007
Dr Clare Atkins and Aaron Griffiths
Dr Clare Atkins and Aaron Griffiths
Nelson MarlboroughInstitute of Technology
Nelson MarlboroughInstitute of Technology
Software EducationalResources Limited
Software EducationalResources Limited
Arwenna StardustArwenna Stardust Isa GoodmanIsa Goodman
What is Second Life?A 3D real-time fully interactive online digital world,
imagined created and owned by its residents – a MUVE
• Not really a ‘game’– No rules (only principles of behaviour), no specific purpose– Can create games within in it, e.g. RPGs, Chess, Slingo
• An extremely rich virtual environment, – highly engaging roleplay opportunities– integrated eco-systems, – encourages/facilitates a high degree of collaborative action – Being taken seriously by businesses, education institutes
and entertainment sources 2mins 33secs
Currently almost 8m people have visited, almost 1.8m visited in last 60 days and around 35,000 are online at any one time.
The good, the bad and the ugly, …The good, the bad and the ugly, …
Real-time weather visualisation, tsunami and hurricane simulations
Real-time weather visualisation, tsunami and hurricane simulations
Events, lectures and interactive life-size models
Historical role playingHistorical role playing
Powerful experiential learningPowerful experiential learning
Ready for a visit?Arwenna would like to show us
around a few interesting places!She is waiting for us in the NMIT
Garden of Learning on EduIsland
Arwenna and Aidan at NMIT
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland/94/211/23 here
Dipping NMIT toes into virtual water
End 2006 – Rented space on EduIsland for NMIT for 1 year
2007 Sem 1 – Informal trial with final year IT students
2007 Sem 2 – e-capability project using Moodle, Sloodle and Second Life
2007 June – Decision to buy Koru Island – ready Sem 1 2008
Why?What it offers students
Opportunities to learn through discovery,through real-
time role playcollaborate with others emotional engagement with learningexperience a sense of communityhave fun and learn without recognising
the learningexperience the impossible……………..?
SYD300 students in the NMIT gazebo
Why?What it offers staff as Educators
Ability to provide ‘engaging’ activitiesA natural extension to existing eLearning
activitiesAids to explain and explore difficult
abstract conceptsAbility to bring distance learners into a
class communityEasy route to step down from the “sage
on a stage” roleSYD300 students in the NMIT garden
Why?What it offers Staff as Academics/Researchers
Membership of a global community (in a very real sense!)
Participation in international debates and conferences
Opportunities to talk to/ask advice from significant others
Collaboration for practice and researchOpportunities to publish internationallyAn international social network
Kiwi Educators meeting June 2007
What’s next?
NMIT Koru IslandOtago - sustainabilityTOPNZ
Creation of a NZ community – an archipelago of NZ Islands – cooperating, collaborating, sharing resources
and expertise
That is my vision, and Arwenna’s
What is dawning?
We have no idea! But we think it might re-shape our world in ways we
can’t yet imagine!
Please visit
Second Life Interest Groupwww.nmit.ac.nz/research/2ndLife
NZ Education in a Virtual World (blog)http://eduforge.org/projects/slcampusnz/
And you are always welcome to email Clare
or IM Arwenna!